Category: Heirloom/Heritage

Part 1

  Heritage 

1-: property that descends to an heir

2a: something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor : LEGACY, INHERITANCE

2b: TRADITION

3: something possessed as a result of one’s natural situation or birth 

History and Etymology for heritage

Middle English heritage, eritage, borrowed from Anglo-French, from heriter “to inherit, make an heir” (going back to Late Latin hērēditāre “to leave as an inheritance, inherit, make an heir,” from Latin hērēd-, hērēs HEIR entry 1 + -itāre, verb suffix) + -age 

Citation: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heritage

Part2 

Heritage is your background it can be something that’s passed down to you from family members. An example could be that your family is from an African descendant.In West Africa your heritage is passed down to you from generation to generation and it’s your parents duty to keep it up. Another example of heritage is clothing. West African clothing is unique and distinguishable. It’s just another way of letting others know what makes up you and your culture. In West Africa the style of the clothing is passed down from family member to family member.

 

 

Part3

We all come from different backgrounds and communities where we inherit our culture.It is our backgrounds and communities that make us who we are. Some communities inherit their  clothes and language from their heritage. English is not most West Africans first language. We will have an African dialect as our first language. And most of us will be dressed differently when we go out. We  will wear the traditional clothing. As West Africans we use clothes and languages as a way to express our heritage.

West Africans have different heritages that make them unique. We inherit our West African clothing from our culture. Our clothes makes us distinguishable and unique. We inherit them from our ancestors who passed it down to our parents and they passed it on to us. The style of the clothing is passed down. Our clothes express our heritage. That’s how we can express ourselves and show people that we are from West Africa. It binds us together and makes us a community. We celebrate our backgrounds and communities by wearing Kanga and Agbada. Some parts of Africa call it a different name. Kanga and Agbada are what we wear in West Africa during events like weddings, Eid, and at parties. They’re just clothing that you buy to the color of your liking and then they take your measurements and style it the way you want it. The clothing is significant because it distinguishes us from others and you feel like you belong when wearing it. The clothing brings us closer together at events in the sense that if you see someone wearing it you’re going to know that they are part of your community and go up to them and start a conversation.

   When some people see Africans talking in languages other than English they assume that they are speaking “African” not realizing that people in different parts of Africa speak different dialects. In Mali we speak Bambara and French. Bambara is taught to you as a little kid. It is  passed down from generation to generation. If you happen not to speak Bambara and you are from West Africa it will be hard for you to be a part of the community. You wont fit in with the rest because it’s your heritage and should know it. Your parents should’ve taught you it since you were little. Developing a shared language builds a community. Bambara is a part of our heritage, it’s something that we as West Africans inherit from our families. 

 A community is a group of people who share the same  culture or language. They have something that brings them together. The word heritage and community are related to each other in the sense that they both include people with a common background. In West Africa language and clothes are a big part of your heritage. It lets others know that this is what you represent and also introduces the idea of a community. Heritage brings people together in the same way that communities does.

 

Part4

  I am wearing Agbada, this was during Eid. This is just an example of what West Africans wear to show their heritage. 

 

Part I

heirloom (noun)

heir·​loom | \ ˈer-ˌlüm  \

Definition of heirloom:

1. a piece of property (such as a deed or charter) that descends to the heir as an inseparable part of an inheritance of real property
2. something of special value handed down from one generation to another
3. a variety of plant that has originated under cultivation and that has survived for several generations usually due to the efforts of private individuals

First Known Use of heirloom: 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for heirloom:

Middle English ayre lome, heyr lome, from ayre, heyr HEIR entry 1 + lome

More definitions for heirloom:

1.  a valuable object that is owned by a family for many years and passed from one generation to another
2.  a piece of personal property handed down in a family from one generation to another

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heirloom

Part II

Real world definition: An heirloom is an item or object that is worthwhile, and has been passed down a family line; monetary value or not. It is a special possession that has belonged to a family for years, and is considered very valuable. An heirloom is handed down from generation to generation- usually passed down by an older member of a family to a younger member within that same family. 

Part III

Growing up, I never knew the true meaning of a community. My perception of a community was always positive and in my head it was just a “nice” place where people got along, and supported each other through everything. However, being from the South Side of Queens, I never really got to see that. One of the issues I witnessed most was gang violence, and because of my false perception of what a community was, I didn’t think that gangs were worthy enough of owning anything valuable- turns out, I was wrong. Now that I’m older, I realize that despite all the conflict, gangs are communities too, with their own, unique pieces of treasure. 

