Framing an Appropriate Research Question 6b9b26d93da94caf993c038d9efcdedb.pdf
Discover Your Roots: Argentina's Diverse Immigrant Heritage
1. IDENTITY AND BELONGING: DISCOVERING OUR ROOTS
INSTITUTO FEDERICO BRANDSEN
BRANDSEN PROV. BUENOS AIRES
2. ‘’Argentina is unlike any other place
in the world, while at the same
time curiously familiar with its
dash of European customs and
traditions’’
3. IMMIGRATION IN ARGENTINA
The most important
immigration period
was from 1857 to
1940. 6.6 million
immigrants were
estimated to have
arrived in Argentina
among which were
Italian, Spanish, Pol
ish, French, Russian
, Turkish, German,
Swiss and British
people.
5. All the immigrants arrived in Argentina in search for a better life.
Poverty and the world wars were the main causes.
6. Most of the immigrants arrived at the port in Buenos Aires.
They stayed at the Immigrant Hotel for some days and then
they settled down either in the city or the country.
7. CONVENTILLOS
In the city some people went to live to ‘’conventillos’’
Conventillos were long houses with small rooms that
opened out onto a common patio. The conventillos were
constructed from scrap corrugated metal and wood from
old ships, and the façades, doors and windows were then
decorated with the leftover paint from the port.
9. The Italian and Spanish cultures are deeply rooted in our
society: the food we eat, the language we speak, some
sports and family traditions are some of the invaluable
things we have inherited from these European countries.
10. Argentine cuisine has been strongly influenced by the Italian.
Typical Italian dishes in Argentina are pasta and pizza.
if you want to eat a delicious pizza follow this link
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_pizza/
11. Spanish cuisine has also made its contribution. Today in
almost every restaurant of Argentina you can order a
variety of seafood.
12. DANCES
Many Argentine folk dances were influenced by Spanish
dances. This is the case of “ Bailecito” and “cueca”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRonMRWsYM0
(this link shows a video of Ballet Brandsen dancing cueca)
Nicolas is a member of this ballet.
13. SPORTS
Hand pelota also known as Basque pelota is also played in
many clubs in Argentina. This Spanish sport is a court sport
played with a ball using ones `s hands or a racket against a
wall.
14. The following bar chart shows our origins.
In our class most of us are
Italian or Spanish descendants.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Italian Spanish Croatian Russian Swiss German Welsh
15. Most of our ancestors do not speak their native language at
home any more but they still keep some traditions such as
family reunions on Sundays or some religious celebrations.
Here is Augusto’s family. They meet every Sunday.
16. In Brandsen there are two immigrants clubs: The
Spanish Society and the Italian Society.
There they meet to recall the childhoods listen to and
dance traditional music and tell anecdotes about their
distant past.
Last year’s celebration at the Italian Society
17. Stories from the past
“ I`m Argentinian but half of my heart is Italian. My grandparents and my father are from a small town in
the centre of Italy called Guardia- Grele. When my father was young, the Second World War took place.
Life was hard and they lived with fear and hunger. My grandpa, later known as “El Nono”, went to fight
for his country. He was taken prisoner by the English and he was sent to Africa. The family rarely
received news from him and little by little they lost his track. They imagined the worst, but my grandma
went on working and breathing for her two children. One day while my father and my uncle were at
school, the headmistress told them to go home because a relative had come to visit them. When they
arrived home, their mother was hugging a man they did not recognize. They did not realize that “that
man” was their father because six or seven years had passed without any news and they thought him
dead. It`s impossible to describe the situation with words: just imagine… Then it was time for a
decision: where was the best place to start a new life with the family? There were two options: Africa or
Argentina. Luckily the choice was our beautiful country and when he was settled here, the rest of the
family arrived after a long journey by ship. Now my father says to everybody that he is proud of being
Italian but he`s much more proud of living in Argentina, where he could have a nice
family, friends, work and peace! “There`s no better place to live than Argentina,” he says.”
Story told and written by Cristina, an English teacher that works at school.
18. ‘’My great great grandmother came with her family from
Genova, Italy in 1884. Poverty and an oncoming war pushed
them towards ‘’the promise land’’ . With four children and a
suitcase with some clothes and tools they set off to
Argentina. They travelled in the ship holds with some other
emigrants for long days and nights.
Once in Argentina they settled down by the Samborombon
river (a river in the province of Buenos Aires). They built a
‘’rancho’’ (a hut with mud, straw and some logs.) They lived
in a very primitive way with the sole company of the fauna of
the place. When they were finally settled Jose, the youngest
of the family, returned to Italy to fetch his girlfriend. They
married and had four children, three daughters and a
son, my great grandfather.
That old ‘’rancho’’ where my ancestors had once lived is now
over 130 years old. Some months ago, my grandmother
Josefina restored it. And there is stands, solid , erect and full
of my family anecdotes that my granny loves telling us.’’
AUGUSTO
20. “The Argentine are not a single
tribe, and we don`t come from a single
place. But we are building a home where
we are all able to be who we want to
be, yet still be Argentine. That is what we
do: we take, we adapt and we move
forward.”
Adapted from Benjamin Zephaniah `s words in his book of
poems We are Britain!
