Standing on Shoulders

He kākano ahau i ruia mai i Rangiātea

I am a seed which was sewn in the heavens of Rangiatea

This is my Great Grandfather, Ferdinand Meyer

Ferdinand Meyer 1858- 1932

 Ferdinand was a prominent figure in the world of small business owners. He had his own shop and when large companies started to take over, he lead the small business owners of Rotterdam into a united co-op. According to newspaper articles and stories, he was a much loved leader with a lot of compassion, always had time for everyone and his immaculate presence and gregarious personality was a welcome addition to the cultural life of the city. He also was a dedicated family man and had 7 children.

The co-op he had started become a strong force in the world of local businesses and they commissioned an oil painting of my Granddad. Which is what you see above, except it's in colour in real life.

For many years, different family members and the co-op fought over who owned this painting. There are some fantastic stories about that which I might tell you another time. Finally, it fell into the hands of my family and it is now (River- you are going to love this!) hanging in the middle of the shop my cousin owns: the largest Magic, The Gathering Shop in Europe.

My cousin commutes to his shop in rollerblades. He wears ripped jeans and hoodies, a far cry from the tie and the bowler hat my granddad wore. And still, they have a lot in common.

I love these stories and I am very fortunate that I have an uncle who loves collecting all these bits and pieces of history. He wrote a small book about it, with all the news paper articles, photos of buildings and  people and whatnot.

In the back of the booklet, there are all these family tree fold out pages, going back to 1776.

This is the part where I am joining the clan.

My father's family doesn't have any books like this. I only found a piece of paper with the names of my great grandparents on it, the dates they were born and when they died and what they did for a living. My great granddad was a sack carrier in the harbour and my great grandmother was a washerwoman. A lot more modest than a book and an oil painting, but just as fascinating and heart warming.

I love listening to stories of the people who came before me. Somehow, even though I live a completely different life in Aotearoa, I am standing on their shoulders. They were there before me and because of the lives they led, the choices they made, they seeds they have sown, I am who I am today. A bit of a washerwoman, a bit of a co-op leader, a bit of a sack carrier.

Today's task might take you a bit longer than one day, you'll have the whole weekend for it. You will need to draw up your own family tree. I have an example for you here below, you don't have to copy it exactly, but it is an excellent picture to show you what to do.

You'll need to talk to your parents and grandparents, maybe uncles and aunties. If you are part of a blended family, be creative and add a branch to your tree so they all fit it.

You can add the year of their birth and death (if they're dead. Obviously) You can add little photos if you can, like my Uncle has done. What are the stories that come up when you ask your parents about their families?

Do you still have your mihi example from Whaea Tania and Mataua Willie? This is a great time to connect this, a mihi is all about where you are coming from, which has made you into the person you are today.

Have fun Class 4 😎