Monday, January 17, 2011

The Ancestor’s Room

Let KiKi Show You Her
The Ancestor’s Room!



The new house is still under major construction.
There was a long debate and two family meetings before the
Laurents decide to move and when they were going to move.
They are all starting new. They sold their expensive
condo in Center City and moved to Johnsonton. In a house
that will have five bathrooms only one and a half is done.
But they had less space in Center City and survived. This
is a very busy time for the whole family. KiKi is leaving her
old job as buyer and assistant manager in a department
store in Metropolitan. The younger kids are starting a
new school. The old children are starting their careers, and
Terrence will be starting his new position at the hospital.



The only thing that comes close to being finished
is the Ancestor’s Room. This is very important to KiKi.
For years she and her family have lived without one. It is
very important to her that this room be the first room done.
It provides for the spiritual health of the family. The wall
and ceiling are finished. KiKi would love to show the room
thus far. She has just received the first items that must occupy
the ancestor’s room.


This room will hold heirloom from both KiKi and
Terrance’s family. It is a room for meditation and reflection.
It is a place where the ancestors can comfort and inspire.
It is a place that reminds you who you are.



This is a traditional Rouban chest. It belonged to her mother.
It was shipped here from Rouba to be with KiKi.


It is adorn with the artistic style of her village.
These designs are carved and painted on it.


The inside is the color of honey. It represents the
sweetness of family.



The Cava!


This is a Cava- the traditional serving dish of her county.
It is similar to a Tagine or Mesob. The food is placed on this
dish and brought to the table. The dish is placed on the center
of the table. Tradition is that everyone eats with their hands
using Moto (a flat bread) so the dish must be close. The lid is
removed and everyone used the bread to eat the items on the
dish. KiKi can smell the fried plantains, Suya (spice meat kabob)
and a spice rice called Micca this dish will hold .


Life forces present.



There must be water…the life giving element and



there must be nature in this room right now it is this plant
from Rouba. It was very hard to get through Customs. KiKi
is expecting other things from her homeland.
Camille has promised to send some things too!

8 comments:

TM said...

Cute miniatures! You know I'm a sucker for those!

Vanessa said...

Ooh, I can't wait to see it finished! Love the Rouban chest and the Cava. 5 bathrooms! That's going to be a lot of cleaning!

Alrunia said...

I've never heard of the "Ancestor's Room" tradition before, it's very interesting. Kiki does look like a content, confident, successful woman here :)

Stardoll40 said...

I love her room! I can't wait to see the house! The chest is to die for and Kiki looks gorgeous, I love her outfit. What body is she on?

Ms. Leo said...

Thanks TM, that is really special coming from you. You alway have the best miniatures.

Thanks Alrunia, I have been reading about Ancestor's Rooms over the past few years. I found that it is popular in many cultures not just those from African. It is sometimes called something else but it is a room for the same reasons. I wanted to include one.

Thanks Vanessa. They were so cramped with eight children in the condo. There was a lot of bickering! Lisa and Tre' are a mess! (Oh, that right you haven't met Lisa.) The older children were ready to move out! But Mom KiKi wants her children around her! A new bigger home was the solution. One with room for visitors if you can believe it. With that many children, cleaning isn't an issue!

Thanks Afroindia619. I got everything for the Ancestor's Room from my favorite thrift store for under $6.00! I had been think about the room for a while. When I saw the chest, I knew it was it! The shelf, the fountain, the cava were there just waiting to be put together. KiKi is on the SIS Kara Hair Styling body.

PR said...

Dear Ms. Leo, it is really cool that your dolls place so much importance on spiritual life and family traditions. I look forward to seeing how the Ancestor's Room and the rest of the house will shape up.

Stardoll40 said...

Ok...the thrift store in your area is THE BOMB! I've gotta move. LOL... Thanks for the body information, I want to rebody a doll that looks to be KiKi's color so that helps.

Ms. Leo said...

Hey Paulette, I’m really glad you can appreciate the Laurent lifestyle. I have the layout of the home in my head and am now trying to put it on paper so that it gets fleshed out. Wish me luck!

Aforindia619-- It is my favorite place! My husband just bought a stereo system with a turntable and two cassettes for his man cave (the basement) for $15.00. He still has a lot of music on cassette. He is playing some of his old stuff as I'm answering you! But it is a two way street. I donated my mink coat that is too small for me to them too. It should make someone who is a size 2 happy! My days of a size 2 are long gone!