No.2.7:Hand Me Downs
Hand Me Downs Get A Bad Rap
Merriam-Webster’s definition of “hand-me-down” is “put in use by one person or group after being used, discarded, or handed down by another”. Sometimes, during childhood people wore their older siblings' old clothes or played with their toys. These are the common types of hand-me-downs we tend to think of. However as the definition indicates it could be anything that is used, discarded or handed down by another then put in use.
Hand-me-downs, family heirlooms or inheritances are all terms for items or property that one may acquire from a family member. These items could have little to no monetary value or bring in financial gains. Whichever it is, family members possessions are often given to their remaining family members when they have passed on to a higher realm.
In looking around my own house, I have hats, jackets, handkerchiefs, ties and an old polaroid camera lying around, tucked away in their respective corners. I have worn my grandfather's leather jacket that engulfs my frame. I’ve even attempted to see if the Polaroid camera still works. The film was quite expensive and it produced an eerie blurry photo. None the less it still functions.
Families keep their elders or ancestors' possessions to preserve their memories tied to them. The family matriarch's church hats, the great grandmother’s mumu dresses or the favorite aunt’s cast iron skillet are reminders of their aura that vibrates through their possessions.
At some point one may want to pass down these possessions to their own heirs.
Retaining our ancestors possessions creates a center piece of their existence. One may reminisce how a particular item played a role in their own lives. When I look at my grandfather's black brim hats sitting on top of my shelf, it reminds me of his suave debonair. They don't fit on my head but maybe one day they will serve a purpose for one of my own children.
Not only does retaining our ancestors' possessions preserve their impact on our lives but they also provide us with perspective. Our daily activities are not executed in the same manner as our ancestors daily duties. There are activities we may take for granted that were labor intensive for our elders. I can recall an elder of my family still owning a washing board. It was a piece of metal with ridges in its surface. It was used to scrub clothes by hand in a washing basin. Clothes were then hung outside on a drying line pinned with clothespins. Nowadays, clothes are thrown into machines that do all of the work of washing and drying for you. Imagine washing your family's clothes by hand. It would get done if necessary but it would make for a tedious job.
That's just one example of how preserving our elders' possessions reminds us of how much life has changed from the past to the present. Their possessions help shape our ideas of our history, culture and local communities.
Do you have any of your elders or ancestors prized possessions? What do they remind you of?
