Category Archives: Other

“Worst Class Ever”

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Title: “Worst Class Ever”

General Information:

Verbal Lore: Insult, Folk Speech

Customary Lore: Superstition, Custom

English

USA

 Informant Data:

Raiden Meyer is a member of the class of 2020 at Dartmouth. He is originally from San Francisco, California, and lives in the Mid Fayerweather dorm on campus. He is involved in the Dartmouth Endurance Racing Team and the Advertising Team at Dartmouth. The informant was interviewed on 11/2/16, in Collis at Dartmouth College.

Contextual Data:

The informant experienced this verbal lore during homecoming his freshman fall. The informant was not familiar with this piece of Dartmouth Freshmen Folklore until he heard these shouts during the Freshman Sweep before the bonfire, and while running the laps around the bonfire on Friday night of homecoming in 2016. The informant quickly learned that this shout, directed at freshmen, was done each year during homecoming and was part of Dartmouth tradition.

Item:

Every year, on the Friday of Dartmouth homecoming, upperclassmen at Dartmouth will shout, “Worst class ever!” at freshmen as they pass by, either during Freshman Sweep, or as they run around the bonfire itself. It is unclear when this piece of verbal lore first developed, but it has clearly been around for a long time at Dartmouth. The upperclassmen will shout this in some variation, but the general idea is that the freshmen will in fact, go down in Dartmouth history as the “worst class ever,” unless someone from their class touches the homecoming bonfire. This item of Dartmouth Freshmen Folklore follows the format of superstitions, in that, in order to prevent that year’s class from being the “worst class ever,” they need to continue the tradition of touching the homecoming bonfire.

 Transcript:

“I didn’t hear about the “worst class ever” chants until the Friday night of homecoming. I definitely heard the “worst class ever” shouts as we passed students during the sweep and ran around the bonfire. I never took it offensively and could tell that it was a Dartmouth tradition to call freshmen that. In a way I enjoyed that the upperclassmen all still came to the bonfire and even if the shouts were a negative thought, it was sort of encouraging and welcoming to have a lot of the Dartmouth community surrounding us. Also, overall I heard much more positive shouting than negative shouting and just being surrounded by so much tradition really made me feel like a part of Dartmouth.”

Informant’s Comments:

“I think that this shouting during the homecoming bonfire is interesting because it is kind of an unwritten tradition that the freshman class is part of each year. I will definitely be shouting ‘worst class ever’ at the freshmen class next fall at the homecoming bonfire.”

Collector’s Comments:

Looking back at Freshman Sweep as a current senior, I would agree with the informant when she says that it really wasn’t a huge part of my first homecoming at Dartmouth. Although it was fun to be a part of the first-year tradition, I think that running around the bonfire was something that I will remember for much longer.

Collector’s Name: John Mayberry

Tags/Keywords: Verbal Lore, Worst Class Ever, Superstition, Insults, Folk speech, Dartmouth Homecoming

“Canadian Ground Fruit”

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Title: “Canadian Ground Fruit”

General Information

Customary Lore: Prank

Material Lore: Food

English

USA

 Informant Data:

Julie Mayberry is from Greenwich, Connecticut and is a member of the 2020 class at Dartmouth. She is planning on being a History or English major, and was interviewed on 11/2/16 in Baker Library at Dartmouth College.

Contextual Data:

Before arriving at Dartmouth for the start of her freshman fall, the informant participated in First Year Trips. The informant was on her Hiking 2 trip when she first encountered the “Canadian Ground Fruit” lore item. The informant explains how she first encountered while hiking near Hanover.

Item:

During First Year Trips, incoming freshmen are placed into different outdoor activity groups, which are led by upperclassmen. At some point during the trip, one of the leaders will take a pineapple, cut off its stalk, and then partially bury it somewhere nearby without the freshmen seeing. The leaders will then lead the unsuspecting freshmen near the pineapple, in the hope that they discover it. Once discovered, the trip leaders will tell the freshmen that they have found a “Canadian Ground Fruit.” Of course, it is really just a pineapple, but it is a prank that is done to Dartmouth freshmen each year.

