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Welcome Medz Mama Araxie Astardjian Oshagan!

Grandson Ara Oshagan proudly pays homage to his paternal grandmother, Araxie.

Araxie (1895–1987) was born into a well-established Armenian family in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where her ancestors had lived for generations. Despite being discouraged from marrying the man she loved, she followed her heart and built a life marked by resilience, love, and deep cultural devotion.

She married Hagop Oshagan, a prominent Armenian writer. Together, they had three children and lived in several countries, often displaced by the upheaval of genocide and war. After his passing, Araxie took on the monumental task of preserving his legacy. His manuscripts—written in watered-down ink—had begun to fade, and only she could decipher his handwriting.

With deep reverence for her husband’s work and an unwavering commitment to the Western Armenian language, Araxie began the painstaking task of rewriting a large portion of his literary archive by hand. Her work was not only an act of love, but also an act of cultural survival—a preservation of language, memory, and identity.

Later in life, Araxie moved to a convalescent home in Los Angeles—a city unfamiliar to her. Her grandson Ara, who lived nearby, began visiting her regularly. Though they hadn’t shared a close relationship growing up, these visits became a bridge. Still, Ara acknowledges that displacement and diaspora left a gap between them.

After our interview, Ara shared that his childhood in Beirut was filled with surrogate grandmothers who offered the warmth and care that distance had made impossible with Araxie.

Araxie Oshagan stands as an exemplary Armenian woman—her life and work vital to the preservation of Western Armenian literature and language. Like Ara, many of us carry the sorrow of not truly knowing our grandmothers—a loss that echoes across diasporic families.

Note: The episode photo of Araxie and Ara, taken in 1987, is the last image of her before she passed.

About Today's Guest - Ara Oshagan

Ara Oshagan is a diasporic, multidisciplinary artist and curator whose work explores histories of dispossession, identity, decolonization, and (un)imagined futures. He works in photography, collage, installation, film, book arts, public art, and monuments, and has published four photography books. His solo exhibitions and public installations have appeared in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Armenia, Morocco, and South Korea. Ara’s work has been featured by NPR, the LA Times, Hyperallergic, Mother Jones, and Art Papers. He is currently Artist-in-Residence at 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica and curator at ReflectSpace Gallery in Glendale, CA.

Created by: Anoush Bargamian @themedzmamas
Story by: Ara Oshagan
Photo by: Arsine Oshagan
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The Medz Mamas Podcast is a place to honor and celebrate our Armenian grandmothers all across the globe. Subscribe today and share TheMedzMamas™ with friends & family!

TheMedzMamas™ was established in late 2020 to celebrate and honor Armenian grandmothers' lives, stories, and perspectives.

TheMedzMamas™ aims to amplify the voices of Armenian women, with a focus on this particular generation of women.

While we specifically feature Armenian grandmothers worldwide, anyone can enjoy the collection of stories. We serve as a multi-generational experience that teaches the value of our unique Armenian grandmotherhood experience within the fabric of our collective humanity.

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Welcome, Medz Mama Vartanoush Krikorian Kaprielian!

In this episode, Vietnam veteran and trauma psychologist Michael Manoog Kaprielian shares the story of his bond with his paternal grandmother, Vartanoush—a survivor of the Armenian Genocide. From childhood memories and living by her side to honoring her legacy through global humanitarian work and a life-changing family reunion, Manoog takes us on a journey of history, healing, and rediscovery.

Vartanoush Kaprielian (1900–1986) was born in the city of Mush—known as Muş in modern-day eastern Turkey and historically part of Western Armenia. During the Armenian Genocide (1915–1923), 1.5 million Armenians were killed under the Ottoman Empire. In Mush alone, over 140,000 Armenians were targeted.

Vartanoush was one of the few who survived. She had two older half-sisters, Moulan Khatchadourian and Vardouhi Marabian. Shortly before the genocide, she fled with her mother, Gulizar, from Mush to Tbilisi, Georgia. While tending to wounded Armenian fighters there, she met her future husband, Michael Kaprielian—Manoog’s namesake—while caring for his injuries.

They fell in love, married in Tbilisi, and began a remarkable journey eastward across the Trans-Siberian Railway. After passing through Russia and reaching Japan, they eventually arrived in the United States. They settled in Providence, Rhode Island, where they raised seven children—five of whom survived—and helped build what would become a vibrant Armenian-American community of genocide survivors and their descendants. Their family was, and remains, a strong pillar of that community.

