Respecting the East, Embracing the West: A Tribute to the Women of the Maritime Sikh Society (Report‪)‬

Abstract This article pays homage to the women of the Maritime Sikh Society (2) as they juxtapose values from the western and eastern cultures into one mindset. Their quest to preserve, transmit and share their Punjabi (3) culture is reflective in the cohesiveness of their community and religious congregation. Unfortunately, similar to most immigrants, this population dealt with a variety of obstacles in order to develop a bicultural identity and live comfortably in their third space. A third space represents a safe, mutually respectful, comfortable and authentic environment, which encourages an individual to be proud of his or her ethnic heritage and in turn, integrate it into their individual identity (Bhabha, 1994; Sodhi, Gamlin, Maracle, Earner, Komorowsky and Yee, 2001).This article also alludes to the triumphs these women achieved in order to re-invent their identities and positively communicate their culture to future generations.