After reading Chapter Seven which focused on Fieldwork and Ethnography we were presented with several hypothetical questions. They are as follows: If you had the time and resources necessary to travel anywhere in the world where would you go? What would you study? How would you try to accomplish the work? And why would this be worth doing? After much thought, I know that I could have chosen anything, anywhere in the world however, I choose something closer to home that I would want to do as my first ethnographic research project. I find the daily lives of the Amish community in Lawrence County, Indiana most interesting and fascinating and would like to understand more completely as an ethnographic research project. For two years, while commuting to work in Lawrence County Indiana, I would see the Amish traveling in horse and buggy along the side of the highway. I would wonder to myself, “What would it be like to live that lifestyle”?
My first task before beginning my ethnographic research would be to contact the Amish community that I would want to research and then do some preliminary background research that includes accessing a library, internet, folklore journals and databases. (Sims 205) From this preliminary research I can accomplish two things, one is to use this information to gain access to the group and create a good rapport and the other is I would be able to develop good open ended question to ask my consultants for my fieldwork research. (Sims 221, 209) In addition, from my research I would learn to pay close attention to social faux pas, making culturally insensitive comments, or acting inappropriately. (Sims 221) I am also considered and outsider and that can affect my position with the Amish people. (Sims 219) Basically, we play by their rules not ours. (Sims 224) Once a good rapport has been achieved, it is important to prepare a written release form that is a record of the consultants’ permission and any special conditions. Both observer and consultant must sign the release form. (Sims 207) Using my five senses, memory, tape recorder, video recorder, pens, paper and pencil these are some of the most important research tools that I can have with me when doing my fieldwork research. (Sims 206) I would choose the participant-observer approach to research the daily lives of the Amish community. I would really want to experience what it would be like to be a member of the Amish community as opposed to just using an observation method. I would interact with members and spend time with and in the community. (Sims 220) By doing “in the moment” fieldwork and recording what happened via video, photograph or precise notes. I would write down observations, thoughts and ideas, and explain what is going on and do follow up interviews. (Sims 211) When all fieldwork is completed, transcribing and transcripts of taped material is a necessary part of the fieldwork research. (Sims 216) The transcripts serve as a written record that includes the informal, friendly tone of the interview conversation. (Sims 217) When all the transcribing is complete further interviews will be conducted, and notes will be organized, and I will use other researchers’ fieldwork research to compare and contrast observations. (Sims 218)
I know that there are thousands upon thousands of types of folklore culture that I could have observed and researched. However, the text states “folklorists don’t necessarily have to go far away to gather information”. For two years I commuted to work in Mitchell, Indiana in Lawrence County. I would always see the Amish traveling in their horse and buggy along the side of the highway. I would wonder to myself “what would it be like to live that life style”. As a folklorist, being able to document the daily lifestyle of an Amish community; would be worth doing because it would help me and the world better understand the daily lifestyles of the Amish community and create a better understanding of their values and beliefs in comparison to the rest of the world.
This Post is in response to Chapter 7 Reflection Question.
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Mendhi Rites of Passage Party
For the Extra Credit Group I choose to review a documentary film titled “The Painted Bride”. This film details the importance of mendhi body painting; a type of intricate floral design, using a henna paste that is painted on the hands and feet of soon to be brides. The film especially focuses on Pakistani immigrant Shenaz Hooda, a mendhi artist, and how she retains her Pakistani heritage through her desire to perform mendhi body painting on other Pakistani immigrant women, but also to keep that tradition going as she shows her art to elementary students. I will focus on how this tradition of a mendhi party is a particular type of ritual, more specifically a rites of passage ritual.
Rites of passage mark notable dates or stages in a persons’ life. (Sims 110) The mendhi party is kind of similar to an American wedding shower. In The Painted Bride the mendhi party takes place two to three days prior to a woman’s wedding day. This event is attended mostly by women, all in traditional Pakistani outfits. However, men play a particular role in this film towards the end of this event. The party begins with the preparation of the henna paste; which consists of crushed up henna leaves that Ms. Hooda gets from family members in India , clove oil, lemon, tea water, and sugar which is in turn soaked for a couple of hours. Ms. Hooda states “in the olden times henna was done with a pen like tool and that used to take longer, now she uses a cake decorating method”. Once the henna paste is ready to apply, all the women begin to sign songs. The songs that the women sign are songs that tease and make fun of the bride and the bride’s future in-laws. The purpose of the songs is to ease the bride’s nerves about her approaching wedding day. The songs are accompanied by drum beats and hand clapping. Ms. Hooda states in the film “the purpose of painting the hands and feet in intricate floral and leaf designs is because the hands are the first thing that comes in contact between a husband and wife. Also painting your hands and feet becomes more colorful.” When applying the henna design Ms. Hooda will hide a letter in the design with the purpose being, if the husband can find the letter the wife must obey her husband, if he cannot find the letter, then the husband has to obey the wife. In addition, Ms. Hooda will also apply henna designs on all the women attending the Mendhi Party. This leads to the reason why, towards the end of this ritual, the men are present at this event. With all of the women’s hands painted they cannot make or serve the food, therefore the men’s jobs is to prepare and serve the meal.
The text states “most rituals are stylized, highly conceptualized, deeply symbolic activities that enable groups to acknowledge, exemplify and or act out certain traditional ideas, values and belief. (Sims 95) All of these types of folklore from the verbal folklore of singing songs, the customary folklore of dancing and clapping, to the material folklore of the traditional clothing and the art of mendhi body adornment. All of these types of folklore come together to create the ritual known as rites of passage. (Sims 95) Although this ritual has become more Americanized, it’s still important to the participants. (Sims 96)
This posting is for the Extra Credit Group-Documentary Film Review.
Dargan, Amanda and Susan Slyomovics dir. The Painted Bride. 1990. 1 Dec. 2007
http://www/folkstreams. net/video/painted_bride
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Rites of passage mark notable dates or stages in a persons’ life. (Sims 110) The mendhi party is kind of similar to an American wedding shower. In The Painted Bride the mendhi party takes place two to three days prior to a woman’s wedding day. This event is attended mostly by women, all in traditional Pakistani outfits. However, men play a particular role in this film towards the end of this event. The party begins with the preparation of the henna paste; which consists of crushed up henna leaves that Ms. Hooda gets from family members in India , clove oil, lemon, tea water, and sugar which is in turn soaked for a couple of hours. Ms. Hooda states “in the olden times henna was done with a pen like tool and that used to take longer, now she uses a cake decorating method”. Once the henna paste is ready to apply, all the women begin to sign songs. The songs that the women sign are songs that tease and make fun of the bride and the bride’s future in-laws. The purpose of the songs is to ease the bride’s nerves about her approaching wedding day. The songs are accompanied by drum beats and hand clapping. Ms. Hooda states in the film “the purpose of painting the hands and feet in intricate floral and leaf designs is because the hands are the first thing that comes in contact between a husband and wife. Also painting your hands and feet becomes more colorful.” When applying the henna design Ms. Hooda will hide a letter in the design with the purpose being, if the husband can find the letter the wife must obey her husband, if he cannot find the letter, then the husband has to obey the wife. In addition, Ms. Hooda will also apply henna designs on all the women attending the Mendhi Party. This leads to the reason why, towards the end of this ritual, the men are present at this event. With all of the women’s hands painted they cannot make or serve the food, therefore the men’s jobs is to prepare and serve the meal.
The text states “most rituals are stylized, highly conceptualized, deeply symbolic activities that enable groups to acknowledge, exemplify and or act out certain traditional ideas, values and belief. (Sims 95) All of these types of folklore from the verbal folklore of singing songs, the customary folklore of dancing and clapping, to the material folklore of the traditional clothing and the art of mendhi body adornment. All of these types of folklore come together to create the ritual known as rites of passage. (Sims 95) Although this ritual has become more Americanized, it’s still important to the participants. (Sims 96)
This posting is for the Extra Credit Group-Documentary Film Review.
Dargan, Amanda and Susan Slyomovics dir. The Painted Bride. 1990. 1 Dec. 2007
http://www/folkstreams. net/video/painted_bride
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Pitfalls of Psychoanalytic Interpretative Folklore
The text presented several theoretical or interpretive approaches to the study of folklore. I found the example presented in the text of the psychoanalytic interpretation of calling on Bloody Mary the most compelling. Based on mine and my daughters past experiences of calling on “Bloody Mary”, I found many similarities between the text and our recollections of this verbal text performed by pre-teen girls. However, I do not necessarily agree that this particular ritual has something to do with the onset of the first menses. (Sims 188)
I found that in comparing mine and my daughters recollection of calling on “Bloody Mary” paralleled that of the basic components of the ritual presented in the text. They are as follows;
Occurred before we were twelve years old
Several young girls participated
Took place in a darkened bathroom
Involved chanting of “Bloody Mary”
Tried to find the figure or face of “Bloody Mary” in a darkened mirror
I asked my daughter why her and her friends performed this ritual. She said they did it because they wanted to be frightened. In my recollection of this particular event I would have to agree with the same conclusion as my daughter. I performed that ritual because it was scary. I asked my daughter if she thought performing this ritual had any other particular meaning to her other that just being scared. She said “no”. The text states that “many rituals are infused with a sense of seriousness and deliberateness, and some are less serious, existing as much for entertainment as for any other purpose, they are all typically important to the participants”. (Sims 96) I would have to conclude that calling on “Bloody Mary” is for entertainment purposes and doing this ritual is important to the participants which include seven to twelve year old girls. After informing my daughter that the psychoanalytic interpretations of calling on Bloody Mary was a ritual related to prepubescent, menstruation anxiety her and I both concluded that, that was not what was going on in our heads when we were performing this ritual. We both agreed that we just did it to be scared.
The psychoanalytic interpretative theory to folklore has several pitfalls as the text states. One pitfall states “that this theory assumes it is possible for a researcher to determine what’s going on in the minds of other people. (Sims 191) I noticed in the text that that there were not any views or opinions from seven to twelve year old girls supporting the folklorists’ interpretations and analyses of calling on “Bloody Mary. Upon further reading in the text, I discovered I preferred the folklorists’ approach of reciprocal ethnography. Incorporating the views, observations and commentary of the folk group members is included in the interpretation of folklore, (Sims 196) instead of, symbolic metaphors, or "mind reading" used in psychoanalytic interpretative theory.
This Post is in response to Chapter 6 Reflection Question.
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
I found that in comparing mine and my daughters recollection of calling on “Bloody Mary” paralleled that of the basic components of the ritual presented in the text. They are as follows;
Occurred before we were twelve years old
Several young girls participated
Took place in a darkened bathroom
Involved chanting of “Bloody Mary”
Tried to find the figure or face of “Bloody Mary” in a darkened mirror
I asked my daughter why her and her friends performed this ritual. She said they did it because they wanted to be frightened. In my recollection of this particular event I would have to agree with the same conclusion as my daughter. I performed that ritual because it was scary. I asked my daughter if she thought performing this ritual had any other particular meaning to her other that just being scared. She said “no”. The text states that “many rituals are infused with a sense of seriousness and deliberateness, and some are less serious, existing as much for entertainment as for any other purpose, they are all typically important to the participants”. (Sims 96) I would have to conclude that calling on “Bloody Mary” is for entertainment purposes and doing this ritual is important to the participants which include seven to twelve year old girls. After informing my daughter that the psychoanalytic interpretations of calling on Bloody Mary was a ritual related to prepubescent, menstruation anxiety her and I both concluded that, that was not what was going on in our heads when we were performing this ritual. We both agreed that we just did it to be scared.
