Indian Dowry Box

In Miscellaneous
Relationship: Child of im/migrant
Group:
A dark wooden 10”x10” box with brass decoration, lock and handle from the 16th century originating from India. It is historically used as a dowry box.
A dark wooden 10”x10” box with brass decoration, lock and handle from the 16th century originating from India. It is historically used as a dowry box.
A dark wooden 10”x10” box with brass decoration, lock and handle from the 16th century originating from India. It is historically used as a dowry box.
Polyhedron in shape it contains small objects and memorabilia my mother has kept and moved around the world with.

We have moved 6 times since I was a baby, and this box has always been present someplace in our apartment, bringing with it a sense of comfort. This Indian dowry box is important to my mother, and now me, as it has all the important little things she saved and took with her on her travels. It offers insight into her life and heritage, a big part of which I have been unable to experience myself.

Originally from India, this box contains objects from Iran and the east where my mother is from, a place that is both familiar and foreign to me. It was given to my mother when she was young by her father, and it was one of the very few things she was able to take from Iran after her family was exiled in 1979. The sentiment surrounding the content and movements of the box bring out new and fascinating stories from my mother which I am eager to hear. This box has connected me to my mother and our heritage. The legacy and stories of our family through my mother's immigration and travels will be passed onto future generations through this unassuming object, making it an item of great significance and value.

Place(s): New Delhi, Tehran, London, Wellington, Los Angeles, New York City

– Sophie

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant

travel memorabilia heritage family history