Title: Baby Names

General Information about Item:

• Genre: Customary Folklore: Tradition

• Language: English

• Country: United States of America

Informant Data:

Alexis Wyatt, aged 21, is a Director of Ujima who joined the group her freshman fall (2014). She is a senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and minoring in Psychology. Alexis was born, raised, and currently lives in Akron, Ohio. Before Ujima, Alexis had two years of dance experience in high school with modern, contemporary, and lyrical dance.

Raegina Hill, aged 21, is a Director of Ujima who joined the group her freshman fall (2014). She is a senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Anthropology with a concentration in Biological Anthropology and minoring in Theater. Raegina was born, raised, and currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Before Ujima, Raegina had six years of dance experience with hip hop, theatrical dance, high stepping, and cheer.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: The entire team receives a Baby Name. This tradition occurs after each member’s first term in Ujima. Naming new members originated at the group’s founding, and Alexis and Raegina first learned of it during their freshman fall. Both informants received baby names.

• Cultural Context: Many performing groups and sports teams on campus give their new members nicknames. In line with Dartmouth’s culture, Ujima names their “babies” to finalize their initiation into the group. Doing so also reflects the value they place on inclusivity and increases group closeness by solidifying the new members’ identity on the team.

Item:

Each new members receives a “Baby Name” or nickname from the team after their first term on Ujima. Baby names are based off the new member’s personality.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file): Video

Transcript of Associated File:

Alexis: “The current members who I joined Ujima with, we all got our own baby names. And everybody else who had come before us also had names as well. My baby name is Dr. Sass, so it’s a reflection of who I am as a person and also then how that person shines through when I dance.”

Raegina: “Every dance group likes to give names to their new babies, but we do ours after a term because I think that’s when you really get first impressions. And they just stick with a person throughout their years. With Ujima, my name is Little Dynamite because I’m small but mighty, very powerful. So when I got my name my freshman fall, it really just made me really happy and just know that we had a lot of people who really put thought into our names and just actually care. And they really fit us.”

Informant’s Comments:

Despite having little say in the naming process, new members tend to enjoy their names as a reflection of themselves and their identity. The naming process is a symbolic solidification of their membership.

Collector’s Comments:

Collector’s Name: Marcus Reid

Compiled/Analyzed By: Shinar Jain

Tags/Keywords:

• Tradition
• Dance
• Team