The psychoanalytic interpretative theory to folklore has several pitfalls as the text states. One pitfall states “that this theory assumes it is possible for a researcher to determine what’s going on in the minds of other people. (Sims 191) I noticed in the text that that there were not any views or opinions from seven to twelve year old girls supporting the folklorists’ interpretations and analyses of calling on “Bloody Mary. Upon further reading in the text, I discovered I preferred the folklorists’ approach of reciprocal ethnography. Incorporating the views, observations and commentary of the folk group members is included in the interpretation of folklore, (Sims 196) instead of, symbolic metaphors, or "mind reading" used in psychoanalytic interpretative theory.
This Post is in response to Chapter 6 Reflection Question.
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Enlightened by Diwali Celebration 2007
On Saturday November 18, 2007 at approximately 7:30, I had the opportunity to attend a Diwali Celebration. It was hosted at Bloomington High School South by the Indian Student Association of Indiana University. I read about this particular event in the Indiana Daily Student and thought this is an excellent opportunity for me to experience, describe and interpret a ritual, festival or celebration that was new to me.
To begin with, I had to ask myself “What is Diwali?” Diwali is a major Indian and Nepalese festive holiday celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs around the world. (Diwali 1) Without getting into the significant mythological events associated with Diwali, the real meaning of Diwali is, it marks the victory of good over evil, and uplifting of spiritual darkness. (Diwali 3) Wikipedia.org also states “the most significant esoteric meaning of Diwali is the awareness of the inner light” hence the reason this five day festival is also called the “Festival of Lights”. Part of the Diwali festival is the lighting of the lamp. The meaning and significance of this particular act is light symbolizes whatever is positive, and is an important gift of God. Light is a metaphor for knowledge. By lighting the lamp it symbolizes the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces. Darkness represents ignorance. (Diwali Meaning & Significance) So now I will describe my experience of attending Diwali 2007 presented by Indian Student Association of Indiana University.
I arrived at approximately 6:30 p.m. I was there a little early so I had the opportunity to view the hustle and bustle before the show. I was able to see a lot of the performers in their traditional costumes. Gorgeous costumes, that consisted of beads and sequence, bright colors of teals, chartreuse green, bright pink, orange, and reds. I really took notice of how beautiful all the participants of this festival were. As an outsider who is unfamiliar with this celebration, I definitely sensed the importance of this festival to the performers and a majority of the audience. As I was waiting for the show to start, I was reviewing the programs’ event schedule; a lot of the performances were very unfamiliar to me so I was very eager to see what this Diwali Festival had to offer. Eight events where going to be performed, events that included Traditional Bharat Natayam Dance, Bollywood Classic Melody, Hindi Film Dance, Traditional Bhangra Dance by IU Bhangra, Traditional Drum Beats, Traditional Rass Dance by IU Raas Team. As the lights dim, the “Festival of Lights” begins and I anticipate the uplifting of spiritual darkness to increase my knowledge about the Diwali Festival.
The first event consisted of the Indian National Anthem being sung by Krystle Nazareth. Since the anthem was not sung in English, and there was no musical accompaniment I was only able to appreciate her beautiful vocals and notice a majority of the audience sang quietly along with her. After her performance, a recorded American national anthem was performed. After these performances it signaled to everyone that the show was about to begin.
After watching these two performances and researching Bharat Natayam dance, I have a better understanding and appreciation of the discipline required to perform this style of dance. I observed expressive hand movements accompanied by coordinated and synchronized body movements. Two events were performed in the Traditional Bharat Natayam classical dance form. Bharata Natyam is sometimes called “an art for eternity” because its practice today is virtually the same as it was thousands of years ago. (Bharat Natyam & Sacred Dance 1) Hand positions, facial expressions and narrative dances form the basis for this performance. (Bharatnatyam 1) The most striking feature of this dance is the hand gestures. The hand portrays a wide range of emotions, and each posture and body movement creates an effect which invokes transcendental emotion. (Bharat Natyam & Sacred Dance 1) The second and fifth events were Traditional Bharat Natayam Dance. The second event was performed with the song Thillana a classical Indian dance performance; it is full of complicated movements and postures. (Classical Indian Dance 7) In this performance, two female dancers were outfitted in gorgeous traditional costumes; one was in a bright pink, the other was teal. The fifth performance was accompanied by the song Meera Dasi. This was a performance to show devotion to Krishna. As in the second performance, there was much emphasis in hand movements. The female performer was outfitted in a long off-white gown with peach style shawl.
The third performance was Bollywood Classic Melody. The performers were in black capri - type pants with colored sequence tops. There was still heavy emphasis on hand movements infused with pop style dance moves with the traditional music. I found this performance fun. Bollywood is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India.
The fourth performance was Hindi Film Dance. This was a performance involving male and female performers. The ladies were in black with silver sequence trim, the men were in black jacket with lanterns on the back. The lanterns of course represent the lighting of the lantern that is central to the Diwali celebration. Once again, there were very elaborate hand and arm movements, and a meshing of traditional and modern dance moves.
The sixth performance was Traditional Bhangra Dance by IU Bhangra. The men wore red pants, black tunics with red bandanas on their head. This was probably one of my favorite performances. It was very energetic and vigorous dance performance. Bhangra means a person intoxicated with joy. The whole audience was clapping which added to the whole performance.
The seventh performance was Traditional Drum Beats, performed by Mahavrat Shree Pithadia. The beginning of his performance he walked out carrying a long drum that he played on both ends. It appeared that he had some type of long extensions on his right hand that gave a different sound than his left hand. The type of drum he was performing on was called a thavil. Wikipedia.com states that this particular drum can either be played sitting or standing using a leather strap. The player usually wears thumb caps on all the fingers of right hand and the left hand is played with a stick. (Thavil) It certainly made for a very dramatic entrance. He performed on two other drums that were played on the floor. The sound that he produced was like no other type of drum that I have ever heard. I really watched how the palms of his hand and his fingers produced the unique sound that he produced with these drums called tabla. Their construction is very elaborate as is the playing technique. (Tabla 3)
The eighth performance was Traditional Raas Dance by IU Raas Team. The performers wore very elaborate orange, red with green costumes. Their performance was a combination of drums and the dancers with silver batons doing very energetic and complicated dance moves. Raas is a type of dance of western India and the sticks of the dance represent the swords of Durga. Durga is a warrior woman with ten arms that rides on a lion or tiger, carries weapons and does symbolic hand gestures. (Durga)
This concludes my experience and interpretation of the Diwali Celebration 2007. I now have a better understanding of the meaning and significance of Diwali to Hindus, Jains and Sikhs around the world. Although I am not an Indian group member, the Diwali Celebration has more meaning and significance to me now as an audience member than it did two weeks ago which makes Diwali a successful performance. I highly recommend everyone attend either IU Bhangra or IU Raas Team and be enlightened by these very talented performers of both groups. Also check out some of the works cited web site links to view some examples of traditional Indian dance costumes and drums.
This is my response to the Fifth Encounter Project Ritual, Festival, or Celebratory Event.
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Bharat Natyam & Sacred Dance. 21 November 2007.
http://www.gosai.com/chaitanya/sarancagati/html/nmj_acticles/sacred_dance/bharata-natya
Bharatnatyam. 19 November 2007. 21 November 2007.
http://www.indoclassical.com/indo/asp/dancebharat.asp
Bollywood. 21 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood
Classical Indian Dance. 21 November 2007.
http://in.geocities.com/medhahari/classical_indian_dance/classical_Indian_dance.html
Diwali. Wikipedia.com. 16 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali
Diwali Meaning & Significance. 16 November 2007.
http://www.diwalifestival.org/diwali-meaning-significance.html
Durga. 25 February 2007. 25 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga
Raas. 30 October 2007. 20 November 2007.
http://en.widipedia.org/wiki/Dandiya
Simply Bhangra. 2007. 21 November 2007.
http://www.simplybhangra.originationinsite.com/aboutbhangra/4514877907
Tabla. 21 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thavil
Thavil. 2 November 2007. 21 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thavil
To begin with, I had to ask myself “What is Diwali?” Diwali is a major Indian and Nepalese festive holiday celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs around the world. (Diwali 1) Without getting into the significant mythological events associated with Diwali, the real meaning of Diwali is, it marks the victory of good over evil, and uplifting of spiritual darkness. (Diwali 3) Wikipedia.org also states “the most significant esoteric meaning of Diwali is the awareness of the inner light” hence the reason this five day festival is also called the “Festival of Lights”. Part of the Diwali festival is the lighting of the lamp. The meaning and significance of this particular act is light symbolizes whatever is positive, and is an important gift of God. Light is a metaphor for knowledge. By lighting the lamp it symbolizes the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces. Darkness represents ignorance. (Diwali Meaning & Significance) So now I will describe my experience of attending Diwali 2007 presented by Indian Student Association of Indiana University.
I arrived at approximately 6:30 p.m. I was there a little early so I had the opportunity to view the hustle and bustle before the show. I was able to see a lot of the performers in their traditional costumes. Gorgeous costumes, that consisted of beads and sequence, bright colors of teals, chartreuse green, bright pink, orange, and reds. I really took notice of how beautiful all the participants of this festival were. As an outsider who is unfamiliar with this celebration, I definitely sensed the importance of this festival to the performers and a majority of the audience. As I was waiting for the show to start, I was reviewing the programs’ event schedule; a lot of the performances were very unfamiliar to me so I was very eager to see what this Diwali Festival had to offer. Eight events where going to be performed, events that included Traditional Bharat Natayam Dance, Bollywood Classic Melody, Hindi Film Dance, Traditional Bhangra Dance by IU Bhangra, Traditional Drum Beats, Traditional Rass Dance by IU Raas Team. As the lights dim, the “Festival of Lights” begins and I anticipate the uplifting of spiritual darkness to increase my knowledge about the Diwali Festival.
The first event consisted of the Indian National Anthem being sung by Krystle Nazareth. Since the anthem was not sung in English, and there was no musical accompaniment I was only able to appreciate her beautiful vocals and notice a majority of the audience sang quietly along with her. After her performance, a recorded American national anthem was performed. After these performances it signaled to everyone that the show was about to begin.
After watching these two performances and researching Bharat Natayam dance, I have a better understanding and appreciation of the discipline required to perform this style of dance. I observed expressive hand movements accompanied by coordinated and synchronized body movements. Two events were performed in the Traditional Bharat Natayam classical dance form. Bharata Natyam is sometimes called “an art for eternity” because its practice today is virtually the same as it was thousands of years ago. (Bharat Natyam & Sacred Dance 1) Hand positions, facial expressions and narrative dances form the basis for this performance. (Bharatnatyam 1) The most striking feature of this dance is the hand gestures. The hand portrays a wide range of emotions, and each posture and body movement creates an effect which invokes transcendental emotion. (Bharat Natyam & Sacred Dance 1) The second and fifth events were Traditional Bharat Natayam Dance. The second event was performed with the song Thillana a classical Indian dance performance; it is full of complicated movements and postures. (Classical Indian Dance 7) In this performance, two female dancers were outfitted in gorgeous traditional costumes; one was in a bright pink, the other was teal. The fifth performance was accompanied by the song Meera Dasi. This was a performance to show devotion to Krishna. As in the second performance, there was much emphasis in hand movements. The female performer was outfitted in a long off-white gown with peach style shawl.
