APRIL 2024

CHALDEAN KITCHEN
Leeanne Kizy and
her mother, Amira,
cooking together.
Discovering New Cultures
To feed her large family, Jamila cooked many of the traditional
Chaldean dishes she grew up eating in Telkaif.
As the years passed, she began to learn about the local
cuisine as well, adding traditional Mexican meals,
with their freshest of ingredients, to her family’s diet.
From their mom, Amira and her sisters would learn
the recipes for making meals from both traditions.
During those mid-century decades, a growing
number of Chaldeans were also making their way to
Detroit, Michigan. One such individual was Ramzy
Kizy. Ramzy left his hometown of Telkaif and traveled
to the United States alone, arriving in the Detroit area
in 1954. Like many others, Ramzy also shared the goal
of working to establish a life so he can start a family.
By the late 1950s, there had already been two or three
waves of Chaldeans who had immigrated to Detroit.
The Next Generation
As word of this migration spread to Mexico, Elias
Curioca began to visit Detroit, reconnecting with his
newly-arrived friends. Amira recalls taking such trip
with her father at the age of 21, when she was asked
to be the maid of honor for her girlfriend’s wedding.
They stayed with family friends, Joseph and Mary
Shouneyia. As one of the few Chaldean families in
Detroit, Mary would invite some of the single men to
The Mexican Connection
A mother and daughter prepare Pozole
and reminisce of family memories
BY Z. Z. DAWOD
Back in 1937, a group of Chaldean Iraqi Christians
traveled from Telkaif to Mosul, then to
Adana to board a cargo ship bound for America.
However, the United States was not their final
destination. Upon reaching Ellis Island, New York
City’s famous point of entry, they would board another
ship, this one bound for Veracruz, which was
then the main port of entry into Mexico. From Veracruz,
the pioneers traveled by train toward Paso del
Toro, stopping in various towns along the way before
arriving in Ixtepec, where they would disembark. The
journey would take three months.
In Search of a New Life
As was the case with many early immigrants to North
America, it was mostly single men who tended to undertake
such a voyage. They ventured to leave their
hometown of Telkaif and travel to Mexico for what
they believed would be a better life. With a climate
that resembled Telkaif’s, this group decided to make
the city of Ixtepec in the state of Oaxaca their new
home.
After some time of settling in, some of the men
decided to travel back to Telkaif, with the goal of
marrying. Their mission was to start a family to
bring back to Ixtepec.
One of the men who undertook this journey was
Elias Curioca. Upon his return to Telkaif, he was
matched with and soon married a young woman
named Jamila Karana.
Starting a Family
Elias and Jamila Curioca had their first three children
in Telkaif but after saving enough money for the trip
back to Oaxaca, Elias departed once again, this time
with a wife and three young children, arriving at their
new home in Ixtepec three months later.
Over the years, the family continued to grow.
Their fourth child, Amira, was the first in this Chaldean
family to be born in Mexico. Three more babies
followed, blessing the Curioca family with a total of
seven children.
As Amira recalls, her home in Ixtepec was a villa
of sorts, at least compared with other nearby homes.
She remembers having a comfortable life, never
wanting for anything.
Ramzy and Amira on their wedding day in 1961.
her house on Sundays for Chaldean dinners. Ramzy
Kizy was one of the guests on the Sunday that Amira
was there, and she caught his eye.
The following morning, Amira’s father was excited
to tell her about a gentleman who was interested
in marrying her. At the time, Amira did not take the
comment seriously. Rushing out the door to visit a
friend, Amira recalls saying, “Baba, I have to go now,
do whatever you need to do.” So, he did.
The very next day, there was a shower gathering
for Juliet Casab at Jack Najor’s house. It was a big celebration
with lots of food and dancing when, all of a
sudden, one halhole after another began to sound.
Then came the announcement: Mary Shouneyia
spoke up and informed the guests that Amira Curioca
was now engaged to Ramzy Kizy. And that’s how
Amira learned that she was to be married.
34 CHALDEAN NEWS APRIL 2024