Where does your sense of identify come from? Growing up in New Zealand we learn about Whakapapa, a Māori term that describes your identity through connection to ancestors and land.
When my Great-Great Grandparents immigrated to New Zealand in 1875 with their children, they began integrating into the predominantly English community. The children were taught in English and they were “encourage” to leave their culture and identity behind.
Throughout my life I have had moments where I have felt like I didn’t quite fit in to the community I had grown up in. For a long time I wasn’t really sure what it was until I began understanding that my family history wasn’t the story we learnt at school. It was far more interesting!
This blog is about my personal journey to understand my heritage and the story of Scandinavian migration to New Zealand. Thank you for joining me!
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