By Alli Sinclair
Growing up
in a country that is part of the Commonwealth, it was normal for me to see
photos and hear stories about English monarchs. But when I walked through the
doors of a tea house in Gaiman, Argentina, I hadn’t expected the Princess of
Wales would be staring straight back at me.
Set in
Argentina’s Patagonia region, Gaiman is home to the descendents of Welsh
immigrants who arrived on these windswept plains in 1865. Back then, the Welsh
were looking for a way to protect their lifestyle that had become endangered by
the English. The Argentine government wanted to promote immigration to
Argentina and offered the Welsh 100 square miles of land along the Chubut River
in southern Patagonia. In exchange, the Welsh made a deal that the Argentines
would respect their language, religion, and traditions. Who knew that years
later, the Argentines would have their own issues with the English when it came
to the Falkland Islands (or las Islas Malvinas, as the Argentines call it)?
The settlers
arrived on a converted tea-clipper and found they had been given false
promises. The supposed fertile land was arid, and little food was available.
Floods washed away their crops and hampered construction of towns. The
Argentine government introduced conscription and insisted the Welsh men drill
on Sundays, even though it went against the Christian principles of the
settlers. A wide rift grew between the Welsh and the Argentine government, but
it wasn’t enough to stop more Welshmen from travelling to Argentina over the
next 50 years. By the time immigration stopped just before World War I,
approximately 2,300 Welsh had arrived.
As I
strolled through the streets of Gaiman back in 2000, it was difficult to
remember this was an Argentine town. The concrete block buildings found in
Argentine suburbia weren’t common in this quaint town. Instead, Gaiman’s
streets were lined with weatherboard houses with white shutters, lush gardens
were in full bloom, and the air sagged with the scent of roses. Tea houses
surrounded the settlement and Welsh tea, accompanied by pastries, cakes, and
other delectable delights were on the menu.
In a hallway
of the Ty Te Caerdydd tea house, Princess Diana of Wales is honored at a shrine
of sorts. A large photo of the former princess in royal regalia is framed by
bunches of roses and the original tea set she drank from when she visited the
establishment sits under her picture. The day Diana visited, a children’s choir
sang in Welsh, and she shook the hands of each child. She drank tea and ate
pastries and when she left, despite being forbidden to accept flowers for
security reasons (!!), she took a red rose from a bouquet.
On the 31st
of August every year, the anniversary of her death, the Welsh descendants
gather to pay their respects to the Princess of the People. The Argentine Welsh
have an undying love for an English woman, which is ironic, given they once had
such contempt for the English. Maybe their adoration for Diana was a result of
her charm, or perhaps it was because she appeared to be a thorn in the side of
the “real” royals.
The
Eisteddfod, a Welsh tradition, is held every year and plays an important role
in Patagonian heritage. Choir singing, poetry, and dancing competitions are
held during the Eisteddfod, and keep the Welsh tradition alive. The water
channels the Welsh built were Argentina’s first man-made irrigation system and
are now used all over the country. It is one of the reasons Argentina has
thrived in the farming arena for so many years.
I’ve often
wondered why my connection to Argentina has always been strong. When I
discovered my own Welsh heritage and its connection to Argentina, everything
fell into place. No wonder this invisible umbilical cord that attaches me to
Argentina feels like it could never be severed.
How about
you? Have you ever travelled somewhere and realized the bond with the place is
because of your ancestry?
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