My Family Environmental History
August 27, 2026 By: Makena Stratton
My grandparents from my mom’s side emigrated from Portugal to Canada in 1973. On my dad’s side, his mom’s family came from Russia in the early 1900s, along with many other Doukhobors who came to Canada. However, for the purpose of this, I will focus on my grandparents on my mom’s side for the next few paragraphs because I find their history, where they came from, and how they used to live very interesting. Their experiences growing up in Portugal greatly differed from how my mom grew up and as well as me. This is especially true when it comes to their relationship with the environment and how much they depended on the land around them for everyday needs, which is something most people, including myself, take for granted in today’s world.
Both my grandparents are from the same village on the island of São Miguel, located in the Azores, which is a group of islands a few hours off the coast of mainland Portugal. Faial da Terra, their village, was and still is today a very small village in São Miguel, with a population of only about 300 people today. When my grandparents lived there, it was not a very developed village, and much of the food that people had was grown or caught by hand. I remember hearing stories about different kinds of fish and eel they caught off the shore of the ocean and in nearby creeks. They also grew a lot of their own vegetables and had a few cows in the village too. They relied heavily on the land for most of their food, whether it was grown on a farm, caught in the water, or meat they had butchered themselves. At this time, the main resources in the village were farming and fishing, which were also important parts of the local economy. Since there were not many other options, the people here were dependent on what the land and water could provide for them.
Growing up, I remember hearing stories about what life was like for my grandparents in Faial da Terra. They would tell me how there were barely any cars on the streets and how poor the village was, and often saw children grow up not owning a pair of shoes. Most of the houses’ floors were just dirt, and it was seen as a luxury to have real glass windows. These stories always stood out to me because it is very different from how I grew up and even how my mom did. My grandparents blame the lack of luxuries such as cars on being a poor country, but now I cannot help but think that could have been a blessing in disguise. This is because at the time there was less industry, less pollution in their village, making it possible to use their natural resources in a respectful way, they did not exploit their lands; they only took what they needed to survive and replenished it for further use. Additionally, Faial da Terra was very separated from the mainland, and my grandparents grew up in an environment where their natural resources surrounded their whole lives.
It was not until my grandparents married that they decided to move to Canada because they wanted a better life for themselves and future children. When they first came to Canada, they lived in Toronto for a few months, but they soon moved to Castlegar, where there was already a small Portuguese community in the area. Moving to this area allowed them to be closer to people who shared the same lived experiences as them and also helped to keep some of their traditions and ways of life. Even though their environment changed with moving to Castlegar, through this community they were still able to continue some traditions that they had in Portugal.
Growing up in Castlegar with my grandparents living close by has taught me a lot about their values and their relationship with the environment. Every year they plant a garden full of fresh fruit and vegetables that is enough to feed themselves, my family, as well as give to friends in the community. When I was little, most of my summers involved going to my grandparents’ house and helping them harvest their garden and process different foods such as apples, peas, and beans.
Additionally, in the fall, the Portuguese community would come together to process larger amounts of food such as whole cows and pigs so each family could take their share for the winter. The relationship my grandparents have with the environment is that it can provide and nourish your family and community, which is something they have passed down. Even though we do not necessarily make or grow everything we eat now, their relationship with the environment has taught me to respect how hard they have had to work for basic needs growing up in Faial da Terra. They have shown me how much the land can provide food, but it also requires a lot of hard work and a level of respect for the environment.
Many of the homemade meals I have had from them over the years have been made from scratch with ingredients from their garden, which is something I have learned to appreciate as it is a lot of hard work year-round. Although their lives are very different now than what they were in Faial da Terra, many of these values have stayed with them. Their connection to the environment has given them fresh food to feed their family and to build community in a new area. So, my grandparents’ environmental history has shaped how I understand the relationship people can have with the environment, especially how much it can give you if you also give back and take care of the land.