Monthly Archives: March 2018

Cello Lineage

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General Information about Item:

  • Customary folklore, tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Timothy Green
  • Date Collected: 2-26-18

Informant Data:

  • Timothy Green was born in Ocala, Florida on December 27, 1997. According to Timothy, his family is not at al musically talented, as he was the first in his family to play a musical instrument. Since no one in the family has played any musical instruments, they had to hire a cello teacher for Timothy at a young age. Currently, Timothy is a sophomore at Dartmouth College. At school, Timothy enjoys going to Dartmouth Symphonic Orchestra (DSO) concerts. He plans on majoring in government and psychology.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Within any group of students/peers/friends, there is always some sort of “culture.” Going off of this idea, there is definitely a strong culture within any cello section. And like any culture, everybody in the cello section is aware of how they all became cellists. They went through rigorous training methods that only they could identify and understand. Cellists go through years of training under a teacher in order to be able to play in orchestras.
  • Social Context: This item was mentioned when I asked Timothy about any rituals or traditions that a cello section could be a part of. At first, he had a hard time coming up with these items, as he was unsure whether the item he had in mind was actually an item that could be used for this project. During the interview, Timothy noted how he had a cello teacher from a young age, and that most successful cellists he met also had a cello teacher from a young age.

Items:

  • The item of folklore that Timothy mentioned during the interview was that there is a ritual where cellists rub rosin on their fingers before playing in order to have friction. And he noted that rituals such as that one are passed down from your cello teachers, so cello teachers are also important in passing down certain rituals and traditions that a cellist performs before a concert/practice.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file): Cello Rosin

Image result for cello rosin

Transcript:

  • “I’ve actually rub rosin on my fingers before every time I play the cello, so if I stop and take a break, I will rub rosin again after my break. And I do this both at practice and concerts. But I definitely know some people who only use rosin once during the entire practice or concert.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • This is Timothy’s second year at Dartmouth, and although he isn’t part of DSO, he is still part of a symphony orchestra back home.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Timothy was easy to interview and seemed very enthusiastic about answering questions regarding, cello’s, orchestra’s, and rituals.

Collector’s Name: Aditya Srivastava

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary lore
  • Traditions
  • Rituals
  • Cello
  • Cellists

Block Ritual

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General Information about Item:

  • Poly-modal Folklore – Ritual
  • Magic Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Alie Hunter
  • Date Collected: 02-18-2018

Informant Data:

  • Alexandra “Alie” Hunter is a swimmer on the Swim and Dive Team at Dartmouth College, and is a member of the Class of 2021.  Alie Hunter was born in Toronto, Canada on September 8, 1999.  Alie is the first swimmer in her family.  She began swimming at the age of five, and decided to swim and go to college in America her junior year of high school.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context of this folklore reflects the stress and pressure that many swimmers feel before they race.  The swimmers will help do rituals to calm down and relax before their races because of the environment that swimmers face. 
  • Social Context: The data was collected during a one on one interview in the RWIT studio/room, right after she finished her IVY League Championship meet.  Alie described a ritual that she does before every race.  Alie noted that every person, boys and girls, on the team would also do during their swim meets.  Their coach recommended it to the team as a way to help them build confidence and stay calm before their races.  This folklore ritual was created when Alie turned 12 years old.

Item:

  • Alie will stand on the blocks and look at her teammates at the other end of her lane before her races.  Her friends and teammates all make sure to be behind the lanes to cheer for the swimmer and give them something to look at before the race. 

Transcript:

  • “Before my races, I will always stand up on the block and look at my teammates who are at the other end.  Until the starter say’s ‘Take your Mark,’ I will continue to look at my teammates as they cheer for me on the other end.  My Coach told us to do this when we were twelve to help us relieve stress and know that our team was there to help cheer for us.  My teammates and I started to do this before every race since then, and we make sure we are always at the other end of the pool for whoever is starting so they can see us.  The first time I tried this, it helped me go fast and stay calm, so I have and will continue to do it forever.” 