The third performance was Bollywood Classic Melody. The performers were in black capri - type pants with colored sequence tops. There was still heavy emphasis on hand movements infused with pop style dance moves with the traditional music. I found this performance fun. Bollywood is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India.
The fourth performance was Hindi Film Dance. This was a performance involving male and female performers. The ladies were in black with silver sequence trim, the men were in black jacket with lanterns on the back. The lanterns of course represent the lighting of the lantern that is central to the Diwali celebration. Once again, there were very elaborate hand and arm movements, and a meshing of traditional and modern dance moves.
The sixth performance was Traditional Bhangra Dance by IU Bhangra. The men wore red pants, black tunics with red bandanas on their head. This was probably one of my favorite performances. It was very energetic and vigorous dance performance. Bhangra means a person intoxicated with joy. The whole audience was clapping which added to the whole performance.
The seventh performance was Traditional Drum Beats, performed by Mahavrat Shree Pithadia. The beginning of his performance he walked out carrying a long drum that he played on both ends. It appeared that he had some type of long extensions on his right hand that gave a different sound than his left hand. The type of drum he was performing on was called a thavil. Wikipedia.com states that this particular drum can either be played sitting or standing using a leather strap. The player usually wears thumb caps on all the fingers of right hand and the left hand is played with a stick. (Thavil) It certainly made for a very dramatic entrance. He performed on two other drums that were played on the floor. The sound that he produced was like no other type of drum that I have ever heard. I really watched how the palms of his hand and his fingers produced the unique sound that he produced with these drums called tabla. Their construction is very elaborate as is the playing technique. (Tabla 3)
The eighth performance was Traditional Raas Dance by IU Raas Team. The performers wore very elaborate orange, red with green costumes. Their performance was a combination of drums and the dancers with silver batons doing very energetic and complicated dance moves. Raas is a type of dance of western India and the sticks of the dance represent the swords of Durga. Durga is a warrior woman with ten arms that rides on a lion or tiger, carries weapons and does symbolic hand gestures. (Durga)
This concludes my experience and interpretation of the Diwali Celebration 2007. I now have a better understanding of the meaning and significance of Diwali to Hindus, Jains and Sikhs around the world. Although I am not an Indian group member, the Diwali Celebration has more meaning and significance to me now as an audience member than it did two weeks ago which makes Diwali a successful performance. I highly recommend everyone attend either IU Bhangra or IU Raas Team and be enlightened by these very talented performers of both groups. Also check out some of the works cited web site links to view some examples of traditional Indian dance costumes and drums.
This is my response to the Fifth Encounter Project Ritual, Festival, or Celebratory Event.
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Bharat Natyam & Sacred Dance. 21 November 2007.
http://www.gosai.com/chaitanya/sarancagati/html/nmj_acticles/sacred_dance/bharata-natya
Bharatnatyam. 19 November 2007. 21 November 2007.
http://www.indoclassical.com/indo/asp/dancebharat.asp
Bollywood. 21 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood
Classical Indian Dance. 21 November 2007.
http://in.geocities.com/medhahari/classical_indian_dance/classical_Indian_dance.html
Diwali. Wikipedia.com. 16 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali
Diwali Meaning & Significance. 16 November 2007.
http://www.diwalifestival.org/diwali-meaning-significance.html
Durga. 25 February 2007. 25 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga
Raas. 30 October 2007. 20 November 2007.
http://en.widipedia.org/wiki/Dandiya
Simply Bhangra. 2007. 21 November 2007.
http://www.simplybhangra.originationinsite.com/aboutbhangra/4514877907
Tabla. 21 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thavil
Thavil. 2 November 2007. 21 November 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thavil
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Deeper Understanding of Performance
Prior to reading Chapter 5 on Performance, I thought to myself, “How do I define performance”? My preconceived definition of performance basically consisted of attending plays or musical performances, nothing more than that. However after reading Chapter 5, there were a couple of ideas and examples that were presented in the chapter that have changed my “preconceived” ideas of performance as a phenomenon. To begin with, the text states that “Performance is an expressive activity that requires participation, heightens our enjoyment of experience, and invites response. In order for a performance to “happen”, a recognized setting must exist (we have to know a performance is taking place) and participants (performers and audience) must be present. If group members and audiences are not able to understand and interpret someone’s performance, then it may not be a successful expression of the performer’s ideas.” (Simms 128-129) The following examples I found most interesting in the text, are examples that are very subtle that I would have never considered as a type of performance phenomenon that folklorists study.
“Performances of folklore happen naturally within daily conversations and situations”. (Simms 128) The use of a proverb in a daily conversation would have never have crossed my mind as a type of performance. “A stitch in time saves nine” is a proverb that my grandmother or mother would use. I never really understood what they meant by that phrase but today I now know what that proverb is conveying. The just of the proverb is; it is better to spend a little time to deal with problems or act right now than wait. If you wait until late, things will get worse, and it will take much longer to deal with them. In order for the proverb to be performed successfully the proverbial saying must make sense. (Simms 132) Today if I have a conversation with someone and they say “a stitch in time saves nine” I now understand that proverb and the performer’s ideas were successfully expressed. (Simms 129)
Another example of performance that I found interestingly subtle is decorative symbols that represent something. The text used the example of a horseshoe above a door will bring good luck inside the home. When I was younger a decorative symbol that I had witnessed for many years was the arrangement of three crosses on or near churches. At the time I did not understand the significance of the three crosses until I researched the crucifixion of Jesus in the Bible. I now have a better understanding of this type of performance text. I discovered that two robbers were crucified at the same time of Jesus’ crucifixion. The displaying of the crosses is not performance, but the placement of the object is a “marker” of the idea”. (Simms 135) The crucifixion of Christ is an event that has been taken both literally and symbolically. When we read an object or practice like a cross in this way, we are in a sense analyzing its performance-what it communicates actively to the world, both within and outside the folk groups that created it. (Simms 135)
I discovered that there are many aspects of performance phenomena; I only scratched the surface of two of them from Chapter 5. The following excerpt from the text helps me to deepen my understanding of performance. “Performance enables us to understand ourselves as observers and participants, as part of the process of creating communicative art and making meaning from it. Most of all, studying performance helps us see people as an integral part of the folklore shared.” (Simms 173)
This Post is in response to Chapter 5 Reflection Question.
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
“Performances of folklore happen naturally within daily conversations and situations”. (Simms 128) The use of a proverb in a daily conversation would have never have crossed my mind as a type of performance. “A stitch in time saves nine” is a proverb that my grandmother or mother would use. I never really understood what they meant by that phrase but today I now know what that proverb is conveying. The just of the proverb is; it is better to spend a little time to deal with problems or act right now than wait. If you wait until late, things will get worse, and it will take much longer to deal with them. In order for the proverb to be performed successfully the proverbial saying must make sense. (Simms 132) Today if I have a conversation with someone and they say “a stitch in time saves nine” I now understand that proverb and the performer’s ideas were successfully expressed. (Simms 129)
Another example of performance that I found interestingly subtle is decorative symbols that represent something. The text used the example of a horseshoe above a door will bring good luck inside the home. When I was younger a decorative symbol that I had witnessed for many years was the arrangement of three crosses on or near churches. At the time I did not understand the significance of the three crosses until I researched the crucifixion of Jesus in the Bible. I now have a better understanding of this type of performance text. I discovered that two robbers were crucified at the same time of Jesus’ crucifixion. The displaying of the crosses is not performance, but the placement of the object is a “marker” of the idea”. (Simms 135) The crucifixion of Christ is an event that has been taken both literally and symbolically. When we read an object or practice like a cross in this way, we are in a sense analyzing its performance-what it communicates actively to the world, both within and outside the folk groups that created it. (Simms 135)
I discovered that there are many aspects of performance phenomena; I only scratched the surface of two of them from Chapter 5. The following excerpt from the text helps me to deepen my understanding of performance. “Performance enables us to understand ourselves as observers and participants, as part of the process of creating communicative art and making meaning from it. Most of all, studying performance helps us see people as an integral part of the folklore shared.” (Simms 173)
This Post is in response to Chapter 5 Reflection Question.
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Using Your Hands Makes Eating More Enjoyable
When I began thinking about the kind of restaurant that I wanted to visit I knew that I wouldn’t have to go far to find something. The secret was to make sure the restaurant that I choose reflected its cultural authenticity. I began with asking a friend whose boss is from India, which restaurant in Bloomington had the most authentic Indian cuisine. He told me of two restaurants and one of them was Shanti, located at 221 E. Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington Indiana, just west of the Monroe County Public Library. I had to do a little research on Indian cuisine prior to my visit and discovered several interesting cultural facts after reading Etiquette in Indian Restaurant at www.food-india.com. To begin with, two interesting facts about Indian restaurants is never ask for beef or pork most Indians are either Hindu or Muslim. In Hinduism, the cow is considered a sacred and Muslims consider the pig to be a filthy so neither one of these meats would be served at an authentic Indian restaurant. The second fact is most Indian restaurants do not serve alcoholic drinks. Another interesting fact that I discovered in this article was its ok to eat with your hands. The Indian philosophy being, that eating with your hand is a very sensual thing, by using all of your senses (tasting, smelling, looking and touching) it will make eating more enjoyable. One last fact that I learned is the concept of “jutha”. Jutha means something that came in contact with your mouth, your saliva or your plate (while eating). I t is considered very rude and unhygienic to offer someone else your “jutha” unless you are very close family, a couple, or close friend. Now that I have built a cultural context foundation in the cultural practices of Indian food, I will now venture into Shanti with my mom and my sister as part of my Restaurant Visit Encounter Project.
Before even walking through the doors of Shanti, we were greeted by the smells that are very unique to Indian cuisine. Most people that I talk to, do not care for the smell of Indian food. I love it! I couldn’t wait to order my food. We arrived at the restaurant at approximately 6:15 pm and were seated immediately. The interior decorating didn’t strike me as any particular culture, but pretty much Americanized to appeal to everyone’s tastes. There was traditional Indian music playing in the background it was at just the right volume that you could carry on a conversation. Our waitress brought our water and menus. We began with our drink order, my sister and I ordered King Fisher Indian beer and my mom ordered the Glen Ellen Chardonnay white wine. My sister and I were very pleased with the flavor of the King Fisher beer. We thought it would have more of a bitter taste like that of European beer, but it did not, it was a very smooth “safe” flavor, a beer that would appeal to the American palate. My mom’s comment regarding the white wine was “its white wine, what can I say” so I took that as, it was not that great. Our waiter arrived and I decided to ask him what he recommended as the two favorite appetizers that most people ordered. He recommended the Vegetable Samosa and the Egg Plant Pakora. He was very kind to tailor our appetizers to accommodate three people. We continued our dinner order and our waiter said we made very good choices.