 Transcript:

“I think that it was either day two or three on my hiking trip around Hanover when my trip leaders decided to play the ‘Ground Fruit’ prank on me and my trippees. We had stopped to eat lunch on a patch of grass on the side of the trail, when one of my trip leaders left the group to go ‘use the bathroom.’ I now know that he really went ahead on the trail to go plant the pineapple, so that my group would find it when we continued on the trail after lunch. After we all finished eating, my trip leaders led us back onto the trail and then about a minute or so later, my trip leader pointed at something sticking out of the dirt and said, ‘what is that?’. We all went over to go look at this weird thing in the ground and then the trip leader said, ‘I think it’s a Canadian Ground Fruit!’. I wasn’t really convinced but a couple of my trippees fell for it pretty hard and didn’t get that it was really just a pineapple the entire time. It was pretty entertaining to poke fun at the gullible trippees for falling for it.”

Informant’s Comments:

“Looking back on the prank, I can’t believe that a group of 18 year-olds were really that gullible. I do think that it is pretty funny looking back on it and I’m sure that it was a fun prank for my trip leaders to play on us.”

Collector’s Comments:

This customary prank is something that I remember from my own First Year Trip. My trip leaders played this prank on me and I think that it made for a great memory from freshman year.

Collector’s Name: John Mayberry

Tags/Keywords: Customary Lore, Prank, Material Lore, Food, First Year Trips, Canadian Ground Fruit

Freshman Sweep

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Title: Freshman Sweep

General Information

Customary Lore: Ritual

English

USA

 Informant Data:

Sarah Kolk is a member of the class of 2020 at Dartmouth. She is from Peterborough, New Hampshire, and lives in the McLaughlin housing cluster on campus. She is involved in the Ledyard Canoe Club and plays Dartmouth club lacrosse. The informant was interviewed on 11/2/16, in Baker Library at Dartmouth.

Contextual Data:

The informant experienced the Freshman Sweep during Friday night of Dartmouth homecoming, before the lighting of the bonfire. She heard about the tradition a few days ahead of time from her fellow classmates, and soon realized that it was a tradition that takes place every homecoming for the incoming freshmen class at Dartmouth.

Item:

Each year, the incoming class of freshmen at Dartmouth participate in what is known as the “Freshman Sweep.” Essentially, it is a giant parade through the streets of Hanover, which ends at the bonfire on the Dartmouth green, where the freshmen then run around the fire. The “Freshman Sweep” starts at the freshman dorms in the river cluster, and then works its way around campus, picking up more and more freshmen as they wait outside their dorms to join in. The sound from the bagpipers can be heard from far away, signaling to the awaiting freshmen that it is almost time to join in.

 Transcript:

“I knew very little about the Freshman Sweep until I began to hear about it in the days leading up to homecoming from upperclassmen, and I was given formal information about the timing and location of when and where I was supposed to join by my UGA. I did participate, but since I am not super close to anyone on my floor I stuck with some friends from Wheeler and joined it as it passed there. We were at the end of the sweep and walked with it until we reached the bonfire. Overall the sweep was fun but I don’t consider it a huge part of my freshman homecoming experience because all my friends were dispersed throughout and we didn’t walk in it for very long.”

Informant’s Comments:

“Overall, I’d say that the Freshman Sweep was a cool tradition to be a part of, but it wasn’t the most memorable part of my first homecoming at Dartmouth. I’d say that when I look back on this experience after I graduate, I’ll remember running around the bonfire itself more than the Freshman Sweep.”

Collector’s Comments:

Looking back at Freshman Sweep as a current senior, I would agree with the informant when she says that it really wasn’t a huge part of my first homecoming at Dartmouth. Although it was fun to be a part of the first-year tradition, I think that running around the bonfire was something that I will remember for much longer.