Collector’s Comments:

  • This song is pretty catchy.

Collector’s Name: Matthew Luciano

Tags/Keywords: Poly-modal Folklore, Ritual, Magic Superstition, Swimming

Pig Roast

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Title: Pig Roast

General Information about Item:

  • Type: Food Lore
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: FO&M Roofer (#9 informant consent form)
  • Date Collected: 2/23/18

Informant Data:

  • He is a worker for the Roofing Department in FO&M here at Dartmouth. He has been at Dartmouth for over 25 years and is the last worker in his department who has not retired, though works with other FO&M employees. He carries a strong passion for keeping Dartmouth in tip top shape. Being assigned to the same fraternity for 25+ years has allowed him to form long lasting connections with the brothers that come and go.

Contextual Data:

  • The Theta Delta Chi fraternity hosts several barbecues every year. The informant, responsible for certain operations of the fraternity, has been working these pig roasts for over two decades. It’s during events like these that have allowed the informant to extend into a folk group with Dartmouth students.

Item:

  • With help from other FO&M employees, he hauls in a big smoker in the morning and begins his preparation. The first step is to fill the grill with hard wood to make coals–a process that takes between four and six hours. After the coals are ready, he puts the pig in the smoker which can take 7-12 hours. When it is finally ready, people pick off meat and have the option to take some of his wife’s homemade barbecue sauce and bread. The sauce consists of barbecue sauce, ketchup, onions, garlic, and other secret ingredients. The bread is made with real Vermont maple syrup. In the end, the employees and the brothers of the frat can enjoy this tradition with friends and family for hours into the night.

Informant’s Comments:

  • “My wife’s sauce is dangerously good.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • This tradition combines the FO&M employee folk group with a fraternity folk group here at Dartmouth. The informant explained that the sense of camaraderie he feels within the brotherhood is what keeps him so closely involved in running the pig roasts every year.

Collector’s Name: Harlan Smart

Tags/Keywords:

  • Food Lore
  • Barbecue

Sparky’s Chair Legend (Jacob Cruger)

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Title: Sparky’s Chair Legend

General Information About this Item:

  • Legend, material folklore, workplace folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Informant #1
  • Date Collected: 3/8/2018

Informant Data:

  • The informant is a Facilities, Operations, and Management  Engineering Services employee who is not originally from the Upper Valley region.

Contextual Data:

  • This story was passed between FO+M employees. According to the informant, it dates back to a time when alcohol played a much more prominent role in the workplace culture of Facilities, Operations, and Management. This story also takes place in the time before the FO+M offices had modern office chairs.

Item:

  • An electrician, after having a couple drinks, attempted to squeeze through the slats of an old wooden chair. He succeeded, and the story became well-known. The chair itself also became legendary – a retiring employee ultimately took it home.

Collector’s Name: Jacob Cruger

Tags/Keywords:

  • Legend/Material Folklore
  • FO+M

Image Credit

Dining Hall Joke: Hockey Pucks

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Title: Hockey Pucks

General Information About this Item:

  • Joke
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant Number: 12
  • Date Collected: 2/23/18

Informant Data:

  • High level manager within DDS. Has been at Dartmouth for nearly 40 years and has worked with the areas today known as the Hop, Collis Cafe, and 53’ Commons.

Contextual Data:

  • Joke that dates back to the 90s when a certain type of meal such as steak and gravy was served to the kids in the dining hall.  Was not meant to belittle or anything, but was meant to display the appearance of the steak.

Item:

  • Verbal Lore, dates back to the 90s and was told between students and to the workers at the Dining Hall. Kids would walk up to get their food asking if they saw the “hockey pucks” or “hey man pass me some hockey pucks” in reference the hockey puck like shape and density of the meat.  Workers would even say that there are pucks on the menu today to humor the students.

