The Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Blog

A call out for mill baskets

2012-01-25T09:38:00.000-08:00

The Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Office is currently working on a collection project focused on baskets and basket makers in Newfoundland. We are particularly interested in Mi'kmaq root baskets, trout baskets and mill lunch baskets. We will be putting photos and descriptions of these baskets on the online archive, the Digital Archives Initiative, which can be found at http://collections.mun.ca/.

We are very interested in collecting photographs and reminiscence of mill baskets, the distinctive two-handled splint style lunch baskets used by the paper mill workers in central Newfoundland. The paper mill in Grand Falls-Windsor was open for operation from 1905 to 2009 and was quite literally the backbone of the community. It was a regular sight to see men walking to work carrying large woven lunch baskets, laden with home cooked food. Whether they be rectangular or oval, made from juniper, birch, or even steel, these baskets were a symbol of hard work and financial security. Many men worked in the paper mill their entire lives to provide for their families and these baskets were often generational, passed down to a younger male member of the family, if he became employed with the mill.

It seems a number of these baskets were made by the same people so many looked very similar. In order to personalize their baskets, the mill workers would etch their names, doodle, or affix stickers and photographs on them. The baskets were also used for practical joking and initiation into the mill. If a new worker was too eager to leave at the end of his shift his basket may have been nailed down or filled with rocks so that when he grabbed it the handles would come right off!

The mill basket was also a way for young children to get a glimpse inside the paper mill, which for most was a mysterious, even scary, place. Many children delivered their father’s mill basket when they worked shift work. Don Taylor, whose father worked for the mill from 1956 to 1992, remembers that you would lay your baskets “in the front porch of the mill...no one was allowed to go in unless they worked there”. Often young boys of the community could be seen walking proudly with their father’s mill basket, putting on an act as though they were a mill worker. I recently met with Don and have included some photographs of his basket.

Some of the best known mill basket-makers were Angus Gunn of Grand Falls Windsor and Ray Osmond and Ken Payne, both of Botwood. All three men are no longer living, but as of 2001 Clarence White of Botwood was still making mill baskets.

If you have a mill basket please contact us. We would love to get photos and with your permission add your basket to our online collection. You can reach us at ichprograms@gmail.com

Don Taylor imitating the way his father carried the mill basket

Sonny's Dream Book Launch and other ICH notes

2012-01-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update from Newfoundland and Labrador, Memorial University's Department of Folklore will be hosting the the launch of the Dr. Peter Narvaez book Sonny's Dream: Essays on Newfoundland Folklore and Popular Culture; ICH Development Officer Dale Jarvis explores the revitalization of the Christmas Hobby Horse tradition in Newfoundland and Labrador; we meet the new public folklore intern, Nicole Penney; and notes on our ongoing basket and basket makers project.

Download the PDF

The Barnable Bassinet: A woven Newfoundland crib

2012-01-19T04:50:00.000-08:00

One of the traditions that we are working to document is basket making. After I did an interview with CBC's Weekend Arts Magazine on basket making (listen here to that interview), I got a call from Frances Barnable about a woven bassinet that she had bought in 1959.

The crib was made as part of a craft training program run by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and was purchased at the CNIB shop which was located in the building which now houses Coffee Matters, across from the Newfoundland Hotel. If you have any information on that training program, or on other Newfoundland or Labrador baskets, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

Material culture nerds: Compare this to the reproduction of a 15th century crib at the archeological site of Walraversijde, near Oostende, Belgium.

Call for papers: Ethnology at the Crossroads

2012-01-04T05:16:00.000-08:00

Ethnology at the Crossroads
CALL FOR PAPERS, Workshops or Roundtables
May 26-28, Waterloo, Ontario

The FSAC/ACEF 2012 conference will be held with the Congress of the Humanities and Social Science, in Waterloo, Ontario and co-hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo. The theme for this year's Congress is Crossroads: Scholarship for an Uncertain World.

Building on the Congress 2012 theme, the theme for our meeting will be Ethnology at the Crossroads. Ethnologists and Folklorists are committed to engaging with topics that fall at the crossroads and margins of our societies. As our discipline has developed, we have often found ourselves as lone members in diverse departments, and therefore have brought our unique methodologies and theories to interdisciplinary research groups. We have often studied the practices that occur when cultures cohabitate and influence each other (or purposefully remain uninfluenced by each other). We work with populations who are confronted with their own crossroads; facing changes in the economy, family composition, social constructs, and technology.

Suggested paper topics include:
* The future of Ethnology and/or Folklore in Canada
* Canadian responses to the UNESCO 2003 convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage
* Cultural "crossroads"; both past and present
* Disciplinary intersections; experiences and best practices

Proposals dealing with other topics will also be considered as space permits. Applications for Panels and Workshops are strongly encouraged.

PLEASE NOTE, IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED:
1) All applicants are required to fill out the attached form-fillable PDF form ONLY and email it to Jodi McDavid. Please adhere to the space provided for your abstract. Please indicate any AV needs in the space provided on your form.
Be sure to include your strict maximum 100-word abstract for your formal presentation (in English and French if possible, or simply in your first language) along with your name, department, institutional affiliation, and contact information by February 15, 2012.

2) Hard copy/surface mail submissions of abstracts will not be accepted.

3) Only current members may participate in this event or have their submission considered (see membership form). Your abstract will not considered until the Secretary-Treasurer has received your membership fee, preferably via Paypal, although cheques are also accepted.

NEW THIS YEAR:
The Association no longer charges a translation fee, to avoid varying quality in supplied translations, and unnecessary pressure on our administration.

We are attempting to move into a fully-electronic system of membership payment, abstract submission, and communication. Please join us in this endeavour!

FSAC CONFERENCE FEES will be collected by Congress, and is $30 for all delegates, however, when meeting with Congress, you also must pay Congress fees. 2012 fees have not yet been set, for comparison, in 2011 early registration fees were $55 Congress fees + $30

FSAC fees (unwaged, student, underemployed, etc.), regular member $150 Congress + $30 FSAC fees.

Accommodation & Travel
How to get to Waterloo: http://congress2012.ca/attend/how-to-get-to-waterloo/
On campus accommodation: http://congress2012.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/On-Campus-Accommodation-Options_FINAL.pdf
Where to stay in Waterloo: http://congress2012.ca/attend/where-to-stay-in-waterloo/
Some funds are available for member reimbursement. See the Travel Funding Policy to see if you qualify: http://www.acef.ulaval.ca/voyageaf.htm

The Hobby Horse Revival in Newfoundland and Labrador

2011-12-22T07:15:00.000-08:00

The poster above was one designed by Target Marketing for the 2011 Mummers Festival. It bears the caption "Terrifying and delighting children for over 400 years" and the image of a handsome mummer (yours truly) peeking out from inside a great grey horse's head. This is a hobby horse - and not the child's riding toy hobby horse most North Americans are familiar with. The hobby horse of Newfoundland's mummering tradition is much more fearsome beastie, with big eyes, and a wooden jaw with nails for teeth, which snock together as it nips and bites at the people it meets along its route. It is an archetypal figure associated with chaos, unpredictability, fertility, and, as the poster suggests, even a little terror.

When we started planning the very firstmummers festival in 2009, we went looking for hobby horses. Chris Brookes, whostarted the Mummers Troupe in 1972, had a couple, one of which, "Old Ball" is shown to the right. Local actor Andy Jones had one. One was found tucked away in the MUN Folklore and Language Archive. The Kelly family in Cape Broyle had another, made of styrofoam to replace an older, wooden head.

But other than those few models, very fewexisted outside of reminiscences. Andrea O’Brien contributed memories of hobby horses from the Southern Shore, and a man from Bonavista Bay remembered a hobby horse made out of an old cardboard beer carton.

Thehobby horse was a Newfoundland Christmas tradition which, not particularly widespread in the twentieth century, had seemed to have faded from both the cultural landscape and popular memory in the twenty-first. It was a shame, for hobby horses have a long and complicated history.

Hobby horses (along with their colourful cousins hobby cows, hobby goats, hobby sheep, and hobby bulls) have been here on the islandof Newfoundland for a long time. In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert wrote in his "Voyages and Enterprises":

Besides for solace of our people, and allurement of the Savages, we were provided of Musike in good variety: not omitting the least toyes, as Morris dancers, Hobby horsse, and Maylike conceits to delight the Savage people.

"Hobby horse" and "Horsy-hops" both get their own entries in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English, and folklorist Dr. Joy Fraser has included references to hobby horses in her stellar research on mummering and violence in nineteenth century Newfoundland. Fraser includes one account, where a complainant in a legal case describes how “I heard some person running and turned round I was struck on the head with something like a horses head and knocked down I rose on my knees to get hold of the man who struck me and he kicked me on the breast”.

A 1913 Christmas engraving by John Hayward includes, in the background, what can only be a hobby horse (detail below).

Folklore research in the 1960s and 1970s uncovered many stories and references to hobby horses and bulls, but by the time the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador instigated its first Folklife Festival in 2009, very few hobby horses existed, no one had made any for years, and most people had never heard of the tradition.

Mummers Festival coordinator Ryan Davis, working with long-time Lantern Festival organizer Kathleen Parewick, designed a cardboard template to make a hobby horse head, and the hobby horse workshops which were first offered in 2009 have since become a firm part of the annual festival.

The hobby horse workshops have been taught outside of the festival, as part of ICH workshops, community centre outreach programs, and workshops for high school teachers.

Ron Delaney of Bay Roberts has made his ownhobby horse from wood, based on his own memories. In December of 2011, Delaney wrote,

“As a child , growing up in the 70’s andearly 80’s I was mortified of Jannies, I use to hear my relatives talk aboutgood and bad Jannies , as a result , in my mind they were all bad, especiallythe hobby horse. The hobby horse usually was the last Jannie to enter thehouse; I could remember scooting in the room as fast as I could when I heardthe SLAP of its mouth.”

One of the participants in a hobby horsebuilding workshop I taught in Bay Roberts, Delaney brought along Meggieand Kaegan, who now represent a new generation of hobby horse owners. Another horse foaled that day made its way back to Ontario, to take place of honour as Bottom's Head in a Grade 8 student production of Midsummer's Night Dream.

One of the participants in a 2011 Arts Work Conference hobby horse making workshop I taught in St. John's was teacher Amanda Gibson, who teaches at Amos Comenius Memorial School in Hopedale. She made her hobby horse, then went off to Labrador armed with her new skills. Horses not being common along the northern Labrador coast, Gibson adapted the template, adding hobby polar bears to the list of hobby animals now made in the province.

"The kids had a fun time making them and loved choosing the colors for their 'bears'" she wrote me. "It took a few hour-period classes, but it was a great way to end the unit in Grade 8 NL history on 19th Century Lifestyles for students that are hands-on learners."

This year, 2011, there were hobby horses galore at the Mummers Parade. Everywhere you turned, a gaudily-decorated horse's head was poking up above the sea of mummers and janneys, including one devilishly fine, black and red steed, crepe paper fire billowing from its nostrils.

For me, it was a particularly moving sight, and proof that tradition is sometimes more resilient than we give it credit for. For whatever reason, hobby horse making has struck a chord with a new generation of janneys, and I look forward to new additions to the herd in 2012.

And next year, I think the parade needs at least one hobby goat...

Merry Christmas, mummers!

Mummers on YouTube - 2011 Mummers Festival Parade

2011-12-19T05:46:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the YouTube videos that have been put up from the Mummers Parade this past Saturday. If you know of more, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Mummers Parade looking for a few good men (or women, it's hard to tell under the padding)

2011-12-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

A request from Mummer-In-Charge Ryan Davis:

We are still looking for a few more volunteers to help us on Parade Day, Saturday, December 17th.
We need:

People to carry a parade banner (must be at Bishop Feild by 1:00)
Helpers to set up the school gym and hang signs (start time: 12:00 pm)
"Parade marshalls" who will be scattered throughout the parade and will keep an eye on traffic flow. (briefing at 12:00 pm).

If you can help out with any of this, please let me know! Tell me what you're able to do to help and then just show up at the correct time. I will not be emailing you back unless there are questions you need answered.

Bishop Feild is located at 46 Bond Street.

Ryan Davis - volunteer@mummersfestival.ca

More info about the parade can be found here: www.mummersfestival.ca

Mummers in the Schools - a Legacy Activity

2011-12-15T05:36:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year, the Provincial Historic Commemorations Board designated the Christmas tradition of mummering and janneying as as a Distinctive Cultural Tradition or Practice of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

As part of that commemoration, the province set aside funds for some type of Legacy Activity project which would promote the tradition.

We started off with a series of questions. We all know what mummers look and sound like, but there’s much more to it than dressing up and dancing around. What do mummers do? What is a hobby horse? Where do mummers come from? What are the best ways to disguise yourself? And does the current generation of students, particularly urban students, know much about the tradition at all?

With those thoughts in mind, HFNL's ICH office sponsored a Mummers in the School program as part of the 2011 Mummers Festival (www.mummersfestival.ca). The program is designed for grades 4-6, and this year is lead by Ryan Davis, who is the coordinator of the annual festival.

All this week, Ryan has been touring schools in St. John's, Goulds, Paradise and Portugal Cove-St. Philip's with a slide show on mummering, his own hobby horse, and a tickle trunk of mummers costumes to get kids excited about this old Newfoundland tradition. Kids (and teachers) have been given a chance to dress up and give their classmates a chance to guess who is under that old lace tablecloth.

