Tag Archives: folk object

Evil Eye Jewelry

Main Piece

Informant told a story about the Evil Eye within Arabic communities, involving a ritualistic wearing of an object (and phrase, within some communities).

“So the concept of the Evil Eye is that you have to wear it somewhere on your body, otherwise when people think bad thoughts about you it’ll come true, and then, like, the Evil Eye absorbs them all. And then, once it’s absorbed too much, it breaks…this is only in some Arabic cultures, but when someone goes ‘Oh my god, I really love your purse,’ they have to go ‘مَا شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ’ (informant then translated phrase as “praise be to God”) after it, otherwise you have to give it to them – like, cause then the Evil Eye will get you. It’s kinda like a “oh my God, I love your earrings!” and now they’re jealous, so if you don’t give them the earrings or they say ‘مَا شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ,’ their jealously will start ruining your life – like seep into you.”

Interpretation

Informant Interpretation: Informant heard about it from his Mom, who told him to wear it all the time for protection. “It wasn’t something I learned, it was just something I knew.” He still frequently wears Evil Eye jewelry as a method of protection for himself, and knows many others who do. He sees it as something more inherent to his family and society, and directly associated with paying attentions to others’ emotional states.

Personal Interpretation: This is an example of a folk belief or superstition involving a ritualistic object and many ritualistic tendencies, primarily practiced as a method of protection for oneself. I personally found its interaction with ‘magic’ to be the most interesting–the idea that someone else’s negative thought of you could seep into you feels like contagious magic to me, which wearing the folk object (Evil Eye) or repeating a ritualistic phrase can protect you from.

Background

Informant is a 20 year old college student primarily raised in Birmingham, UK. He is male-presenting, Black, and of Sudanese descent, and speaks English and Arabic fluently.

Layers to Quilts

Text: 

K.A.- “Something that comes to mind as a folk object is Quilts.”

Me- “How are they of significance to you?”

K.A.- “My grandmother has a collection of them and it has a big significance in African American culture.”

Me- “Could you explain its significance to your community a bit further?”

K.A.- “They have a practical purpose but also are symbolic and were used for storytelling. Historically, and why they carry significance for us, is because they used to contain codes and routes of the Underground Railroads that helped our enslaved ancestors escape.”

Context:

The participant first saw her grandma’s collection a few years ago during Easter. Her grandma was a collector of quilts, with a range of very intricate pieces. Some had very artistic figures and imagery and hold history of African American culture, of the past and present. The participant explains that the showing of her grandma’s collection was a very heartfelt and sentimental moment.

Analysis: 

Before interviewing the participant I wouldn’t have known that quilts have a deeper story for African American culture. For the most part it appears to be a practical object, somewhat similar to a blanket that keeps warmth, but it has a lot more depth. A strategy that was used in the past to help African Americans to escape and regain their freedom. In a more metaphorical sense the quilt has a lot of layers; in its composition, in its history, and its cultural significance.

Friendship Bracelets

Context

My informant was introduced to friendship bracelets in elementary school by friends. These bracelets remind them of past relationships, usually in a fond and positive light. They are special in the way that their power fluctuates with the way that the relationship they are connected to goes. If you are able to maintain a good relationship with them, they will retain their significance, but otherwise they lose their meaning.

My informant would wear these bracelets all the time, and could wear more than one. Sometimes they took the form of a necklace as well.

An example of a friendship bracelet my informant had was a handmade one made with tiny green beads and text beads that spells out the name of a group, signifying unity. Handmade bracelets tend to have more of a significant meaning behind them while purchasable bracelets tend to be more disposable. The bracelet they had was made years back in a middle school club meeting where everyone was making friendship bracelets. Even after a few years the meaning still holds true and they still remember how it was made. It’s spot has changed from being worn on their wrist to being attached to their phone as a phone charm, and continues to keep it’s fond memory and meaning.

Analysis

Handmade objects tend to hold more memories and meaning as their creation could be a part of that story, or the labor and love that went into making it could amplify its meaning, rather than simply finding a bracelet online and purchasing a bulk made one. The uniqueness of a single hand made bracelet holds more touching meaning as it is the only one out there made in that way. It is interesting how such small objects can retain memories throughout years of life, and still be held with fondness.

Red Ribbon on a Horse’s Tail

Text:

A red ribbon tied around a horse’s tail means that they’re “a kicker”

Context:

C is a current USC student who grew up in Bellevue, Washington and previously worked in a barn there training rescue horses. As indicated in the text, C explained that tying a red ribbon around a horse’s tail meant they were prone to kicking and that other horses and riders should give them extra space. After I asked if this practice was specific to their barn, they explained that the red tail ribbon is a widely-known sign in the horseriding world and has become an important safety practice, especially in competition settings. C then stated that they were introduced to the red tail ribbon early on by people in their barn and that people would assume a rider was a “newbie” if they didn’t know the sign. C also mentioned that jokes were often shared amongst riders about the red tail ribbon – for example, a rider may joke that they’re going to tie a red ribbon around their non-aggressive horse’s tail to get people to “back off.”

Analysis:

As C mentioned, this folk object seems to me to have primarily risen out of a need to quickly and effectively communicate important safety information. A horse’s kick can cause severe injury to a person, and while small groups of people can be verbally warned of a kicking horse, that information seems like it would become much more difficult in a large horse arena or during a fast-paced competition. The use of a visual signal or folk object to communicate danger creates a constant visual differentiator for the kick-prone horse and allows the message to be spread and received much more quickly. Additionally, like much of occupational folklore, knowing the use of the red tail ribbon becomes a marker of insider status and experience in the horse rider world. Joking about the red tail ribbon in turn conveys a sense of familiarity with the sign and further demonstrates the presence of insider knowledge.

Paper Airplane

Text:

How to fold a paper airplane, supplied by CM:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xLNDt71f5DRvRmpA5kBTc1iRDXzPeEse/view?usp=sharing

Context:

CM is a male college student at USC. His relationship to the paper airplane is that he learned how to fold one when he was an elementary school, around second or third grade, from a fellow classmate. He reports that paper airplanes were used typically among boys in competitive games to see who could design a paper airplane that could travel the furthest. These types of games were usually played during the day at school, either during class or at recess.

Analysis:

This folk object, as an item of children’s folklore, serves as an emblem of social status, one constructed entirely within the social dynamic of school children, particularly of young boys. The instructions to create a paper airplane are not considered a part of most schools’ curriculum, meaning that most children are not creating these folk objects out of a directive from an authority. To be known as the boy who can construct the best paper airplane is to having a higher standing among your classmates. The paper airplane and the memory of how to make it is a relic of early competitiveness within the hierarchy of childhood.