Story in Song
Tending to the heart threads of generational and diasporic grief
A video recording is included as an invitation to experience the sacredness held within the voice (and tradition) of oral storytelling. If it resonates, please enjoy at your leisure - maybe curled up with a warm cuppa tea or held within the wild embrace of the magical natural world that surrounds you.
Mo ghrá go léir / All my love,
Erica
A stór mo chroí, in the strangers land / There is plenty of wealth and wailing
The more I move into the research of this project, the more this particular line from A Stór mo Chroí lands differently.
As a daughter of the Irish diaspora with ancestors who emigrated to Canada during the height of An Gorta Mór, it’s gut-wrenching to learn that the colonial structures they were fleeing were the same systems that made way for their refuge on Turtle Island shores.
Canada’s history is a colonial history. Imperial desires for wealth, power, and expansion came with deliberate and tactical governing policies designed to oppress Indigenous people by severing their connections to their land, their languages, their cultures, and their families.
Being Irish-Canadian means I’m also of settler heritage. Being of settler heritage means I am connected to Canada’s oppressive history.
I share this with the intention of recognizing the privilege that comes with tending to stories and songs of my bones while living upon the traditional, unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg people.
Over the years, I’ve felt shame and guilt because of this privilege and being of settler heritage. At the same time, I’ve also learnt that shame and guilt are immobilizers to being an active participant of change.
So today, I lean deeply into the adage that to know who you are—and where you’re going—it helps to know where you come from. For those of us of settler heritage, I feel this work is two-fold: it means rooting within the cultural history of your own bones and learning the history of the lands on which you currently stand.
Additional Links
Experience more on the creative process of De thír Mháithreacha: Of the Land of my Mothers:
Learn more about the work of Mary McLaughlin.
Learn more about the National Famine Way and the Ottawa unveiling ceremony.
Courses that have supported my learning journey regarding Canada’s colonial history: Indigenous Canada [Online Course: University of Alberta], Reconciliation through Indigenous Education [Online Course: University of British Columbia]
Being of Irish and French ancestry, I continue to be reverently grateful to the traditional spirits and keepers of the land [past, present, and forth-coming] of the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg people; where I was born and currently reside.
Culture, language, and stories are alive within the rivers and stones of landscapes. Míle buíochas, a thousand thanks, for the opportunity to live, create, share stories, and walk alongside you.
If this is your first experience held within our corner of the Substack realm, I would love for you to continue the journey with us.
So thoughtful. And thank you for the short and sweet writing. Just enough to be engaging but not too long to lose me. The history of Canada has been more and more unsettling to me. My husband has been watching a show lately (I think on the History channel) which is called True Story. It is so good to see the progress we are making and so heartbreaking to see where we’ve come from. As an 8th generation Canadian, it has been a long time since my family line departed from Europe. Learning earth-based practices has restored my sense of inner belonging like no affirmation ever could. I wish this healing for all peoples.
Thank you for sharing this reflection, Erica. As a fellow diaspora living in Canada, and longing for connection to “home”, I wholeheartedly relate. Many thanks for sharing your beautiful rendition of A Stór mo Chroí , I’ve always found the words and haunting melody of this song to be incredibly moving. Sending you love and my best wishes for a safe journey home. Le grá agus buíochas a chara.