I had decided, when I was 7, that I wanted to play fiddle. I think I was mostly trying to be as cool as @licoricefish. My parents said no (lots of times). But my baba and geedo could be persuaded. They brought me to a pawn shop and bought me my first fiddle.
I grew up immersed in Ukrainian culture thanks to them and the community hall. I learned dance and mandolin there - the same place that my dad and aunt learned it when they were kids. Things weren’t nearly as straightforward with my connection to my Métis family and culture.
A lot of things had to go right for me to feel what I do now. But it started that day my baba and geedo bought me my first fiddle. A few years later, at Emma Lake Fiddle Camp, I got to learn Métis fiddle with John Arcand. And eventually, the story of my Métis side became more than just a story.
It became its own thing, which I can work on, and contribute to, and which I can share.
There are a lot of paths back to who you are, but the true ones always have someone’s love guiding you along. I think my baba and geedo couldn’t have known where that fiddle would take me, but love seems to have been what made the difference, there.