Paper short abstract:

This paper proposes the concept of ‘oral heirlooms’: biographical narratives of a migrant South Indian community through which emerge physical objects of importance in relation to demolished matrilineal ancestral houses. This vocalisation of objects impacts how ICH is transmitted across generations.

Paper long abstract:

This paper proposes the concept of 'oral heirlooms' which I position as ancestral and biographical narratives, through which emerge visible or invisible objects of importance. The paper is essentially an enquiry into how physical objects of importance are transmitted vocally between generations. 'Oral heirlooms' here signifies an object which has resided in memory and/or in a household location with low or high visibility, and is transmitted through oral narratives which keep the object alive. To this effect, memories are mediated through the histories of houses, of objects, of individuals. I have actively 'listened' for objects originating from demolished matrilineal ancestral houses in the life stories narrated to me by members of the Thiyya community in London. Thiyyas are originally from North Kerala, India, but have settled throughout the world for various reasons. I hope to demonstrate the potential importance of orality in object analysis and the process of preserving and transmitting objects and memories in rapidly changing social landscapes. I will also touch upon a nuanced thread which connects the various issues mentioned above: understanding how potential ancestral and present-day responsibilities for descendants are created and inherited alongside 'oral heirlooms'. Taking these 'oral heirlooms' to be mediators of the past could help us get closer to an understanding of the processes and effects of contemporary migration and issues of modernity on the intangible cultural heritage of the Thiyya community, and the experiences of an evolving collective cultural memory in relation to demolished ancestral houses.