Our two appetizers arrived. The Vegetable Samosa, which consisted of deep fried patties stuffed with mashed potatoes, green peas and freshly ground spices and the Egg Plant Pakora, which consisted of slices of egg plant battered and deep fried. Both appetizers came with two condiments; Green (hot) Chutney, which was a blend of cilantro, green chilies and garlic and Tamrind Chutney a sweet and sour fruit pulp combined with various spices. Both condiments were presented in small stainless steel bowls. These appetizers were definitely going to require all of us to use our hands. The Vegetable Samosa had an unfamiliar flavor at first, but the two different dipping sauces made for an excellent flavor experience. The Egg Plant Pakora we really enjoyed it reminded all three of us of deep fried zucchini. My sister tried the Green Hot chutney, but avoided it after one taste, it was too spicy for her stomach. My mom and I enjoyed the dipping sauces. Both sauces were a new flavor experience that I highly recommend.
The main courses arrived shortly after we finished our appetizers and we were very enthusiastic about trying our new cuisine. Since it is culturally acceptable to offer your “jutha” we began to exchange different sampling of each of our meals. My mom and I ordered Tandoori Dinners. These are dinners that are prepared in a clay oven and heated by an open pit charcoal fire. Each tandoori dinner was served with a side order of Basmati rice and a curry sauce. My mom order the Fish Tikka, a filet of salmon fish marinated in mild spices and herbs, and served on a sizzler (a very hot cast iron serving platter All three of us really like the Fish Tikka. My mom said it was the best salmon she has ever had. Now I am not a big fan of salmon, but I thought it had excellent flavor and this particular recipe most definitely changed my mind about salmon. I ordered the Mixed Tandoori, it was a combination of half chicken tandoori, seekh kabab (ground lamb and special spices) and shrimp marinated in mild spices and herbs served with onions and lemon on a sizzler. I really liked the seekh kabab and shrimp but the chicken was a little dry. I doubt that I would order this dinner again at least not the chicken tandoori. My sister ordered the Lamb Biryani rice specialty, boneless cubes of lamb, sautéed with naturally fragrant Basmati Rice. All three of us enjoyed that particular dinner. To compliment our meal we also choose the Garlic Naan, a white flat bread stuffed with mildly spiced minced and the Tandoori Roti, whole wheat flat bread. Both of these flat breads are served freshly baked from the clay oven. I highly recommend the Garlic Naan flat bread. None of us were particularly thrilled about the Tandoori Roti, but that is probably because the Garlic Naan was so tasty.
To complete the whole food experience, we decided to order dessert. Since we were so full from all of our dinner entrees we ordered two flavors of ice cream. Mango Ice cream/Kulfi, ice cream flavored with specially imported Alfonso Mango pulp and Pista ice cream/Kulfi, ice cream flavored with saffron, nuts and Cardamon spice. The ice cream was definitely different than American ice cream. It was different in two ways one was that it was served cut into cubes and served in small stainless steel bowls and it was not as sweet. My sister did not like either of the ice creams, however my mom and I did. We thought the ice cream created a nice contrast of fresh cool flavors to the exotic spicy flavors from our main course.
We all very much enjoyed our cultural encounter at Shanti Restaurant. Our service was excellent and the food was awesome. I highly recommend this restaurant if anyone would like to try Indian cuisine. I realized in the middle of our restaurant encounter that we were actually eating most of our food with our hands. Taking the Garlic Naan flat bread and dipping it in the Basmati Rice and curry sauce followed by a few bites of shrimp or salmon I really felt that we were using all of our senses; it really did make eating more enjoyable.
This is my response to the Fourth Encounter Project Restaurant Visit.
Etiquette In Indian Restaurant. 9 November 2007.
http://www.food-india.com/
Before even walking through the doors of Shanti, we were greeted by the smells that are very unique to Indian cuisine. Most people that I talk to, do not care for the smell of Indian food. I love it! I couldn’t wait to order my food. We arrived at the restaurant at approximately 6:15 pm and were seated immediately. The interior decorating didn’t strike me as any particular culture, but pretty much Americanized to appeal to everyone’s tastes. There was traditional Indian music playing in the background it was at just the right volume that you could carry on a conversation. Our waitress brought our water and menus. We began with our drink order, my sister and I ordered King Fisher Indian beer and my mom ordered the Glen Ellen Chardonnay white wine. My sister and I were very pleased with the flavor of the King Fisher beer. We thought it would have more of a bitter taste like that of European beer, but it did not, it was a very smooth “safe” flavor, a beer that would appeal to the American palate. My mom’s comment regarding the white wine was “its white wine, what can I say” so I took that as, it was not that great. Our waiter arrived and I decided to ask him what he recommended as the two favorite appetizers that most people ordered. He recommended the Vegetable Samosa and the Egg Plant Pakora. He was very kind to tailor our appetizers to accommodate three people. We continued our dinner order and our waiter said we made very good choices.
Our two appetizers arrived. The Vegetable Samosa, which consisted of deep fried patties stuffed with mashed potatoes, green peas and freshly ground spices and the Egg Plant Pakora, which consisted of slices of egg plant battered and deep fried. Both appetizers came with two condiments; Green (hot) Chutney, which was a blend of cilantro, green chilies and garlic and Tamrind Chutney a sweet and sour fruit pulp combined with various spices. Both condiments were presented in small stainless steel bowls. These appetizers were definitely going to require all of us to use our hands. The Vegetable Samosa had an unfamiliar flavor at first, but the two different dipping sauces made for an excellent flavor experience. The Egg Plant Pakora we really enjoyed it reminded all three of us of deep fried zucchini. My sister tried the Green Hot chutney, but avoided it after one taste, it was too spicy for her stomach. My mom and I enjoyed the dipping sauces. Both sauces were a new flavor experience that I highly recommend.
The main courses arrived shortly after we finished our appetizers and we were very enthusiastic about trying our new cuisine. Since it is culturally acceptable to offer your “jutha” we began to exchange different sampling of each of our meals. My mom and I ordered Tandoori Dinners. These are dinners that are prepared in a clay oven and heated by an open pit charcoal fire. Each tandoori dinner was served with a side order of Basmati rice and a curry sauce. My mom order the Fish Tikka, a filet of salmon fish marinated in mild spices and herbs, and served on a sizzler (a very hot cast iron serving platter All three of us really like the Fish Tikka. My mom said it was the best salmon she has ever had. Now I am not a big fan of salmon, but I thought it had excellent flavor and this particular recipe most definitely changed my mind about salmon. I ordered the Mixed Tandoori, it was a combination of half chicken tandoori, seekh kabab (ground lamb and special spices) and shrimp marinated in mild spices and herbs served with onions and lemon on a sizzler. I really liked the seekh kabab and shrimp but the chicken was a little dry. I doubt that I would order this dinner again at least not the chicken tandoori. My sister ordered the Lamb Biryani rice specialty, boneless cubes of lamb, sautéed with naturally fragrant Basmati Rice. All three of us enjoyed that particular dinner. To compliment our meal we also choose the Garlic Naan, a white flat bread stuffed with mildly spiced minced and the Tandoori Roti, whole wheat flat bread. Both of these flat breads are served freshly baked from the clay oven. I highly recommend the Garlic Naan flat bread. None of us were particularly thrilled about the Tandoori Roti, but that is probably because the Garlic Naan was so tasty.
To complete the whole food experience, we decided to order dessert. Since we were so full from all of our dinner entrees we ordered two flavors of ice cream. Mango Ice cream/Kulfi, ice cream flavored with specially imported Alfonso Mango pulp and Pista ice cream/Kulfi, ice cream flavored with saffron, nuts and Cardamon spice. The ice cream was definitely different than American ice cream. It was different in two ways one was that it was served cut into cubes and served in small stainless steel bowls and it was not as sweet. My sister did not like either of the ice creams, however my mom and I did. We thought the ice cream created a nice contrast of fresh cool flavors to the exotic spicy flavors from our main course.
We all very much enjoyed our cultural encounter at Shanti Restaurant. Our service was excellent and the food was awesome. I highly recommend this restaurant if anyone would like to try Indian cuisine. I realized in the middle of our restaurant encounter that we were actually eating most of our food with our hands. Taking the Garlic Naan flat bread and dipping it in the Basmati Rice and curry sauce followed by a few bites of shrimp or salmon I really felt that we were using all of our senses; it really did make eating more enjoyable.
This is my response to the Fourth Encounter Project Restaurant Visit.
Etiquette In Indian Restaurant. 9 November 2007.
http://www.food-india.com/
Sunday, November 4, 2007
"Legend Trip" to Stepp Cemetery
The story of Stepp Cemetery is one that I remember quite well from when I was a teenager in high school. The story, as I remember, was if you went to Stepp Cemetery late at night you would see a black ghost dog and a ghost of a woman in black sitting on a tree stump next to her baby’s grave. There was also a curse; something really horrible would happen to anyone who would stand on the stump that was next to baby Lester’s grave. When I was in high school, several car loads of my class mates and I decided to drive to Stepp Cemetery in Morgan Monroe State Forest to see if we could confirm or deny the story of seeing ghosts in the grave yard. Now it never dawned on me that this particular event would be defined as a type of ritual.
Reflecting on Chapter Four I have a better understanding of what a ritual can be. The type of ritual that I want to focus on as it relates to my trip to Stepp Cemetery is the age-related rite of passage of “Legend-Tripping” (Simms and Stephans 111). Several factors have to be met in order for this ritual to be a legend-trip. It must involve traveling with a group of friends to a particular location…with the common method of transportation the automobile (Simms and Stephans 111). In my situation there were numerous teenagers that arrived in several different vehicles late at night to the gates outside of Stepp Cemetery. Upon arrival we proceed to the cemetery in the cover of darkness. None of us really considered bringing flashlights, which made the trip to the cemetery even scarier. Risk and fear are important ingredients of legend-trips (Simms and Stephans 113). Unfortunately we did not see any ghosts, but several people got a good scare out of our adventure. However, one of the specific actions that we as legend-trippers were warned not to perform (Simms and Stephans 111) was to stand on the tree stump next to baby Lester’s grave. Almost everyone that was there that night heeded the warning regarding standing on the tree stump except one person.
I have not been back since that night. A year ago my sixteen year old daughter told me that her, and some of her friends were going to go to Stepp Cemetery. I said “good luck finding the place” and “under no circumstances are you to stand on that stump next to baby Lester’s grave”! I proceeded to tell her the story of the only boy who stood on that stump and a few weeks later he broke his leg in three places.
This Post is in response to Chapter 4 Reflection Question.
If you would like to read more about Stepp Cemetery follow these links.
http://members.aol.com/bfowler87/stepp.html
http://www.proofparanormal.com/steppcemeteryinvestigation.html
http://www.prairieghosts.com/stepp.html
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Reflecting on Chapter Four I have a better understanding of what a ritual can be. The type of ritual that I want to focus on as it relates to my trip to Stepp Cemetery is the age-related rite of passage of “Legend-Tripping” (Simms and Stephans 111). Several factors have to be met in order for this ritual to be a legend-trip. It must involve traveling with a group of friends to a particular location…with the common method of transportation the automobile (Simms and Stephans 111). In my situation there were numerous teenagers that arrived in several different vehicles late at night to the gates outside of Stepp Cemetery. Upon arrival we proceed to the cemetery in the cover of darkness. None of us really considered bringing flashlights, which made the trip to the cemetery even scarier. Risk and fear are important ingredients of legend-trips (Simms and Stephans 113). Unfortunately we did not see any ghosts, but several people got a good scare out of our adventure. However, one of the specific actions that we as legend-trippers were warned not to perform (Simms and Stephans 111) was to stand on the tree stump next to baby Lester’s grave. Almost everyone that was there that night heeded the warning regarding standing on the tree stump except one person.
