101 Years: In Recognition of the Armenian Genocide
Today it’s not about tile, design or architecture. Today is about remembering our Armenian ancestors who perished at the hands of the rulers Ottoman Empire. This crime against the Armenians is recognized annually on April 24.
The structural remains of Zvartnots cathedral in Armenia. Photo by Discovery Travel.
From 1915 to 1918, 1.5 million men, women and children were forcefully taken from their homes and the land they had cultivated for generations. These families were separated, put to hard labor, tortured, made to march through deserts, raped, mutilated and often times, ordered to abandon their Christianity. Churches were also destroyed and turned into mosques. Those that lived, of which there are not that many any more, tell of horrific crimes against humanity.
These people – who were scholars, financiers, farmers, artists – were citizens of the first Christian nation (301 AD). For a quick understanding of Armenia, I found this page interesting: 12 Interesting Facts About Armenia That You Might Not Know; as well as this from the BBC.
The Armenian flag consists of three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange; the color red recalls the blood shed for liberty; blue represents the Armenian skies as well as hope; and orange represents the land and the courage of the workers who farm it.
Yet, with all the history, documentation, eyewitness accounts from non-Armenian scholars and diplomats, here we are — 101 years later — still waiting for the Turkish government to own up to its past atrocities.
Unfortunately, because Turkey is a member of NATO and holds a strategic, military position in the Mediterranean, our freedom-loving U.S. politicians have yet to officially declare what happened between 1915-1918 as GENOCIDE.
Still, photographs continue to speak volumes. Too bad we didn’t have smart phones to document what was happening. I guarantee you we wouldn’t be here marking a century of denial.
Thankfully, the descendants of these crimes against humanity are around. There is wonderful quote that the Armenian diaspora adopted last year on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the genocide: “They Tried to Bury Us; They Did Not Know We Were Seeds.”
Further, it just dawned on me that because we came from the earth, that Armenians excel at working with stone and tile. Delicate, intricate carvings in stone and producing handmade ceramic tile are a passion that has been passed from father to son for generations. A couple of examples that come to mind are the families of ARTO Brick & Tile and Bedrosians Tile & Stone. Also, it should be noted that no matter where we are or what profession we are in, Armenians tend to find each other. There’s a wonderful poem from the writer William Saroyan:
“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.”
I look forward to when the Armenian Genocide will be recognized by the U.S. If not in my time, then my children’s time.