Black Cat

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Title: Black Cat

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore, Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: India
  • Informant: Rama
  • Date Collected: 10-10-18

Informant Data:

  • Rama is a female software engineer of Houston, TX. She was born in Tirunelveli, India in 1975. She moved to the United States, however, at the age of 21, with her first job. Besides work, she enjoys gardening and reading. Today, Rama lives with her family in a suburb just outside of Houston.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Just as in many parts of the world, in India, the black cat is believed to be a bad omen, or a carrier of witchcraft. Each culture, however, has its own mechanism for ridding oneself of the curse, and its associated bad luck. In India, this mechanism is taking a sip of water at one’s original location.

 

  • Social Context: This superstition is today primarily practiced by elders in rural villages. With modern transportation and technology, people of urban areas are able to travel far distances to work, school, etc. This in turn makes the practice of this superstition far less practical.

Item:

  • This superstition relies on the belief that black cats are carriers of witchcraft and sorcery. So, if they cross one’s path, he/she is believed to be infected by a curse. The only way to rid oneself of this curse is to return to the original location and drink some water.

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

Transcript:

  • “If a black cat crosses your path, you’re thought to be cursed. And in order to rid yourself of the curse, you need to go back home, or wherever you came from, and take a sip of water. Otherwise you’ll keep having bad luck.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • This superstition, while it may be believed by some, is largely not practiced.

Collector’s Comments:

  • This is an example of a Conversion Superstition, as it follows the form: “If A, Then B, Unless C”. If a black cat crosses one’s path, then bad luck will befall him/her, unless he/she returns to the original location to drink water.

Collector’s Name: Sanjena Venkatesh

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Lore
  • Superstition
  • Black Cat

Kill the Principal

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Title: Kill the Principal

General Information about Item:

  • Verbal Lore, Joke
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Marshall Islands
  • Informant: Sanders Leon
  • Date Collected: 10-27-18

Informant Data:

  • Sanders is a native to the Marshall Islands. He was born in the Marshall Islands on the capital Majuro. Sanders moved to the Hawaiian Islands in the United states when he was five years old. He spent two years serving a mission for his church in Texas with Marshallese people.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The Marshall Islands are a part of the larger Micronesian island group and are largely surrounded by water. The typical diet of the Marshallese people includes a lot of fresh fish, tropical fruits and nuts. The Marshallese Public School system is similar to the United States in that the system is a network of elementary schools that are guided by central guidelines but managed by an internal leadership staff.
  • Social Context: The interviewee heard this joke when he was a kid on the Marshall Islands. He was educated at a young age in Majuro where the country’s public school system is headquartered. For young Marshallese children, jokes and other forms are verbal lore are sometimes used as educational tools for learning the language.

Item:

  • English Translation of the Joke:
In school one teacher was teaching his class. He said follow me. “Banana taste good”

Then the class said “banana taste good”

Now coconut “coconut taste good”

Then the class said “coconut taste good”

Pandanus?

Then the class said “pandanus taste good”

Breadfruit?

Then the class said “breadfruit taste good”

In the class the teacher saw a rat, then he yelled “kill the rat!”

The class also yelled out “kill the rat”

The principal hearing the teacher came to see if there was any problem.

The teacher saw the principal and said “principal!”

Then the class yelled out “kill the principal”
  • The joke is sort of a play on words, or rather a play on the situation. You can see the prevalence of foods that are important in Marshallese culture. Particularly the mention of pandanus and breadfruit which are fruits native to the old world tropics and the south Pacific region of the world.

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

Transcript:

  • “Mā”? Im class eo raar ba ‘enno mā.’ Ilo class eo rikaki eo eaar lò juon kijirik. I’m eaar lamuj ñan class eo ‘mane kijirik eo.’ Im class eo raar ba ‘mane kijirik eo.’

    Principle eo eaar roñ rikaki eo I’m eaar tal im lale ewōr ke joran. Rikaki eo eaar lo principle eo im ba ‘principle!’ Im class eo raar ba ‘mane principle eo!’

Informant’s Comments:

  • This joke was something from the informants childhood that stayed with him. He enjoyed the joke when he was young and still enjoys telling it today.

Collector’s Comments:

  • The joke may seem kind of silly, however, this is just the type of humor that would thrive in a group of young school children. The food elements of the joke make it distinctly Marshallese, but the punchline is one that could be familiar in many cultures.

