Introduction
Our Grandmothers, Ourselves: Reflection of Canadian Women is a tribute
to our grandmothers and the significant role they have played in shaping
who we are. It celebrates the women who have bound us to our cultural
and historical roots and honours the power of narrative to promote
understanding among people of diverse backgrounds.
We, the contributors, are Canadian women raised in immigrant homes.
To survive, we learned at an early age to tuck away our first language
and culture as we scurried off to school each day. The effort to assimilate
into the dominant culture left us little time or energy to examine
our dual identity; many years of denial have kept us from sharing
our experiences. In writing our stories, we establish a vital link
with the past. Our voices speak with passion and dissonance as we
redefine our identity in light of our grandmothers’ experiences.
The grandmother-granddaughter relationship has undergone little examination
in literature. In this collection, the portrayal of the grandmother
is multidimensional - as woman, feminist, keeper of our first language
and culture. These stories affirm that cultural heritage is manifested
through language, food, storytelling, music, religion, holistic healing
and symbols. Owing to our grandmothers’ presence in our lives,
these rich traditions will be preserved for yet another generation.
Many of us were first awakened to issues of social justice, community,
racism, self-esteem, equity, biculturalism, womanhood and family by
our grandmothers.
Is Grandma a Feminist?
It is our hope that this cross-cultural collection will challenge
the Western understanding of feminist ideology and encourage a more
global perspective. Outside the Western world, feminism has historically
been about protecting families and communities. Our grandmothers’
survival depended on female networks; in this interdependency, these
women were pioneers of feminist tradition.
Although our grandmothers, in breaking with traditional ground, function
as feminist models, they rarely expressed ambivalence about their
identity. At some point they were able to transgress the limitations
of patriarchal societies. Through their unconditional love and strength,
and through their power to inspire, they have undeniably influenced
how we view ourselves as women.
Grandma Talks Funny
Cultural heritage is inherent in language. As bicultural children,
we inevitably face the loss of our first language in a land where
English predominates, but our grandmothers keep the language of our
ancestral lands alive within our homes.
Linguistic adaptation is a common immigrant experience. Often intergenerational
ethnic families develop a language distinctly their own; there is
a merging of two languages. Many of our grandmothers adapted to the
English language by exchanging certain English words for those of
their native tongues, and their mispronunciations and gestures formed
the basis of a new linguistic expression.
If Grandma Talks Funny and We Don't,
Then Who The Hell Are We?
Implicit in these stories is the dilemma of ethnic identity. Culture
and language affect each person differently, and we are faced with
the rewards and pain of biculturalism. What we know of the world arises
from our experience of that world; as immigrant children, we are bicultural
individuals who have learned to view reality from multiple vantage
points.
Within these intricate aspects of identity lies the universal notions
of continuity. To know one’s origin is to have a sense of belonging
from which personal and social meaning is derived. Our grandmothers
have bequeathed to us a value system that marks our heritage.
I Remember The Stories Grandma Used
to Tell Us From The Old Country
Folktales and myths are powerful methods for teaching what is important
in a culture, and the creative force of oral storytelling predominates
in a number of these stories. Many of us come from cultures in which
captivating tales are told rather than read. Our grandmothers have
played a pivotal role in our family histories, and we have provided
them with the opportunity to tell this history. Through their stories
we vicariously experienced our grandmothers’ adaptability and
resilience in the face of hardship and have gained insight into their
wisdom.
We hope this anthology will foster understanding of the multicultural
character and ethnic diversity of our Canadian land. As we unravel
the differences behind each of our stories, we come to discover the
commonalties in our relationships with our babcias, obachaans, grannies,
nonnas, yiayias and babas. It is our hope that Our Grandmothers, Ourselves:
Reflection of Canadian Women will bring an increased awareness of
the multiple perspectives through which reality may be viewed.
Gina Valle