I have not been back since that night. A year ago my sixteen year old daughter told me that her, and some of her friends were going to go to Stepp Cemetery. I said “good luck finding the place” and “under no circumstances are you to stand on that stump next to baby Lester’s grave”! I proceeded to tell her the story of the only boy who stood on that stump and a few weeks later he broke his leg in three places.
This Post is in response to Chapter 4 Reflection Question.
If you would like to read more about Stepp Cemetery follow these links.
http://members.aol.com/bfowler87/stepp.html
http://www.proofparanormal.com/steppcemeteryinvestigation.html
http://www.prairieghosts.com/stepp.html
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The Healing Message of Peace Will Spread Throughout the World
I had the opportunity to go view a completed sand mandala that was created over the period of one week by Tibetan Buddhist Gomang Monks. The cultural context for which the sand mandala was being created was in anticipation of the scheduled visit of the XIV Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader; The Dalai Lama. I discovered through my research of the sand mandala as a material folklore genre, that the mandala’s are also part of customary folklore too. What defines mandala’s as material folklore is that they are handcrafted, beginning with a chalk design layout. Once the layout is complete, sand is poured from a metal funnel, called a chak-pur. Each monk holds a chak-pur in one hand, and runs a metal rod on the ridges of the chak-pur causing the sand to flow like liquid.(Creating a Mandala Sand Painting).
Chak-pur metal funnel for pouring sand.
Another aspect of the mandala that makes it part of material folklore is that this art work is not permanent. (Simms 13) The Customary folklore plays a big part in the ceremonial process that surrounds of the sand mandala. From the opening ceremony, during which the lamas consecrate the site to, drawing the outline of the mandala, to the colored sand being distributed by the lamas with the chak-pur, to the closing ceremony. The mandala “is created by members of a folkgroup, within a belief-oriented customary practice.”(Simms 13) All of this customary folklore contributes to the creation of the material folklore of the mandala. The word mandala is derived from the root manda, which means essence, to which the suffix la, meaning container, has been added. In short, mandala is a container of essence of the mind and body of Buddha.(Kumar 7)
Sand Mandala on display at St. Paul Catholic Church 2007
Gomang Monk with colored sand.
As stated earlier, the mandala is made of colored sand that is laid out in intricate detail in a circular motif composed of symbols and text. I will describe the mandala that was created in anticipation of the week long visit by the Dalai Lama. I will describe this material folklore art object in detail from the center working outward in concentric circles then from the 12:00 position and working clockwise. At the center of the mandala is earth with a dove sitting above a red and pink floral motif and what appears to be clouds positioned between the floral motif and earth. “The center of the mandala is the residence of the deity, it is the gathering center in which the outside energies are drawn, and in the act of drawing the forces, the devotee’s own energies unfold…”(Kumar 1) Underneath earth are two over-laid squares, each at a diagonal to the other. The outlying squares symbolize the physical world bound in eight directions…” (Kumar 1) Under the two over-laid squares is a prism array of color displayed in a spiral fashion within a circle. A narrow band with a blue base and white intricate scroll pattern surrounds the prism array of color. This narrow band appears to represent either water and waves or the sky and clouds. Surrounding the narrow blue and white band on a pink base are twenty complete and incomplete interlocking hearts of various colors. Located inside ten of the incomplete hearts are various symbols with text placed below each of these symbols. Surrounding all of the hearts is a dark blue green border to complete the mandala. All of
the text that corresponds to each of the symbols translates to mean “peace” from various other cultures. Starting at the 12:00 position and working clockwise I will attempt to decipher each of the symbols which are representative of various religions around the world. I was able to locate on the internet almost all of the emblems from About.com. From the 12:00 position and moving clockwise the symbols are as follows:
1. The Buddhist emblem the Dharmachakra or “golden wheel” is always in the west direction. (Braven 78)
2. The Jewish emblem the Star of David.
3. The Cross, symbolic of Christainity.
4. The Ring stone symbol for the Bahai faith.
5. The Flaming Chalice emblem of the Unitarian Church.
6. The OM emblem of the Hindu faith.
7. The next symbol I believe to be Native American. I did a search on Google for the text “WOWAHWA” which translates to “peace” in Lakota Indian. However I can only speculate that the symbol associated with this text is either a medicine wheel or a dreamcathcer.
8. The Khanda emblem is of the Sikh faith.
9. The text for this next emblem is in Chinese, but I was unable to determine what religious affiliation it is for; probably Buddhism.
10. The Crescent and Star is the emblem of the Islamic faith.
Close-up photo of sand detail.
Mandala’s fit the definition of a material folklore genre; however there is heavy emphasis on the customary folklore aspect that goes into creating a sand mandala. As part of the closing ceremony the mandala is destroyed. “This is done as a metaphor of the impermanence of life”. (Creating a Mandala Sand Painting) The sands are swept up and placed in and urn; to fulfill the function of healing, half is distributed to the audience, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water where it is deposited. The water then carries the healing blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing. (Creating a Mandala Sand Painting) With that being said, the mandala’s message, was of peace around the world. Before the Dalai Lama returns to Tibet, the Gomang monks will destroy the beautiful mandala, and deposited its sands into a body of water, so that the healing message of peace will spread throughout the world for planetary healing.
This is my response to the Third Encounter Project Material Culture (Object).
Works Cited
Braven, Martin. The Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1997.
Creating a Mandala Sand Painting: The Art of Building a Universe.
23 October 2007. http://community.berea.edu/galleryv/MandCreating.html.
Kumar, Nitin. The Mandala: Sacred Geometry and Art. 23 October 2007.
www.exoticindianart.com/mandala.htm.
Sims, Martha A. and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore: An Introduction to the Study of Peoples and Their Traditions. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Chak-pur metal funnel for pouring sand.
Another aspect of the mandala that makes it part of material folklore is that this art work is not permanent. (Simms 13) The Customary folklore plays a big part in the ceremonial process that surrounds of the sand mandala. From the opening ceremony, during which the lamas consecrate the site to, drawing the outline of the mandala, to the colored sand being distributed by the lamas with the chak-pur, to the closing ceremony. The mandala “is created by members of a folkgroup, within a belief-oriented customary practice.”(Simms 13) All of this customary folklore contributes to the creation of the material folklore of the mandala. The word mandala is derived from the root manda, which means essence, to which the suffix la, meaning container, has been added. In short, mandala is a container of essence of the mind and body of Buddha.(Kumar 7)
Sand Mandala on display at St. Paul Catholic Church 2007
Gomang Monk with colored sand.
As stated earlier, the mandala is made of colored sand that is laid out in intricate detail in a circular motif composed of symbols and text. I will describe the mandala that was created in anticipation of the week long visit by the Dalai Lama. I will describe this material folklore art object in detail from the center working outward in concentric circles then from the 12:00 position and working clockwise. At the center of the mandala is earth with a dove sitting above a red and pink floral motif and what appears to be clouds positioned between the floral motif and earth. “The center of the mandala is the residence of the deity, it is the gathering center in which the outside energies are drawn, and in the act of drawing the forces, the devotee’s own energies unfold…”(Kumar 1) Underneath earth are two over-laid squares, each at a diagonal to the other. The outlying squares symbolize the physical world bound in eight directions…” (Kumar 1) Under the two over-laid squares is a prism array of color displayed in a spiral fashion within a circle. A narrow band with a blue base and white intricate scroll pattern surrounds the prism array of color. This narrow band appears to represent either water and waves or the sky and clouds. Surrounding the narrow blue and white band on a pink base are twenty complete and incomplete interlocking hearts of various colors. Located inside ten of the incomplete hearts are various symbols with text placed below each of these symbols. Surrounding all of the hearts is a dark blue green border to complete the mandala. All of
the text that corresponds to each of the symbols translates to mean “peace” from various other cultures. Starting at the 12:00 position and working clockwise I will attempt to decipher each of the symbols which are representative of various religions around the world. I was able to locate on the internet almost all of the emblems from About.com. From the 12:00 position and moving clockwise the symbols are as follows:
1. The Buddhist emblem the Dharmachakra or “golden wheel” is always in the west direction. (Braven 78)
2. The Jewish emblem the Star of David.
3. The Cross, symbolic of Christainity.
4. The Ring stone symbol for the Bahai faith.
5. The Flaming Chalice emblem of the Unitarian Church.
6. The OM emblem of the Hindu faith.
7. The next symbol I believe to be Native American. I did a search on Google for the text “WOWAHWA” which translates to “peace” in Lakota Indian. However I can only speculate that the symbol associated with this text is either a medicine wheel or a dreamcathcer.
8. The Khanda emblem is of the Sikh faith.
9. The text for this next emblem is in Chinese, but I was unable to determine what religious affiliation it is for; probably Buddhism.
10. The Crescent and Star is the emblem of the Islamic faith.
Close-up photo of sand detail.
Mandala’s fit the definition of a material folklore genre; however there is heavy emphasis on the customary folklore aspect that goes into creating a sand mandala. As part of the closing ceremony the mandala is destroyed. “This is done as a metaphor of the impermanence of life”. (Creating a Mandala Sand Painting) The sands are swept up and placed in and urn; to fulfill the function of healing, half is distributed to the audience, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water where it is deposited. The water then carries the healing blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing. (Creating a Mandala Sand Painting) With that being said, the mandala’s message, was of peace around the world. Before the Dalai Lama returns to Tibet, the Gomang monks will destroy the beautiful mandala, and deposited its sands into a body of water, so that the healing message of peace will spread throughout the world for planetary healing.
This is my response to the Third Encounter Project Material Culture (Object).
Works Cited
Braven, Martin. The Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1997.
Creating a Mandala Sand Painting: The Art of Building a Universe.
23 October 2007. http://community.berea.edu/galleryv/MandCreating.html.
Kumar, Nitin. The Mandala: Sacred Geometry and Art. 23 October 2007.
www.exoticindianart.com/mandala.htm.
Sims, Martha A. and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore: An Introduction to the Study of Peoples and Their Traditions. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Chapter Three Reflection Question-Traditions
I finished reading Chapter Three on Traditions, in our text “Living Folklore”. I was able to draw upon my own life and that of a group to which I feel connected to; my family and friends. While reading Chapter Three I reflected upon three varieties of tradition that are significant to me and they are as follows: one tradition that seems to be longstanding, but that is perhaps disappearing or changing in some fashion, one that seems to be increasingly central in importance to you or to others in your life, and a tradition whose origin you yourself witnessed or participated in.
I began to contemplate the tradition in our family that has been longstanding, but that is perhaps disappearing or changing in some fashion. The first thing that came to my mind was our family tradition of watching “A Christmas Story.” This occurs on Christmas Eve, and has occurred on every Christmas Eve for at least the last ten years. We have made this such a longstanding tradition that we all enjoy blurting out lines such as, “You’ll shoot your eye out” and “Oh Fudge”, laughing at these scenes a thousand times over. Of course I envision here soon that the family tradition of watching “A Christmas Story” will probably change but will not disappear completely. “Most of the time…traditions change and evolve naturally”. (Sims 75) Our teenage daughter will be going off to college next year. Our son, in the next couple years, will probably find this movie completely un-cool. But I believe that the tradition of watching “A Christmas Story” on Christmas Eve will be passed down to their children because “traditions exist because they mean something to those who partake in them”.(Sims 87) Even though our children change and evolve they will continue the tradition because “A Christmas Story” means something to them.
