Nikki Sahagin Posted May 15, 2010 Posted May 15, 2010 100% English as far as I know (the Sahagin is a pseudonym) but who knows, the further you explore the history of your family, pretty much everyone in the world will have something else.
SadandConfusedWA Posted May 15, 2010 Posted May 15, 2010 I am Russian and have a typical personality to go with that: highly passionate, emotional and with a hot temper. I also like vodka and snow.
Toki Posted May 15, 2010 Posted May 15, 2010 100% English as far as I know (the Sahagin is a pseudonym) but who knows, the further you explore the history of your family, pretty much everyone in the world will have something else. If you go back far enough everyone is African.
melodymatters Posted May 15, 2010 Posted May 15, 2010 My grandparents all came over from Italy as children, so I am 100% Italian American. And yes, I can cook very well, have quite a temper, and No, I can NOT say that again with my hands tied behind my back !
SecretSquirrel Posted May 16, 2010 Posted May 16, 2010 (edited) Irish on one side. English, German and Mohawk on the other. Still have family in Germany and Ireland. In regards to us Americans not identifying ourselves as "American", I think the term "heritage" is subjective, but to most it means "Where do you come from?" as opposed to "What nationality are you?" Sorry, "ethnic background", not "heritage". Still stand by what I said though. Edited May 16, 2010 by SecretSquirrel
sb129 Posted May 16, 2010 Posted May 16, 2010 Thanks for the clarification people. How many generations need to have passed before you say you "come from America"? Not trying to inflame here, just interested in the responses, and my country is a very new country and most families are a couple of generations removed from being from somewhere else, but hardly anyone that was born here says they are from anywhere except NZ.
SecretSquirrel Posted May 16, 2010 Posted May 16, 2010 Thanks for the clarification people. How many generations need to have passed before you say you "come from America"? Not trying to inflame here, just interested in the responses, and my country is a very new country and most families are a couple of generations removed from being from somewhere else, but hardly anyone that was born here says they are from anywhere except NZ. If you ask me "Where do you come from?" my answer is the U.S. If you ask me "What nationality are you?" my answer is American. If you ask me about my ethnic background or heritage, my answer is European/Native American. Because I still have family in Europe and am only a couple generations removed, I still recognize that as my heritage, though not my nationality.
sb129 Posted May 16, 2010 Posted May 16, 2010 Its good that those of use from melting pot countries can make that distinction- and its interesting. Thanks for your answer SS.
Stung Posted May 16, 2010 Posted May 16, 2010 Agree with the Squirrel's summation of presentation. I was born in the United States and am of American citizenship, although I have also lived in other countries in Europe, and in Mexico. My heritage is predominantly Sac and Fox Indian (Meskwaki-Sauk), Ojibwe Indian (White Earth Nation), English, and Scottish.
Nikki Sahagin Posted May 16, 2010 Posted May 16, 2010 If you go back far enough everyone is African. 'Supposedly'. I don't know that I believe that.
crosswordfiend Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 How many generations need to have passed before you say you "come from America"? Not trying to inflame here, just interested in the responses, and my country is a very new country and most families are a couple of generations removed from being from somewhere else, but hardly anyone that was born here says they are from anywhere except NZ. This is a very interesting question and english-speaking Canada where I live, I would say that the answer is a function of the colour of your skin. All of the people I've met who have claimed Canadian ethnicity (if such a construct exists) have had anglo-saxon (yet another dubious construct) bloodlines. There are really two things going on here. First is how you define yourself, and second is how others allow you to define yourself. My current thinking is that a major wave of immigration has to have stopped before a given ethnic group is accepted into the mainstream fold. Without a continuous stream of fresh immigrants joining the community, ties to the old country are maintained solely in a nostalgic manner, and the community starts to consider itself native. Likewise, the rest of the community stops associating people of a given ethnicity with fresh immigrant and starts to accept them as native. Where I live, immigration from China is still alive and strong. And while I'm sure there are many people who can trace their ancestry back to the railroad workers (probably 7 generations by now) they will not be accepted as unhyphenated Canadians.
yume Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 Thanks for the clarification people. How many generations need to have passed before you say you "come from America"? Not trying to inflame here, just interested in the responses, and my country is a very new country and most families are a couple of generations removed from being from somewhere else, but hardly anyone that was born here says they are from anywhere except NZ. It's funny because I'm Canadian and yet I don't tell people my ethnicity is Canadian. It almost seems like there is no Canadian ethnicity....I don't know. It's a hard issue to address. I suppose the multiculturalism makes it more complicated. My mom is Ukrainian and Polish and my Dad is full Hungarian. I mainly identify with being Hungarian because that side of the family (my grandma basically) is where I get a sense of 'culture'.