Amid the chaos of genocide, Vartanoush’s sisters and uncles were separated and eventually resettled in Yerevan, Gyumri, and the remote village of Dzorashen, Armenia. Decades later, through Manoog’s determination, a missing branch of the family was found—reuniting relatives and honoring the resilience of a grandmother whose quiet strength continues to inspire.

About Today’s Guest – Michael Manoog Kaprielian:

• Member of the Providence Armenian Relief Society
• Life member of Vietnam Veterans of America and the NAACP
• First man elected to the board of the Armenian International Women’s Association
• Recipient of honors from the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Georgia
• Lecturer on PTSD and the psychology of the Armenian woman
• Founding board member of Alzheimer’s Care Armenia

Big thanks to sound designer/musician Aris Buechele!
Follow us on The Medz Mamas Podcast.

Created by: Anoush Bargamian @themedzmamas
Story by: Michael Manoog Kaprielian
Photo: Michael Manoog Kaprielian
Sound Design by: Aris Buechele

Support the show

The Medz Mamas Podcast is a place to honor and celebrate our Armenian grandmothers all across the globe. Subscribe today and share TheMedzMamas™ with friends & family!

TheMedzMamas™ was established in late 2020 to celebrate and honor Armenian grandmothers' lives, stories, and perspectives.

TheMedzMamas™ aims to amplify the voices of Armenian women, with a focus on this particular generation of women.

While we specifically feature Armenian grandmothers worldwide, anyone can enjoy the collection of stories. We serve as a multi-generational experience that teaches the value of our unique Armenian grandmotherhood experience within the fabric of our collective humanity.

Send us a text

"My grandmother, Kenarik Adamian, was born in Tehran, Iran, likely in 1929, despite a birth certificate stating 1925. She was one of five children and grew up in an Armenian family, passionate about design and sewing. Taught by a French-Armenian family friend, she pursued her interests despite her education being interrupted in her teens.

At around 18 or 19, my grandmother met Vahan Zolfaghari, a wealthy man from a gold and jewelry business background. They married in a grand Armenian church ceremony. Kenarik had five children, though one son died in infancy. The surviving children were Verjik, Vahram, Hilda, and Frida. She was a dedicated stay-at-home mother who designed clothes for her children and relatives.

Tehran was westernized during Kenarik's life, and Armenians were well-regarded. Her children were educated in England, frequently traveling for vacations and school. My grandmother supported my mother Hilda's marriage to my father, an American named Michael, amidst the Iranian Revolution in 1979. She attended the wedding in England, though her husband couldn't due to health and travel fears.

Post-revolution, Kenarik returned to Iran, focusing on her ailing husband and first grandchild. The revolution isolated her from her children abroad, and she fell ill with shingles. Her husband passed away during this period, leaving her to cope alone with only Verjik nearby.

In 1986, my grandmother immigrated to America after her husband's death, settling with her children in Maryland. Despite language barriers, she adjusted quickly, bringing Persian carpets, gold, and souvenirs. She lived with her children and found renewed purpose in caring for me when I was born in 1992. Kenarik's Armenian and Persian cooking was beloved, and she shared Armenian traditions and stories, becoming a central figure in my life.

I cherish her legacy of love, strength, and resilience, feeling her presence in spirit even after her passing." -Ashley M. David

You can find Ashley, @ashdave17, on Instagram.

Special thanks to sound designer and musician Aris Buechele for creating the beautiful music for Season 2. You can find Aris @noiseship on Instagram.

To stay updated on new episodes, please give us a follow on The Medz Mamas Podcast. And if you know an incredible Medz Mama, you can contact us through Instagram @themedzmamas or go to themedzmamas.com.

Created by: Anoush Bargamian @sweetangst_art @themedzmamas
Story by: Ashley M. David
Photography: Ashley M. David's library
Music by: Aris Buechele

Support the show

The Medz Mamas Podcast is a place to honor and celebrate our Armenian grandmothers all across the globe. Subscribe today and share TheMedzMamas™ with friends & family!

TheMedzMamas™ was established in late 2020 to celebrate and honor Armenian grandmothers' lives, stories, and perspectives.

TheMedzMamas™ aims to amplify the voices of Armenian women, with a focus on this particular generation of women.

While we specifically feature Armenian grandmothers worldwide, anyone can enjoy the collection of stories. We serve as a multi-generational experience that teaches the value of our unique Armenian grandmotherhood experience within the fabric of our collective humanity.