Collector’s Name: Jimmy McHugh

Tags/Keywords:

  • Verbal Lore
  • Joke
  • Marshall Islands
  • Elementary School
  • Teacher
  • Principal
  • Fruit
  • Food

Rich Man

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Title: Rich Man

General Information about Item:

  • Verbal Lore, proverb
  • Language: Hebrew
  • Informant: Jonathon Schneck
  • Date Collected: 11-03-18

Informant Data:

  • Jonathan Schneck is a student at Dartmouth College, and is currently a senior. He grew up in Long Island, New York. He attended North Shore Hebrew Academy High School. At Dartmouth, he is involved with Chabad, a Jewish student organization.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: This proverb has religious origins, demonstrating the importance of religious wisdom to this culture. It is said by Ben Zoma (a religious figure) in Chapter Four of Pirkei Avot. Pirkei Avot, known as Ethics of the Fathers in English, is a compilation of the ethical teachings passed down to the Rabbis.
  • Social Context: Jonathon learned this proverb from his father. It is of special importance to him because his father used the proverb to encourage Jonathon to follow his passion and not to follow something for money, or the wrong reasons. This proverb was thus intentionally used to instill wisdom from one generation to the next, in the language of their religion.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb:

Translation: “Who is a rich man? One who is happy with his portion, as it is said, ‘You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors; you shall be happy and it will be good for you.’ ”

(Where the bolded first part has become the well known proverb)

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

 

Informant’s Comments:

  • Jonathon appreciated the structure of this proverb, as it begins with a question and thus brings special attention to it.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I especially like the rhythm of “Who is.. one who”, as it makes the proverb more memorable. It’s interesting this proverb addresses not comparing one’s self to others. I am curious if this is a common theme in the culture.

Collector’s Name: Madison Minsk

Tags/Keywords:

  • Verbal Lore
  • Hebrew Proverb
  • Relationships

Narrow Bridge

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Title: Narrow Bridge

General Information about Item:

  • Verbal Lore, proverb
  • Language: Hebrew
  • Informant: Alex Leibowitz
  • Date Collected: 10-24-18

Informant Data:

  • Alex Leibowitz is a Dartmouth 2019 and studies Economics. He is from Scarsdale, NY and is a member of SAE fraternity. He is involved with Chabad on campus. He plans to pursue a career in finance after graduating.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The origin of the Proverb is from the teachings of Rabbi Nachman. Rabbi Nachman has a group of followers that might say this proverb to each other. This proverb has also been turned into a children’s song, and it is more common for it to be shared through that medium. Rabbinical teachings are very important in the Jewish culture, as religion is a main source of wisdom. This is demonstrated by the transformation of the teachings of a religious leader into a proverb.
  • Social Context: Alex first heard this proverb in the song, and interprets this proverb as meaning not to look to the side at what others have, or down on others, but to look straight ahead. He believes that relationships can be tenuous and fraught with tension, but that it is important to get past problems by looking ahead. This proverb has been a helpful way for him to remind himself of that.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb:

“Kol ha-o-lam ku-lo gesher tzar me’od
V’ha-i-kar lo l’fached klal”

Translation:

“The whole world is a very narrow bridge. The important thing is not to be afraid.”

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

 

Informant’s Comments:

  • Alex enjoyed that a proverb had been turned into a song, which is a powerful way to spread information, especially among younger people.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I liked this proverb because of its many possible interpretations. In a lot of ways it remains very open ended as to its meaning, allowing it to be applicable in many different situations.

Collector’s Name: Madison Minsk

Tags/Keywords:

  • Verbal Lore
  • Hebrew Proverb
  • Relationships

 

Insulting Gestures: American Children — Gesture 5

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General Information about Item

  • Gesture
  • Genre: Insulting American Children’s Gesture
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Alejandro Cuan-Martinez
  • Date Collected: October 28, 2018

Informant Data

Alejandro is a ’20 that attends Dartmouth College. He is from Los Angelas, California where he grew up for most of his childhood. He is of Chinese-Mexican decent and has an older brother. In high school he was on the swim team. He is interested in studio arts and is a member of the Alpha Theta gender-inclusive greek house.

Contextual Data

Social Context – I collected this folklore from Alejandro in Alpha Theta’s library. I recorded our conversation on an iPhone and asked him to tell me about insulting gestures he may remember from childhood. It was humorous the wide array of gestures he recalled from childhood that he would use to insult his friends in primary school. Many of the gestures were subtle variations of the middle finger, used in a manner to get away with giving someone the bird without actually doing the gesture but fully implying it with a similar one. Most of the gestures he showed me were ones targeted towards a specific person with the intention of being seen and received, with the ability to be quickly concealed if an adult was to look. 

Cultural Context – Alejandro learned this gesture in elementary school when learning sign language. During this time, his older friends taught him how to say “F— you” in sign language.

Item

“You start at the base of your throat and the tips of your fingers move up across your throat up to your chin, and once you reach your chin, you flip your hand out and over kind of like you’re holding a tray.”

Associated File

F*ck you in sign language-1pknotd

Informant’s Comments

Alejandro noted that it was funny how as children, they found a way to insult each other, even during class. 

