Student 55

Object 1: Jeweled Jhumkas

These earrings are known as jhumkas, an element of south asian attire from the Chola Dynasty in 300 BC (Raniwala, 2021). The stud and bell-shaped design is meant to inspire fluidity and movement. My parents bought these for my Lunga Voni ceremony, a tradition where girls celebrate puberty. Aside from being objectively precious, these earrings hold great personal/cultural significance.

Recently on social media, Desi teens in the US have been wearing traditional jewelry to reclaim their culture. Many people found the combination of big jewelry and dainty prom dresses interesting, and people from other cultures have attempted to recreate this look. This raised concerns of who could wear this jewelry.

This object links to the prompt because these earrings have become subject to cultural appropriation. South Asian cultural appropriation has been flagrantly dismissed and many notable figures have appropriated it without regard for what it does to South Asians. The line is drawn when other cultures profit off how they look in this jewelry or for ‘creating this look’, especially when the original culture isn’t credited. If this knowledge belonged to other communities, South Asians would lose their cultural identity and sense of self, which is ultimately who they are.

This object was included because it provides a justification to the prompt in the instance of cultural appropriation. It links to the TOK theme of knowledge and indigenous societies because the earrings originated from the indigenous people of South Asia and their ‘knowledge’ is how/ when they are worn. Knowledge should be protected when outsiders hurt a certain community trying to claim their knowledge. This object had deep cultural significance and I speculated what would happen if it belonged to other cultures as well.

Object 2: Strawberry Lunchbox

The second object is the strawberry lunchbox I take to school, which holds the food that I bring everyday. This food belongs to my culture, and sometimes I wonder if the people around me are disgusted by what I eat because of past experiences. This realization makes me wonder why my food is perceived this way. I had originally thought it had something to do with colonization, and other sources told me that Westerners had a lack of appreciation for the skill it requires to make Indian food (Ferdman, 2015) and Indian food made only 1.2% of ethnic food sales (Mezaros, 2012), meaning a lack of good options.

This object links to the prompt because understanding my food almost solely belongs to people of my culture, and there are some communities of knowers who wouldn’t even want to understand the knowledge behind what’s inside my lunchbox. This would make me less comfortable bringing my lunchbox out, because I would be inclined to eat. This object also belongs to the optional theme of knowledge and indigenous societies, because the food that’s inside my lunchbox belongs to the particular community of knowers who understand how this food has originated and its deeper meaning (the significance of food in indigenous South Asian societies).

Object 3: 20 Year Old Popcorn

The third object is a twenty year old popcorn piece. This piece is so stale, it’s practically white, and it features a pen-drawn face. This may seem odd, but this popcorn is extremely close to my mother’s heart because it was given to her by her former best friend. The object is a fundamental reminder of the easier, better moments in their friendship.

This object links to the prompt because it exemplifies how only a select few know the story behind this piece. The knowledge offered of this piece of popcorn isn’t a history anyone would readily share, but it would allow a better understanding of their relationship. Most people would not even know to ask for the story behind this, thinking it a piece of trash. In reality, this is a symbol of friendship, which shows how context is everything and is a perfect example of how some knowledge doesn’t belong to others.

This object falls under the AOK of human sciences, since this piece is a segway to answers about the dynamics of their relationship. It also calls into question how my mother’s morality is shaped in terms of personal relationships, especially since she kept the object even after their falling out. This in turn leads to the question of how her morals have been passed down to me. In this scenario, her morality could have only been passed down to those who know, which is not everyone she surrounds herself with; I know the story behind this piece of popcorn and others don’t, so I accept her morality.