Object Name:
Rug, Pictorial
Museum ID #:
2014.1.17
Catalog Date:
11/25/2014
Collection:
Chaplain Andrew Meverden Collection
Description:
hand—woven U.S Flag, rug style from a hand loom; 8" long x 5.5" wide.
Provenance: Purchased by Chaplain Meverden during his deployment to Afghanistan in SEP 2002 through APR 2003.
Backstory: Often, while out in the villages in and around Kabul, children would approach Chaplain Meverden asking him for a dollar. One specific time this occurred, Chaplain Meverden was approached by a young Afghan boy; the boy asked for $1. Chaplain Meverden, instead of giving him a dollar, asked him if he could make a rug. The boy replied that he could. Chaplain Meverden then pointed at the flag on his sleeve, and held up his hands, making the shape of a box about 8" x 6" and asked "Can you make a rug of this, this big?" (referring to the flag). The boy said yes and came back a couple of days later with the flag. Chaplain Meverden said he did this to "teach the boy to fish", help him gain a skill he could make money with, rather than just give him a dollar.
Provenance: Purchased by Chaplain Meverden during his deployment to Afghanistan in SEP 2002 through APR 2003.
Backstory: Often, while out in the villages in and around Kabul, children would approach Chaplain Meverden asking him for a dollar. One specific time this occurred, Chaplain Meverden was approached by a young Afghan boy; the boy asked for $1. Chaplain Meverden, instead of giving him a dollar, asked him if he could make a rug. The boy replied that he could. Chaplain Meverden then pointed at the flag on his sleeve, and held up his hands, making the shape of a box about 8" x 6" and asked "Can you make a rug of this, this big?" (referring to the flag). The boy said yes and came back a couple of days later with the flag. Chaplain Meverden said he did this to "teach the boy to fish", help him gain a skill he could make money with, rather than just give him a dollar.
Event Associated with Item:
Operation Enduring Freedom
History of Item:
Purchased by Chaplain Meverden during his deployment to Afghanistan in SEP 2002 through APR 2003.
Backstory: Often, while out in the villages in and around Kabul, children would approach Chaplain Meverden asking him for a dollar. One specific time this occurred, Chaplain Meverden was approached by a young Afghan boy; the boy asked for $1. Chaplain Meverden, instead of giving him a dollar, asked him if he could make a rug. The boy replied that he could. Chaplain Meverden then pointed at the flag on his sleeve, and held up his hands, making the shape of a box about 8" x 6" and asked "Can you make a rug of this, this big?" (referring to the flag). The boy said yes and came back a couple of days later with the flag. Chaplain Meverden said he did this to "teach the boy to fish", help him gain a skill he could make money with, rather than just give him a dollar.
Backstory: Often, while out in the villages in and around Kabul, children would approach Chaplain Meverden asking him for a dollar. One specific time this occurred, Chaplain Meverden was approached by a young Afghan boy; the boy asked for $1. Chaplain Meverden, instead of giving him a dollar, asked him if he could make a rug. The boy replied that he could. Chaplain Meverden then pointed at the flag on his sleeve, and held up his hands, making the shape of a box about 8" x 6" and asked "Can you make a rug of this, this big?" (referring to the flag). The boy said yes and came back a couple of days later with the flag. Chaplain Meverden said he did this to "teach the boy to fish", help him gain a skill he could make money with, rather than just give him a dollar.
Made:
Afghanistan
Place of Origin:
Afghanistan
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