Colts game day festivities, is a tradition that seems to be increasingly central in importance to me and to others in my life. But it is also a tradition whose origin I witnessed and participated in. The origin of Colts game day tradition began about seven years ago in my living room. It was just me and the TV on Colts game day. Time would stand still in my house until the game was over. My husband would sometimes watch the game and sometimes he wouldn’t. If “my” team was playing poorly, my husband would leave the room, but I would watch them until the bitter end. As the Colts increasingly improved over the years, game day became a tradition that was increasingly central in importance to me and to others in my life. Now game days consist of a pitch-in’s and get together’s with our friends. Are you ready for some football…..? Go Colts!!!!!!!! Monday Night Football.
This Post is in response to Chapter 3 Reflection Question .
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
I began to contemplate the tradition in our family that has been longstanding, but that is perhaps disappearing or changing in some fashion. The first thing that came to my mind was our family tradition of watching “A Christmas Story.” This occurs on Christmas Eve, and has occurred on every Christmas Eve for at least the last ten years. We have made this such a longstanding tradition that we all enjoy blurting out lines such as, “You’ll shoot your eye out” and “Oh Fudge”, laughing at these scenes a thousand times over. Of course I envision here soon that the family tradition of watching “A Christmas Story” will probably change but will not disappear completely. “Most of the time…traditions change and evolve naturally”. (Sims 75) Our teenage daughter will be going off to college next year. Our son, in the next couple years, will probably find this movie completely un-cool. But I believe that the tradition of watching “A Christmas Story” on Christmas Eve will be passed down to their children because “traditions exist because they mean something to those who partake in them”.(Sims 87) Even though our children change and evolve they will continue the tradition because “A Christmas Story” means something to them.
Colts game day festivities, is a tradition that seems to be increasingly central in importance to me and to others in my life. But it is also a tradition whose origin I witnessed and participated in. The origin of Colts game day tradition began about seven years ago in my living room. It was just me and the TV on Colts game day. Time would stand still in my house until the game was over. My husband would sometimes watch the game and sometimes he wouldn’t. If “my” team was playing poorly, my husband would leave the room, but I would watch them until the bitter end. As the Colts increasingly improved over the years, game day became a tradition that was increasingly central in importance to me and to others in my life. Now game days consist of a pitch-in’s and get together’s with our friends. Are you ready for some football…..? Go Colts!!!!!!!! Monday Night Football.
This Post is in response to Chapter 3 Reflection Question .
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore an Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Relating to Similar Art Glass Experiences
The blog that I found to be worthy of comment was Folkly McFolks’ Blog, In The Woods Design. The author chose to speak with jeweler and lampwork bead artists Carol Bartok. Upon reading In The Woods Design Blog I found that my own experiences and fascination with glass parallel that of artist Carol Bartok.
Both Carol and I started off doing stained glass. After several years of constructing stained glass pieces I wanted to venture out into other art glass techniques. One of the first art glass techniques that I learned was lampwork bead making. As with Ms. Bartok, I also signed up for a class and shortly after completing that class I also purchased all the necessary equipment to create lampwork beads. It didn’t take me long to realize how difficult and challenging it was to create some of the more intricate beads. As with stained glass, bead making takes a lot of practice and patients. Although I did not follow the lampwork bead making path as did Ms. Bartok, my lampwork bead making experiences lead me to experimenting with “hot glass” techniques using a kiln and ceramic molds. Some techniques were as simple as cutting a square piece of glass, setting it over a mold and place in a kiln until the glass slumps into the shape of the mold. Or you could create a more interesting look by creating layers of transparent glass or add frit (finely crushed glass) sprinkled on top. Fire that piece in the kiln until it has all melted together then do a second firing to slump the glass into a mold.
I would have to say with all my experiences with art glass, bead making, and hot glass techniques were the most challenging. The trial and error aspect of both of these styles of art glass were always learning experiences. What I learned about the characteristics of glass when I first signed up for the lampwork bead making class I carried over into my experiences and understandings of hot glass work using a kiln.
This is my post for my Second Peer Response
Both Carol and I started off doing stained glass. After several years of constructing stained glass pieces I wanted to venture out into other art glass techniques. One of the first art glass techniques that I learned was lampwork bead making. As with Ms. Bartok, I also signed up for a class and shortly after completing that class I also purchased all the necessary equipment to create lampwork beads. It didn’t take me long to realize how difficult and challenging it was to create some of the more intricate beads. As with stained glass, bead making takes a lot of practice and patients. Although I did not follow the lampwork bead making path as did Ms. Bartok, my lampwork bead making experiences lead me to experimenting with “hot glass” techniques using a kiln and ceramic molds. Some techniques were as simple as cutting a square piece of glass, setting it over a mold and place in a kiln until the glass slumps into the shape of the mold. Or you could create a more interesting look by creating layers of transparent glass or add frit (finely crushed glass) sprinkled on top. Fire that piece in the kiln until it has all melted together then do a second firing to slump the glass into a mold.
I would have to say with all my experiences with art glass, bead making, and hot glass techniques were the most challenging. The trial and error aspect of both of these styles of art glass were always learning experiences. What I learned about the characteristics of glass when I first signed up for the lampwork bead making class I carried over into my experiences and understandings of hot glass work using a kiln.
This is my post for my Second Peer Response
Repetion Becomes Tradition
I have chosen Architecture as my second Encounter Project. Initially I had in mind the Vernacular Architecture of Outhouses. However, in the process of my research on outhouses I was able to narrow down my topic to latrines that are being constructed all across Africa by the support of The Carter Center. The main goal of building the latrines is to help prevent Trachoma, a blinding disease caused by the Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria from being transmitted by human contact and flies.
The mission of The Carter Center, founded by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health (The Carter Center). The Center believes that people can improve their lives when provided with the necessary skills, knowledge, and access to resources (The Carter Center). This is one of the five principles guided by the Carter Center that I felt most related to the construction of latrines as material folklore of vernacular architecture.
Based on the definition from Wikipedia.com, Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources to address local needs. With that being said the local need was to prevent Trachoma and other diseases, the only way to do that is latrine construction to contain human feces and prevent fecco-orally transmitted diseases. The whole process of latrine construction began with “efficient and targeted training” (Dr.Emerson). An Executive Summary on Pit latrines for all Households stated “approximately 2000 community leaders were trained how to construct a latrine for themselves; they in turn, returned to their communities and helped their neighbors by sharing their practical and theoretical training which resulted in larger numbers of people being trained in latrine construction and use without any additional need for training resources.”(Bixler) Continuing with the definition of vernacular architecture, people had to provide their own materials so methods of construction used locally available resources. People already had construction experience from building their own home with local materials so construction training was not necessary (Dr. Emerson).
The Executive Summary Pit Latrines for all Households describes how pit latrines were constructed. The latrines consisted of pits 2-4 meters deep, with a platform of wood poles and mud plaster over it, and a traditionally built superstructure around it.
The mission of The Carter Center, founded by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health (The Carter Center). The Center believes that people can improve their lives when provided with the necessary skills, knowledge, and access to resources (The Carter Center). This is one of the five principles guided by the Carter Center that I felt most related to the construction of latrines as material folklore of vernacular architecture.
Based on the definition from Wikipedia.com, Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources to address local needs. With that being said the local need was to prevent Trachoma and other diseases, the only way to do that is latrine construction to contain human feces and prevent fecco-orally transmitted diseases. The whole process of latrine construction began with “efficient and targeted training” (Dr.Emerson). An Executive Summary on Pit latrines for all Households stated “approximately 2000 community leaders were trained how to construct a latrine for themselves; they in turn, returned to their communities and helped their neighbors by sharing their practical and theoretical training which resulted in larger numbers of people being trained in latrine construction and use without any additional need for training resources.”(Bixler) Continuing with the definition of vernacular architecture, people had to provide their own materials so methods of construction used locally available resources. People already had construction experience from building their own home with local materials so construction training was not necessary (Dr. Emerson).
The Executive Summary Pit Latrines for all Households describes how pit latrines were constructed. The latrines consisted of pits 2-4 meters deep, with a platform of wood poles and mud plaster over it, and a traditionally built superstructure around it.
Also included is a hand-washing station made from a gourde.
Houston Chronicle: Steve Campbell
A more uniquely accepted design by the unskilled local laborers is the Domed Pit Latrine Slab Kit. The dome shape minimized the thickness, making it cheaper than traditional reinforced slab. To keep the flies out and the smell in, there is a lid with a wire handle. The wire handle heats up from sunlight, killing germs and reducing contamination.
Several styles of concrete slabs. Different Types of Pit Latrine Shelters.
CARTER CENTER PHOTO: JIM ZINGESER
One might notice the similarities of latrine shelters in Africa to outhouses in our own country or other parts of the world. The basic construction of a pit latrine has not changed much.
Houston Chronicle: Steve Campbell
A more uniquely accepted design by the unskilled local laborers is the Domed Pit Latrine Slab Kit. The dome shape minimized the thickness, making it cheaper than traditional reinforced slab. To keep the flies out and the smell in, there is a lid with a wire handle. The wire handle heats up from sunlight, killing germs and reducing contamination.
Several styles of concrete slabs. Different Types of Pit Latrine Shelters.
CARTER CENTER PHOTO: JIM ZINGESER
One might notice the similarities of latrine shelters in Africa to outhouses in our own country or other parts of the world. The basic construction of a pit latrine has not changed much.
MSF-USA (Doctors Without Borders-USA) has some general guidelines for pit latrine construction they are as follows (Refugee Camp):
1. Latrine site should be chosen downhill, 30M away from groundwater access.
2. Latrines should not be less than 5M and not more than 50M from living quarters.
3. World Health Organization uses a formula of .04M3 x number of people to determine pit size.
4. Cement slab to extend 15 cm beyond pit.
5. Construct a superstructure, a door is optional.
6. Roof should slope towards the back of the structure.
7. Dig a drainage channel around the latrine to prevent runoff from entering and to protect the walls of pit.
Per the MSF-USA pit latrines alone cannot reduce the occurrences of fecco-orally transmitted diseases without the vigilance of the people. After every latrine use, wash the hands and face. By keeping the covers on the latrine that reduces the breeding of flies and bad smells. The slab and surrounding area should be cleaned everyday. Fire ash should be put into pit after each use, thus reducing not only the odor and increasing decomposition. When pit is nearly full, the superstructure and slab are to be moved to a new location and old pit covered with soil. Do not dig in this place for at least two years.
Wikipedia.Com states that “Vernacular architecture may, through time, be adopted and refined into culturally accepted solutions, but only through repetition may it become “traditional”. I believe that definition can be supported by the following fact. “After extolling the latrine to the community leaders…..the message caught on in village after village. One family would build a latrine and others, envious, would follow suit. Having a latrine became a status symbol”. (Bixler) Only through the repetition of spreading the word about the importance of latrine construction and good hygiene did the vernacular architecture of pit latrines become culturally acceptable and thus “traditional”.
