December 8, 2010

Knowledge of Family Tree

Written by: Pauline O'Brien, CITC Reading Teacher, Susitna Elementary School

Where are you from? That is a standard question I used to ask, until I met a gal who was Alaska Native, but she responded, “I am from here, where else would I be from?” I was shocked at her response, because I didn’t realize that question was offensive, and she didn’t want to entertain my question or engage in any conversation about coming from somewhere else other than Anchorage.

My roots are from the South end of Kodiak Island. My great grandfather (Thomas) was from an Irish ship and he married my great grandmother (Kathrine); they had one son. My great grandmother died at a very young age of 26, and my great grandfather moved way. My grandpa, Fred Coyle, Sr. was born in 1910, and since his mother passed away and his dad moved away, he was raised by his uncle. Back in those days, it wasn’t uncommon that families placed their children in the care of the child’s aunt or uncle. It was understandable, if you married a non-native, and you needed your children to learn survival, they would live in a home that could provide for that.

My Grandpa, Fred Coyle, Sr., was in an arranged marriage, he married a girl named Jeanne. They had four children: Stella, Fred Jr., Natalie, and Herman. Stella had 6 kids; my dad, Fred, also had 6 kids, Natalie had 2 girls and Herman died before he could start a family. My dad, Fred Coyle Jr., is the last remaining sibling. I have one brother, and my older brother passed away at the young age of 21. I have a lot of cousins out there, but they do not carry the Coyle name. I am proud of my native heritage; unfortunately, I do not speak my language and neither do my siblings. We were told to have a better life by going to school to get educated, so we could get better jobs for our families.

I feel that my knowledge of where I come from and who my family is, is very important to me and my children. I want my children to grow up knowing we have relatives all around us, and you need to know your families names, just in case you met someone and they talk about their families, and you may find that you are related. I am happy to share with you some of my roots; they really do branch out much farther than this. I focused on my dad’s part of the family, and didn’t even touch my mom’s side of the family, that is much too complicated for a short paper. Just a glimpse, she is one of 14 siblings, and she is the oldest. She only has 7 siblings remaining, and plenty of cousins out there; it is hard to keep track at this point. Her family is another story. Until next time, Pauline O’Brien