Feeling left out? No problem, the Mummers Parade is this Saturday, and we want YOU to be in it, in costume! See you there!

Some comments so far:

Hi Dale, I just wanted to send you an email to say Thank you for setting up the presentation for today. The kids and teachers absolutely loved it. It was very well done and interesting. Tell Ryan how much we enjoyed it!!! Thanks again.
Krista Molloy, Larkhall Academy

Thanks for an interesting and timely presentation for our students.Ron Parrott, Principal, Larkhall Academy

Thanks so very much!! Great sessions today! The kids are so very excited.
Several want to go home and make a hobby horse, including a few teachers!!
Thanks again!
Jill Moores, Paradise Elementary

The photos below are from Larkhall Academy in St. John's:

Tales of Town at Christmas. Wed, Dec 7th, 7pm

2011-12-06T04:52:00.001-08:00

Working on History - Tales of Town at Christmas:

Wednesday, December 7th, at 7:00 p.m.
The Rooms Theatre

Christmas in St. John’s is a very special time. Join folklorist Dale Jarvis as he sits down to chat with author Helen Porter about her memories of Christmas in Southside St. John’s, and with local businessman Bruce Templeton, who for the past three decades has been a very special assistant to Santa Claus himself!

This presentation is part of a series of programs connected with the Working on History exhibition at The Room.

Tickets $5, free for members; a cash bar will follow the presentation.

SPOILER ALERT: may not be suitable for young children, or those not initiated into the mysteries of Santa Claus!

I need help getting Mummers Festival postcards out to local businesses

2011-12-05T11:19:00.001-08:00

The 3rd annual Mummers Festival is already underway, with events taking place throughout December. Everything leads up to our fabulous Mummers Parade on Saturday, December 17th!

I've got stacks of Mummers Festival postcards, with details on all the events, which I'd love to get out to local businesses around town. If you can take a stack and help distribute them, please call me at 739-1892 ext 2, or drop me an email at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Craft Enterprise Facilitator wanted

2011-12-01T11:36:00.001-08:00

Craft Enterprise Facilitator

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: December 19, 2011

The Anna Templeton Centre for Craft Art & Design is seeking a full-time Craft Enterprise Facilitator to manage a new craft studio incubator being established in Quidi Vidi.

Job Description:

Working under the guidance and direction of the ATC Board, the Craft Enterprise Facilitator will be responsible for developing a strategic plan for the long term management and operation of the craft incubator. S/he will also research and define a training framework that will allow tenants within the craft incubator to grow and develop their enterprises.

Activities will include, but may not be restricted to the following:

- Coordinate strategic planning activities to determine long term management structure, financing and operational methodology

- Build relationships with funding partners, creating applications, reports, and supporting documentation as required

- Liaise with community organizations and agencies with an interest in the development of craft enterprises including the Anna Templeton Centre, City of St. John’s, Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, College of the North Atlantic, Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development, Quidi Vidi Community Association, and others

- Develop and implement a promotional plan

- Develop and/or finalize policy documents defining the criteria for selection of tenants, leases, operating manuals, and other documents that may be required

- Coordinate application process for tenant selection

- Develop and implement programming for the benefit of the tenants

- Carry out any necessary administration tasks

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate for this position will have a dynamic combination of skills and abilities gained through educational and work experiences, and hold the following attributes:

- Diploma and/or degree in craft, business and/or adult education or any combination of relevant education and experience

- Knowledge of craft, the Newfoundland and Labrador craft community, and the resources available

- Knowledge of business practices

- Training or experience in teaching and facilitating

- Experience in writing successful grant applications and seeking support from public funding organizations

- Experience using social media tools, writing & designing brochures & promotional materials

- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

- Ability to work independently and efficiently; and within the structure of a steering committee and board of directors

It is expected that the successful candidate in this position of Craft Enterprise Facilitator will contribute their available time, skill, knowledge and resources to the overall success of the craft business incubator.

Remuneration: $37,500 annually

Please note this position is dependent on funding approval.

To apply, e-mail your resume and a letter of application to bevbarbour@hotmail.com

Applications may also be mailed or hand delivered to:

Anna Templeton Centre for Craft Art & Design

278 Duckworth Street

St. John’s, NL

A1C 1H3

Newfoundland trout basket from Tors Cove

2011-11-25T09:41:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Anne Manuel at the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, I've got more photos for my current ~~obsession~~ project on traditional basket making in the province.

This one is a woven trout basket, made by Gladys Linegar, who I believe now lives in Tors Cove. When I put out the original call for names of people who are making baskets, several people mentioned the Linegars who sell baskets along the road in Tors Cove.

I like the blending here of tradition and modernity, with the basket being made of traditional materials with the shoulder strap being made of seat belt material. A few more pictures of the basket below.

If you know of a basket maker in the province, or have a basket I can photograph, give me a call at 1-888-739-1892 ext 2, or email ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

Volunteers needed for Mummers Festival! #mummerfest #newfoundland

2011-11-24T08:00:00.001-08:00

We need your help! Volunteers play a vital role in these events. Even the smallest efforts have big effect. We hope you find as much joy as we do by participating in this community event!

Below is a list of roles we need filled. To sign up, please send an email to:

volunteer@mummersfestival.ca

Be sure to include:

your full name
your phone number
the role(s) you would like to take on
your email address

Many thanks! We look forward to working with you.

Hobby Horse Training:Learn how to make a hobby horse and then help us as a trainer. You will show others how to make them at our workshops. You will need to attend our training session on Tuesday, November 29 from 7:00-9:30 pm. Then sign up for at least 1 of our 3 Hobby Horse Workshops: Dec. 3 (10am-2pm), Dec. 6 (7-9:30pm), Dec. 10 (10am-2pm). *If you have made a hobby horse before, you can skip the training session.

Postering:This one requires many hands! We REALLY need help with this one by putting up posters and distributing postcards. We need help with the following areas: Throughout St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Torbay, Flatrock, Pouch Cove, Portugal Cove/St. Philips, Bell Island, CBS, Goulds, Southern Shore, Placentia/Argentia, Conception Bay North. This will happen late November/early December.

Materials Collecting:Help us gather up the needed materials for our workshops. You will need a car for this one. We have a list of items and locations for pick up. This will be ongoing between now and mid-December.

Sign Making:Help us paint and design various signs for the Festival. This will be ongoing between now and mid-December.

Parade Marshals:We need mummer marshals at our Rig Up and Parade. Various tasks include: setting up clothing stations, offering directions and information, monitoring the parade as we move along. Marshals will be briefed on Parade Day (Dec. 17) at 11:30 am.

Mill lunch basket from Botwood, Newfoundland

2011-11-23T06:38:00.001-08:00

As part of our new project on traditional basket making, today I met up with Kristin Harris Walsh, who owns a mill lunch basket made in Botwood. She acquired the basket from Jane Burns, who researched mill baskets as part of her folklore thesis. You can download a copy of Jane's article on mill baskets in pdf format here.

I've included a few more examples of this Botwood mill basket below. If you know of someone still making this type of basket, or have an example you'd let me photograph, you can email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Moravian architecture slides added to Memorial's Digital Archives Initiative

2011-11-23T05:14:00.001-08:00

We are in the process of adding a series of scanned photographic slides to the ICH Inventory on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. The Moravian Architecture of Labrador collection is from folklore thesis fieldwork I did along Labrador's north coast in the summer of 1995. At the moment, there are photos from Hopedale, North West River, and Happy Valley, with more photos to be added shortly from Nain, OKaK, Hebron, and beyond. All photos were digitized by DAI staffer Chris Mouland.

Living Deadwood: Imagination, Affect, and the Persistence of the Past.

2011-11-22T04:50:00.001-08:00

23 November, 2011 · 7pm
Memorial University, Bruneau Centre, IIC 2001

Dr. Rebecca Johnson will speak on "Living Deadwood: Imagination, Affect, and the Persistence of the Past." Edward Said argued that stories about the past tell us less about that past than about cultural attitudes in the present. In this presentation, Rebecca Johnson turns to popular culture to explore that observation. We will consider the place of imagination, with its structures of feeling, in our current legal, social and economic ordering.

Dr. Johnson uses the HBO TV show Deadwood as a point of entry to explore and re-consider the affective emotional investments that help sustain persisting colonial relationships in our contemporary legal, social, and economic orders.

The George M. Story Lecture in Humanities is co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice-President (Research) and the Office of the Dean of Arts. It was established to honor the memory of Dr. George M. Story, a scholar of international repute and one of the editors of the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.

Baskets, Belbin's, The Battery, and more.

2011-11-21T09:20:00.001-08:00

In this month's edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador, we go looking for traditional basket makers; Mel Squarey interviews Chris Belbin about the history of Belbin's Grocery; a new cell phone oral history project is launched in The Battery; and Tales of Town returns to The Rooms Theatre, with memories of Christmas past.

Download the newsletter in pdf format

Intangible Cultural Heritage Podcast - A Good Boat!

2011-11-17T12:45:00.001-08:00

In the late 1970s an American folklorist, David Taylor, conducted a series of interviews in the Trinity Bay area while researching his Memorial University folklore thesis, "Boatbuilding in Winterton: The Design, Construction and Use of Inshore Fishing Boats in a Newfoundland Community".

In "A Good Boat!" - the first intangible cultural heritage podcast - we present short clips of two of those interviews.

The first, dating from March 22, 1979 is part of Dr. Taylor’s interview with Mr. Lionel Pearcey, who was born December 8, 1918, in Winterton, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. Mr. Pearcey lived most of his life in Winterton, although he would spend time away from home working in mines, as a fisher, and as a carpenter. In the interview, Mr. Pearcey discusses different types of boats, and explains the difference between a speedboat and a trap boat.

The second clip, recorded in Winterton on August 15, 1979, is part of an interview with Mr. Herbert Harnum. Mr Harnum was born November 30, 1919 in Winterton, where he worked as a fisherman with his family. In this clip, Mr. Harnum describes the qualities of a good boat.

To listen to David Taylor’s full interviews with Mr Harnum, Mr Pearcey, and other traditional Newfoundland boatbuilders, visit Memorial University’s Digital Archive Initiative online at collections.mun.ca.

Download the podcast in MP3 format
Listen to a streaming audio version of the podcast.

Making Hobby Horses: Prepping for the 2011 Mummers Festival

2011-11-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

This week, I taught two train-the-trainer Hobby Horse workshops here in St. John's. One was for the Arts Work conference, for teachers from across the province. The second was for MacMorran Community Centre, who plan on running hobby horse workshops for interested people in the neighbourhood.

Both sessions went extremely well, with a lot of laughter, and some gorgeous hobby horses. I'll be adding some more hobby horse instructions to the Memorial University ICH page soon, but in the meantime, here are a few shots of our new hobby horse builders in action.

Remember, Remember: Bonfire Night Memories at The Rooms

2011-11-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

Coffee and Culture at The Rooms
November 3, 2011 @ 2:30pm

Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, was a tradition looked forward to with great anticipation in many communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly by young people. Faced with concerns about fire safety and vandalism, the tradition faded, though it is now seeing a bit of a revival. At this special Coffee and Culture, graduate students in Dr. Jillian Gould's Public Folklore course at Memorial University present oral histories with some of the people they've interviewed who have warm memories of Bonfire Night from years past.

Coffee and Culture programs are included with the cost of admission to The Rooms.

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Bonfire Night!

2011-11-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite Newfoundland holiday's is fast approaching: Bonfire Night! Celebrated on November 5th, Bonfire Night is one of those traditions that has faded somewhat in recent years, with concerns about vandalism and fire safety. In 2010, however, over forty communities across Newfoundland and Labrador hosted official town bonfires, indicating rather clearly that the tradition is far from moribund.

The photo above was taken on Bonfire Night in Carbonear in 2010. Carbonear is one of the communities participating again in this year's Festival on Fire, and their community bonfire will start at 6:30 PM at the community Recreation Complex. Hot chocolate and marshmallows will be served!

To learn more about Bonfire Night, listen to some of the interviews on Memorial University's Digital Archive Initiative.

In the hills above town: Tea and tales in Pippy Park

2011-11-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

7:30pm
Thursday, November 3rd
North Bank Lodge, Nagle's Place
Pippy Park, St. John's

The Pippy Park Heritage Committee and Friends of Pippy Park have organized "Tea and Tales in Pippy Park". Join them at North Bank Lodge to hear stories and remembrances of life, living, and working in Pippy Park.

I'll be moderating the event, and there will be opportunity for you to share your own stories of Pippy Park. Or you can just relax by the fire and enjoy the tales!

Playing with Fire! Celebrate Bonfire Night at Bitters Nov 1.

2011-10-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

1 November · 8pm
Bitter Grad Pub @ MUN
Field Hall, 216 Prince Philip Dr.

The Public Folklore graduate class at MUN and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador are hosting a variety show celebrating Bonfire Night and fire traditions, featuring music, storytelling, spoken word.

Come enjoy our line-up of fiery entertainers and if you feeling the burning urge to share your own fire stories, songs or memories we warmly invite you to take part in the open mic portion of the night.

Admission is pay-what-you-can and all proceeds will go to support Shriners Hospitals.

There will also be FREE barbecued hot dogs/veggie dogs available.

So come watch the sparks fly in celebration of Bonfire Night. It's guaranteed to be a sizzling time!

