A. Heritage and Identity · Changing Family and Community Traditions

How Traditions and Heritage Are Passed On

A3About 30 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe ways that traditions and heritage are passed on.
I can explain the job of families, Elders and community groups in passing on traditions.
I can learn a tradition from someone older and pass it on.

Words to know

pass on
To teach or give something to younger people so it keeps going.

oral tradition
Passing on stories, history and teachings by telling them out loud, from person to person, instead of writing them down.

heirloom
A special object that is passed down in a family from older people to younger people, like a quilt, a ring or a cookbook.

recipe
Instructions for making a food. Many family recipes are passed on by cooking together.

Knowledge Keeper
In First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, a person who holds and shares special knowledge, like stories, songs or how to make things.

Who taught you?

Who taught you to tie your shoes? To sing your favourite song? To make your favourite snack?

Someone showed you or told you. That's how traditions keep going too! People who know a tradition pass it on to people who are learning. Then one day, the learners become the teachers.

A folded patchwork quilt made of many colourful fabric squares, resting on an old wooden chest at the foot of a bed. — A family quilt can be passed down from grandparent to grandchild. Each square might hold a memory or a story. AI-generated image

Passing on a tradition is a loop. Learners grow up and teach the next learners, so the tradition keeps going.

Way to pass on a tradition	Example
Telling stories	Grandpa tells the story of how our family came to Canada.
Teaching by doing together	Grandma and I make dumplings together. She shows me how to fold them.
Songs and music	Mom sings me a lullaby in Punjabi that her mom sang to her.
Language	Lolo teaches me words in Tagalog.
Heirlooms and photos	We keep Great-grandma's quilt and look at old photo albums.
Celebrating together	Every year we light the candles together, so I learn the words and the steps.
Community groups and places	I learn Ukrainian dancing at a cultural centre, and Arabic at weekend classes at our mosque.
Elders and Knowledge Keepers	An Elder visits our class to share a teaching and a song.

Ways traditions and heritage are passed on

Eight ways traditions and heritage are passed on. Which ones happen in your family or community?

Oral tradition: passing it on out loud

Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples have passed on their history, stories and teachings for thousands of years mostly by telling them out loud. This is called oral tradition. Listeners have to listen carefully and remember, so they can pass the stories on.

Many other families pass on stories this way too. Think about a story an older person has told you more than once!

Families, communities and Elders

Families pass on traditions at home: recipes, songs, prayers, games and words.
Community groups help too: places of worship, cultural centres, heritage language classes, dance groups and festivals.
In First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, Elders and Knowledge Keepers share teachings, stories, songs and skills, like beading, drumming or fishing.
You help! When you learn a tradition and keep doing it, you are helping it keep going.

Learning takes practice

Many traditions take a long time to learn: a dance, a language, a recipe or a song. Older people teach a little at a time. Be patient, ask questions and keep practising!

Funny but true

Have you ever played Telephone? A message whispered down a line can come out silly at the end: "I like to bake" might turn into "I bike to the lake!" That's why oral tradition needs careful listening.

Worked example

Example: Let's name how each tradition is passed on

How is each tradition being passed on?

Dad teaches Ana to make arepas every Sunday, side by side in the kitchen.
Ben's great-grandpa's hockey stick hangs on the wall, and Ben hears the story of his big game.
At the cultural centre, Ming learns lion dance steps with other kids.
Grandma tells Leila the same bedtime story her grandma told her.

1. Teaching by doing together (a recipe).
2. An heirloom (the hockey stick) and telling stories.
3. A community group (cultural centre).
4. Telling stories out loud (oral tradition).

Traditions are passed on in many ways: doing together, heirlooms, stories and community groups.

Worked example

Example: What would happen if no one passed it on?

Ollie's great-grandma knew a special song. She never taught it to anyone, and she never wrote it down. What happens to the song?

Think: Who knows the song now? Only great-grandma knew it.
If nobody learns it, the song can be lost.
Think: How could the family keep it? Someone could learn it from her, record it, or write it down, and then teach it to others.

A tradition that is not passed on can be lost. That's why teaching and learning traditions matters.

Hands-on activity

Learn it, then teach it

Ask an older person in your family or community to teach you one tradition: a recipe, a song, a game, a prayer, a dance step, a craft or some words in a family language.
Practise it until you can do it yourself.
Now pass it on: teach it to someone else (a sibling, a cousin, a friend or a stuffed animal!).
Draw a picture with three parts: who taught me, what I learned, who I taught.

Talk about it: "How did it feel to be the teacher?"

Your turn

Name three ways traditions are passed on.

What is an heirloom? Give an example.

What is oral tradition?

Who are Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and what do they share?

Name a community place where children can learn traditions.

How can you help keep a tradition going?

More practice: warm-up

Grandma shows you how to make bannock. How is the tradition being passed on?

Is a quilt from Great-grandma an heirloom?

Mom sings a lullaby her mom sang to her. Is this passing on a tradition?

Fill in the blank: When we tell stories out loud, it is called ______ tradition.

Who can pass on traditions: only grown-ups, or kids too?

More practice: on your own

Why do listeners need to listen carefully in an oral tradition?

Why might a family send children to weekend language classes?

What could happen to a tradition if no one learns it?

How is a family photo album a way to pass on heritage?

Pick one tradition from your family. How was it passed on to you?

Challenge

Ollie's family wants to save great-grandma's song. Give two ways they could do it.

Why do you think some traditions are passed on by doing instead of just by reading instructions?

Think of yourself as a grown-up. What tradition would you want to pass on to children one day? Why?

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is a way to pass on a tradition?

An heirloom is...

Oral tradition means passing on stories by...

Who shares teachings, stories and songs in many First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities?

What can happen to a tradition that nobody learns?

Which is a community way of passing on heritage?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Traditions and heritage are passed on through stories, doing things together, songs, language, heirlooms, celebrations, community groups, and (in First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities) Elders and Knowledge Keepers, often through oral tradition. Children are part of the chain.

How to help at home:

Do the Learn it, then teach it activity with a grandparent or older relative, in person or by video call.
Tell your child the stories behind family objects.
If your family speaks another language, keep using it at home. Heritage language programs are offered by many Ontario school boards and community groups.

Common difficulties: children may think only old people can pass things on. Point out when they teach a younger sibling or friend something. They may also think oral stories are "less true" than books; explain that oral tradition is a careful, respected way of keeping history.