By Eugenia Bouiti
A family photo from interviewee. Angela Pisano is the little girl standing at the bottom right wearing the hat.
Table of Contents
Introduction
In the mid 20th century, countless families sought refuge and new beginnings beyond their homeland. Angela Pisano, born in 1944, was one such child who embarked on a life changing journey at the age of only eight years old. In 1952, Angela and her mother emigrated from the South of Italy, their native land, to Canada in Niagara Falls. Driven by the hope of better living conditions and better opportunities. They were welcomed by her uncle, who had already established his life in the new land. Angela Pisano’s story is one of resilience, adaptation and the longing for a brighter future. Through her reflections on this pivotal moment, I invite you into her challenges, experiences, impressions, and triumphs as a young little girl of immigrant life.
On Thursday 31st of October 2024, I had the beautiful opportunity to interview Angela Pisano. This 23 minutes interview talks about her full journey from Italy to Canada. You get to hear about her first impressions, her experience, her challenges and how her young self had to adapt to the new land. The interview turns into an insightful conversation where curiosity and experience meet.
The boat that the interviewee describes in her story.
Interview Introduction
Summary of Interview
Kitchener elementary school in the 1950s.
“I remember the teachers used to check our bodies every single morning. Our hands, behind our ears…”
Analysis
When it comes to materials and articles that we have seen in class, Angela Pisano’s story relates to some of them. The main three articles that immediately came to mind where The Anthology of Italian-Canadian Writing by Joseph Pivato, Two Way Culture Shock by Sidhwa Bapsi and John Cabot Rediscovered.
In John Cabot Rediscovered, his journey represents the early Italian desire to explore and seek for new opportunities, laying the groundwork for future generations. Angela’s story embodies this idea of courage and aspirations as she and her mother left Italy in the 1950s to find stability and new opportunities in the new land Canada.
In The Anthology of Italian-Canadian Writing by Joseph Pivato, we see the complexity of building an identity in a new land and also the importance of keeping and maintaining that cultural heritage. Angela’s reflections on how hard it was to adapt to Canada, build a new identity and grow as a little girl goes hand in hand with that concept of identity. Howe she also says that it is very important for her to pass on the Italian culture to her kids also follows the idea of keeping heritage and not losing in due to the difficulties of displacement.
Finally, in Two-Way Culture by Sidhwa Bapsi, highlights the struggle and journey of immigrants such as Angela Pisano to navigate two cultures. She explained going to an Italian school and having to learn English and adapt to the Canadian education system. Her story is a proof of how immigrants create a blend of traditions that form the essence of multiculturalism.
Another family photo from the interviewee’s sister.
Bibliography
Interview
How to cite this page
Eugenie Bouiti. “Echoes of the past: An Italian Mother-Daughter Emigration Story to Canada.” In Italian Communities in Canada: Heritage Cultural and Ethnographic Studies, suprv. Teresa Russo. Brock University, 6 November 2024, St Catharines (https://www.italianheritage.ca/2024/11/02/echoes-of-the-past-an-italian-mother-daughter-emigration-story-to-canada/). Italian-Canadian Narrative Showcase (ICNS).