For full list of events and community bonfires, see:

www.festivalonfire.ca

Walking on Water: Vernacular Architecture walk of St. John's

2011-10-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

Last week, I met up with students of Gerald Pocius's Vernacular Architecture graduate level class, and gave them an overview of the Heritage Foundation's work, and a tour of a few sites in along the west end of Water Street.

Tomorrow, we're heading east, and I compiled a list of places we'll pass by for the participants. I thought that since I had it, I'd share it with you, my beloved blog audience, so you can take a little virtual walk along historic Water Street from the comfort of your computer screen.

On the route tomorrow:

Murray Premises
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2232

O'Dwyer Block
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2154&pid=12030&h=Odwyer,Block

Yellow Belly Brewery
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=5341
http://www.greatcanadianbeerblog.com/2008/06/yellowbelly-brewery-public-house.html

Grace Building (Model Shop)
http://www.heritagefoundation.ca/property-search/property-details.aspx?id=1890

Bowrings
http://bowring.com/about.asp
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/merchants.html

O'Brien's Music
http://obriensmusic.com/site/obriens-history/

Rocket (Neil Soper Hardware/Auntie Craes)
http://www.thetelegram.com/Business/Economy/2010-10-18/article-1856592/Historical-Auntie-Crae%26rsquo%3Bs-shutting-its-doors-in-December/1

Commercial Chambers Building
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2149&pid=0

And I'll also be talking about the [Here]Say project.

Full list of conference participants tweeting #AFS11

2011-10-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you not at the American Folklore Society conference here in Bloomington Indiana, several participants have been posting observations and notes on Twitter under the hashtag #AFS11.

I'm going to list those who have been posting, below, so check them out and give them a follow. If I've missed anyone, let me know @dalejarvis or email ich@heritagefoundation.ca

@AndreaKitta
@barrchristina
@britas
@chickenpickin

@dalejarvis
@DebraLattanzi
@folklore_wadam
@foxyfolklorist
@ibrodie
@ICH_NL

@jasonjackson2
@johnfenn3
@LynneSMcNeill

@RebesaurusRex
@TradArtsIN
@USUFolklore
@wldoyle

Documenting traditional knowledge relating to Labrador inuksuit and stone markers

2011-10-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

"They used to be waiting for caribou and when the caribou started comin' they'd go from one inukshuk to the other to get closer to the caribou"
- Gus Semigak, Hopedale, Labrador, March 23, 2011

Inuksuit (the plural of inukshuk) have become an emblem of the north and an inukshuk appears on the official flag of Nunatsiavut (above). An inukshuk construction scene is pictured on the cover of the 2004 Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement, and is clearly an important symbol of Labrador Inuit identity.

During the 2010 Nunatsiavut Heritage Forum in Nain, elders in attendance voiced their concerns about how inuksuit were not being constructed in traditional ways, and how they lacked the meaning that the elders of Nunatsiavut are accustomed to. Elders also pointed out potential dangers associated with randomly built inuksuit, which had no meaning, but which might appear to mean something they didn't.

As a response, the Nunatsiavut Government, with funding though the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Program and the Tasiujatsoak Trust Fund, has prepared a research report on inuksuit in Labrador. You can download the full report, in pdf format, here.

Flag photo from Paul Illsley's web site.

Folklore 6740 Looking for Community Bonfires

2011-10-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Living in Newfoundland and Labrador has historically involved fire, from kitchen woodstoves to “mug ups” to community bonfires. One of the most important fire-related events is the November 5th bonfire celebrations, which have been a long standing, province-wide tradition.

The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL), in partnership with Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Folklore 6740: Public Folklore graduate level class, is organising a list of community events surrounding this lively and interesting tradition, as well as hosting celebratory events for the Second Annual Festival on Fire: Bonfire Night.

The Second Annual Festival on Fire: Bonfire Night will take place during the beginning of November. The project is a part of both HFNL’s goal to maintain the intangible cultural heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador, and of the graduate students’ education in public sector folklore, preparing them to have a part in preserving such traditions and helping communities to do so as well.

Dr. Jillian Gould, the professor of the Folklore 6740: Public Folklore graduate class, asserts: “The project is a unique opportunity for our students — to experience the entire range of public folklore fieldwork: from planning and interviewing, to presenting and celebrating. And most importantly, it’s a chance for students to tap into a significant cultural and historic event, giving them a greater sense of place, while strengthening relations between MUN and the larger community.”

To begin, organizers are asking communities to contact them about any Bonfire Night events they have already planned.

Communities or local fire departments wishing to register supervised, official town bonfires should send the following information by Friday, October 21st, 2011:

1. Name of community
2. Location of bonfire in the community
3. Start time and date
4. Backup bad weather date if applicable
5. Name/Contact information of official contact person.

Send information to:
Festival On Fire
festivalonfire@gmail.com
www.festivalonfire.ca
Telephone: 709-739-1892 ext 3
Toll Free: 1-888-739-1892 ext 3
Fax: 709-739-5413

Along with registering your event you can also mark it on our Bonfire Map!

Tales of Town, this Wednesday night at The Rooms

2011-10-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

HFNL and The Rooms kick off the Tales of Town series this Wednesday night, at 7pm. I'll be sitting down with three engaging locals: businesswoman Margaret Dunn, music shop owner Gordon O'Brien, and author Lisa Moore. We'll be sharing memories and stories about growing up in St. John's, and hope you will join us!

The Rooms, Wednesday, October 5th
7pm
Tickets $5, free for members

Resource Links: Museums and Social Media 101

2011-09-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

I'm teaching an introductory workshop today for the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador on social media and museums. As a resource for workshop participants, and for those of you out there with an interest in museums and how social media can be, or is being, used, here are links to some of the materials I'll be talking about today:

Video Introductions:

Websites:

Folklore students on fire, hookers, townies, and the #sjtweetup

2011-09-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador, a group of folklore students under the direction of Dr. Jillian Gould is on fire; we celebrate Culture Days in St. John's with a tweetup and panel on social media and culture; Melissa Squarey talks rug hooking with Betty White; and we launch a new public oral history interview program, Tales of Town, in partnership with The Rooms.

Download the pdf here.

Panelists bios for the Sept 30th #sjtweetup

2011-09-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday, September 30th, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Newfoundland Historic Trust, will be hosting a St. John’s Tweetup event at the Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site on Water Street as part of Culture Days. It is a chance for anyone to learn more about how social media is being used in the arts and culture sector in St. John’s, and to meet those people face-to-face that you’ve only ever talked to in 140 character tweets. As part of the event, folklorist Dale Jarvis will moderate a panel discussion with people in the cultural sector on the role of social media in local arts, how it is working, and where it is going.

The Tweetup doors open at 6:30pm, with the panel discussion starting at 7pm.

Who are the panelists?

Jennifer Barnable (@JennaOfAvalon) is a writer, photographer and communications professional from Ferryland, Newfoundland who now resides in downtown St. John's. With degrees in cultural anthropology and public relations, Jennifer has spent most of her career working in the arts and cultural industries.

John Gushue (@JohnGushue) is an online editor with CBC News in St. John's, and contributes regularly to radio and television programming. He writes a weekly column on digital culture for the St. John's Telegram, and publishes a blog called Dot Dot Dot.

Elling Lien (@thescopeNL) is editor of The Scope, a weekly, independent alternative newspaper which focuses on local arts, culture, and current affairs in the St. John's region, and which provides live tweets of St. John's City Council meetings.

You can RSVP for the event here.

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Knot Tying

2011-09-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

This week's photo is of Captain Jan Negrijn tying knots at the Twine Loft, Trinity, as part of Doors Open in 2007.

Knot tying is one of the topics that comes up from time to time as I do workshops in communities about skills and traditions they are worried about losing. At one time, every sailor and fisherman knew dozens of knots, a huge body of specialized knowledge that is not as widespread today as it once was.

Along with that, there were all kinds of folk beliefs about knots, such as knots in a piece of string, which, when buried, could be a cure for warts.

If you've got memories or thoughts on knots and knot tying in Newfoundland and Labrador culture, drop me a line, so to speak.

If a piece of string of any kind is placed outside the house on the eve of St. Brigid, the good saint will walk on it, and that a piece of the cord worn about the leg or foot will be a talisman against all injury from falls and accidents due to stumbling.

-PJ Kinsella, Some Superstitions and Traditions of Newfoundland

A few quick pics of Henry Vokey's schooner, Trinity, Newfoundland

2011-09-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

I'm here in Trinity for the Wooden Boat Museum of NL conference and AGM. It's been a while since I was in Trinity, so it is great to see the fantastic progress Mr. Henry Vokey, master boatbuilder, has made on his schooner. Last time I was out this way, it looked like this.

Now, she looks gorgeous. A few quick pictures below.

Here is an interview with Mr Vokey one year ago.

Recitations on the air! CBC radio hosts folk poetry phone in

2011-09-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

This Friday, CBC Radio Noon with host Ramona Dearing will be all about the old-fashioned yet timeless tradition of recitations! Local author and recitationist Dave Paddon will be in studio doing a couple of his incredibly witty pieces. And they want to hear from you, too! Phone in at 709-722-7111 / 1-800-563-8255

The show will be broadcast 12:35-1:30 in Newfoundland / 12:05-1 in most of Labrador.

The Voices of Nurses: Clothilda Benson

2011-09-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

As part of a partnership between our office, the School of Nursing, and Memorial University's Digital Archive Initiative, we've been putting a series of interviews with nurses online. One of those recently-added interviews is one conducted by Marilyn Marsh with former nurse Clothilda Benson, recorded in 1987, when Ms Benson was in a nursing home with Parkinsons disease.

In this recording Ms. Benson recalls her nursing career; early memories at Cook St.; nursing training at the Grace; the 3 year nursing program; Margaret Canning; her days as a nursing student; her active life before she was a senior; working 12 hour shifts; nursing teachers; doctor lectures; nursing curfews; social activities of a nursing student; discipline; 12o' clock late leave; changes in the career; the Grace in the past and present; manual labour; patient care; family; nursing standards; and treatments for childbirth.

Listen to the interview here

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Folk Art, Compliments of Vic

2011-09-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure exactly how old this photo is, but I know I snapped it, on slide film, in Bay de Verde, possibly about 2001. I love how much is crammed into this little display: fishing boats, dorries, part of what looks like an old make-and-break engine.

If you know anything about Vic, or about the objects in the photo, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

#SocialMedia #sjtweetup @newmanvaults for @culturedays

2011-09-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

A tweetup and panel on social media, the arts, and culture in St. John’s

Friday, September 30th, 6:30 pm

Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site

436 Water Street,

St. John’s, Newfoundland

What is a Tweetup?
A tweetup is an event where people who Twitter come together to meet in person. At a tweetup you meet the people you might only otherwise know virtually. A tweetup is a great opportunity to connect with people in your online network. There have been a few tweetup events organized for St. John’s so far, with meeting places as varied as a local restaurant and a local beach.

What is Culture Days?
Culture Days is a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. Annual, Canada-wide Culture Days events feature free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate “behind the scenes,” to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, and designers at work in their community.

What’s happening in the Newman Wine Vaults?
On Friday, September 30th, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Newfoundland Historic Trust, will be hosting a St. John’s Tweetup event at the Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site on Water Street as part of Culture Days. It is a chance for anyone to learn more about how social media is being used in the arts and culture sector in St. John’s, and to meet those people face-to-face that you’ve only ever talked to in 140 character tweets. As part of the event, folklorist Dale Jarvis will moderate a panel discussion with people in the cultural sector on the role of social media in local arts, how it is working, and where it is going.

Panelists TBA in a future posting!

RSVP on Twtvite
Visit the Culture Days Event Listing

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Norman Currie and Bull Bird, Britannia Newfoundland

2011-09-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

I've got a lot a great photos that I've been amassing over the past three years of the intangible cultural heritage project, and it seems a shame to not share some of them. So, with that in mind, I'm going to start a new weekly folklore photo posting, and put a new photo up each week.

This week is a favourite, of Uncle Norman Currie with his boat model, Bull Bird, shown here at the dock in Britannia, Random Island. I'm not sure of the date on this one, but Uncle Norm passed away a few years ago, and this was one of his last model projects.

One of my favourite stories about him was one I heard from Jim Roy, his nephew-in-law. Apparently, Uncle Norm had an old boat that he had made, with an inboard motor of some type. The propeller shaft had snapped, and when he was told it would cost him $100 to have it welded, Uncle Norm took a cheaper and slightly more ingenious route. He got someone with an angle grinder to smooth off the end of the shaft, then cut a foot off the stern of the boat, and rebuilt it a foot further up, shortening the boat, and allowing the shorter propeller shaft to protrude the correct distance from the back of the boat. Apparently, it worked, and the boat was reportedly even more stable than it had been before the alteration.

A great example of making do with what one has.

Thanks to Jim Roy, Lower Lance Cove, for the story and the photo.

6-hour marathon telling of Jack Tales now online

2011-09-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, the St. John's Storytelling Festival hosted an event called "Jack Cycle" at The Ship Pub. That 6-hour marathon telling of Jack Tales is now online at www.jackcycle.ca, with full videos of each performer.

As the Cycle website relates, "Jack Tales encapsulate elements of the Newfoundland character that have evolved over five centuries: courage, cleverness, generosity, handiness, hardiness, honesty, humility, naïveté, wit, and a general belief in the impossible (amongst other traits). In the stories, Jack comes to represent the Newfoundland character."

And so, the stories include not only traditional Newfoundland folktales, told by the likes of Anita Best and Andy Jones, but also cultural commentary on Newfoundland identity by speakers including Richard Cashin, and Ryan Cleary.

