Hi and welcome to ‘a handful of history’, my fortnightly sharing of real-life stories from around the world. All the narratives I pick are rooted in history one way or another, yet I feel that most of them carry themes and happenings that seem very present day-like. I create this blog out of love and curiosity for the field of human history and culture, and I’m happy that you find it interesting too. My blog and newsletters are free; if you want to help me keep it going, please join my newsletter. THANK YOU. Thanks for being here - let's dive in. Enjoy! Majken xx
Mummy Bundles from Peru
Mummy bundles from the Inka Empire, Peru, are the ancestors of the people who lived there. The Inkas preserved the mummies in caves, and from time to time, they would take them out and - for a while - bring them back into the society that they had once been part of.
Why did they do this? The Inka ancestors had a completely different role than ancestors do in modern society. In the Inka Empire, the ancestors were fundamental in shaping decisions. They had, it was believed, great wisdom and knowledge of the world, and therefore the mummy bundles would be brought into the room to - physically - represent the ancestors in decision making processes.
This bringing in the mummy bundles is connected to the way the Inkas saw the world. In their view there were three lines that existed concurrently: The past, the present and the future. Time was together. And whenever a (bigger) decision was to be made, all three lines had to be present. The presence of the dead, it was hoped, would make the living make more wise decisions. Not just for themselves but also for the coming generations.
In the (3 minutes) programme “the dead “mummy bundles” who influenced the living” Jago Cooper from the British Museum tells about the role the ancestors played in the ancient Inca Empire.
Mummy bundle from Peru. Illustration The Trustees of the British Museum.
Love Letters
My Dear One. You have no idea (I am sure you have not) of how queer the world was with you out of it. You are such a nuisance when you are in, and such a trouble when you are out.
Ramsay MacDonald, a Scottish working-class Labour leader and Lady Margaret Sackville, an English aristocratic writer and society beauty, were engaged in a passionate love affair between c. 1913 and 1928. He proposed at least three times but was turned down on every occasion. However, that didn’t hold him back from writing her about 150 love letters, all of which she kept until she died in 1963.
MacDonald’s love letter is part of the excellent online exhibition “With Love - Letters of Love and Longing” created by The National Archives, London.
Love letter from Ramsay MacDonald to Lady Margaret Sackville, 30 Dec 1915.
The Michelin Guide
Michelin was founded in 1888 by the Michelin brothers, André (1853–1931) and Édouard (1859–1940), the company manufactured tires for bicycles and horse-drawn carriages before introducing pneumatic tires for automobiles in the 1890s.
In 1926, Michelin began reviewing restaurants so that more people would travel further distances in their cars to eat at these restaurants. This in turn would wear down their tires faster, and force them to buy more.
The star system that Michelin uses goes up to three and is broken down by whether or not it's worth driving to the restaurant. One star: "A very good restaurant in its category" (Une très bonne table dans sa catégorie). Two stars: "Excellent cooking, worth a detour" (Table excellente, mérite un détour). Three stars: "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey" (Une des meilleures tables, vaut le voyage).
Michelin Men, c. 1920s.
Don't Forget Your Old Country Home
The farmer and craftsman, Suman Tapkham, lives ‘the simple life’ in northeast Thailand. During the day, he sees to his farm and creates bamboo flutes, a traditional music instrument known as the ‘khaen’. When the afternoon sets in, his friends and family stop by, and he prepares a meal for them while they sing and dance and enjoy themselves. Can life be simple and fulfilling at the same time? When watching the lovely short documentary “Thai Country Living” made by the British ‘Tubby Brothers’, I'd say the answer is yes.
“This charming short documentary [..] takes viewers on a brief journey to the Isaan region, in Thailand’s northeast. The host for the trip, Suman Tapkham, provides the home cooking, with ingredients fresh from his small farm; the music comes via a bamboo instrument known as a khaen, which Tapkham crafts by hand; and the warm conversation is largely made of reflections on his life spent in the country, and his worries that the unique culture there might soon be lost.”
Don’t forget your old country home,
Don’t forsake our old traditions,
Although you are far away,
Don’t forget to pay a visit sometime.
Trailer + quote from "Thai Country Living".
Abandoned Houses
Many years ago, I was in the US, visiting the mountains of Montana. Right here, ‘in the middle of nowhere,’ an old cabin appeared. It looked like the one used in the Chaplin movie “The Gold Rush”. It had been built by workers who laboured in one of the small local mines in the area many years ago. The miners themselves had left, obviously, but as the cottage still was in good shape, I felt like any minute some of those miners would knock on the door and enter.
There are people around the world who intentionally seeks out abandoned places. One of them is the professional portrait photographer Bryan Sansivero. He has visited hundreds of abandoned houses (in the US), and he shares his photographs - the best of them - on his Instagram feed. Also, he has made the book “American Decay”.
Photo: 'The sea captain's widow's house', by Bryan Sansivero.
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