Collector’s Name: John Mayberry

Tags/Keywords: Customary Lore, Ritual, Tradition, Freshman Sweep, Dartmouth Homecoming

Shammie Superstition

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Title: Shammie Superstition

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Superstition
  • English
  • United States

Informant Data:

  • Emily Green is an 18 year old from Orange County California. She is currently a freshman at Dartmouth College. Emily has only been diving for nine months, however, prior to this she competed as an elite trampolinist and competitive gymnast for 13 years. She is currently a member of the Varsity Diving Team.

Contextual Data:

  • Social/Cultural Context: Emily has been involved in the diving community at Dartmouth since she got here. She shows leadership potential among her teammates and this exemplifies the bond created between under and upperclassmen that she will one day be able to carry on.

Item:

  • Insert Item Here: Emily explains that it is a Dartmouth Diving Team tradition that the upperclassmen pass their shammies (water absorbing towels) down to younger teammates. This creates a bond between upper and lower class-men.

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

Transcript of Associated File:

  • “So basically we all get our teammates from older teammates and then you always use the same shammies and you dry off before every dive so that it goes well.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • This allows the diving team to create a bond between team members. It is a good way for the older teammates to bond with the younger class-men. Superstitions were common among many informants.

Collector’s Name: Molly Brickman

Tags/Keywords:

  •  Shammies, Superstition

Captain’s Jacket

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Title: Water Polo’s Captain’s Jacket

General Information about Item:

  • Material: Clothing
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA

Informant Data:

  • Caleb Smith, 20, male. Smith was born in Los Angeles, CA, and is currently on the club water polo team. Although, he had no prior experience before attending Dartmouth, he has already experienced a great deal of success on the team, as Dartmouth took home the Ivy League title last year.

Contextual Data:

  • Many teams have a tradition of passing down items that are significant and have great personal value to them.

Item:

  • It is tradition every year for the Water Polo team to pass down or bequest the Captain’s Jacket from the old captain to the new.

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

 

Informant’s Comments:

  • The jacket is from the glory days, back when we were a D1 team.

Collector’s Comments:

  • The jacket is significant because it comes from a time when the team was a D1 team and functions as a symbol of authority and excellence. The handing down of the jacket is like the transition into a new year and passing down of responsibility to the next generation of athletes.

Collector’s Name: Brandon Lee

Tags/Keywords:

  • Bequest, Jacket, Clothing, Material

Salty Dog Rag

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Title: Salty Dog Rag

Informant info:

Matt Tanenblatt is a current Dartmouth student and a member of the class of 2019. He came to Dartmouth from Atlanta, GA (where he has lived his entire life) and is a member of the men’s lacrosse team. An economics major, Matt is a very business minded individual—he launched an iPhone “app” over a year ago.

General Information:

  • Customary, dance, tradition
  • English
  • United States of America

Social / cultural context:

The Salty Dog Rag is taught to new freshmen by the Croo Members on the lawn in front of Robinson Hall on their first day of trips as well as on the last day at Moosilauke Lodge. Matt was interviewed about this item of folklore roughly 15 months after he went on Trips.

Item:

The Salty Dog Rag is a whimsical dance performed by freshmen and Croo Members alike throughout trips. It’s typically a very tense, awkward experience for freshmen to be learning the dance on their first day of Trips.

Transcript:

“The Salty Dog Rag is a staple of freshman trips. Every year before the schoolyear begins, a group of wide-eyed freshmen slowly make their way to the lawn outside Robinson Hall to sign in for their freshmen orientation trip. I’m not sure where the tradition came from or when it started, but it has been a part of trips for years. As the freshmen stand aroundly making meaningless small-talk, the Croo members bust out in song and dance, grabbing the freshmen and teaching them all the words and dance moves. Personally, I remember it as a painfully awkward icebreaker on the first day of trips, and I’m happy that I havn’t done the Salty Dog Rag since Trips.”

Collector’s comments:

As evidenced by his comments, Matt didn’t appear to have very fond memories of the Salty Dog Rag.

 

Collectors Info: Armin Mortazavi, Class of 2019, hometown: Potomac, MD

Construction of the Bonfire

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Title: Construction of the Bonfire

Informant info:

Kellen D’Alleva is currently a nineteen-year-old sophomore at Dartmouth college, which means she’s a member of the class of 2019. Hailing from Long Island, NY, she is a member of the women’s lacrosse team and intends to major in economics.

