Preserve what may not appear in official records

Government records can document where people lived or when they arrived. They rarely explain how a family celebrated, what language was spoken at home, which foods mattered, what stories elders told or which customs helped people stay connected to their culture.

Immigrant and diaspora families

Families who moved from another country often carry traditions from the homeland that change over time. Record the recipes, holiday customs, religious or community practices, sayings, songs, family roles and stories that came with earlier generations.

It can also be valuable to document what changed after migration: which traditions continued, which were adapted and which disappeared as younger generations grew up in a new country.

Indigenous families and communities

Indigenous family histories may include oral histories, kinship connections, language, land-based knowledge, community stories, traditional foods, family roles and cultural practices that are not fully represented in written records.

Some knowledge may be private, sacred, seasonal or intended only for certain family or community members. When preserving Indigenous cultural material, follow the wishes of elders, knowledge keepers and the community. Get permission before recording or sharing sensitive stories, ceremonies, images or teachings.

Old family traditions from the homeland

Many traditions survive simply because someone remembers how they were done. That might be a Christmas dish from Poland, a wedding custom from India, a song from Ireland, a family saying in Arabic, a Lunar New Year tradition from China or a harvest practice passed down through generations.

Record not only the tradition itself, but also who practiced it, where it came from, when it was used and what it meant to the family.

What to preserve

• Family recipes and food traditions
• Languages, expressions and family sayings
• Holiday and religious customs
• Music, songs and dances
• Oral histories and stories told by elders
• Traditional clothing, tools or household objects
• Migration and settlement stories
• Family roles and kinship traditions
• Photographs of cultural events and gatherings
• Memories connected to ancestral places or homelands

Capture the meaning, not just the artifact

A photograph of a celebration is more useful when future relatives know what was happening. A recipe matters more when the family knows who made it and when it was served. A phrase in another language becomes more meaningful when its translation and family context are preserved beside it.

Let different generations contribute

Older relatives may remember the original tradition. Younger relatives may be able to explain how it has changed. Recording both perspectives helps preserve a living culture rather than freezing one version of it in time.

See how Family Histories connects people, stories, photographs and records, or explore more ways families can preserve their history.