Tyrolean Hat

In Attire

My object is a Tyrolean hat made for hiking and hunting in the Tyrol area (the Alps) in Austria.  The hat is black with a green cloth wrapped around it.  On the side there is a brush made out of bird feathers.  The hat is mostly made out of wool and felt.  The hat is my grandmother's and she got it when she lived in Austria.  My grandmothers wore this hat a lot and hiked in it.  She brought it with her to America when she immigrated to Austria.  She first immigrated to Canada, then the Bahamas and finally the United States in 1962.  She came to America because my grandfather lived in America and she wanted to be with him.   My mom was given the hat when her mother (my grandmother) passed away, which happened last years on New Year's Eve.  This hat is very important to my mother because it is one of the few things she has from her mother.  Before this project I didn't know much about my grandmothers history (I had know idea this hat existed).  This hat has shown me a part of my ethnicity I haven't thought too much about.  My family is from other parts of the world, but my mom's side is mostly Austrian.  This hat is part of my family's culture, and my family doesn't have much stuff from Austria.  This hat has brought me closer to my ethnicity and family.

Place(s): Austria
Year: 1962

– Kathrine Minnis

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant