Title: Money

General Information about Item:

• Genre: Gesture
• Place Collected: Phi Delta Alpha Fraternity, Dartmouth College
• Date Collected: November 20th, 2019
• Country of Origin: Mexico
• Informant: David Arce ’21

Informant Data:

• David Arce is a male Dartmouth student in the class of 2021. He was born and raised in Walnut Creek, CA, and currently lives in Pittsburg, CA. David is a Psychology Major and a member of the Dartmouth men’s club volleyball team.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: David learned this gesture growing up from his father, who is originally from Sinaloa, Mexico. A large portion of David’s family also still lives in Sinaloa, so he frequently visits the area. David believes that the gesture is commonly understood throughout Latin America, however; it is predominantly a Mexican gesture. The gesture does not have any variations, however; it does have a number of different interpretations based on context.

Item:

• The gesture is performed by forming a “U” shape with the thumb and forefinger, while keeping the palm facing your chest. The gesture is most commonly understood to mean an item is expensive, being an appropriate response to somebody asking why you did not buy something, for instance. While the demonstration of the high price of an object is the main way the gesture is used, it can also be used to refer to money in general, similar to the American gesture of rubbing the thumb and forefinger together. This gesture is also common among merchants. After buying an item in Mexico or other Latin American countries, the merchant may use this gesture towards other nearby merchants to signify that you are willing to pay high prices for items.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Collector’s Name: Roy Dritley

Tags/Keywords:

• Hand Gestures
• Mexico
• Expensive
• Money

Title: Finger Mudras

General Information about Item:

• Genre: Gesture
• Place Collected: Baker Berry Library, Dartmouth College
• Date Collected: November 15th, 2019
• Country of Origin: India
• Informant: Arvin Kumaran ’21

Informant Data:

• Arvin Kumaran is a male Dartmouth student in the class of 2021. He was born and continues to reside in Boston, MA. He was raised in a predominantly Hindu household, and he continues to practice Hindu meditation, which he learned from his parents who moved to the United States from India right before his birth.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: Finger Mudras are ritualistic hand gestures that are very prevalent within the Dharmic religions of India and Southeast Asia, specifically Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The practice of ritual Mudras is incredibly ancient, with examples dating back to the Vedic Period around 1500 BCE. The term “Mudra” is Sanskrit for “Gesture”, and they are commonly seen in the context of classical dance, meditation, tantric practices, and religious iconography.
• Social Context: Arvin first learned Mudras from his parents, who taught them to him in the context of practicing Hindu meditation. In this context, Mudras are used as a physical way for one to get into contact with their inner spirit, and they are also used as a way to nonverbally communicate your current state.

Item:

• The  Abhaya Mudra is one of the most ubiquitous Mudras both within meditation and religious iconography, and it is most commonly performed by sitting and holding your right-hand upright with the fingers together and the palm facing out. Within the context of Buddhism, this gesture is meant to convey protection, peace, and the dispelling of fear, as it was believed to be performed by Gautama Buddha when he was attacked by an elephant. Prior to the onset of Buddhism, this gesture was believed to be performed when two strangers met each other, meant to convey good intentions and friendship. There are a vast number of variations of this Mudra across cultures, for instance, in Thailand and Laos it is performed uniformly in a standing position with both right and left hands presented.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Collector’s Name: Roy Dritley

Tags/Keywords:

• Hand Gestures
• Dharmic Religions
• Finger Mudras