 

Transcript:

“It was a steak meal, with gravy on it…kids would call them hockey pucks…it became a joke of sorts with the students”

Informant’s Comments:

The origin of this Joke is unknown, the informant only knows of around the time it started in the 90s.  Was a good joke and helped the dining hall change their recipe to make the meals less “hockey puck” like.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Clear example of Verbal Lore and a Joke
  • A joke that was around by students until the recipe for the steaks changed.
  • We could call this a Dartmouth Culinary Joke

Collector’s Name: C. Ross Wood

Tags/Keywords:

  •  Joke
  • Verbal Folklore
  • DDS

Lucky 7 – Seventh Day Adventist

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Title: Lucky 7 for Seventh Day Adventist

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore: Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Religion of Origin: Christianity
  • Informant: David Ochollah
  • Date Collected: 02/23/2018

Informant Data:

  • David Ochollah is a Dartmouth sophomore from Nairobi, Kenya. He came to the in 2016 for his college studies and usually goes home once a year to visit his family. His family is religiously and they are members of the Seventh Day Adventist.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context:  Seventh Day Adventists are mainly known for observing the Sabbath day on a Saturday, as opposed to other Christianity denominations that observe the Sabbath day on Sunday.  Their name shows how much the seventh day of the week is special to them.
  • Social Context: Seventh Day Adventist members spend most of their Saturday at church because it is a day dedicated to doing only God’s work.

Item:

  • Seventh Day Adventists associate this number with good lucky because it is seen as a divine number  in the Bible and the seventh day in the week is for praising the Lord.  Because of 666 beings the Antichrist’s number, when something happens to be associated with seven it is seen as a good sign because it managed to went past 6.

Informant’s Comments:

  • David is the last born in a family with seven members therefore seven has become extra special to him. He believes there is something special about it because there are 7 continents in the world, seven colors of the rainbow, seven seas and seven days in a week.

Collector’s Name: Taringana Guranungo 

Tags/Keywords:

  • seven
  • Seventh Day Adventist
  • lucky

“Smooth Dinners”

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Title: Smooth Dinners

General Information About this Item:

  • Ritual or Tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant Number: 12
  • Date Collected: 2/23/18

Informant Data:

  • High level manager within DDS. Has been at Dartmouth for nearly 40 years and has worked with the areas today known as the Hop, Collis Cafe, and 53’ Commons.

Contextual Data:

  • Tradition that as far back as the informant had been at Dartmouth.  Tradition can date back to even prior to his time at Dartmouth and was looked forward to by nearly all students on campus.

Item:

  • Customary Lore, each year on the Friday before Winter Carnival, (at the time) Thayer Dining Hall would host Steak Night.  The attendees would be required to wear nice dress and could bring dates to the dining hall in order to have a luxurious steak and seafood dinner.  Called “Smooth Dinner” because of the dress of the participants and the nature of the food that was served that night.

Transcript:

” An interesting tradition known as ‘Smooth Dinners’ where we would serve steak and lobster on the Friday before Winter Carnival”

Informant’s Comments:

This tradition would later form into the steak and lobster dinner served to seniors during senior week.  Then this tradition would transform into what we know now as the First-Year and athlete steak and lobster dinner served during matriculation.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Clear example of Customary Lore
  • A ritual that has been practiced for a prolonged period of time.
  • We could call this a Dartmouth culinary rite or a Transformative Dartmouth Tradition for the way that it has changed, yet remained the same over the years.

Collector’s Name: C. Ross Wood

Tags/Keywords:

  • Tradition, Ritual
  • Customary Folklore
  • DDS

Miley Cyrus – “Party in the U.S.A.”

