Pith

Pith (pronounced pith)

(1) In botany, the soft, spongy central cylinder of parenchymatous tissue in the stems of dicotyledonous plants such as the soft, albedo, fibrous tissue lining the inside of the rind in fruits such as orange and grapefruit.  Also called medulla botany: the central core of unspecialized cells surrounded by conducting tissue in stems.

(2) In zoology, the soft inner part of a feather, a hair etc.

(3) By analogy, the important or essential part; essence; core; heart.

(4) Significant weight; substance; solidity.

(5) In pathology, the spinal cord or bone marrow (archaic).

(6) Strength, force, or vigor; mettle (archaic).

(7) In the veterinary sciences, to sever or destroy the spinal cord of a vertebrate animal, usually by inserting a needle into the vertebral canal.

(8) As pith hat or pith helmet, a type of headgear made from the fibre sholapith, worn by during the nineteenth century by European explorers and imperial administrators in Africa, Asia and the Middle East before being adopted by military officers, rapidly becoming a symbol of status or rank, latterly re-defined as a symbol of oppression, especially because of their association with the British Raj in the Indian sub-continent.

Pre 900:  Middle English from the Old English piþa or pitha from the Proto-Germanic piþô, cognate with the West Frisian piid (pulp, kernel), the Dutch peen (carrot) & pitt and the Low German peddik or pedik (pulp, core).  All were derived from the earlier piþō (oblique pittan), a doublet of pit.  Both the Old English piþa (pith of plants) and the Germanic variations enjoyed the same meaning but the figurative sense (most important part(s) of something) existed only in the English form.  The pith helmet dates from 1889, replacing the earlier pith hat (1884), both so called because they were made from the dried pith of the Bengal spongewood.  The verb meaning from the veterinary sciences "to kill by cutting or piercing the spinal cord" is first attested in 1805.

The Pith Helmet

The pith helmet, known also as the sun helmet, safari helmet, topi, topee, or sola topee is a lightweight cloth-covered piece of headgear made of the pith of the sola or shola (Indian spongewood) plant, covered with white cotton and faced with (often green) cloth.  Topee (pith helmet) was from the Hindi टोपी (ṭopī) (hat) and the Urdu ٹوپی‎ (ṭōpī) (hat).  The form has some linguistic overlap, the long -e phonetic suffix (variously and inconsistently as -e, -ie, -ee) often appended to create slang forms, affectionate diminutives or to indicate something was a smaller version of an original.  In Indian English for example, a coatee was a hook upon which one hangs one's coat, something unrelated to the original use in English where a coatee was a coat with short flaps, a mid-eighteenth century Americanism, the formation modeled on goatee, a style of beard at the time especially popular south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Symbols of the Raj, the pith helmet and the G&T.

Most associated with the military and civil services of the European powers during the colonial period of the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, they were routinely issued to or chosen by those going to hot climates.  As a general principle, the army used dark colours and civilians light, even white helmets but under modern conditions, the military found them not suitable for the battlefield; the British Army withdrawing them from active use in 1948 although they continue to be worn on some ceremonial occasions although the famous plumed helmets are now seen less often.  Widely popular now only in Vietnam where it’s a remnant of French influence, its niche now is in the nostalgia-fashion industry although, as a symbol of white colonialism, use can be controversial.

George V (1865–1936; King of the United Kingdom & Emperor of India 1910-1936) with Lord Hardinge (1858–1944; Viceroy of India 1910-1916), Government House, Calcutta, 1911.  Of fashions under the Raj, the fictional depictions on screen where white linen suits often predominate can be misleading; pith helmets, especially during the cooler months, were paired with any daywear.  Until 1911, Calcutta (now Kolkata) was the capital of British India.

While First Lady, Melania Trump’s (b 1970) choice of clothing was often analysed in search of political meaning, a deconstruction her husband escaped except for the commentary about the length he chose to allow his ties to hang and those observations were more personal than political.  Mrs Trump as well aware of the media's interest and in October 2018, on safari near Nairobi, Kenya, wore a pith helmet, attracting criticism for donning a symbol of white colonial rule.

Presumably, even had she been unaware (which is unlikely), the White House would have spelled out the implications so the pith helmet was worn to be provocative and the reaction wouldn’t have been unexpected because a few weeks earlier, while visiting a migrant child detention centre, she choose a Zara jacket (US$39) emblazoned across the back with the words I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO U?.  Clearly a garment for a photo-opportunity, it was worn not while in the presence of the children but only when entering the aircraft and helicopter used for the trip.

The press of course sought comment which elicited from the White House the contradictory responses which typified the media-management of the Trump administration (something which under President Biden has if anything become more frequent and just as confused), the president saying it was a message to the “fake news media” while the first lady’s communications chief insisted it was “just a jacket” and that there was “no hidden message”.  Melania Trump herself later (sort of) clarified things, telling ABC News the jack “was a kind of message, yes”, adding that while it was obvious she “didn't wear the jacket for the children” and that it was donned only “to go on the plane and off the plane.... It was for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticizing me.  I want to show them I don't care. You could criticize whatever you want to say.  But it will not stop me to do what I feel is right.”

Mrs Trump went on to reiterate he own critique of the media for being "obsessed" about her clothing, noting it was only the jacket which attracted any attention rather than any matters to do with child detention or immigration more broadly: “I would prefer they would focus on what I do and on my initiatives than what I wear.”  It might seem curious a former model would express surprise at interest being taken in the clothes a woman wears but, well aware nothing can be done about that, she proved adept at weaponizing her messages than most of the White House staff ever managed.