This is my response to my Second Encounter Project.
Works Cited
Bixler, Mark. Rural Ethiopia Latrine Program. 2005. 6 October 2007.
<http://www.carter%20center.org/news/documents/doc2100.html.>
Carter Center.com. Niger Latrine Program Aids Trachoma Prevention. 2004. 6 October 2007.WWW.CarterCenter.org/news/documents/doc1704.html>.
Dr. Emerson, Paul. Executive Summary: Pit Latrines for all Households: The Experiences of Hulet Eju Enessie Woreda, Amhora National Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia. 2005. 6 October 2007.WWW.CarterCenter.org>.
Claudia Feldman. Visions of Health: Carters Work to End Scourge in Ethiopia. 2005. 6 October 2007. http://carter%20center.org/news/documents/doc2223.html.
Domed Pit Latrine Slab Kit. 6 October 2007. http://other90.copperhewitt.org/Design/domed-pit-latrine-slab-kit
Sims, Martha A. and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore: An Introduction to the Study of Peoples and Their Traditions. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2005.
The Carter Center: Creating a World in Which Every Man, Woman, and Child Has the Opportunity to Enjoy Good Health and Live in Peace. 2007. 6 October 2007.
http://www.carter%20center.org/about/index.html.
Refugee Camp Project-Learn More: Latrines (simple pit latrine). 6 October 2007. MSF-USA: http://www.msf.ca/refugeecamp/learnmore/latrines/simple_pit_latrine.htm.
Vernacular Architecture. Wikipedia.com. 26 September 2007. 6 October 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/vernacular_architecture.
1. Latrine site should be chosen downhill, 30M away from groundwater access.
2. Latrines should not be less than 5M and not more than 50M from living quarters.
3. World Health Organization uses a formula of .04M3 x number of people to determine pit size.
4. Cement slab to extend 15 cm beyond pit.
5. Construct a superstructure, a door is optional.
6. Roof should slope towards the back of the structure.
7. Dig a drainage channel around the latrine to prevent runoff from entering and to protect the walls of pit.
Per the MSF-USA pit latrines alone cannot reduce the occurrences of fecco-orally transmitted diseases without the vigilance of the people. After every latrine use, wash the hands and face. By keeping the covers on the latrine that reduces the breeding of flies and bad smells. The slab and surrounding area should be cleaned everyday. Fire ash should be put into pit after each use, thus reducing not only the odor and increasing decomposition. When pit is nearly full, the superstructure and slab are to be moved to a new location and old pit covered with soil. Do not dig in this place for at least two years.
Wikipedia.Com states that “Vernacular architecture may, through time, be adopted and refined into culturally accepted solutions, but only through repetition may it become “traditional”. I believe that definition can be supported by the following fact. “After extolling the latrine to the community leaders…..the message caught on in village after village. One family would build a latrine and others, envious, would follow suit. Having a latrine became a status symbol”. (Bixler) Only through the repetition of spreading the word about the importance of latrine construction and good hygiene did the vernacular architecture of pit latrines become culturally acceptable and thus “traditional”.
This is my response to my Second Encounter Project.
Works Cited
Bixler, Mark. Rural Ethiopia Latrine Program. 2005. 6 October 2007.
<http://www.carter%20center.org/news/documents/doc2100.html.>
Carter Center.com. Niger Latrine Program Aids Trachoma Prevention. 2004. 6 October 2007.
Dr. Emerson, Paul. Executive Summary: Pit Latrines for all Households: The Experiences of Hulet Eju Enessie Woreda, Amhora National Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia. 2005. 6 October 2007.
Claudia Feldman. Visions of Health: Carters Work to End Scourge in Ethiopia. 2005. 6 October 2007. http://carter%20center.org/news/documents/doc2223.html.
Domed Pit Latrine Slab Kit. 6 October 2007. http://other90.copperhewitt.org/Design/domed-pit-latrine-slab-kit
Sims, Martha A. and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore: An Introduction to the Study of Peoples and Their Traditions. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2005.
The Carter Center: Creating a World in Which Every Man, Woman, and Child Has the Opportunity to Enjoy Good Health and Live in Peace. 2007. 6 October 2007.
http://www.carter%20center.org/about/index.html.
Refugee Camp Project-Learn More: Latrines (simple pit latrine). 6 October 2007. MSF-USA: http://www.msf.ca/refugeecamp/learnmore/latrines/simple_pit_latrine.htm.
Vernacular Architecture. Wikipedia.com. 26 September 2007. 6 October 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/vernacular_architecture.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Proximity and Necessity Form Friendships
I finished reading Chapter Two on Groups, in our text “Living Folklore”. I can link several ideas from the chapter that helped me to understand the group with which I most feel affiliated with. I will specifically focus on how and why our group formed.
I have two really close girlfriends. Our friendship was essentially formed as a direct result of our husbands’ occupational group. My girlfriends and I are so different from one another. Everything from our house cleaning routines, our decorating tastes, to our parenting philosophies. We often laugh about how we can be such great friends when we are so different. But the one thing that links the three of us together is our husbands’ occupational group The Indiana State Police.
Our group first began forming as a result of proximity. All of our husbands work out of the Bloomington State Police Post. Our friendship first formed out of necessity, because we all three volunteered to plan The State Police Post holiday party and over the years, we would organize the yearly State Police Post Picnic or the occasional Parents Night Out, as our regular interaction with in our group. Of course all of these events that we organized included all of the husbands and wives from the Bloomington Post. Over the years the Parents Night Out was too difficult to plan a specific night that would accommodate everyone’s schedule. So we kind of scrapped the Parents Night Out and the three of us took it upon ourselves to have regular interaction not only with each other; but also would include our husbands. Some of our regular interactions would included dinner out, movies, pitch in dinners, watching the Colts or UFC boxing.
One of the aspects of Chapter Two that reflects how our friendship formed and how our friendship has evolved is our shared interest of our husbands State Police Occupational Group. “Sometimes, individuals may come together seeking others with common skills and /or interests and form a group based on those commonalities.”(Sims and Stephans, 40). We came together with a shared interest of the Bloomington State Police Post. From that shared interest, a subgroup of our husbands’ occupational group called “friendship” was formed. This friendship is not only shared between the wives but also between the husbands.
This Post is in response to Chapter 2 Reflection Question .
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore An Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
I have two really close girlfriends. Our friendship was essentially formed as a direct result of our husbands’ occupational group. My girlfriends and I are so different from one another. Everything from our house cleaning routines, our decorating tastes, to our parenting philosophies. We often laugh about how we can be such great friends when we are so different. But the one thing that links the three of us together is our husbands’ occupational group The Indiana State Police.
Our group first began forming as a result of proximity. All of our husbands work out of the Bloomington State Police Post. Our friendship first formed out of necessity, because we all three volunteered to plan The State Police Post holiday party and over the years, we would organize the yearly State Police Post Picnic or the occasional Parents Night Out, as our regular interaction with in our group. Of course all of these events that we organized included all of the husbands and wives from the Bloomington Post. Over the years the Parents Night Out was too difficult to plan a specific night that would accommodate everyone’s schedule. So we kind of scrapped the Parents Night Out and the three of us took it upon ourselves to have regular interaction not only with each other; but also would include our husbands. Some of our regular interactions would included dinner out, movies, pitch in dinners, watching the Colts or UFC boxing.
One of the aspects of Chapter Two that reflects how our friendship formed and how our friendship has evolved is our shared interest of our husbands State Police Occupational Group. “Sometimes, individuals may come together seeking others with common skills and /or interests and form a group based on those commonalities.”(Sims and Stephans, 40). We came together with a shared interest of the Bloomington State Police Post. From that shared interest, a subgroup of our husbands’ occupational group called “friendship” was formed. This friendship is not only shared between the wives but also between the husbands.
This Post is in response to Chapter 2 Reflection Question .
Works Cited
Sims, Martha and Martine Stephens. Living Folklore An Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Dead Batteries Keep Car Games a Family Tradition
After reviewing the posts of my peers, the one that had me reflecting the most was “Car Games”, posted by Folkish Thingamajig. Folkish Thingamajig discussed car games like “The Animal Game” and “The License Plate Game” as a type of folklore that was played in the car on road trips. He also states how his mother gets aggravated at people with children who do not play games while in their cars.
Well I would like to add “The Cow Counting Game” to the customary folklore of car games. I recall playing “The Cow Counting Game” from my Grandparents house in Mooresville, Indiana to my Cousins house in Monrovia, Indiana. My sister and I would always play this game to pass the time from Mooresville to Monrovia. The “Cow Counting Game” sounds similar to “The Animal Game”. The rules are as follows; we would have a race to the car, whoever made it to the car first would get to choose the “best” side of the car that they wanted to sit on. You could only count the cows in the fields on your side of the car that you were sitting on. Whoever counted the most cows was the winner. However, there was a catch, if your side of the car passed a cemetery you would have to start your “cow counting” all over again.
I will have to say that I do not own a minivan with a TV, but my daughter has her IPOD, and my son has his PS2 and those are about the only technologies they bring with them in the car when we travel. Eventually, the batteries die and we will continue the customary folklore traditions of the “The Cow Counting Game”, “I Spy” or “The License Plate Game”.
This is My First Peer Response to Folkish Thingamajig’s Blog “Car Games”.
Well I would like to add “The Cow Counting Game” to the customary folklore of car games. I recall playing “The Cow Counting Game” from my Grandparents house in Mooresville, Indiana to my Cousins house in Monrovia, Indiana. My sister and I would always play this game to pass the time from Mooresville to Monrovia. The “Cow Counting Game” sounds similar to “The Animal Game”. The rules are as follows; we would have a race to the car, whoever made it to the car first would get to choose the “best” side of the car that they wanted to sit on. You could only count the cows in the fields on your side of the car that you were sitting on. Whoever counted the most cows was the winner. However, there was a catch, if your side of the car passed a cemetery you would have to start your “cow counting” all over again.
I will have to say that I do not own a minivan with a TV, but my daughter has her IPOD, and my son has his PS2 and those are about the only technologies they bring with them in the car when we travel. Eventually, the batteries die and we will continue the customary folklore traditions of the “The Cow Counting Game”, “I Spy” or “The License Plate Game”.
This is My First Peer Response to Folkish Thingamajig’s Blog “Car Games”.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Bill Monroe and The Bluegrass Boys Album Review
Being a native of Bloomington, the name Bill Monroe has always been a fixture in this area ever since I can remember. Bill Monroe is to Bluegrass music; as college basketball is to Indiana University. Even though I have seen my fair share of IU basketball games, in all honesty, I have never listened to one note of Bill Monroe’s music. That was until I picked up the album of Bill Monroe and Bluegrass Boys. Live Recordings 1956-1969 Off the Record Volume 1. This is the album that I have chosen to review as my first Encounter Project.
The Bluegrass style of music, itself was so named and can be traced to one band; Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys. “(Bluegrass Music).” He started a musical genre that made him the “father of bluegrass”; this statement is quite obvious after listening to the live recordings of this album numerous times. Every song was a roller coaster ride of emotion that captured the very essence of Americana.