"We hope this will be a resource," says organizer Chris Brookes, "so please pass on the URL to anyone interested."

More photo treasures from the Newman Wine Vaults

2011-09-07T04:42:00.000-07:00

A while back, I posted about a small digitization project we were undertaking with Provincial Historic Sites and the Newman Wine Vaults. Those photos have been scanned and placed online as part of Memorial's Digital Archive Initiative. They show the interior and exterior of the Vaults and adjacent buildings, and show that the Vaults were used for storage of more than Newman's Port, including things like Javex bleach and potatoes!

This exterior photo, taken from Water Street, shows the west end of the Vault warehouse, and two now-demolished buildings. Also visible is the "Book and Bible" shop, located where Babb Lock and Key is now.

Any vintage car experts out there? I'd love a rough date for this one! Post your suggestions.

Celebrating our History – The Restoration of the Colonial Building

2011-08-31T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Association of Heritage Industries is pleased to support and applaud today’s joint funding announcement by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada of $22.3 million to complete the restoration of the Colonial Building.

Located in the heart of a nationally significant historic precinct, the Colonial Building is the finest example of neoclassical architecture in the province. As the seat of government for 90 years, the Colonial Building has played an important role in the province’s history and political culture.

The heritage community, under the umbrella of the Association of Heritage Industries, collectively lobbied for the restoration of the Colonial Building when the Provincial Archives relocated to The Rooms in 2004. The heritage community rallied to have the Colonial Building carefully restored, maintaining the historical and architectural integrity of both the exterior and interior. We also recommended transforming the building into a public space to interpret and celebrate Newfoundland and Labrador’s political history.

The provincial government adopted AHI’s recommendations and, in the intervening years, completed a management plan, making an initial commitment of $3 million towards the restoration project, along with a $648,000 contribution through Canadian Heritage’s Building Canada fund.

Today’s landmark announcement means there will be sufficient resources to complete the restoration work to a high standard - a fitting contribution to this significant building. AHI Chair David Bradley notes that, “The Colonial Building may be the province’s most important, surviving historic structure, and we are pleased that both levels of government recognize its importance and are prepared to make the necessary investment in its preservation and redevelopment. We will watch the progress with great interest.”

Contact:
Kim Shipp
Executive Director
Association of Heritage Industries
709-738-4345
ahi@nfld.net
PO Box 2064, Stn C.
St. John's, NL A1C 5R6

Labrador kayaks old and new, and adventures with polar bears.

2011-08-31T10:38:00.000-07:00

This morning, Peter Cowan, reporter and video journalist for CBC in Labrador, tweeted a link to this story, about Noah Nochasak's journey to Hebron in a handmade, traditional style kayak. It is well worth a listen, particularly the part about Nochasak's run-in with a polar bear.

As a sometimes kayaker, I was interested in Nochasak's construction of the kayak, which is built along traditional Inuit lines, but using nylon instead of skin as the covering. It is a good example of one of the basic tenets of intangible cultural heritage: that ICH comes from the past but is in a constant state of evolution.

Give the interview a listen here.

A few years ago, I got a "backstage" tour of the collection vaults at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec. In a darkened room full of boats from all across Canada, there was one treasure that stood out for me: a traditional Inuit skin kayak from Labrador. A few pics below:

Roadside Gardens, Northern Peninsula, Newfoundland

2011-08-31T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the office from our HFNL/ANLA workshop in Plum Point. Along the way, I took a few photos of one of my favourite "roadside attractions" on the Great Northern Peninsula: roadside gardens. In conversation with David Adams in Cape Onion, he explained that when the highway was put through, the existing peat had to be moved to the side of the road to make room for laying a new roadbed. That resulted in thick layers of peat on the sides of the road.

In a region with thin topsoil, it is perfect location with gardening, as long as you build the requisite moose fence and scarecrows. A few shots:

A little jaunt - 900 kilometres to Plum Point

2011-08-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

In the morning, I'm heading out on the road to Plum Point - over 900 kms betwixt here and there. I'm giving a workshop with ANLA on Wednesday. So, you might not have a blog post for a few days, depending on internet availability.

And what does that have to do with Edward Teach, commonly known as Blackbeard? Not much, really, but any excuse to put up a picture of a pirate is a good one. Teach, reportedly, hung his hat at Plum Point (North Carolina, however, not Northern Peninsula).

Fair winds, all!

Aug 22nd, 1846 - Happy Birthday, Folklore!

2011-08-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

On August 22, 1846, antiquarian William John Thoms coined the term "folk-lore." Writing under the pseudonym Ambrose Merton, in a letter to the editor of the London magazine The Athenaeum, Thoms wrote:

Your pages have so often given evidence of the interest which you take in what we in England designate as Popular Antiquities, or Popular Literature (though by-the-by it is more a Lore than a literature, and would be most aptly described by a good Saxon compound, Folk-Lore,—the Lore of the People)—that I am not without hopes of enlisting your aid in garnering the few ears which are remaining, scattered over that field from which our forefathers might have gathered a goodly crop. No one who has made the manners, customs, observances, superstitions, ballads, proverbs, etc., of the olden time his study, but must have arrived at two conclusions:—the first how much that is curious and interesting in those matters is now entirely lost—the second, how much may yet be rescued by timely exertion…. It is only honest that I should tell you I have long been contemplating a work upon our “Folk-Lore” (under that title, mind Messes. A, B, and C,—so do not try to forestall me);—and I am personally interested in the success of the experiment which I have, in this letter, albeit imperfectly, urged you to undertake.

[reposted from the American Folklife Centre facebook page]

Rare historic photo of Newman Wine Vaults interior

2011-08-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer, I borrowed a collection of photographs from Provincial Historic Sites which show various interior and exterior scenes of the Newman Wine Vaults on Water Street, and the associated Newman Building on Springdale Street, here in St. John's. Vaults staff have scanned those photos, and we are currently compiling metadata for the photos, which will be added to a new sub-collection for St. John's on Memorial's Digital Archive Initiative.

The photo above is undated, but is probably from the early to mid-twentieth century. I don't know the identity of the gentleman with the cane; if you know, email ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

The back of the photo reads:
"Pipes" of Newman's Port ageing in a bonded warehouse in St. John's
Story 15
V.P. 3
E 1-3
53%
CANADIAN COLLECTOR

A "pipe" is an old unit of measurement for wine or port, sometimes called a "butt" and equal to two hogsheads, approximately 475 to 480 litres.

What is a Hay Barrack, you ask? A Newfoundland-wide photo hunt

2011-08-19T04:10:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping that someone out there in Newfoundland has a photo (or memories) of a hay barrack. I'm working on a little article on hay barracks for a future newsletter, and would love a good illustration.

Here is what the Dictionary of Newfoundland English says:

barrack n Cp DAE hay barrack (1807-). Structure consisting of four posts and a movable roof, designed to protect hay from rain and snow (P 245-56). M 71-39 A barrack is composed of a square base of criss-crossed poles, to keep the hay from the ground, and at each corner a large upright pole. In each pole there are holes through which a large bolt can be passed. Resting on four large bolts, one in each pole, is a four-faced cone-shaped roof. These barracks are usually boarded in for about four feet from the ground. 1974 MANNION 176 ~ A roof sliding on four posts, under which hay is kept.

I'm hoping that someone might have seen one in a photo, perhaps not really knowing what it might have been. If you've seen one, let me know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Thanks to Philip Hiscock for pointing me towards this excellent photo of one in the Ukraine. The illustration above is of both a five and four pole barrack, the four pole barrack showing boarding similar to the description in the Dictionary. Illustration taken from the Dutch Barn Preservation Society website, which writes: Five-pole hay barrack (left), published in van Berkhey, 1810 (Vol. IX). The Dutch wagon size suggests this barrack is about 24' wide and 33' high. Note the winding jack set in position to raise the roof using a long pole. Its form is similar to that of a cheese press. Its relative size, however, appears exaggerated for clarity. Four-pole barrack at right, also from van Berkhey.

See also:

Two Tasty Riddles

2011-08-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

I started off my Food, Folklore, and Tourism talk on Monday with these two riddles, and I figured I'd include them here for other lovers of traditional riddles:

Riddle One:

Flour of England,
Fruit of Spain, 

Met together 

In a shower of rain, 
Put in a bag 

And tied with a string, 

If you tell me this riddle,
I'll give you a ring.

Riddle Two:

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot,
Nine days old.
Spell me that in four letters?

Guess away!

Thoughts on pudding, folklore, and culture

2011-08-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Folklorist and Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer Dale Jarvis introduced the Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop in Cupids, Newfoundland on Monday, 15 August 2011, with some thoughts on steamed and boiled puddings, and on how food, folklore, and culture are intertwined.

Download Dale's talk as a MP3

Seeds To Supper Festival Midpoint

2011-08-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

The Seeds To Supper Festival is in full stride right now. We've just hosted two successful events, our Food Folklore and Tourism workshop in Cupids on Monday, and our Evening With Century Farmers last night at Lester Farms Inc on Pearltown Road in St. John's (picture above with, left to right, Michelle and Jim Lester, and Leonard and Lena Ruby and family).

We've still got lots to come! This Wednesday and Thursday, we're partnering with the Eastern Edge Gallery for their Art Garden Workshop running 11am-2pm at 72 Harbourside Drive, St. John's. As part of their Art Marathon Festival, workshop participants will create a Moveable Art Garden, which will be part of FEASt's Third Annual Open Garden Day on Sunday, August 21.

Head on down to Eastern Edge to help create the art garden, or download the map for Sunday's Open Garden Day.

Which interesting townie would you like to see interviewed?

2011-08-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to think about doing a public interview series, where interesting local people and personalities are interviewed on stage. Who would you like to see talk about their lives? What St. John's businessperson or character do you think would have an interesting story to tell? If you have a suggestion, let me know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop Sold Out!

2011-08-12T10:23:00.001-07:00

Our Monday workshop on culinary tourism in Cupids is sold out! Thanks all! Hope to see the rest of you at one of our other events between August 13-21! For full list of events see www.seedstosupper.ca

Stories from farmers: An evening with the Rubys and Lesters

2011-08-12T10:09:00.001-07:00

An Evening with Century Farmers: The Rubys and Lesters

Tuesday, August 16
Free admission
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Lester Farms Inc, 92 Pearltown Rd., St. John’s

As part of the Seeds to Supper Festival, host Kevin Aucoin, of the Agricultural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, will sit down with Leonard and Lena Ruby, and Jimmy and Michelle Lester, and share stories about farming past, present, and future. Jimmy Lester represents the 6th generation Lester to continue farming in this area. Jimmy and his wife Michelle produce vegetable crops, bedding plants and flowers and operate the Lester catering facility on Pearltown Road. Leonard and Lena Ruby continue to grow vegetables on their own historic farm, where others might choose to retire and travel, reflecting their close connection to the soil. Join us, and fill your ears with some home-grown stories!

(NOTE: Lester Farms, Inc. is located at 92 Pearltown Road, not to be confused with the Lester's Market on Brookfield Road. If driving from St. John's along Brookfield Road, pass the Market, and turn left onto Pearltown Road).

Boxes Under the Bed Archives Workshop in Plum Point, Newfoundland

2011-08-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Office, Heritage Foundation of NL

Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives

Partnered Workshop

Boxes Under the Bed: Dealing with backlog interview collections

August 24th, Plum Point Motel
9:30am – 4pm

Well, maybe they’re in your storage room, or in your bottom desk drawer – those shoeboxes of cassettes or videos that were collected by a summer project, seniors’ group or JCP worker. These were the recordings that were going to preserve the voices of the past – but here they sit with no voice at all! You don’t know what’s on the recordings, you don’t know much about who made them – maybe you don’t even have the equipment to play them!

How can you get access to those voices from the past? How can you preserve and use them? Dale Jarvis and Mary Ellen Wright will guide you through the process of identifying, arranging, describing, preserving and providing access to older collections that have been donated or made available to you or that already exist in your holdings. Topics to be covered include:

• Recording formats
• Documentation and consent
• Describing, indexing and transcription of contents
• Access issues
• Digitization
• Preservation of originals

Registration deadline: Participants must register for this course by August 19th, 2011

Fees: $35

Participants must register by email at anla@nf.aibn.com

Century Farms, Newfoundland ponies, a building floats to a new home, and more

2011-08-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador: the Seeds to Supper Festival gets underway with a workshop on culinary tourism, featuring Canada's Top Chef participant Todd Perrin; we celebrate our agricultural history with an evening of stories of farming past, present and future; a local woman keeps the tradition of Newfoundland ponies alive; news on the Culture, Place and Identity at the Heart of Regional Development conference coming this fall; a historic merchant's shop is hauled (and floated) to a new home; and, our root cellar roundup.

Download the pdf

Food industry guests at Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop

2011-08-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

Our "Food, Folklore and Tourism" workshop is taking place at the Cupids Legacy Centre, this coming Monday, August 15, 2011 from 1pm – 4:30 pm

This is a free workshop, but people must pre-register with Melissa at ichprograms@gmail.com or by calling 1-888-739-1892 ext 3.

