Diana Colpitts
Diana Colpitts' grandfather, Dr. Nazaret Daghavarian, was an Armenian intellectual, doctor and member of the Turkish parliament. Dr. Daghavarian was also an Armenian genocide survivor who was able to bring back many items from the Ottoman Empire from the 1800s.
Diana inherited from her aunt Anahed most of the artifacts that belonged to her grandfather and were brought over to the United States. Although Diana mentioned that her aunt was the historian of the family, by inheriting the many artifacts like the sword, Diana was able to learn interesting information about her grandfather and the past.
Although the sword is very unknown for what it was used, Diana inherited this sword and had found a similar one in a musem that dated from the 1800s. With or without information, this sword was brought over to the United States for a reason, one that had meaning to Dr. Daghavarian.
Similar, Diana inherited buggy whips in which she had limited information about. She found it interesting as she could tell by the material that this might have been used for camels.
Diana's grandmother had kept most of these items for the following reasons:
"So she knew he was gone, but she was thinking of the history, keeping intact his history, I think. But I think he had a very impassioned life as a scholar and a teacher and a writer and an activist that he was fully consumed by."
Artifacts like these allow Diana and future generations to remember the life Dr. Daghavarian had and the legacy he has left behind. Even without the necessary information, items like these connect future generations with their Armenian ancestors who lived through the genocide.
Artifacts that are passed down not only connect descendants with their ancestors but also with current family members. Diana inherited an Armenian book which contained her family tree dating back to 1701. Since this family tree was passed on, Diana was able to connect with a cousin who was born the same year as her. The importance behind passing on family artifacts is shown in Diana's scenario as she did not even know this family member existed. Passed artifacts helps connect descendants with their ancestors but also their current family members.