Cultural Artifacts Activity

            For a class activity, we were told to bring in 5 cultural artifacts that meant something to you and/or described you. I decided to bring in items that represented me and where I come from. Much of it reflected my hometown of New Orleans, which I miss dearly. When the class was asked to place their 5 artifacts on the table, I pulled out my engagement ring, my Pandora bracelet, my Drew Brees Saints jersey, a bag of New Orleans red beans, and a picture of my family. First, my engagement ring is who I am at this moment: newly engaged and soon-to-be wife. Next, my Pandora bracelet describes a bit of my life journey. I received it a little over a year ago when I was graduating from LSU from my fiancé’s family with several charms: a graduation cap, “N” and “E” initials for my fiancé and I, and a purple and gold charm for LSU. Since then, both my fiancé and mom have added charms to the bracelet including a fleur de lis for New Orleans and a cub representing my high school. My Saints jersey symbolizes the love for my city and team. It truly makes me feel that anything is possible after seeing the Saints win the Superbowl after many thought that the city would never come back after Hurricane Katrina. The passion and love that the people of New Orleans have, not only for the Saints but for the city itself and those around them, is unlike any other. Next, the bag of red beans represents the delicious food that I am missing from back home. I like South Bend and am getting settled in but the food does not compare. Red beans cooking on the stove is just what New Orleans is about. Finally, my family means the world to me. It has been hard being away from them because I am used to them always being there, as we are a big, close-knit family. It has been an adjustment but I know it will only get better.

The class had all their items in the middle of the table. We were asked to think about what people would think if they found all our artifacts 100 years from now. What would they be able to tell about our class? Everyone’s items were meaningful in their own way to each individual. Girls mostly brought personal belongings and memorable items, while the guys brought fun, light-hearted items that described them. Furthermore, one unique and amazing discovery we made was that not one person in the class had brought a piece of technology as one of their artifacts. This was shocking to me because we live in such a technology-filled world and society today. However, knowing that a cell phone or computer is not something that means the world to someone is nice because, honestly, it is the little things that matter and we could go on to live our lives today without the technical stuff and be just as happy.

As a teacher, this activity would be helpful for children to see how they are both alike and different from their peers and what each person considers important. The students could then write about what they learned from others while doing this activity, as well as how they would like people to remember them in the future.