Our food industry guests for the workshop are:

Todd Perrin
The Chef’s Inn
twitter.com/toddperrin
www.thechefsinn.ca

Chef Todd Perrin believes that the ingredients are the star – he is just the mechanic. Todd began his career in the early 1990’s, enrolling in The Culinary Institute of Canada at Holland College in PEI. Upon graduation, he worked at The Lodge at Kananaskis in Alberta and then at a private hotel near Zurich, Switzerland. Currently, he owns and operates The Chef’s Inn, a B&B in downtown St. John’s, Newfoundland that he runs with his family. With his own place, he sources the freshest local ingredients from his own backyard, neighbours’ farms and his root cellar, practicing farm-to-table whenever possible. His goal as a chef is to bring simple food to the next level.

Viola Wells
Skipper Ben’s Bed and Breakfast and Dining Room
http://www.skipperbens.ca/

Viola is the owner of Skipper Ben’s Bed and Breakfast and Dining Room, a heritage property (circa) 1890 situated in historic Cupids. Under Viola’s management Skipper Ben’s has become known as a quality casual fine dining experience on the Baccalieu Trail. Her expertise in food preparation and her hospitality are renowned and have made her much in demand for special events and weddings. The dining experience at Skipper Ben’s is second to none. With a selection of fresh produce and her own creative recipes, she serves meals with a unique style from health conscious menus that continue to satisfy her visitors.

Kelly Jones
Britannia Teas and Gifts
twitter.com/britanniateas
www.britanniateas.ca

Kelly Jones loves tea! From her earliest memories tea has played a part in her family life. This was especially true when visiting Nana Leawood, her grandmother, at her home in Britannia, Random Island, where tea was a five-times-a-day experience. Today, Britannia Teas is Newfoundland's first tea shop selling loose and bulk teas, tea-related merchandise and treats for the tea lover. Kelly loves passing on what she has learned to other people; she enjoys letting people know the proper way to brew different teas, discussing health benefits and talking about her current favourite tea.

Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop August 15th - registration open

2011-08-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Food, Folklore and Tourism Workshop
Cupids Legacy Centre, Cupids
Monday, August 15, 2011
1pm – 4:30 pm

Food is at the heart of much of Newfoundland and Labrador culture. From the berries we pick, to Sunday dinner, to the rich heritage surrounding our fishery, food and food production is a deep part of our history and sense of place. When people visit, we are always waiting with a cup of tea, and something to eat.

But what are the challenges faced by tourism operators in terms of developing culinary tourism products? What do they need to meet industry standards? In this workshop local tourism operators and business owners, including Canada’s Top Chef participant Todd Perrin, along with visitor service people, and heritage representatives, will give their input what visitors and locals want, and what they need.

This workshop is part of the Heritage Foundation of NL’s Seeds to Supper Festival. For full details and speaker’s bios visit www.seedstosupper.ca. This workshop is sponsored in part by the Cupids Legacy Centre and the Town of Bay Roberts.

REGISTRATION
This is a free workshop, but people must pre-register with Melissa at ichprograms@gmail.com or by calling 1-888-739-1892 ext 3.

Food Industry Guests

Todd Perrin, The Chef’s Inn www.thechefsinn.ca

Viola Wells, Skipper Ben’s B&B and Dining Room www.skipperbens.ca

Kelly Jones, Britannia Teas and Gifts www.britanniateas.ca

Speakers and Moderators

Kathi Stacey, Eastern Destination Management Organization; Ella Heneghan, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation; Bonavista Institute for Cultural Tourism; Dale Jarvis, Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Morning interview in Bay Roberts with Todd Perrin and Kathi Stacey

2011-08-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Things are moving along with the Seeds to Supper festival! We kick things off on the 13th with a whole series of events: a FEASt Workshop on Making Food Fun at the St John’s Farmer’s Market; an Edible Wild Plants presentation at the MUN Botanical Garden on Mount Scio Road; and the 53rd Annual Farm Field Day, at the experimental farm on Brookfield Road.

I just drove back into town from the Bay Roberts Tourism Pavilion where Kathi Stacey interviewed me, and Todd Perrin of Canada Top Chef fame. All three of us will be presenting at the "Food, Folklore and Tourism" workshop in Cupids on August 15th at 1pm. The workshop will include an open panel discussion session about culinary tourism in NL, as well as a session on the challenges faced by tourism operators when developing culinary tourism products. The workshop will be free to anyone interested, but pre-registration will be required. Email Mel Squarey at ichprograms@gmail.com to register.

Twitter links for this post:
@TourismintheBay
@toddperrin
@dalejarvis
@kathistacey

Meet the Newfoundland Fairies, tonight in Cupids!

2011-08-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

“When you go up on the hills picking berries

don’t going chasing off after strange music

and be sure to take a piece of bread with you

to protect yourself from the faeries.”

For generations Newfoundland grandparents advised little children this way - but, do they still need to, today? Come to Cupids on August 4 and find out!

The public is invited to join us on Thursday August 4 at 7:00pm, as the Cupids Legacy Centre officially opens its rooftop “Faerie Garden,” and celebrates faerie lore in local tradition. You’ll hear local faerie stories, watch faerie dances—and you’re GUARANTEED to spot at least three faeries.

Bring along your own faerie story to share, too, and join us as we explore this wonderful aspect of our intangible cultural heritage.

All we ask is that you not aggravate the fairies and speak kindly of them. (“Bread” will be available to all who attend—as a safety precaution!) Refreshments and finger foods will also be served.

Seeds to Supper coming soon!

2011-08-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

We haven't had a blog post in a while, but don't think we're on summer vacation! We're busy bees down here at ICH - the newsletter is coming out soon, I'm back from workshops and meetings in Grand Bank, Crystal Braye has been in every other root cellar on the Avalon by now, and the Seeds to Supper festival is about to kick into high gear (www.seedstosupper.ca). I will be posting info as it comes up, so stay tuned.

Seeds to Supper Festival Poster

2011-07-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

Here it is! The poster for our Seeds to Supper festival, running August 13-21! Download a pdf version of the poster here. Poster design by Graham Blair.

Wrigglin' Riddlin' Pickets and Palings - Newfoundland Fences

2011-07-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

After a chat with Kim Paddon with the English Harbour Arts Centre last night at the Crow's Nest Storytelling Circle, I'm posting a few things related to traditional Newfoundland fences.

First, check out the 1977 Wrigglin' Fence video. This short film, directed by Newfoundland artist Don Wright, follows the Paddy Brothers of Port Kirwan, Newfoundland, as they build a traditional 'wrigglin' or riddle fence around their garden patch.

You can download our traditional fence brochure here in pdf.

And there are articles on wriggle fences in our past newsletters here and here.

Root Cellars, Repatriation of Remains, and Heritage Windows - ICH Update

2011-07-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador: notes on the 3rd Annual Folklife Festival, Seeds to Supper; Crystal Braye digs in to the Root Cellar Project; we learn why the Food Security Network thinks that Root Cellars Rock; Torngâsok Cultural Centre archaeologist Jamie Brake documents a 1927 incident involving anthropologist William Duncan Strong and the second Rawson-MacMillan Subarctic Expedition, and the 2011 repatriation of the remains of 22 Inuit from the Field Museum in Chicago; and Melissa Squarey reports on tradition bearer James "Jim" Youden, a heritage carpenter and window maker who is the recipient of the Newfoundland Historic Trust’s 2011 Southcott Award for Heritage Craftsperson.

Download the pdf

Add to the collaborative Root Cellars of Newfoundland and Labrador Map!

2011-07-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

We are just launching our collaborative Root Cellar Mapping Project! Do you know where there is a root cellar, somewhere in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Map it! You'll need to be logged in to your Google account to add a spot on the map, which is at:

http://tinyurl.com/rootcellarmap

If possible, we'll visit your root cellar in person and add it to the digital root cellar we are building as part of Memorial University's Digital Archive Initiative. Got a memory about a root cellar that no longer exists? Map that too!

Rules are simple:

* Root cellars only
* Don't move other people's pins
* Don't be a jerk

We'll delete anything that we feel doesn't fit.

Once you are looking at the map, hit the "Edit" button, which should be visible if you are logged in to your Google Account. Select the blue pin from the menu. Stick it where your root cellar is (or was) and tell us about it.

Who wants to build a traditional Newfoundland punt?

2011-07-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever looked out at the ocean on a calm day and thought "wow I wish I had a boat". Then now is your opportunity to learn how to build a traditional Newfoundland punt.

The Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador will be offering a Boat Building Course in Winterton this summer from July 9th – August 27th. The course will consist of 8 workshops.

Workshop #1 The Backbone: Shaping the Stem and Keel
Workshop #2 The Backbone: Connecting the Stem to Keel
Workshop #3 The Backbone: Shaping the Counter
Workshop #4 The Backbone: Connecting the Counter to Keel
Workshop #5 Setup and Frames
Workshop #6 Planking – Putting on the Shear Plank
Workshop #7 Planking – Putting on the Garboard Plank
Workshop #8 Planking – Filling in the Hull

Workshop #1 will be begin on Saturday, July 9, 2011, and run each Saturday until August 27, 2011.

Cost per workshop is $60.00. Members receive a 10% discount.

Participants can register for the entire 8 weeks or individual sessions. For further information or to
register, please call 709-583-2070 or email bkingheritage@gmail.com. Pre-registration is required.

Exploring and learning about the oral tradition - Workshop July 16

2011-07-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

Explore the skills needed to begin your own storytelling journey: story selection, rehearsal methods and visualization techniques, gestures and body language, stage presence and more! You will be encouraged to “put the book down,” and begin to tell!

No storytelling experience is required, just a willingness to learn and play in this supportive and fun environment. If you consider yourself to be an intermediate storyteller, please join us as well. An extensive handout will assist participants in continuing their work the class.

If you are an educator this workshop is for you as well. Storytelling increases self-esteem and self-confidence and enhances self-expression. It is an interdisciplinary tool, introducing them to literature and folklore of all cultures, promotes writing and provides a rich environment for different learning styles.

Please join Professional Storyteller Karen Chace for this fun and interactive workshop at Gower Street United Church Hall (downstairs) on Saturday, July 16th, 2011at 1 pm – 4 pm. Open the door and step into a world full of stories! Who knows, you just might share a tale before you leave!

The workshop will be conducted by Massachusetts storyteller Karen Chace. When she isn’t telling stories Karen is teaching others to share their own. A workshop leader and author she writes for Storytelling Magazine as well as her own blog and newsletter with resources for storytellers and educators. She is also a contributing author to the National Storytelling Network’s publications, A Beginner's Guide to Storytelling and Telling Stories to Children and offers her own publication, Story by Story – Building a School Storytelling Troupe. She is the recipient of the 2009 Brother Blue-Ruth Hill Award and the 2011 National Storytelling Networks Oracle Award for Service and Leadership in the Northeast (USA). Please visit her website at http://www.storybug.net

Admission: $20  
Pre-register at: storytelling@nf.sympatico.ca
Perfect For: Educators, Librarians, Students and Adults  interested in exploring and learning the art of Oral Tradition

Call for Volunteers: Summer Folklore Fieldwork Opportunity

2011-07-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

The West End Oral History and Folklife Festival is being offered as part of the ICH office’s 3rd Annual Folklife Festival and will be held in two sessions: during the day on Wednesday, August 17th and on Saturday afternoon, evening and night, August 20th.

The theme of this year’s ICH Festival is “Seeds to Supper” an homage to agri-culture and education in food sustainability in Newfoundland Labrador. The West End festival seeks to present agricultural history in urban neighbourhoods in St. John’s. The geographic focus is from the Memorial to Tommy Ricketts on Water Street west to the ‘Crossroad’s, the location where Water Street west, Waterford bridge Road and Topsail Roads converge. The site goes north primarily from the bottom of Patrick Street to Wesleyan United Church on Hamilton Avenue (at Patrick St.), west past Victoria Park, Hamilton Hall (the CEI Club) and then to the Laurier Club at the top of the street. This neighbourhood was once the industrial heartland of the city as well as a farming region prior to that. Currently there are about 30 businesses in the area including a music store, lettuce farm, Pennecon, the Labatt’s Brewery and one of the oldest businesses in the city, not to mention the lovely Victoria Park, perhaps best known currently as the home of the Lantern Festival, held every year in the summer.

All Folklore graduate students and upper classmen who require practical ethnographic experience for their degree and diploma programs are welcome to participate in a volunteer capacity to carry out original fieldwork in a supervised community setting. Students may also volunteer to become festival administrators, presenters and programmers. A ‘buddy system’ and team structure will be engaged.

Options for fieldwork include occupational and labour folklife, the dockyards, the rail yards, folk art and music; old farms once right off Water Street; food sustainability for urban residents; river management in Victoria Park; and the history of the CEI Club. This building is turning into condominiums so opportunities abound for the analysis of the gentrification of the neighbourhood. Interest in children’s folklore past and present is welcome, as is the contemporary impact of the lack of children in the locale. Anyone interested in working with senior citizens on any topic should consider this opportunity to carry out original, independent field work. Finally, histories of Victoria Park, along with folklore of the park are also welcome.

Field work will officially start after Canada Day and will conclude with the festival dates. Students who wish to volunteer to conduct festival programming are welcome as well. Ultimately, the festival will be a place where students can, if they choose, apply their fieldwork for common good. If you wish, you can do as much fieldwork as you can fit into July month. Technical equipment is not necessary to participate in this project. The only requirement for the project is a brief essay summarizing your fieldwork and suggestions for additional fieldwork (4-5 pages). This essay must be completed by the festival date (August 17th).