Collector’s Comments

I remember learning this myself when I was also in middle school and also using it during on of my classes to communicate with my friends if someone was bothering me. Although it was meant as an insult, we also used it as a way to express if someone made us feel uncomfortable or upset.

Collector’s Name: Cherie-Noelle Kaanana

Tags/Keywords

  • Gestures
  • American Children
  • Insults

Insulting Gestures: American Children — Gesture 4

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General Information about Item

  • Gesture
  • Genre: Insulting American Children’s Gesture
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Alejandro Cuan-Martinez
  • Date Collected: October 28, 2018

Informant Data

Alejandro is a ’20 that attends Dartmouth College. He is from Los Angelas, California where he grew up for most of his childhood. He is of Chinese-Mexican decent and has an older brother. In high school he was on the swim team. He is interested in studio arts and is a member of the Alpha Theta gender-inclusive greek house.

Contextual Data

Social Context – I collected this folklore from Alejandro in Alpha Theta’s library. I recorded our conversation on an iPhone and asked him to tell me about insulting gestures he may remember from childhood. It was humorous the wide array of gestures he recalled from childhood that he would use to insult his friends in primary school. Many of the gestures were subtle variations of the middle finger, used in a manner to get away with giving someone the bird without actually doing the gesture but fully implying it with a similar one. Most of the gestures he showed me were ones targeted towards a specific person with the intention of being seen and received, with the ability to be quickly concealed if an adult was to look. 

Cultural Context – Alejandro learned flipping off with his thumb in between his middle and ring finger from a Filipino friend in early middle school. He learned it one day while waiting for his mom to pick him up and waiting with his friend.

Item

“Basically you put your thumb in between your ring finger and middle finger. And you make a fist and you have your thumb sticking up in between your ring finger and middle finger. And again, that’s like flipping someone off.”

Associated Image

Informant’s Comments

Alejandro noted that because it was so subtle, people barely noticed when he would do it and so he stopped using it because it wasn’t as effective. 

Collector’s Comments

This is probably a gesture best used for subtle rebellion for children, and not so much for insulting someone and making sure they see it. It appears to be someone one would do to feel as though they got away with doing something bad.

Collector’s Name: Cherie-Noelle Kaanana

Tags/Keywords

  • Gestures
  • American Children
  • Insults

Insulting Gestures: American Children — Gesture 3

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General Information about Item

  • Gesture
  • Genre: Insulting American Children’s Gesture
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Alejandro Cuan-Martinez
  • Date Collected: October 28, 2018

Informant Data

Alejandro is a ’20 that attends Dartmouth College. He is from Los Angelas, California where he grew up for most of his childhood. He is of Chinese-Mexican decent and has an older brother. In high school he was on the swim team. He is interested in studio arts and is a member of the Alpha Theta gender-inclusive greek house.

Contextual Data

Social Context – I collected this folklore from Alejandro in Alpha Theta’s library. I recorded our conversation on an iPhone and asked him to tell me about insulting gestures he may remember from childhood. It was humorous the wide array of gestures he recalled from childhood that he would use to insult his friends in primary school. Many of the gestures were subtle variations of the middle finger, used in a manner to get away with giving someone the bird without actually doing the gesture but fully implying it with a similar one. Most of the gestures he showed me were ones targeted towards a specific person with the intention of being seen and received, with the ability to be quickly concealed if an adult was to look. 

Cultural Context – Alejandro learned flipping off with his ring finger in middle school. The actual middle finger was for when you’re older so in middle school, the ring finger was the next closest thing.

Item

“It’s the same thing as a pinky – you make your hand into a fist and then raise your ring finger. People think it looks like you’re flipping someone off and using your middle finger, but really it’s your ring finger.”

Associated Image

Informant’s Comments

Alejandro found it particularly funny when mentioning that the middle finger is for when you’re older. When I inquired why, he mentioned that it felt more like you were fully committing to insulting someone and it was like swearing for the first time when you did actually flip someone off. 

Collector’s Comments

I remember my own friend getting mad one day and accidentally flipping the bird and when he was confronted about it, he immediately denied it and said he was raising his ring finger, not his middle finger. For some reason, changing that one thing made it less rude and a bit more acceptable, as he got off with only a slap on the wrist.

Collector’s Name: Cherie-Noelle Kaanana

Tags/Keywords

  • Gestures
  • American Children
  • Insults

Insulting Gestures: American Children — Gesture 2

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General Information about Item

  • Gesture
  • Genre: Insulting American Children’s Gesture
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Alejandro Cuan-Martinez
  • Date Collected: October 28, 2018

Informant Data

Alejandro is a ’20 that attends Dartmouth College. He is from Los Angelas, California where he grew up for most of his childhood. He is of Chinese-Mexican decent and has an older brother. In high school he was on the swim team. He is interested in studio arts and is a member of the Alpha Theta gender-inclusive greek house.

