Mari Firkatian
This family tree is of the Yahanadjian family where Mari's mother originated, starting in 1928 to around the present day. Mari has many stories that have been passed down about her family members, and this image helps to better visualize all of the connections within her mother's side of the family. Mari herself is pictured under her parents Agop and Anahid, stemming up to her great grandparents Takuhi and Garabed Yahanadjian.
Mari discusses her grandmother Iskouhi and their family in Bulgaria in her cookbook memoir Home Again: Armenian Recipes from the Ottoman Empire. From her grandmother, also referred to as medzmama, Mari was able to hear about the roles each family member had growing up.
"Medzmama Iskouhi and her brothers and sisters were subject to the will and discipline of their paternal medzmama; she rules the household as any Armenian matriarch of the age would have done." (pg. 36)
Mari's grandmother and great grandmother had their own duties in the household, taking a glimpse at what life was like there.
"In the mornings after the family rose, her mother Takuhi's job and young Iskouhi's duties included rolling up the beds and bedclothes and putting them out of the way so that the rooms could be turned over to other uses... Medzmama Iskouhi was her mother's helpmate. A hard-working woman, my great grandmother was a jarbeeg one too; she was sharp and felt free to express her opinions." (pg. 36)
These stories are just a small look into Iskouhi's life, they serve a greater purpose in helping to understand Mari's family, stories that even involve ancestors who are not pictured on this chart. Based on everything Mari learned she was able to create this family tree as a way to visualize the stories of her relatives.