Role vocabulary

Staff use the following terms when participants attribute a particular social relation to a possession. The entries explain the intended distinction and a possible operation. Attribution belongs to a person and occasion. The ordinary terminology remains open to revision during actual use.

Relic

A participant preserves a thing through its association with an earlier person, event, practice. Staff examine the basis of that association and the permitted use. A retained fragment may provide physical evidence, a remembered connection, both under different claims.

Heirloom

A custodian receives or intends to pass a possession through a family or continuing relationship. Staff record the transfer and attributed significance, then distinguish inheritance from a proposed institutional loan. Another user may develop a different relation to the same thing.

Keepsake

A person retains a possession to remember a particular relationship or occasion. The interviewer asks about the act of keeping, actual encounters with the item, possible future use. A keepsake can remain largely private while a selected account becomes available.

Memorial

People use a possession in remembrance of a person or event. Staff document the practice, relevant custodians, proposed public account. Ordinary functional use may continue or pause according to those decisions.

Testament

A person treats an object or associated account as a statement left for later others. Staff examine the statement's authorship, audience, relation to material evidence. A deliberate written account differs from a later interpretation of an unintended trace.

Totem

A group or person repeatedly orients activity around a possession through recognized practice. Staff document recognition and disagreement. The term has culturally specific histories, so the participants can choose a more appropriate term for their own practice.

Emblem and insignia

People use an emblem to express an affiliation or idea. They use an insignia to indicate a recognized role or status. Staff record the particular social authority and context. A displayed symbol can be interpreted differently by an unfamiliar visitor.

Talisman and ward

A participant attributes protective or fortunate significance to a possession. A ward emphasizes protection against a particular threat. Staff describe the attributed belief and practice, distinguish it from their own causal claim, discuss permitted handling.

Gift

A giver transfers a possession to a recipient under the relevant agreement. Staff examine ownership and any accompanying expectations. A temporary custodial deposit requires a different record from a completed gift.

Pledge

A person uses a possession to accompany a commitment or obligation. Staff record the commitment, participants, conditions, possible return. A symbolic promise and a legally enforceable arrangement require different descriptions.

Pass and key

A person uses a possession or associated credential for scoped access. A pass indicates permission or a route through an institution. A key enables a specified operation. Staff identify the authority, holder, duration, delegation conditions.

Witness

Staff or participants use material condition or documented history as evidence concerning an event. A repair mark can support a claim about intervention. Its interpretation still requires a source and comparison with alternative accounts.

Trace

A past action leaves a mark, record, or other available consequence. Staff examine its possible cause. An inscription can support a stronger attribution than an unexplained scratch, depending on the surrounding evidence.

Proxy

People use a representation or substitute while referring to another possession, person, or account. Staff identify the reference and permitted operation. A photograph may support interpretation while offering different material possibilities from the original.

Icon

People recognize a representation through a broader conventional or personal reference. Staff examine the convention and audience. A recognizable image can attract attention before a visitor understands the particular instance's history.

Vessel

People use a thing to hold material, a contribution, an entrusted message. Staff describe the actual contents and relation. A cup, container, or inserted envelope can support different forms of holding during an encounter.

Instrument

A person uses the possession to carry out an activity or investigation. Staff specify the operation, technique, resulting contribution. The camera operates as an instrument during portrait-making while retaining other social roles.

Catalyst

Participants use this term after an encounter contributes to a further activity or relationship. Staff document the actual sequence before attributing the consequence to the possession. Several circumstances may have contributed to the result.

Anchor

A participant uses a possession as a continuing reference during a changing account or relationship. Staff describe the particular continuity. The material item may help recall a discussion without settling the later interpretation.

Tether

People maintain a continuing relation among a possession, its record, custodians, encounters. Staff update the references through movement and changing permission. This continuity requires practical maintenance rather than merely assigning an identifier.

Question and invitation

A custodian authorizes an unresolved inquiry or a possible reply through the possession. Staff preserve the question's scope and the conditions for contact. A visitor can respond before either party decides on identity disclosure.