Family Roots: The Stories We Remember, and Those We Forget

Every family tree begins with roots, yet not all roots are remembered equally. In many cultures, ancestry is traced through the father's surname, family name, and lineage. Generations can often be followed through the paternal line with photographs, documents, and oral histories, creating a strong sense of identity and belonging.

In contrast, tracing the mother's side of the family is often far more difficult. A woman's surname may change after marriage in some cultures, family records may not preserve her ancestry, and over time the stories of her parents and grandparents gradually fade. These maternal connections can become invisible, despite being just as important in shaping who we are.

This idea echoes Tree of Guardians (2014) by Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan, an installation of 2,000 brass leaves and hundreds of family tree drawings accompanied by oral histories. Rather than celebrating only documented family lines, the artwork honors mothers, grandmothers, and generations of women whose names and stories have often been forgotten. It reminds us that women have long preserved culture through stories, songs, and traditions passed from one generation to the next.

"Today’s women have the power to not only speak for and about their own mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, but also to reclaim the collective legacy of generations of women that might otherwise be lost to memory," said Manal.

By highlighting the other sides of our heritage, this artwork encourages us to value every ancestor equally and preserve the memories, names, and experiences of mothers and grandmothers before they disappear from our collective history.

If you were to draw a family tree, what and who would you include in it?

Gaida Almogren is an artistic Independent curator.