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General Information about Item:

  • Music Folklore – Song
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Ziqi Wang
  • Date Collected: 02-23-2018

Informant Data:

  • Ziqi Wang is a male student in the Dartmouth College Class of 2018.  He was born in China and emigrated to the United States when he was 9 years old; he has spent most of his life in the Hanover, NH area, having attended Hanover High School. He studies economics and environmental science at Dartmouth, and intends to pursue a career in business in Boston, MA after graduation. Ziqi has been an active member of Dartmouth’s Club Swim Team since the fall of 2014.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: In order to bolster team spirit and unity, the Dartmouth Club Swim Team has a variety of fun traditions which engage the members in play. This particular ritual has the members of the team sing an adolescent pop song, which has ironically gained fame with the college community, allowing the team to mutually engage in an absurd, almost child-like song. This bonding through humor and adolescent fun helps to solidify the team.
  • Social Context: This musical tradition was explained in a one-on-one interview with the informant at Baker-Berry Library. It is performed before meets, allowing team members to channel any anxiety they may be feeling into a care-free, child-like exercise, relaxing them.

Item:

  • Before meets, members of the Dartmouth Club Swim Team get together to sing Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.”

Music Video for “Party in the U.S.A.”:

Transcript:

  • “Before meets, people like to sing this Miley Cyrus song – ‘Party in the U.S.A.’ I forgot exactly how it goes, but it’s a fun, easy way for people to shake off the nerves. They know like, maybe half of the lyrics. It’s such a silly song.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • “It’s a great song, I love it.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • This song is quite catchy

Collector’s Name: Ashwath Srikanth

Tags/Keywords: Music Folklore, Ritual, Miley Cyrus, Swimming

Dots Halloween Tradition (Jacob Cruger)

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Title: Dots Halloween Tradition

General Information About this Item:

  • Tradition, workplace folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Informant #4
  • Date Collected: 3/9/2018

Informant Data:

  • The informant is an FO+M student employee who works in Hinman Mail Services. He is also a Dartmouth student in the class of 2021 hailing from Western Massachusetts. He is involved with a variety of activities across campus and considering majoring in mathematics.

Contextual Data:

  • Hinman Mail Services decorates the area around the window every halloween. This year the informant was part of a group that started what he hopes is a new tradition governing the types of decorations adorning the window.

Item:

  • The informant considers Dots to be the “scariest” halloween candy because he considers them to be terrible. Thus, he and his coworkers decorated the area around the window with Dots boxes to add a new, possibly frightening, element to the Hinman window’s halloween decor.

Transcript:

  • “A tradition that we started this year, that I intend on carrying into the next year and subsequent years. At halloween we started decorating the window, just like putting out your standard like halloween decorations, and one of my coworkers and I decided that it wasn’t scary enough so we thought ‘what’s the scariest part of halloween’ and so naturally that was dots because they’re just terrible. So we just started taping dots just all around the window, and that’s something I’m planning on continuing.”

Collector’s Name: Jacob Cruger

Tags/Keywords:

  • Tradition
  • FO+M

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Rubber Band Game (Jacob Cruger)

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Title: Rubber Band Game

General Information About this Item:

  • Game, workplace folklore
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Informant #4
  • Date Collected: 3/9/2018

Informant Data:

  • FO+M student employee, works in Hinman Mail Services. Also a Dartmouth student in the class of 2021 hailing from Western Massachusetts. He is involved with a variety of activities across campus and considering majoring in mathematics.

Contextual Data:

  • Started working at Hinman Mail Services this year. Often works at the window, handling packages and envelopes for students, faculty members, and staff. This job can sometimes be slow, so the informant and his coworkers play a simple game to pass the time. The informant does not know the origin of this particular tradition but knows it predates the beginning of his time working at Hinman.

Item:

  • The Hinman Mail Services window looks into a room that contains shelves for packages and large envelopes. This room also has direct access to some student mailboxes (“Hinman boxes”). When work is slow the informant and his coworkers try to shoot rubber bands into the mailboxes near the window.

Transcript:

  • “There is a habit, I guess, that we have, those of us who work at the window. Some of the Hinman boxes are open and within like arm’s reach or available within the vicinity. So something that we try to do to pass the time that, I’m not sure when exactly it started but that has been consistent since I’ve been there, is just shooting rubber bands into people’s Hinman boxes. And that’s just something that has definitely been around since before I’ve been there.”

Collector’s Name: Jacob Cruger

Tags/Keywords:

  • Game
  • FO+M

Image Credit