Folklorist Kathryn Foley, MA (Memorial Folklore 1987), has experience in the public sector from 1987-1994 in New York State and Pennsylvania. She has edited and written curricula, managed the field office for a graduate student institute in oral history; taught ethnography and oral history to ninth graders and has extensive communication and networking skills. Folk art is a specialization. Additional information is available on her profile on the website, Linked In. Students will be provided with a Certificate of Participation as well as a reference letter upon request.

email only: kathrynfoley47@yahoo.ca.

Newfoundland Set Dancing and Percussive Dance Workshops

2011-07-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

From Wednesday July 13th through to Tuesday July 19th there will be DAILY opportunities to participate in an exciting variety of dance workshops at the Sound Shift Festival
http://www.mun.ca/ictm2011/festival.htm

Workshops are listed at: http://www.mun.ca/ictm2011/festival_workshops.htm.
Ticket prices at: http://www.mun.ca/ictm2011/festival_tickets.htm

(Purchase at door, cash only)
$10.00 / Regular, per workshop
$8.00 / Students/Seniors, per workshop
$20.00 / Regular, 3-workshop pass
$15 / Students/Seniors, 3-workshop pass

Thursday July 14 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the MMAP Gallery at the Arts and Culture Centre, Jane Rutherford will be leading a workshop in Newfoundland Set Dancing, accompanied by Christina Smith

Tuesday July 19th from 1:30 pm - 3:0 pm, also at the MMAP Gallery at the Arts and Culture Centre,
Kristin Harris Walsh will be leading a workshop in Percussive Dance , accompanied by Stan Pickett

You, Your Town & Tourism Workshop in Carbonear

2011-07-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

You are invited to attend a one-day workshop that will leave you with a passport to explore this spectacular historical region of the province.

You’ll learn more about the culture, history, heritage and natural beauty of the region.
When: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 8:30 am – 3:00 pm Where: Lecture Theater at College of the North Atlantic, Carbonear Campus

To Register call: 709 596 8957
Free admission.
Lunch and nutritional breaks compliments of the Town of Bay Roberts and Department of Tourism.

Root Cellar Typology for Newfoundland and Labrador

2011-06-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

We are digging away on our root cellar project, documenting different root cellars, taking photographs, making measurements, and interviewing people about root cellar traditions.

One idea we've come up with is to create a map of root cellars across the province, to see what kind of root cellars are most common where. So, I've taken a first stab at creating a root cellar typology, listing out the different kinds of root cellars we've found to date.

If you know of a different kind, or have a suggestion for a root cellar for us to look at, or root cellar owner to interview, contact Crystal Braye, our down-to-earth folklore co-op student, at folklore.coop@gmail.com.

Dual Entrance Cellar - set into the ground and lined with rocks/concrete. A shed is built over top of the cellar, with its own door. Access to the cellar is through a ground-level door into the cellar, and through a hatch door incorporated into the floor of the shed.

Hatch and Shed Cellar - set into the ground and lined with rocks/concrete. Beams and planks are laid over the hole, with a hatch door incorporated into the ceiling/floor, along with a ladder for access. A shed is then built over the top of the cellar.

Hillside Cellar - dug out of a hillside, lined with rocks or concrete, and then a ceiling is attached to overhead beams. Access through a ground-level door on the front.

Above Ground Cellar - freestanding cellar, covered thickly with sod on the outside, lined inside with rocks/concrete, with access through a ground-level door on the front.

Above Ground Hatch – like the Above Ground Cellar, but with access from a hatch at the top.

Walk-in Cool Room – Insulated room, part of a house or outbuilding.

Barrel Cellar – A small root cellar made of a converted barrel or drum.

Unidentified Ruin

Others?

Ghost stories and legends from Cape Broyle, Bell Island and Grand Falls-Windsor

2011-06-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

I posted a few of the stories recorded by participants in our Young Folklorists Program yesterday. Here are three more, with tales from Cape Broyle on the Southern Shore, Bell Island in Conception Bay, and Grand Falls-Windsor in Central Newfoundland.

Stacey Challinor, Baltimore School - The Legend of Peggy's Hollow

Nicole Doyle, St. Michael's Regional High - A Bell Island Ghost Story

Tayler French, St. Peter's Junior High - The Phantom of the Arts and Culture Centre

Supernatural Stories from the Young Folklorist Program

2011-06-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Earlier this spring, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador hosted its first Young Folklorists Program. Students spent two days learning about local folklore, doing interviews along Water Street, and researching and learning local stories.

The students chose to work on superstitions and ghost stories, and each student recorded their story on the second day of the workshop. All of them will be added to our oral traditions collection as part of the ICH Inventory. Here are the first three! I'll put out a notice when the rest are uploaded to the Inventory.

Amanda Brace, St Peter's Junior High - A ghost story from Victoria Street

Ashley Brace, St. Peter's Junior High - Phantom fires in St. John's

Emma Burry, Leary's Brook Jr. High - The Sunshine Park Killer - An Urban Legend

Digital Root Cellar storing memories as part of Memorial's Digital Archives Initiative

2011-06-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

This abandoned root cellar, located on Thorpe's Road, St. Phillip's, is one of the root cellars that will be documented as part of this summer's Seeds to Supper Festival. This year, the province's third annual folklife festival will celebrate agricultural traditions past and present.

The root cellar research project is being conducted by Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) folklore coop student Crystal Braye, and Agricultural History Society intern Julie Pomeroy. The pair will be photographing, measuring, and drawing cellars wherever they can root them out, as well as conducting interviews with root cellar owners and farming families.

All collected photographs, drawings and audio interviews will be stored, nice and cool, in our digital root cellar, as part of Memorial's Digital Archives Initiative and HFNL's ongoing Intangible Cultural Heritage inventory. The research is funded in part with grants through the Department of Tourism's Cultural Economic Development Program, and the Helen Creighton Folklore Society.

If you have a root cellar and are interested in participating, or for more information, please contact Crystal Braye via email folklore.coop@gmail.com or telephone at 709-739-1892 ext. 5

Zombie Invasion! Flee!

2011-06-27T04:53:00.000-07:00

Following yesterday's post on Bigfoot along the Trans Canada Highway, CBC reporter Cecil Haire today terrified CBC listeners with news of the zombie apocalypse.

Apparently, someone has reprogrammed a traffic sign near Windsor Lake to warn motorists of a zombie invasion and impending doom. The sign also flashes that people should save themselves and reminds people of the movie folklore that you should never be overconfident about a zombie's demise.

Happy motoring!

UPDATE: CBC web article

Newfoundland Bigfoot: Help me in the hunt!

2011-06-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

As you drive along the Trans Canada Highway, motorists on the lookout for a large, hairy animal may find themselves staring at something decidedly more cryptozoological than your average Newfoundland moose.

As I was driving back to St. John's from Bay Roberts on the Trans Canada Highway earlier this week, I spotted something just east of the Salmonier Line turnoff.

"That tree stump looks just like Bigfoot," I thought. Then, as I came closer, "My God! It IS Bigfoot!"

Some genius prankster has put up a plywood cutout of a sasquatch-looking creature just at the edge of a pond, 60 meters or so off the highway.

Folklore junkie that I am, I immediately recognized the outline of the monster captured in the controversial Patterson film of 1967.

I returned today, and crept close to the monster cut-out, snapping a series of photos, now on Flickr.

I'd love to know who created this, and why! If you have ANY ideas as to who made it, email me at info@hauntedhike.com or text me at 709-685-3444. If the creator wants to remain anonymous, I'd be happy to oblige, but I'd love to interview them about their monster, and the story behind it.

PS - Here is an article I wrote about Bigfoot in Newfoundland in 2007.

Life Beyond the Overpass

2011-06-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

The Overpass before (upper photo by Cecil Haire) and after (lower photo by David Cochrane)

Donovan's Overpass has been demolished as part of a redesign of the highway system in and around the St. John's area. A demand for highways that are both wider and faster for commuters has been given as the reason for the structure's demolition.

The structure entered into the provincial vernacular, with the expression "beyond the overpass" coming to mean anything in the province that was outside of St. John's.

Like the similar expression "beyond the pale," the phrase "beyond the overpass" always seemed to imply a certain cultural superiority. The structure, and the phrase, generated a certain emotional response, and while the concrete bridge was perhaps nothing exceptional architecturally, it is (was) imbued with a level of cultural meaning perhaps unique in the province.

The Telegram called the structure "infamous," while VOCM referred to it as a "cultural icon." CBC News said the bridge "symbolized the divide between St. John's and the rest of the province." As CBC's David Cochrane said today on his twitter feed, it was "our Berlin Wall."

Love it or hate it, the overpass is no more. It will be replaced by a six-lane road on the Topsail Road stretch, and a four-lane "structure" serving Kenmount Road. I suspect the phrase itself will linger on, long after the $5.6 million to replace the overpass has been spent.

Just added: Good Bye Overpass Video

UNESCO on iTunes U

2011-06-22T04:55:00.000-07:00

By joining iTunes U, a dedicated area of the iTunes Store that offers free audio and video content from leading educational institutions, UNESCO is reinforcing its efforts to reach out to young men and women around the world, providing multilingual audio, visual and printed materials in education, sciences, culture and communication.

Collections containing several hundred movies, podcasts, and documents are available in three languages (English, French and Spanish), ranging from training support materials, to policy reports and journals, and lectures, interviews and documentaries which can be downloaded for free to a computer, iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. The collections will be regularly updated with new content from UNESCO’s programmes as well as from its 65 years of archives. Featured collections at launch will focus on UNESCO activities around Girl’s Education, Biosphere Reserves, Africa, and Heritage.

"UNESCO has an incredible wealth to share, and joining iTunes U is a fabulous way to do this,” UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova declared. “UNESCO has a long and deep commitment to Open Educational Resources and to making knowledge widely accessible to all . We see this as a foundation upon which to build the ‘knowledge societies’ that we need today – where information is transformed into knowledge and contributes to the welfare of the whole of society, where none are excluded and all voices are heard,” she said.

http://www.unesco.org/new/itunes/

Windows on the West End - Heritage Tourism in St. John's, Newfoundland

2011-06-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

The City of St. John's is holding a special celebration during St. John's Days to celebrate the heritage of the Downtown West End! It's going to be a great event with lots of exciting entertainment all day long, including Irish step dance and belly dance performances and tutorials, juggling, aerial silks, a fire show, tours of all historic locations participating, informative walking tours, face painting, caricatures, and much, much more!

Windows on the West End: June 25, 2011- 10am to 5pm. An introduction to the St. John's downtown historic west end. Take part in our walking tours (11am and 2pm) and collect stickers on our scavenger hunt to win prizes! Venues include: Railway Coastal Museum, City of St. John's Archives, Victoria Park, Wesley United Church, St. Patrick's Parish, Tommy Ricketts Monument, Apothecary Hall, Newman Wine Vaults and George Street United Church. Come out and enjoy lots of entertainment, food ($5 lunch) and prizes. All Attractions are open FREE of charge and will be ongoing from 10am to 5pm.

Full event listings can be found at the St. John's Days Celebrations.

Newfoundland and Labrador Root Cellar Bibliography now online

2011-06-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

As part of this summer's Seeds to Supper festival, folklore co-op intern Crystal Braye has pulled together a bibliography about root cellars in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The resource includes a list of articles and reference materials concerning root cellars in the province, as well as links to do-it-yourself, how-to articles, for those who might want to make their own root cellar.

http://www.mun.ca/ich/inventory/rootcellarbibliography.php

If you know of a published article on Newfoundland and Labrador root cellars that we've missed, let us know and we'll add it to the list.

Seeds to Supper Festival logo launched

2011-06-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the logo for the 3rd Annual Folklife Festival of Newfoundland and Labrador - Seeds to Supper! Design by Graham Blair.

Seeds to Supper Community Meeting 7pm, Sobeys, Merrymeeting Rd

2011-06-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

HFNL to host Agricultural Heritage Festival Community Meeting

For the past 3 years the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador has supported a local folklife festival in the province. This year we hope to coordinate events with a number of the groups in the greater St. John’s area to promote the historical background of agriculture, and the contemporary movements that are active in the area. We wish to highlight the agri-culture that comes from the past but remains contemporary.

Participation as a part of the 2011 Folklife Festival, Seeds to Supper, will be of no cost to any groups wishing to hold an event however, all participating groups are responsible for their individual event. If you are a group, or individual, who would be willing to host an event during our Seeds to Supper festival we would like you to come to our community planning meeting on Wednesday June 15th, 2011 at 7pm at Sobey’s on Merrymeeting Rd., St. John’s.

Mummering included in latest historic commemorations

2011-06-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

Latest Historic Commemorations Designations Announced

Six new designations under the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program were announced by the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, during a ceremony held at The Rooms.

The latest designations were made under the following categories:

Places of Provincial Significance
• The Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital
• The cultural landscape that includes The Beaches and the Bloody Bay Cove Quarry

Distinctive Cultural Traditions and Practices
• Mummering
• The rescues associated with the wreck of the Waterwitch

Event of Provincial Significance
• The U-Boat attacks on the Bell Island ore ships in 1942

Person of Provincial Significance
• Edward (Ted) Russell

“The tangible and intangible heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador plays a vital role in the province’s history,” said Minister French. “Through the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program, we have honoured an additional six designations for the important and lasting impression each has made in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

The Provincial Historic Commemorations Program is a citizen-driven program administered by a six-member board. The program welcomes individuals or groups to nominate people, places, events and traditions they feel are provincially significant and worthy of official commemoration.

“During our first two ceremonies, we made five designations of significant places, events, and traditions,” said Françoise Enguehard, Chair of the Provincial Historic Commemorations Board. “This ceremony makes 11 designations in total, but as with any new program, there are still many opportunities for future nominations – especially in the categories of significant people and traditions.”