General Info:

  • Customary, ritual, tradition
  • English
  • United States of America

Social / cultural context:

Kellen was interviewed by herself at Dartmouth College just weeks after she experienced her second homecoming bonfire.

Item:

The homecoming bonfire is a Dartmouth tradition like no other. Since 1910, it has been the focus of homecoming weekend and “Dartmouth night.” In the early years of the tradition’s existence, it was customary for the bonfire to be constructed entirely by freshmen before they run laps around it. However, recently the majority of the construction is done by an actual construction company while certain groups or teams from around campus show up to help and decorate the boards of wood with their group names or logos.

Transcript:

“Every year during the week leading up to homecoming weekend it’s tradition that members of the freshmen class help build the bonfire. Last fall, my entire class of girls on the lacrosse team and I went to the green on the Thursday of homecoming week and spent roughly a few hours building part of the bonfire. Afterwards, like many other organizations on campus, we wrote all of our names and DWL (for Dartmouth Women’s Lacrosse) on the boards we added to the structure.”

Informant’s comments:

When asked why they felt compelled to help construct the bonfire, Kellen responded that no one in particular told them they had to do it, but rather that it was a Dartmouth tradition.

Collector’s comments:

The informant seemed generally happy and cheerful reminiscing about this memory, which could be potential reasoning for why it’s a tradition that has lasted for so long.

Collectors Info: Armin Mortazavi, Class of 2019, hometown: Potomac, MD

Matriculation

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Title: Matriculation

Informant info:

Jack Auteri is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania and is in the class of 2019 at Dartmouth College. He is planning on being a Government major. He was interviewed on 11/5/16 in Hanover, NH.

General Information:

  • Customary: Ceremony, Ritual, Tradition
  • English
  • U.S.

Social / Cultural Context:

Jack experienced the matriculation ceremony in the Fall of 2015 when he was a freshman at Dartmouth. It is one of his most memorable moments at Dartmouth thus far so he was happy to share his experience with us.

Item/Transcript:

“I remember my matriculation very clearly and it is one of my best memories from last year. I started getting really excited when my whole floor came together outside of Russell Sage. The guys were in jackets and ties and the girls were wearing nice dresses, so it felt like a pretty big deal. We walked together to the Parkhurst building, where President Hanlon’s office is. We sat outside under a tent waiting for our turn to go in and shake Hanlon’s hand. When we were up, I remember walking up the stairs to his office dripping in sweat. It was hot out that day and I am known to start sweating when I’m nervous. We went into his office and he spoke to us for ten minutes about what it means to be part of the bigger Dartmouth community. I then shook his hand, went back outside, and got to meet some alumni that graduated in 1969, which is 50 years before we are supposed to graduate. It was one of the most memorable moments for me so far.

Informant’s comments:

“I think this ceremony is a strong tradition that this school has, and it is a great way to initiate the freshmen into the Dartmouth community. I hope that the ritual of shaking President Hanlon’s hand stays strong in the future because it is an experience that all freshmen should experience in their first term at Dartmouth.

Collector’s comments:

I did not remember the details of my matriculation ceremony as clearly as Jack, but I agree that it is a tradition that should remain strong at Dartmouth. I remember shaking his hand and feeling very welcomed by the entire Dartmouth community. It truly is a great initiation ceremony and a great example of Customary Folklore.

Collector’s name: Will Randell

Tags/Keywords: Customary Lore, President Hanlon, Matriculation, Ceremony, Ritual, Tradition

 

Night at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge

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Title: Night at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge

General Information:

  • Customary: Traditions, Rituals, Dances, Pranks, Games
  • English
  • USA

Informant Data:

Charles James “CJ” Murphy was born in Greenwich, Connecticut on November 16, 1994. He is a 22-year-old student at Dartmouth College currently in his senior year. Growing up, he was an avid outdoorsman, and as such was very excited to participate in the Dartmouth Outing Clubs First-Year Trips program in the lead-up to freshman year. He was on the “Climb and Hike” trip.

