migration

MANY DIFFERENT MIGRATION STORIES MAKE UP UTAH'S HISTORY

See if you can figure out the migration of each of the groups below. Draw a line from each group to its migration story. Draw a line for each migration on the world map above.

African Americans	1 In 1889 a group of _________ who had joined the Mormon church migrated from their lush tropical islands to Utah. They settled in the West Desert in a place they called Iosepa. In 1917, most returned to their homeland.
Tibetans	2 In the late 1800s, the U.S. government forced the _________ to move from their traditional tribal lands and settle on a reservation in the Uinta Basin.
Shoshones	3 Pioneer ________ migrated to different parts of Utah when their church leaders asked them to settle in new places.
Hawaiians	4 In recent years, thousands of _________ have immigrated to Utah from Central and South America. Most are looking for jobs and better economic opportunities.
Latinos	5 When the Chinese began to oppress and destroy their country in the 1950s, many _________ escaped to India. Recently, some of these refugees have migrated to Utah.
Mormons	6 Before the coming of Anglo-American settlers, the _________ migrated through the Great Basin and Snake River Valley every year, hunting and gathering food.
Utes	7 In the Southern States, _________ faced terrible discrimination. After World War II, many moved to Utah hoping to create a better life.

Answers

Victoria’s Story

I was born in Brazil in 1993, close to Sao Paulo. My birth mother had me in the hospital, but she didn’t want to look at me, because she was afraid she’d want to keep me. So then my mom came and got me. My mom and dad had been looking for someone to adopt, and they found me. My mom is from Brazil and my dad is from Salt Lake.

They took me to Salt Lake, and I lived here almost my whole life. Five years ago, we went to Brazil to get my brother. Three years ago we moved to Las Vegas. I didn’t want to move, because I had a best friend named Craig, and I didn’t want to leave him. But we kept writing letters. I hated Las Vegas. It was too hot and I had hardly any friends.

Last year in December we moved back and we’re living for a little while with my grandma. She’s from Norway. She grew up on a little island in the middle of a fjord. In 1948 she migrated to Utah with her brothers and sister.

I’m happy to be back in Utah.

--Victoria Horrall

DO YOU HAVE A MIGRATION STORY?

Why yes, you probably do. For starters, think of all the places you have lived. You say you have only lived in one place? Well, then, what about your dad? Your mom? Your grandparents? Did your ancestors come from another country? If you look into this, you will probably learn that your family has moved around a lot.

Once you know your family’s moves, you can make your own family migration map! Use the map above or another one (you might just need a U.S. map). Put a dot in the place where your parents were born. Then put dots in all the places your parents and you have lived (you could use different colors for each family). Connect the dots with lines that show your family’s moves. If your map is big enough, write down dates, place names, and what happened in each place.

Once you have made a map of your own family, how about making a migration map of your grandparents? Your great-grandparents?

1. Hawaiians, 2. Utes, 3. Mormons, 4. Latinos, 5. Tibetans, 6. Shoshones, 7. African Americans