This album consists of more than 27 live performances from the nineteen-fifties and sixties and is divided into performances from 1956, and performances from 1963-66. The liner notes state that all of the songs that have been presented in this CD, include the categories generally covered by Monroe in any standard performance set:
1. Instrumental show pieces.
2. Monroe’s solo vocals.
3. One or two spiritual songs (usually quartets).
4. A duet with the lead singer.
Instrumental show pieces like songs number (1) and (11) are two different versions of "Watermelon Hanging on the Vine". Song (1) the 1956 version is a more energetic and upbeat and is played as a fiddle duet. Song (11) the 1963-66 version is a solo fiddle version that is not as energetic as the 1956 version. Although both sound slightly different they still both have the same effect of capturing the audience’s attention and if that that didn’t capture the audience’s attention then song (2) "Roanoke" from 1956, another instrumental tune most certainly would. This performance was very lively and up-tempo that included an introduction to the full band. Song (12) "Katy Hill" from 1963-66 performances was another instrumental tune. This particular pieces’ tempo meandered in several different places, leaving one lost in the composition. Some of the other instrumental pieces from the 1956 performances consisted of the uniquely muffled mandolin tone in "Blue Grass Stomp". The Beverly Hillbillies reminiscent "Blue Grass Breakdown" and "Raw Hide". If one wants to hear hints of the Charlie Daniels Band, “Devil Went Down to Georgia” one only needs to listen to the energy and exuberance of Fire on the Mountain. “Get Up John”, another instrumental piece was unique due to the unusual manner in which Bill Monroe tuned his mandolin. Finally, the two instrumental performances that stood out the most were "Wheel Hoss" and "Kansas City Rail Road Blues". Their instrumental sound reflected their titles. Wheel Hoss is a term used for the two horses that are in the back of a four horse team, they are responsible for a majority of the work in breaking the inertia of a heavily-loaded wagon, as well as maneuvering the turns. “(Rinzler 13).” On "Wheel Hoss", there is a sense that the music is taking you on a wild ride on a horse drawn wagon. The recreation of a coal fired train steam engine was the instrumental sound on "Kansas City Rail Road Blues".
The vocals styles and instrumental sounds of Bill Monroe and his band are presented in some of the following songs. The nasal timbre vocals accompanied by the smooth flowing fiddle playing of Bobby Hicks and Joe Stuart on “Close By”. “Brakeman’s Blues” showcases Monroe’s effortless skill at yodeling. One of his most successful hits was the relaxed singing style on “Kentucky Waltz”. The first half of “Blue Moon of Kentucky”; is flowing and slow paced and one hangs on every note, then the music accelerates and the vocals and the music become more staccato. The square-dance feels of “I live in the Past”, which has an excellent fiddle accompaniment and the energetic, Beverly Hillbillies banjo-style of “White House Blues” are very enjoyable to listen to.
Duet performances between Peter Rowan and Bill Monroe on “Wafaring Stranger ” include the haunting and most unique vocals on the whole album. The other duet by Peter and Bill was on True Life Blues, a less memorable song vocally. The power of the song was held together by strong banjo, mandolin, and fiddle playing. Whereas; Cotton-Eyed Joe had power in all areas of the song. From the fluid fiddle playing, intense mandolin solo and the voice of Tex Logan accompanying Bill. The fast tempo, along with a strong banjo performance accompanied Bill Monroe and Hazel Dickens on “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms”. Hazel was the only female voice recorded on this album.
Finally, the spiritual songs like “I’m Working on a Building”, “Angels Rock Me to Sleep”, and “When He Reached Down His Hand For Me” were performed as a quartet with the distinctive nasal timbre and very little instrumental showboating. “The Walls of Time” was performed as a duet but still conformed to the nasal timbre and limited instrumental performance.
In closing, I will say Y’all Come as Bill Monroe’s trademark at the end of his shows.
Works Cited
“Bluegrass Music.” Wikipedia Encyclopecia Online. 2007. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sept 2007. http://en. widipedia.ord/wiki/blugrass_music.
Rinzler, Ralph. Liner Notes. Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys Live Recordings 1956-1969 off the Record Volume 1. CD. Smithsonian Folkways, 1993.
“This post is my response to the Album Review Encounter Project “
The Bluegrass style of music, itself was so named and can be traced to one band; Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys. “(Bluegrass Music).” He started a musical genre that made him the “father of bluegrass”; this statement is quite obvious after listening to the live recordings of this album numerous times. Every song was a roller coaster ride of emotion that captured the very essence of Americana.
This album consists of more than 27 live performances from the nineteen-fifties and sixties and is divided into performances from 1956, and performances from 1963-66. The liner notes state that all of the songs that have been presented in this CD, include the categories generally covered by Monroe in any standard performance set:
1. Instrumental show pieces.
2. Monroe’s solo vocals.
3. One or two spiritual songs (usually quartets).
4. A duet with the lead singer.
Instrumental show pieces like songs number (1) and (11) are two different versions of "Watermelon Hanging on the Vine". Song (1) the 1956 version is a more energetic and upbeat and is played as a fiddle duet. Song (11) the 1963-66 version is a solo fiddle version that is not as energetic as the 1956 version. Although both sound slightly different they still both have the same effect of capturing the audience’s attention and if that that didn’t capture the audience’s attention then song (2) "Roanoke" from 1956, another instrumental tune most certainly would. This performance was very lively and up-tempo that included an introduction to the full band. Song (12) "Katy Hill" from 1963-66 performances was another instrumental tune. This particular pieces’ tempo meandered in several different places, leaving one lost in the composition. Some of the other instrumental pieces from the 1956 performances consisted of the uniquely muffled mandolin tone in "Blue Grass Stomp". The Beverly Hillbillies reminiscent "Blue Grass Breakdown" and "Raw Hide". If one wants to hear hints of the Charlie Daniels Band, “Devil Went Down to Georgia” one only needs to listen to the energy and exuberance of Fire on the Mountain. “Get Up John”, another instrumental piece was unique due to the unusual manner in which Bill Monroe tuned his mandolin. Finally, the two instrumental performances that stood out the most were "Wheel Hoss" and "Kansas City Rail Road Blues". Their instrumental sound reflected their titles. Wheel Hoss is a term used for the two horses that are in the back of a four horse team, they are responsible for a majority of the work in breaking the inertia of a heavily-loaded wagon, as well as maneuvering the turns. “(Rinzler 13).” On "Wheel Hoss", there is a sense that the music is taking you on a wild ride on a horse drawn wagon. The recreation of a coal fired train steam engine was the instrumental sound on "Kansas City Rail Road Blues".
The vocals styles and instrumental sounds of Bill Monroe and his band are presented in some of the following songs. The nasal timbre vocals accompanied by the smooth flowing fiddle playing of Bobby Hicks and Joe Stuart on “Close By”. “Brakeman’s Blues” showcases Monroe’s effortless skill at yodeling. One of his most successful hits was the relaxed singing style on “Kentucky Waltz”. The first half of “Blue Moon of Kentucky”; is flowing and slow paced and one hangs on every note, then the music accelerates and the vocals and the music become more staccato. The square-dance feels of “I live in the Past”, which has an excellent fiddle accompaniment and the energetic, Beverly Hillbillies banjo-style of “White House Blues” are very enjoyable to listen to.
Duet performances between Peter Rowan and Bill Monroe on “Wafaring Stranger ” include the haunting and most unique vocals on the whole album. The other duet by Peter and Bill was on True Life Blues, a less memorable song vocally. The power of the song was held together by strong banjo, mandolin, and fiddle playing. Whereas; Cotton-Eyed Joe had power in all areas of the song. From the fluid fiddle playing, intense mandolin solo and the voice of Tex Logan accompanying Bill. The fast tempo, along with a strong banjo performance accompanied Bill Monroe and Hazel Dickens on “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms”. Hazel was the only female voice recorded on this album.
Finally, the spiritual songs like “I’m Working on a Building”, “Angels Rock Me to Sleep”, and “When He Reached Down His Hand For Me” were performed as a quartet with the distinctive nasal timbre and very little instrumental showboating. “The Walls of Time” was performed as a duet but still conformed to the nasal timbre and limited instrumental performance.
In closing, I will say Y’all Come as Bill Monroe’s trademark at the end of his shows.
Works Cited
“Bluegrass Music.” Wikipedia Encyclopecia Online. 2007. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sept 2007. http://en. widipedia.ord/wiki/blugrass_music.
Rinzler, Ralph. Liner Notes. Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys Live Recordings 1956-1969 off the Record Volume 1. CD. Smithsonian Folkways, 1993.
“This post is my response to the Album Review Encounter Project “
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Material Folklore and Stained Glass
Material folklore as illustrated by stained glass construction is the area I have elected to use for Reflection Question Number One. While it can be part of an official culture, learned in a classroom setting, in my case it was taught to me informally by my dad. He emphasized the importance of design, methods of construction, glass types, cutting and grinding techniques, pattern making, soldering, framing, cleaning, preservation and restoration. Of utmost importance, was attention to detail.
After mastering these skills, I was able to incorporate another aspect of folklore by sharing my knowledge with others. This was sometimes in a class I was teaching or in conversations with other stained glass artists. Attending arts and crafts festivals provided an interactive process that added to my knowledge.
With this knowledge also came an appreciation of works by professional artists and craftsmen such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, John LaFarge, and Dale Chihuly. While vacationing, I was often able to view stained glass exhibits such as the one at Navy Pier in Chicago. While all of the above represent high art or elite culture, I had been taught the basic skills necessary to produce handcrafted objects, which illustrate material folklore.
For a few years I was able to put this training into practice while working with my dad in our retail store. I was able to interact with clients and produce stained glass pieces that reflected their individual needs. In one instance, the members of a small church wished to have several windows designed for their sanctuary that would depict specific stories from the Bible. It was necessary to gain input from a committee in order to determine the content of each individual window. Working with this committee having similar interests and purpose represents expressive communication within this particular group.
To have been taught the art of stained glass by my dad is important to me because it gave me a sense of self worth, and the ability to express my self creatively through the materials and tools of this particular trade. Stained glass represents something I have created that can be appreciated and valued by others.
This posting is my response to Chapter One Reflection Question.
After mastering these skills, I was able to incorporate another aspect of folklore by sharing my knowledge with others. This was sometimes in a class I was teaching or in conversations with other stained glass artists. Attending arts and crafts festivals provided an interactive process that added to my knowledge.
With this knowledge also came an appreciation of works by professional artists and craftsmen such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, John LaFarge, and Dale Chihuly. While vacationing, I was often able to view stained glass exhibits such as the one at Navy Pier in Chicago. While all of the above represent high art or elite culture, I had been taught the basic skills necessary to produce handcrafted objects, which illustrate material folklore.
For a few years I was able to put this training into practice while working with my dad in our retail store. I was able to interact with clients and produce stained glass pieces that reflected their individual needs. In one instance, the members of a small church wished to have several windows designed for their sanctuary that would depict specific stories from the Bible. It was necessary to gain input from a committee in order to determine the content of each individual window. Working with this committee having similar interests and purpose represents expressive communication within this particular group.
To have been taught the art of stained glass by my dad is important to me because it gave me a sense of self worth, and the ability to express my self creatively through the materials and tools of this particular trade. Stained glass represents something I have created that can be appreciated and valued by others.
This posting is my response to Chapter One Reflection Question.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)