Contextual Data: 

After leaving the wilderness, busses picked up the various groups on the informants trip section and brought them to the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. Although the informant was exhausted, dirty and sore, he and his “trippees” felt excitement in the air as they approached the Lodge.

Item:

Arriving at the Lodge is the culmination of Dartmouth trips, and the first ritual that takes place immediately sets the stage for the forthcoming initiation. As the freshmen exited the bus, they ran through a human tunnel of ecstatic Dartmouth students who were literally and figuratively welcoming them with open arms. At the Lodge, the boundaries between trip groups begin to blur as there is an emphasis on going outside the confines of your group and bonding with new people. Freshmen feel the full weight of initiation when they learn and sing the Alma Matter.

Informant’s Comments:

The informant pointed out that when his section was at the Lodge, it was very clear that the freshmen were far more comfortable and outgoing than they were at the outset. In his opinion, this was evidence that First-Year Trips was a successful rite of passage into the community.

Collector’s Comments:

After emerging from the wilderness and having conquered the transitional stage, the final night of First-Year Trips at the Moosilauke Lodge is the incorporation stage of rites of passages. Trip groups are no longer isolated, as the entire section is reunited and initiated into the Dartmouth “cult” by way of many elaborate rituals and ceremonies, including dancing, singing and games. Freshmen depart trips with a newfound, shared identity as valued members of the community.

Collector’s Name: Tommy Kaminsky

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Lore, Traditions, Rituals, Dances, Pranks, Games

Two-Day Wilderness Expedition

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Title: Two-Day Wilderness Expedition

General Information:

  • Customary: Traditions, Rituals, Pranks
  • Verbal: Folk Beliefs, Folk Speech
  • English
  • USA

Informant Data:

Charles James “CJ” Murphy was born in Greenwich, Connecticut on November 16, 1994. He is a 22-year-old student at Dartmouth College currently in his senior year. Growing up, he was an avid outdoorsman, and as such was very excited to participate in the Dartmouth Outing Clubs First-Year Trips program in the lead-up to freshman year. He was on the “Climb and Hike” trip.

Contextual Data: 

The informant experienced firsthand the wilderness portion of Dartmouth’s First-Year Trips when his trip group left Hanover and began hiking a segment of the Appalachian Trail in Lyme, New Hampshire. During this two-day period, the informant recalled that it rained heavily for a significant portion of the journey, making an already challenging task all the more daunting. The group was forced to leave all technology behind, creating an acutely solitary environment in which the group was intentionally coerced into being constantly engaged with each other.

Item:

Days two and three of trips are spent in the wilderness and are characterized by various rituals, pranks, and verbal lore that encourage trippees to learn more about each other and Dartmouth culture as a whole. The informant recalled the “Vox Croo Raid” as being the most memorable and effective tradition, in which a group of upperclassman, unbeknownst to the trippees at the time, emerged from the wilderness pretending to be a group of lost hikers. Using social media, they had preemptively compiled vast amounts of information about everyone in the group, and left the freshmen in disbelief when they began sharing it. Additionally, trip leaders explained Dartmouth customs and defined Dartmouth slang, helping freshmen adjust to their new world.

Informant’s Comments:

Despite not remaining in contact with anyone on his trip, the informant was adamant that his two days in the wilderness were extremely beneficial in facilitating his transition to Dartmouth.

Collector’s Comments:

The two-day journey into the wilderness that is the focal point of First-Year Trips embodies the transitional stage of rites of passages. This period is both ambiguous and indeterminate, as freshmen are purposefully made uncertain of what their next step is. Additionally, it can be an immensely intimidating and challenging experience for many. Trip leaders, who have already been initiated into the Dartmouth community, serve as guides and mentors to the freshmen.

Collector’s Name: Tommy Kaminsky

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Lore, Traditions, Rituals, Pranks; Verbal Lore, Folk Beliefs, Folk Speech