A Genealogy that Connects Me to the Land

Abstract

My narrative has helped me conceptualize my home as a coherent place and space, allowing me to reflect and make sense of my experiences within my community in Algeria. I entered Algeria with the goal of engaging with my family and untying the many confusing experiences I had in the country, experiences that kept me from feeling comfortable in my homeland. My genealogy is a key cultural reference for me. My father, my adopted Odjibwe father from Canada, and my grandfather on my mother’s side are wonderful examples for me. Through their life stories they taught me pride and gave me the strength to be an indigenous person and a Kabyle man. I consider them to be a part of me. They are narrators within my own story because of the place they have in my voice. These men anchored me to the world of Imazighen people of Algeria. At the same time, three members of Berber associations in France, who grew up in Algeria and who shared their local contacts with me, allowed me to have another perspective of Algeria.