In the talk held on June 23, 2025, at the Havak Hall of the Anarad Higutyun Building, moderated by Aylin Vartanyan Dilaver, we listened to the unique journey of Carolyn Rapkievian, who lives in the United States, as she traveled with her sister to the villages of their grandfather Hovaness (John) Okoomian. In her talk, Carolyn Rapkian shared her visits to Tokat, Talas, Sivas, and Kayseri while tracing her family's footsteps.
During the event, the speakers brought together narratives of survival, displacement, and resilience through photographs, archival research, oral history documents, and personal artifacts such as their grandmother's preserved wedding dress. In her talk, Rapkievian shared how the contradictory narratives, lost tapes, misspelled village names, and family heirlooms encountered while pursuing stories lost or silenced in 1915 transformed into a memory map. Rapkian's grandfather's diary, the story of her cousins' forced marriages, insurance policies, neighborhood searches conducted through Google Maps, and the hospitable villagers encountered by a group of women searching for a church in Erzincan were among the narratives shared in the talk.
In the talk where personal narratives were sincerely shared, it was revealed how identity continues to take root in a place despite years of separation.
You can watch the complete talk from the video above.
We Welcome Your Stories
This conversation series is part of a broader dialogue about ancestral journeys and the profound connections between past and present. If you are an Armenian living abroad who has undertaken or is planning an ancestral journey, we would be honored to hear your reflections and experiences. Your stories of discovery, reunion, and belonging contribute to the collective memory that Hrant Dink spoke of - each narrative adding depth to our shared understanding of heritage and home.
We invite you to share your own journey with us. Please reach out through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to connect and explore how your story might enrich this ongoing conversation.