I went to middle school in South Ozone Park, and plenty of the kids who went there were from East New York, where many of them were Crip. I understood that being Crip meant you were in a gang, but I didn’t really understand what that meant, what you had to do to join, and why it was so important to them. I was only in the 7th grade when one of my classmates had got in trouble for wearing, what seemed to be, a regular, blue beaded necklace that looked like it was hand-made from one of those jewelry kits you get for Christmas. However, it was obvious that it was more meaningful than that, not only because of his earnest response, and how much rage it caused him, but also because he was suspended for it. The necklace meant a lot to him, I just never understood why. I didn’t understand what that necklace meant until I made a gang affiliated friend of my own. This friend of mine expressed to me that being Crip meant brotherhood to him, that is when I recognized that gangs are communities too. 

A community isn’t a place, it’s a connection. It is relationships between people who feel some sense of belonging, and can share the same interests whether it be through church, dance, or even social media. This friend of mine, also owned one of these necklaces, they were called crates. This was his community’s heirloom, and that is why my 7th grade classmate was so angry when his were taken from him. These crates are so special to them because they’re passed down from the “big homie” (leader) of the set and are earned by doing missions, like selling drugs, going to other peoples “hood” (territories) and beating people up. It’s considered valuable because when earned, you demand more respect. You’re considered more powerful because they show all the pain you went through. Owning this piece of jewelry, makes my friend proud of who he is, and where he came from; it’s a part of his identity, and that is what heirlooms are all about.  And to him, these people were his family, his gang was his community, and his crates were his heirloom. 

 

Part IV

This is a picture of my friends crates. He explained to me that crates never have five beads of the same color in a row. This heirloom is important to him and everyone else who is Crip because it gets passed down to you from a leader, and not everyone owns it. 

1. Part 1

 

         1: property that descends to an heir.

2a: something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor:

a rich heritage of folklore

The battlefields are part of our heritage and should be preserved.

b: TRADITION

the party’s heritage of secularism

3: something possessed as a result of one’s natural situation or birth: BIRTHRIGHT

the heritage of natural freedom was long since cast away

Definition From https://www.merriam-webster.com/

                                                             Part 2

             Heritage is a term that represents origin. Heritage is a word used to describe one’s history or background. This word can also be used to explain a part or characteristic of something that had been passed down from a parent or relative. The main idea of it is to try and describe something you came from. This term can also be used for any sort of property or goods passed down from past generations. 

                                                              Part 3 

                  Heritage definitely has a strong impact on a community. The type of community this relates to would be a city, neighborhood, town, a church, a religious group, or even a small group of peers. This has such a big impact because, in these types of communities, you know or meet tenants with such great history of the area and have seen things that have shaped their community and themselves, such as an elderly person who has been living in a distinct little town known for its history.

 There are some ways to define heritage in some communities, one being a specific town or neighborhood, where people of the same culture live together and share special memories and cultural history together. An example of a heritage community would be Queens, a borough with loads of culture, where people from many countries all over the world bring their heritage that has been passed down and continue to follow it and share it with everybody else.  Another example is a special building or monument that holds special background or history to that place such as the Aztec Pyramids which have been around for as long as 3,000 years. Cities, neighborhoods, and sites like these bring people together and create unity. When talking about heritage, it’s everything that holds a deep meaning behind it. It can be the way a person speaks, the clothes they wear, practices they still follow, a piece of clothing, and customs. They make people proud of where they came from and in a community, people help, support, and care for one another. You can find these types of communities all around the world. The amount of history left with us is more than enough to empower many communities and even build some.  Many people see this as a way of living when something is passed down from many generations, you just have to stick with it and try to preserve it and pass it on to the next. Lots of people in a certain environment like to conserve their history and culture no matter what because of its significant meaning. Rich or poor, there’s always a story or memory to tell someone one day. Many people see the heritage in a community as basis for innovation. In a community, certain people like to show their culture and heritage by having religious churches, parks, and art centers around the area. This allows people to come by anytime and observe the culture shown and expand its community and try to bring more people together 

          There’s an endless amount of different communities with beautiful heritage and culture to share with the world and that’s what makes a community unbreakable and forever admirable. These cultures will forever be passed down to the next generation and will either live on a building, in a person, or in an object.