Ukrainian Roots & Heritage
Culture goes far beyond simply speaking the language
Iam very proud to be Ukrainian. As a second generation Ukrainian-canadian, I have lost my mother’s native tongue, but I am still proud of my rich heritage and roots. Having a strong, faith-based culture gives me hope and strength, as I continue to learn the values and traditions my grandparents worked hard to bring over from Ukraine and preserve in Canada.
In 1911 and 1912, Stefan Dubyk and Tessie Woznakowski sought out new land. The journey towards Canada must have been exciting but terrifying at the same time. When they arrived on Canadian soil and settled near Hafford, Sask., they had little-to-no money or necessities to their name. It was an enormous sacrifice for their family.
Treasure your heritage, it makes you the person you are today. Ukrainian traditions are deeply embedded in my soul like childhood memories. During the summer of 2009, my three sisters, Margaret, Angie, Alene, and I had the wonderful pleasure of visiting Ukraine and discovering the origins of the Dubyk-woznakowski family. We travelled to Western Ukraine near Lviv, to a small village in the Sokal region called Perespa, where my Dido and
Baba had emigrated. We found relatives who were unknown to us but whose faces were very familiar, especially in those in the graveyards. The pictures on the tombstones even resembled my sister Alene.
“Tak” (yes), everything seemed familiar; the language was the only part we lost. The traditions passed down from generation to generation were much stronger in my memory than the language I had forgotten. My journey of discovery made me realize that a person can still be Ukrainian without knowing the language. However, the sounds of the Ukrainian language still remain rooted in my memories, passed down to us from our mother, and does not seem foreign. I feel my Ukrainian roots in my soul, which lie within the five f ’s: faith, family, friends, food and fun. The stories, the music, the culture, and dance all seem familiar—the spirit of Ukraine is alive in me. I know who I am and where I belong. And if my dear mother, Sophie, was alive today, she would be the first person get on a plane to discover where her dear father, Stefan Dubyk, and mother, Tessie Woznakowski, were born. She would experience the rush and pleasure I felt rekindling with lost relatives… but not lost culture. These were my wonderful discoveries and a terrific journey to my homeland of beautiful Ukraine. ◼