Past designates include: Kelly Russell, Dildo Island, the founding of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, the Tsunami of 1929 and rescues at sea, rescues made by Ann Harvey and her family in 1828 and 1838, rescues associated with the wrecks of the USS Truxton and USS Pollux in 1942, and a rescue made by Captain William Jackman in 1867.

For more information about the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program, including further information on these new designations as well as nomination criteria, visit: www.seethesites.ca/commemorations or contact the Commemorations Office at 709-729-6901.

Establishment of the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program was among the objectives outlined in the province’s cultural strategy, Creative Newfoundland and Labrador: The Blueprint for Development and Investment in Culture (2006). Since the launch of the strategy, the Provincial Government has invested more than $56 million into the arts, culture and heritage sectors.

Root cellars, young folklorists, and Seeds to Supper Festival launch

2011-06-10T06:55:00.000-07:00

In this edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador, we turn the sod on our Seeds to Supper Festival, the province's third annual folklife festival; young folklorists hit Water Street and work on heritage fairs projects; we explore the tradition of root cellars; and the Heritage Foundation takes on a new public folklore co-op student.

Download the pdf.

The Royal Readers-- Victorian-era textbooks online

2011-06-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Today, I was looking at some of our ICH collections on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. While poking around, I found that the Library has digitized The Royal Readers, a series of elementary school textbooks which are often mentioned in local oral history and folklore interviews when old-time school days are discussed.

The Royal Readers were numbered, representing ascending reading levels, and included illustrated prose pieces and poetry, word lessons, rhetorical passages with sections on useful knowledge, great inventions, the classification of animals, punctuation and world geography, as well as information on British history and the British Constitution.

This from the Digital Archives Initiative:

"The Royal Readers, produced in Britain, were used in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador from the 1870s until well into the 20th century. The 8 books in the Royal School Series, including the primer and the infant reader, covered the subjects reading and spelling from the commencement of schooling to final matriculation."

The books were used in a number of British colonial education systems, including Australia and Guyana. In Australia, the books were used throughout Queensland and New South Wales. According to the Queensland Department of Training and Education, "the Royal Readers or the Blue Readers were introduced into Queensland schools in 1892.... The Royal Readers had been prepared especially for Victorian schools and featured some Australian content. The authors made great use of the natural world as well as incidents and common daily events to attract children to the stories. Teachers were encouraged to teach children not only the 'art of reading' but also a 'love of reading'. Illustrations were used effectively to attract children 'through the eye' to the stories and to help them understand same."

You can see the readers on the DAI, or even download the Readers for Kobo.

Barbie vs Body Shop - Truth or Fiction

2011-06-03T03:14:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days, this photo and accompanying text has gone viral on Facebook:

‎"This was an ad made by bodyshop. But Barbie INC. found out about it and now it’s banned. Repost if you think this ad deserves to be seen."

The advertisement is a real one, part of the "Ruby" campaign designed in-house by the Body Shop, back in 1996 (read the case study here). I love the message, and the ad campaign was certainly effective when it was launched, 15 years ago. The fact that it has gone viral, now, indicates that its message still resonates with the general public.

But is the text that goes with it correct? When something like this gets posted and re-posted willy-nilly all over the internet with one click, it makes me wonder.

I did a quick search for references to the supposedly "banned" campaign, and found lots of references to it, most of them word-for-word reprints of the text above, or text worded in similarly vague fashion. Barbie INC isn't a real company (Mattel, however, is) and online sources are rather evasive in saying when, where, and by whom the ad was actually banned.

A 1997 New York Times article gives an overview of the campaign, but doesn't mention a ban. The only websites I could find that do are blogs or personal opinion sites (like the one you are reading now).

This doesn't mean that the ad wasn't banned somewhere. If someone has an actual news source, a printed journal reference, or a court record that shows that a ban was actually in effect, I'd love to see something that references where and when a ban took place. I'm still waiting for the Snopes.com article.

I think there is something ironic in the way the ad has resurfaced, a decade and a half later, with its new text. The campaign suggests to us that we should think critically about issues like body image, and truth in advertising. Thinking for ourselves, critically, about what is true and what isn't, is probably something we should ALSO do before clicking the "share" button on an internet meme.

But then, maybe, folklorists like me would be out of a job!

Turning the Sod on the 2011 Folklife Festival - Seeds to Supper

2011-06-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

HFNL to host Agricultural Heritage Festival Community Meeting
Wednesday June 15th, 2011
7pm
Sobey’s on Merrymeeting Rd.

For the past 3 years the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador has supported a local folklife festival in the province. The goal of the festival is to celebrate these otherwise unspoken traditions that may be taken for granted. This year’s theme has an agricultural focus. When we surveyed a couple of community groups in the greater St. John’s area, there was a large concern about the loss of agricultural knowledge and practices.

This year we hope to coordinate events with a number of the groups in the greater St. John’s area to promote the historical background of agriculture, and the contemporary movements that are active in the area. We wish to highlight the agri-culture that comes from the past but remains contemporary. Participation as a part of the 2011 Folklife Festival, Seeds to Supper, will be of no cost to any groups wishing to hold an event however, all participating groups are responsible for their individual event.

If you are a group, or individual, who would be willing to host an event during our Seeds to Supper festival we would like you to come to our community planning meeting on Wednesday June 15th, 2011 at 7pm at the Community Meeting Room, Sobey’s on Merrymeeting Rd., St. John’s. If you are interested in participating we can help you promote your event and be a part of Seeds to Supper. This meeting is for the initial planning stage of the festival so that we may coordinate the who’s, what’s, and when’s.

Please contact Mel at 1-888-739-1892 ext 3 to register or email : ichprograms@gmail.com for more information.

Young Folklorists Interviews - Britannia Teas

2011-05-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

As part of the two-day Young Folklorists program we're running this week, students went out and conducted interviews and took photographs at five shops along Water Street. I'll be putting the photos and audio together, and posting them online so the kids (and you) can see what the other groups did.

Here is the first interview, with Britannia Teas and Gifts owner Kelly Jones.

Old digital cameras wanted for Young Folklorists Program

2011-05-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

Next Thursday and Friday, the ICH office will be running our first "Young Folklorists Program." One thing we'll be doing is a folklore walk of Water Street, and I want the students taking pictures as we go along.

We have a couple old digital cameras in the office that we'll be handing out to students, but it would be great to have a few more. So, if you have an old camera (and cord if you still have it) that you want to get out of your junk drawer and donate to a good home, I'd love to have it. You can drop it off at either the ICH office at 1 Springdale Street before Wednesday, or at Britannia Teas and Gifts at 199 Water Street (they are open over the weekend, where the ICH office isn't).

Thanks!

Folklore, Farriers, Nurses and Nunatsiavut: this month in ICH

2011-05-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

In this edition of the ICH Update for May 2011, reflections on the Nunatsiavut Heritage Forum held in Hopedale, Labrador; the Young Folklorists Program; a digitization project to share the voices of nurses; and an article on Kevin Dillon, farrier with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.

Download the pdf

Old Time Community Concert series starts tonight, Heart's Content 8pm

2011-04-28T05:02:00.000-07:00

The Mizzen Heritage Society invites you to the Community Concert, tonight, with the some skits that are sure to get you to laugh out loud. Features include: A Banana Boa, Between Two People, The Flasher, Gonna Get Me Moose Licence, The Sunday Afternoon Drive with Clem, Bubba Jay from the Hill, Dis and Dat Local News, Uncle Dicky's Annual Appearance, and Airport Check.

Music will be played in between skits by members of the Mizzen Heritage Society.

Mizzen Heritage Society Old Time Concert

Cost: $7.00
Location: 8:00p.m. at The SUF Hall

Dates: April 28th, 29th, and 30th

All proceeds in aid of the Mizzen Heritage Society.

For info on other community concerts visit www.oldtimeconcerts.ca

Old Time Community Concerts on the Baccalieu Trail

2011-04-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

HFNL and communities on the Baccaileu Trail team up to produce the Old Time Concert Series

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) presents Old Time Community Concerts along the Baccalieu Trail. Hosted by the communities of Heart’s Content (April 28, 29, 30) , Cupids (May 6) , and Bay Roberts (May 25). Come join in the fun of a traditional concert, hear some music, and laugh the evening away!

Since last fall, HFNL has been working with community groups along the Baccalieu Trial to document local tradition bearers, and collect memories about concerts, traditional music, skits, recitations, drills and times. The foundation then looked around to set up a folklore project they could use to promote living traditions in their communities.

“When we held a public meeting in Cupids to talk about traditions in the region, old time concerts went right to the top of the list,” says provincial folklorist Dale Jarvis. “We wanted to help communities create something that would revitalize this tradition. So the idea of coordinating a festival of Old Time Community Concerts was born.”

The concert series will take place through April and May month in three towns: Heart’s Content, Cupids, and Bay Roberts. The local events are organized by the Mizzen Heritage Society, Cupids Legacy Centre, and Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation. The concerts cost $7.00 per person.

“The funds raised will stay in the communities, and help support future heritage projects,” says Jarvis. “It is a great way of using local tradition to support the future of heritage organizations.”

The first concert of the series takes place in Heart’s Content on April 28.

If you would like more information please visit www.oldtimeconcerts.ca or call Mel at 1-888-739-1892 ext. 3.

Changes to the ICH newsletter delivery

2011-04-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Hi all.

I know some of you have been getting the ICH newsletter twice, or to a couple different accounts (or maybe you don't want to get it at all). I'm trying to fix all that by switching over to a system that will help me better manage emails, and make it easier for you to subscribe and unsubscribe.

So, if you want to get ICH updates from me in your email from time to time, you can sign up here:

http://eepurl.com/dych9

Your friendly neighbourhood folklorist,

Dale Jarvis

Place Names, History and the Labrador Innu: A Lecture by Peter Armitage

2011-04-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Newfoundland Historical Society will be holding its monthly free public lecture and Annual General Meeting on
Thursday, April 28th 2011
at 8 pm
at Hampton Hall Lecture Theatre, located at the Marine Institute on Ridge Road

This month’s lecturer will be Peter Armitage, and his talk is titled:

“From Uapamekushtu to Tshakashkue matshiteuieau: Place Names, History and the Labrador Innu”

On the Island of Newfoundland, we are surrounded by place names in daily life and would have a great deal of trouble living without them, yet we take them for granted. Moreover, few of us have any understanding of the origins of the names we use even though many of them have very important historical associations and are anchors for a great deal of memory about our experiences on the land.

The same thing applies to Innu place names in Labrador. They anchor Innu people to the land and help them remember events that took place there. Many Innu place names are already known to us because anglicized versions of them appear on the maps of Labrador, for example, Minipi Lake (from Minai-nipi, meaning 'Burbot Lake') and Snegamook Lake (from Ashtunekamiku meaning 'Canoe Building Shelter').

Armitage's talk will start with a mysterious Innu place name called Tshakashue matshiteuieau. It means 'Tshakashue's Point' which is located on the south shore of Lake Melville. Tshakashue is the name of two people, one Innu the other Settler. But who is the point named after - the Innu or the Settler person? Tshakashue matshiteuieau will lead us into a labyrinth of meaning and historical association that extends east-west from the coast of Labrador to James Bay, and north-south from Ungava Bay to the Quebec North Shore. By the end of lecture, we will understand better the uniqueness of Innu culture, the connectedness of the Innu people across the Labrador-Quebec peninsula, and the role that place names play in facilitating talk and memory about the land.

Peter Armitage is a consulting anthropologist based in St. John's, Newfoundland. He works with Algonquian-speaking First Nations in Labrador, Quebec and Ontario, and has been working with the Innu since 1982. He curated the Innu place names website called "Pepamuteiati Nitassinat: As We Walk Across Our Land" (www.innuplaces.ca).

Here's how to pronounce Tshakashue matshiteuieau:

1. Uapamekushtu

wop-mek-goo-stoo

2. Tshakashue

chuck-ash-way

3. matshiteuieau

much-a-teo-wee-ow (that' ow as in ouch)

the 'a' between much and teo is a schwa as in the 'u' in u

Old Time Music, Tea Buns and Hookers! Happy Easter, Newfoundland and Labrador!

2011-04-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

In this edition of Newfoundland and Labrador's ICH Update for April 2011, we announce the dates for the Old Time Community Concerts series in Heart's Content, Cupids and Bay Roberts; Melissa Squarey talks to Betty Rumbolt about the tradition of Easter tea buns in Upper Island Cove, and folklorist Sandra Wheeler introduces us to a group of young fabric artists working in the old tradition of rug hooking.

Download the pdf

The passing of a tradition bearer - Honora (Nora) Skanes, Colliers

2011-04-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

In the early stages of the first mummers festival, festival coordinator Ryan Davis and I went out and conducted several folklore interviews in Conception Bay. Dennis Flynn was our local guide, and he introduced us to people who were keeping the old St. Stephen's Day tradition of The Wren alive.

The definite highlight of the day was the interview we did with Honora (Nora) Skanes at her old family home in Colliers. Nora shared her memories with us, and made us all feel like family.

I got an email today from her niece, Trina, telling me that Nora had passed away on Sunday, and asking for a copy of the interview we had done with her aunt. I was saddened to hear of her passing, because my memories of Nora are of a woman infused with a joy of life. The last time I saw her was at a book launch of Dennis's in Cupids last year, and she was as much fun then as she was the afternoon we spent in her home.

