FAMILY GUMBAN’S HEIRLOOM: WOODEN JEWELRY BOX

BY: AISLIN FAITH GUMBAN SABUSAP (BABA1C)

“Antique things have an appreciation and worth. Something can be old, but it can
be timeless; therefore, it becomes an antique. If this antique is preserved and deemed
precious, it could be passed down as a family heirloom.” – Cee Lo Green

A family heirloom is something of special value that is handed down from one family
generation to the next family generation. To dig deeper into our family’s history, I virtually
talked to and interviewed my grandfather in my mother’s side, Papang Silbing, with the help
of my cousins and aunties who are currently living with him in Barangay Busay, Bago City.
We are living in the same city, but because of the current situation, I chose to do it through
the use of technology to be safe. When asked about our family’s heirloom, he introduced and
showed to me a jewelry box previously owned by my grandmother, Mamang Pasing, who was his
wife who already passed away in 2013.

This jewelry box is a wooden chest which measures 6.2-inches width x 10.4-inches long x 2.5-
inches deep. It is carved with symmetrical branches with small leaves. The sad thing is it does not
already have a top lid. He said that an American gave it to my great grandmother, Lola Nitang,
when they were still living in Tanza, Silay, Negros Occidental. This happened after the World
War II which was around 1945 to 1946. My grandfather said that this was given to my great
grandmother because the American admired her and said that this somehow symbolized the
friendship between her and the American soldier. This served like a remembrance of my great
grandmother with her memories during the World War II when the Philippines was still an
American Commonwealth. This jewelry box was then given to my grandmother. In 1967, she
brought it with her to their house in Barangay Busay, Bago City, Negros Occidental. There she
lived with my grandfather and their six children, Tita Riza, Tita Oting, my mother, Tita Gilma,
Tito Tatot, and Tita Bing. This jewelry box was already there even before my mother, her sisters
and brother were born. When my grandmother passed away, the ownership of this jewelry box
was given to my grandfather whom I interviewed. Now, he uses this chest to store some of his
tools and still takes care of it. He still has this because it still reminds him of my grandmother.
When asked on who are his preferred future owners of this jewelry box, he said that this will be
inherited by whoever is still going to be living in their house in Barangay Busay in the future. He
wants this family heirloom to be preserved and valued because it came a long way from the
generation of my great grandmother.

This heirloom is special because this is the only thing that survived way back even in the time of
my great grandmother’s life. Not only that, this family heirloom also mirrors how our family
bloodline was admired by the American and how this symbolize the friendship our family made
with the Americans back then. This jewelry box has been transferred from people who are not
already here, this also reminds our family of the precious lives of my great grandmother and my
grandmother. This wooden jewelry box always lived in one of the bedrooms of my mother’s family
home and is still going to be there even when our generation gets old and for our family’s future
era to appreciate and value.

FRONT VIEW

SIDE VIEW