Ep 8. Connecting to the Past

Roots Less Traveled is an intriguing show that brings out hidden secrets and rarely explored stories of people's ancestors. The show follows hosts Faruq Tauheed and Karla Gordy Bristol as they travel across the country, helping individuals connect with their past. In season 1 episode 8, entitled "Connecting to the Past", Faruq and Karla help a blended family learn about their history and create a new family tree that affirms their unity.

The premise of the episode is about the Bates family, which includes five children from two different marriages. The siblings, who range in age from 11 to 33 years old, want to get to know their heritage and understand how their family came to be. They know that their father is half Black and half Native American, but his ancestry beyond that is a mystery. Their mother's family hails from Mexico, but her parents never spoke much about their roots. The Bates siblings feel that although their family is blended, they want to create a cohesive story of their ancestry that marries their different backgrounds.

Faruq and Karla meet with the Bates siblings at a park in California, where they start the journey by sitting down and finding out what the family knows so far about their ancestry. They talk about their excitement of learning more and uncovering hidden stories from the past that could affect their present. The hosts introduce the family to an expert genealogist Dominic Lippillo, who is going to help them uncover the truth about their collective past.

The Bates siblings visit the archives in Sacramento, where they go through historical records that help them learn more about their ancestors and the places they lived in. They go through census data and other records to help them build their family tree. The discovery of a photo and an old registry list provides insight into their father's ancestry, and they slowly build the family tree.

The show dynamics are punctuated with interviews from the siblings, where they speak about their unique life experiences and the struggles that come with growing up in a blended family. The hosts thread together the different nuggets of insights that the siblings reveal during these interviews.

The Bates siblings further visit a library in the area that has a vast archive of Mexican historical records. They find out stories about their Mexican ancestry, learn how the culture evolved over the centuries, and what made the Mexican people move to America. In a heartwarming moment, the siblings discover that their grandfather was a well-known musician in Mexico and that they come from a line of musicians.

The episode becomes emotional as the siblings visit their grandfather's grave in a beautiful cemetery. Here, they find the graves of their relatives - grandparents, cousins, and other family members - who they had never met before. They learn about their family history and how their ancestors bear witness to struggles and triumphs that have shaped who they are.

The final stages of the episode come together at an art museum in California. The siblings reveal their completed family tree to their parents, and it's a culmination of their collective journeys and newfound knowledge. The family members express delight and joy in learning more about their ancestry and in seeing their shared history.

Overall, 'Connecting to the Past' is an evocative and touching episode of Roots Less Traveled. The show manages to weave together the social issues that come with growing up in a blended family while creating a family tree that brings together diverse cultures. The Bates siblings learn about the struggles that their ancestors faced, but also the cultural achievements that they made. The siblings' journey culminates in forging a new connection with their past, creating a lineage that unites their families.