Contextual Data

Social Context – I collected this folklore from Alejandro in Alpha Theta’s library. I recorded our conversation on an iPhone and asked him to tell me about insulting gestures he may remember from childhood. It was humorous the wide array of gestures he recalled from childhood that he would use to insult his friends in primary school. Many of the gestures were subtle variations of the middle finger, used in a manner to get away with giving someone the bird without actually doing the gesture but fully implying it with a similar one. Most of the gestures he showed me were ones targeted towards a specific person with the intention of being seen and received, with the ability to be quickly concealed if an adult was to look. 

Cultural Context – Alejandro learned flipping someone off with his pinky in middle school. He said he learned it before learning to flip someone off with his ring finger. He caught on from his friends when they would do it to each other.

Item

“Basically, I was told that in other cultures that if you make your hand into a fist and raise your pinky, that’s another way of flipping someone off and insulting them.”

Associated Image

Informant’s Comments

Alejandro mentioned that it was like the first tier of flipping someone off and was a gradual increase of how far you would go to give someone the bird.

Collector’s Comments

This reminds me of when children would try to “be fancy” when I was little, as they would raise their pinky. It’s quite interesting how in one context, it can be a civil thing to do to try to express elegance, whereas in another it can be inappropriate and provocative.

Collector’s Name: Cherie-Noelle Kaanana

Tags/Keywords

  • Gestures
  • American Children
  • Insults

Insulting Gestures: American Children — Gesture 1

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General Information about Item

  • Gesture
  • Genre: Insulting American Children’s Gesture
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Alejandro Cuan-Martinez
  • Date Collected: October 28, 2018

Informant Data

Alejandro is a ’20 that attends Dartmouth College. He is from Los Angelas, California where he grew up for most of his childhood. He is of Chinese-Mexican decent and has an older brother. In high school he was on the swim team. He is interested in studio arts and is a member of the Alpha Theta gender-inclusive greek house.

Contextual Data

Social Context – I collected this folklore from Alejandro in Alpha Theta’s library. I recorded our conversation on an iPhone and asked him to tell me about insulting gestures he may remember from childhood. It was humorous the wide array of gestures he recalled from childhood that he would use to insult his friends in primary school. Many of the gestures were subtle variations of the middle finger, used in a manner to get away with giving someone the bird without actually doing the gesture but fully implying it with a similar one. Most of the gestures he showed me were ones targeted towards a specific person with the intention of being seen and received, with the ability to be quickly concealed if an adult was to look. 

Cultural Context – Alejandro learned it when fighting with other little kids when he was younger. He then went home that day and did it to mom, who got very mad.

Item

“Usually little kids do it but basically if you’re playing around or are mad at someone, you stick out your tongue.”

Associated File

Sticking Out Tongue-244r96x

Informant’s Comments

Alejandro noted that he got in a lot of trouble from his mom when he did it to her.

Collector’s Comments

When I was younger, I remember either my mom or sisters telling me that if I did that, the Devil would come in the middle of the night and chop off my tongue.

Collector’s Name: Cherie-Noelle Kaanana

Tags/Keywords

  • Gestures
  • American Children
  • Insults

Insulting Gestures: American Children — Gesture 9

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The Lifting Both Hands Up Gesture (Eitan Vilker)

Title: The Lifting Both Hands Up Gesture

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore: Hand gesture
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Ari (last name withheld)
  • Date Collected: 10-21-18

Informant Data:

  • Ari was born in New Jersey in 2001. His father is an lawyer, and his mother is a doctor. who operates a private practice. Ari and his family are Jewish. He has lived in Rhode Island for most of his life. Ari attends East Greenwich High School. He has family from Israel and from Germany.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Children like to use gestures that can apply to multiple different scenarios and that they can have plausible deniability for if they are accused of being rude. Thus, gestures that can be polite in certain contexts but unkind in others are a favorite of many children.
  • Social Context: This hand gesture was brought up as a result of the interviewer asking what insulting gestures Ari knew. He’s not certain where he learned it from, but he suspects it originates from within his family. Most insulting gestures children make are used in school settings, physical activities and games, casual conversations, and at home- in short, the situations in which children spend the majority of their time.

Item:

  • When using this gestures, one should hold the fingers of each hand together and bob them up and down a few times. This gesture is actually used in a polite or neutral manner more often than it is used in a rude way, but it can be used to indicate that small talk with another person would be a waste of time and it would be best to end the social encounter as soon as possible.

Associated File:

Ari_Gesture-239qm8r

Transcript:

  • “Interviewer: When would you do that? Ari: Like, to greet someone.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • This gesture has a very specific meaning but it can be used in a few different ways, which makes it very useful if one’s goal is to do something that looks innocuous while conveying an entirely different meeting.

Collector’s Name: Eitan Vilker

Tags/Keywords:

  • Insulting Gestures
  • Lifting Both Hands Up
  • Greeting