Toki Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 (edited) 'Supposedly'. I don't know that I believe that. erm, well I've taken some genetic anthropology courses and it's not even a disputed claim in the scientific community. It's a fact only laughably ignored by the religious community. Do you believe gravity is a fact? or do you believe Sir Isaac Newton was just blowing smoke up everyone's ***? I've come to appreciate unfounded opinions as much as I appreciate someone farting in the elevator. Edited May 17, 2010 by Toki
LucreziaBorgia Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 Black, Cherokee, White By the time I came along, the ethnic traits were hard to distinguish, but I still have a few. My daughter does as well.
Star Gazer Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 I am German + Scottish on one side and lacking info on the other side besides knowing my bio dad was french canadian:cool:. Don't know what that means in terms of my personality. I do know that it means my bio-dad was a runner, because as soon as he found out my bio-mom was pregnant, he ran away. Do we have the same bio-dad? Well, actually...it would be reverse! Mom: French Canadian/Scottish Bio-Dad: Scottish/German
shadowplay Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 All you americans that are answering these- none of you have said "american", you have all said a mixture of other nationalities. Are your parents first generation irish/italian or whatever or is that their ancestry? How many generations has it been since they lived in their country? Its interesting to see how many people are of such different origins. My grandfather was an irish immigrant, the other grandparents were a mixture of scottish, english and danish, but were all New Zealanders. I am 100% Kiwi with an Irish passport. Go figure. Maternal grandfather born in Sicily. Maternal great-grandparents born in Florence/Sicily. Paternal great-great-grandparents born in Germany, paternal great-grandparents born in Switzerland.
shadowplay Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 I am Russian and have a typical personality to go with that: highly passionate, emotional and with a hot temper. I also like vodka and snow. I always thought you were Polish for some reason.
Star Gazer Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 How many generations need to have passed before you say you "come from America"? I think it depends on your viewpoint. I view all Americans as immigrants - that's what this country was founded on, afterall. And like you, the U.S. is also a fairly new country, all things considered. If you ask me "Where do you come from?" my answer is the U.S. If you ask me "What nationality are you?" my answer is American. If you ask me about my ethnic background or heritage, my answer is European/Native American. Because I still have family in Europe and am only a couple generations removed, I still recognize that as my heritage, though not my nationality. Agree with this. As for me, my maternal grandfather was "straight off the boat" from Scotland, and my maternal grandmother was the first generation born in the U.S. My paternal great-grandparents were immigrants.
sb129 Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 Maternal grandfather born in Sicily. Maternal great-grandparents born in Florence/Sicily. Paternal great-great-grandparents born in Germany, paternal great-grandparents born in Switzerland. You are right about different viewpoints SG- in this situation I wouldn't consider myself to be German or Swiss, or even really Italian. Its your heritage, sure. But its not your nationality or your identity. I have Irish citzenship and a passport thanks to my paternal grandfather, but I don't consider myself to be irish (I have only been there once!) People in NZ like to be from somewhere else- they call themselves New Zealanders but do think it gives them some distinction if they can lay claim to being from anywhere else (it doesn't!). People don't want to be just kiwis- we are so isolated and far from anywhere else in the world that anything foreign is seen as exotic and exciting. I wonder if thats the same in the US?
Star Gazer Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 You are right about different viewpoints SG- in this situation I wouldn't consider myself to be German or Swiss, or even really Italian. Its your heritage, sure. But its not your nationality or your identity. Interesting perspective about identity. When I'm here in the States, I actually "feel" Californian before American! Ha! When I'm in Scotland (traveling, or whatever), I "feel" Scottish. If I'm anywhere else, I "feel" American. People don't want to be just kiwis- we are so isolated and far from anywhere else in the world that anything foreign is seen as exotic and exciting. I wonder if thats the same in the US? I think it is, to a degree. Again, I think it comes down to the fact that both countries are still so new. I think it takes a couple generations to let go of the ties from the past. I just don't know how long...
Toki Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 It took the Normans and Saxons about 300 years of living together before they decided it was alright to call themselves English.
monkeywithagun Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 born in Cuba moved to U.S at age 8 . entire family still lives there minus mom dad and brother
shadowplay Posted May 17, 2010 Posted May 17, 2010 You are right about different viewpoints SG- in this situation I wouldn't consider myself to be German or Swiss, or even really Italian. Its your heritage, sure. But its not your nationality or your identity. I have Irish citzenship and a passport thanks to my paternal grandfather, but I don't consider myself to be irish (I have only been there once!) People in NZ like to be from somewhere else- they call themselves New Zealanders but do think it gives them some distinction if they can lay claim to being from anywhere else (it doesn't!). People don't want to be just kiwis- we are so isolated and far from anywhere else in the world that anything foreign is seen as exotic and exciting. I wonder if thats the same in the US? It actually is a part of my identity. I do feel a strong connection to my roots, particularly my Italian roots. All of the family on my mother's side (mother included) is fluent in Italian, and I can understand some. They also cook Italian, play Italian music, etc. The culture is strong and lives on.
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