My Mom and Dad had an wooden elephant on the shelf just sitting there for 11 straight long years.  Wondering what it was doing there I asked one day.  They said that if one comes from India it was given to them by a good friend when they lived in India.  They also said that it had brought memories from Aurobindo ashram temple in India.  I think my mom was happy in India.  She loved the wilderness around her.  In this temple elephants would take a currency called rupees out of your hand and touch your head as a blessing. Rajas which means Kings and Maharajas, meaning the great Kings rode elephants to show wealth and power.  So what is so important about this elephant?  The elephant is what I am holding in this picture. This elephant is very special to my family.  I say this because this was given to us by a great friend. He was a kind man.  Just like all rocks are different, my elephant is different too, and it brings my family together. This wooden elephant was made from a common tree in India called Indian Rosewood.  It was handmade and carved and sanded. Tools to soften the surface of this carved elephant were used to give it that nice shiny look.  These types of objects are usually are normally used as decorative pieces. These elephants carvings can be given as gifts to show friendship.  It can also be given by one family to another family to show bonding between family members.  

– Solomon Phillippe

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