The identity process appears to be very difficult for many individuals. Thinking about the many facets of one’s personality can require a lot of thought. You are different from any other person in this world. Your name, qualities and features are items that create differences even between identical twins. By taking on this project, you are about to began an never-ending journey. You may learn more about yourself and meet fourteen people who came before you, your two parents, your four grandparents, your eight great-grandparents—from whom you inherited the color of your eyes, the shape of your nose, and perhaps your thirst for music. The information that you gather will benefit generations to come. This journey is smoother when it begins with
YOU
!!! Why you? “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step”, (a quote by Ancient Chinese Philosopher Loa Tzu). You may run into ditches, crooked roads, long and busy highways, traffic jams, dead ends, but you must continue to follow the signs that direct you to your destination. You know more information about yourself than anyone else. Your knowledge about the generations before you will help the generations after you. Preserving the family history for future generations will be a wonderful contribution and a gift of heritage to your family, present and future.
The willingness to examine one’s own ethnicity, attitudes and actions is the first step towards self-awareness. The innermost recesses of oneself is the ethnic self (McAdoo, 1993). How you think and feel about your ethnicity or learn more about who you are, involves getting familiar with your ethnic identity. Being able to go alone where you want to go or where spirit tells you to go, even if you have to go alone and finding joy in that solitude, above all the ethnic self is knowing that alone you are whole. In the final step towards self-awareness the individual has reflective and positive ethnic, national and global identifications and the knowledge, skills and commitment needed to function within cultures throughout his or her nation and world. “But where was I to start? The world is so vast, I shall start with the country I know best, my own. But my country is so very large. I had better start with my town. But my town too, is large. I had best start with my street. No: my home. No: my family. Never mind, I shall start with myself!” Elie Wiesel, Souls on Fire
Begin your journey by writing the “story of your life”. Your autobiography will serve as a guide and give you the opportunity to think of many questions to ask the others. Include facts that you remember about your past and traditions that your family may have.
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Complete the
Pedigree Chart and Group Worksheet
for your family. The word
pedigree
means the line of ancestors of a person or an animal.