I'm very pleased that we have her interview online as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory - an excellent example of how important it is that we record the voices of our tradition bearers while we can. Because of the inventory work we did in 2009, you can listen to the full interview with Honora (the last 30 seconds are my favourite part!) or enjoy her recitation of The Wren Song.

Dennis tells me Nora will be waked tonight in Conception Harbour. I'm sure many stories will be told!

ABOVE: Honora Skanes, (centre) with Ryan Davis, Dennis Flynn, and Dale Jarvis (l-r). Photo by Dennis Flynn. Read Dennis's article on Nora, An Outport Aunt.

Cultural Connections and the Newfoundland and Labrador Studies Textbook

2011-04-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Association of Heritage Industries hosted a meeting this morning with Karen Hewett and Mary Dinn of the Department of Education's Cultural Connections program. This initiative aims to increase the presence of cultural content in the school curriculum and foster links between the arts and heritage, and school communities. Karen and Mary presented on the work of the Department, and their various initiatives to increase students' involvement and engagement with local culture.

There is a definite interest within the heritage community to build stronger ties with education, and the need for better communication between education and heritage organizations was discussed. It was also strongly suggested by those heritage representatives present that a stand-alone funding program be created that would see tradition bearers and heritage professionals able to work in schools, similar to the programs for professional artists currently administered by the NL Arts Council.

After the meeting, Karen circulated the link to the online version of the new Newfoundland and Labrador Studies textbook. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It intersperses historical and cultural information with sections on storytelling, songwriting, comic arts, playwriting, and film-making, as well as profiles of some of Newfoundland's traditional and contemporary artists.

Intangible cultural heritage alive and well in Scotland - a review

2011-04-18T05:39:00.000-07:00

Alright, this is it, my last report from the Measures of Support for Intangible  Cultural Heritage conference in Quebec City!

On Sunday morning, the Scots were up bright and early after a night of dancing to Quebecois folk music, ready with “Intangible Cultural Heritage in Scotland: developing appropriate methodologies” presented by Alison McCleery, Edinburgh Napier University (ENU), and Joanne Orr, Museum Galleries Scotland (MGS) (twitter.com/JoanneMGS).

Orr, who isn’t half bad at a fast polka, by the way, started off by explaining how MGS represents over 350 museums and galleries in Scotland. 50% of the workforce are volunteers (which will sound familiar to the museum community in Newfoundland and Labrador). The sector contributes over 800 million pounds in value to the Scottish economy. The members are widespread geographically, and many serve as cultural hubs for their communities, a theme which was repeated in the presentation.

McCleery gave a history of their ICH work. A research team from ENU was commissioned to scope ICH activities in Scotland, map support mechanisms in place to safeguard ICH, review, evaluate and make recommendations. They decided that an inclusive definition of ICH should be used in terms of level of participation, diffusion and ethnicity (i.e. ICH in Scotland, rather than Scottish ICH). The study noted that recording ICH is an inventory is the first step towards ensuring that ICH is safeguarded, and that safeguarding of ICH should take the form of supporting education channels and community groups.

In Scotland, the emphasis has been on living practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills, that communities, groups and individuals themselves recognize as part of their own ICH. Ideal approaches to safeguarding should be community centred and owned, unforced, uncontrived, and authentic. McCleery, admirably, also made the point that celebrating diversity promotes social cohesion.

Scotland is developing a very open inventory, that anyone can contribute to, which is in an easily edited wiki format: www.ichscotlandwiki.org. McCleery gave the Heart of Midlothian as an example of a cultural space and practise that is recorded on the inventory.

Orr presented on a few projects that member organizations have undertaken with an ICH focus. One was a knitted fish project, where traditional knitting techniques were used to knit fabric fish which including local sayings. The project has resulted in regular groups meeting to knit, which has moved the tradition forward in terms of subject matter.

Another project was conducted by a local fisheries museum – a boatbuilding project which included rowing clubs that compete against each other. In this way, skills are maintained, and the tradition moved forward to fit people’s lives today, and to involve people who never would have considered themselves part of the tradition.

Orr argued that the local memory of family and village histories is the heart of community collections. There is a strong wish in villages to hold on to traditions, a sentiment that certainly, again, sounds familiar here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

McCleery noted that ICH in Scotland faces two problems. There is what she called the “authenticy/ownership challenge” - for whose benefit is cultural tourism? Should it be outward facing for tourists, or inward facing for locals? She also noted a generational mismatch challenge – older people have knowledge of ICH, while the younger generation has technology and virtual knowledge to share it, but not the interest the material. She argued that we must find a compromise between doing nothing and doing something, and that we need to find a way to bridge gap. She suggested that education in schools is one important approach to this question.

Orr then described an online “Remembering Scotland at War” project, which contains curated exhibitions by museums in one part, and user generated content in another part. People can post their own material, which can then be moved into the curated section.

“When people engage and share their knowledge, we are richer,” Orr said.

Orr also argued that we need to combine the tangible and intangible, with less focus on materiality, and more on meaning. Museums can be cultural meeting places, where the process of ICH can be witnessed daily. She referenced the Festival of Museums, which encourages museums to share tangible and intangible in creative ways.

You can check out one example, a fishtastic festival. Other museums developed projects around basket weaving and peat cutting.

“ICH is dynamic, about living processes,” said Orr. “We’ve got to move the perception of heritage to something that is dynamic.” Right on!

Overall, ICH is alive and well in Scotland, embedded at community level. People are comfortable with the concept of ICH, and ICH benefits from the gentle support of the museums network. Inspiring work, Scotland!

Networking to support Intangible Cultural Heritage in Flanders, Belgium

2011-04-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

“The Flemish Community: supporting Intangible Cultural Heritage through a network of intermediate organizations”

Having just returned from Belgium two weeks ago, it was great to hear Dries Van Den Broucke talk about the work being done on intangible cultural heritage in the Flemish community.

Van Den Broucke works at the Arts and Heritage Agency of the Flemish Ministry of Culture. He is responsible for developing a policy on intangible cultural heritage in Flanders. Mr. Van Den Broucke also participated in the development of the Flemish Decree on Cultural Heritage of 2008. From 2000 to 2004 he worked for the city of Bruges as coordinator of the municipal heritage centre of excellence. He graduated as an Art Historian in 1997 at the University of Ghent in Belgium, specializing in Ethnic Arts.

Van Den Broucke explained how ICH work has been unfolding in Flanders since the ratification of the UNESCO Convention in 2006. According to him, the Convention was easily ratified in Belgium. He attributed the ready willingness to ratify to the fact that both the Flemish and French community had sent experts to be involved in the early UNESCO ICH meetings.

At the time of ratification, things were already happening in Belgium. Even though ICH wasn’t a known term, organizations were doing work that was essentially ICH-based. In the Flemish part of the country, there was already an existing act on popular culture and Flemish centre for popular culture. There was an extant organization that deals with tradition sports, other organizations that deal with puppetry, folklore, and regional products and recipes.

One local organization seized on the idea of ICH, and built a website around the concept, based on a traditional game from the area: www.un-touchable.be.

Belgium started in 2008 to nominate items to the Representative List of the ICH of Humanity, and started work on drawing up an inventory. Groups could apply for nomination to the national inventory, or to Representative List if they were ready.

The national ICH inventory was kept very simple, with just the name of the tradition being nominated, and place where the tradition took place. In keeping with the goals of the convention, consent to be nominated is given through the application process. There is no complicated database, just a list, with paper and digital documents stored in the office. There was no large investment spent on making the inventory; the country opted to do the work in the easiest and cheapest way, but this still fits the requirements of the convention. I was intrigued to hear this, as it clearly demonstrates that an expensive, complicated inventory is not required for signatory nations (are you listening, Ottawa?).

Currently there are 19 elements on the Flemish inventory, with six elements on UNESCO’s Representative List, including the remarkable Carnaval de Binche.

Van Den Broucke argues that the Flemish public now understands the concept of ICH. The work done through their office means that heritage bearers are recognized for what they are doing, ICH has gotten positive press coverage, and they’ve seen positive effects for traditions and for the communities where those traditions are maintained. Recognition at the national level also helps local organizations with their own fundraising.

Not surprisingly, Van Den Broucke said that the “usual suspects” came forward for nomination, namely well established processions and festivals. He spoke of the difficulty in reaching groups who do not think what they are doing is “intangible cultural heritage,” but said that there are a few items in the list, such as Flemish sign language, which speak to less documented traditions.

One other issue he raised was the concern that groups thought that nomination was the pinnacle, but Van Den Broucke argued that nomination is not the end, but the beginning, of the process of safeguarding.

One of the ways that the Flemish organizers has reached out to groups is by establishing a network of cultural heritage organizations: groups working on a national level alongside groups working on a local level, specialists working with generalists. Their working definition of “Heritage Community” is a group which “consists of people who value specific aspects of cultural heritage which they wish, within the framework of public action, to sustain and transmit to future generations.”

Van Den Broucke said that one of the goals of his organization is to help develop sustainable policies for ICH. It is the job of communities to keep traditions alive; it is the job of government supports them. Government plays a facilitating role, helps to make sure that good practices are developed and shared, and gives local groups the knowledge to safeguard and transmit local culture.

Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Austria

2011-04-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Challenges of implementing the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Austria

The Quebec ICH conference started this morning with a talk from Anna Steiner, Senior Officer for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture, Austria. She is also and Deputy Head of Department for bi- and multilateral Cultural Affairs. Ms. Steiner has worked at the Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture since 1991.

She has been in charge of intangible cultural heritage since 2004. Previously, she worked in the Department for International Relations/International School Links and Exchanges and was Deputy Head of the Department for Cultural Policy.

Austria ratified the Convention in 2009, but started with implementation of Convention of 2006. Work is carried out through the Federal Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture. There is a national agency for ICH which works to network, implement the convention, and create a national inventory of ICH in Austria through an online database. Their 24-person advisory council consists of the five federal ministries involved, representatives of nine provinces, and ten experts corresponding to the five domains of ICH, and a chair.

The National inventory for ICH in Austria has an application process where local groups can nominate items to the list, such as Viennese Tootling, an urban singing tradition with its origin in the 19th century. There is an application form online, which must be submitted with two recommendation letters and a signed letter of consent. The advisory committee then decides what is listed, and it has listed some 45 elements since 2010. There are no legal or financial implications for listed elements.

According to Steiner, some associate ICH with rural traditions, but both rural and urban traditions are important. Currently, there is a focus on knowledge and practices concerning nature and traditional craftsmanship, and not on performance-based traditions, which are already well documented. She gave the example of collective knowledge about avalanches, a body of folk knowledge not understood by younger generations, and how this traditional knowledge can be used to develop cultural strategies to prevent and cope with natural hazards like floods and avalanche protection.

Some listings have been controversial, such as traditional fowling in Upper Austria, which involves catching birds in autumn, a bird-related festival, and then letting the birds free in spring. Animal rights activists complained about the attention given the tradition, but the listing was found to be compliance with the criteria of the convention as well as with local law.

Steiner concluded by saying that the Austrian ICH list has received good press coverage, which contributes to public knowledge, but a careful approach has to be found to ensure that listed items do not change because of tourism. She also believes that their work represents the beginning of a process, as interest in ICH growing fast. She predicts an increase in applications to their national list.

Austria is currently making two applications for Representative List of the ICH 2011: the carnival of Imst, a masked procession of carnival characters; and falconry.

Sharing and networking on ICH in Asia and the Pacific region

2011-04-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Just finished listening to a presentation by Dr. Seong-Yong Park, who is the Executive Director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and the Pacific (ICHCAP), based in Korea. The presentation was entitled “Information sharing and networking on intangible cultural heritage in Asia and the Pacific region”

The mission of ICHCAP is to promote the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific region. The centre builds and strengthens networks of tradition bearers, experts, and relevant institutes in this field. It also establishes information systems and disseminates ICH information.

The goal of the centre is promote cultural diversity, and facilitate sustainable development through promotion of ICH.

Thoughout Asia and the Pacific, as the world undergoes dramatic transformation due to globalization and modernization, regional ICH faces devastation and destruction. Park spoke of how transmission of ICH is in danger – in part due to the aging of practitioners, and a decrease in apprentices, in spite of a respect for the tradition of apprenticeship.

In order to combat some of this, ICHCAP has as its primary functions the sharing of information, and the strengthening of ICH networks. In terms of information sharing, ICHCAP is working on a field survey project of ICH safeguarding efforts, collecting information on cultural policies, events, and inventories, and sharing info on legal protective measures from different jurisdictions. It promotes online databases and web-based archives, and is helping to restore and digitize ICH related materials under threat, working to digitize damaged collections in Mongolia, for example. It also undertakes publication projects – newsletters, translating ICH books into Korean, and recently publishing a book on ICH in Mongolian.

Network building is their other priority, and the organization brings together workers from different Asian and Pacific countries to train as ICH experts, with inventory making being one theme they work on.

The centre faces many regional challenges. It is time consuming to learn about the vast region they represent. There is a lack of policies and awareness of ICH, different socio-cultural environments, the complexity of coordinating across such a region, and a large workload with limited resources. That part, at least, sounds familiar!

In spite of this, Park spoke optimistically about the future of ICH in the region. He concluded quoting the section of the UNESCO Constitution which reads “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.” Park suggested that safeguarding ICH represents a significant building block in cultural understanding, hopefully leading to the dissemination of a culture of peace.