Tag Archives: children

Kakakool (Bibaswan Khadka)

Leave a reply

General Information about Item:

Superstition

Language: English

Culture of Origin: Nepali

Informant: NR

Date Collected: 10-22-2021

Informant Data:

NR was born in Dhapakhel, Nepal on June 15th, 1999 and lives in Thasikhel, Nepal. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in Business Administration. NR has one older brother BR. She enjoys watching movies, and likes tasting new foods. 

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

NR was taught about Kakakool by her older brother. According to her older brother Kakakool was once a man who died because of thirst. Due to this if someone asks for water and one does not give it to them, Kakakool will haunt them. NR does not know if this is a tale her brother made up himself to make her get him water or whether it is actually true. 

Cultural Context:

Older siblings often try to get their younger siblings to do chores for them. Oftentimes they may make up fake consequences such as monsters to scare younger siblings who may not know any better. 

Item:

If someone asks you for water, get them the water, or Kakakool will haunt you. 

Lakhe (Bibaswan Khadka)

Leave a reply

General Information about Item:

Superstition

Language: English

Culture of Origin: Nepali, ethnically Newari

Informant: BK

Date Collected: 10-25-2021

Informant Data:

BK was born in Kathmandu, Nepal on Sept 20th, 1968. He grew up in Dhapakhel, Nepal. Growing up in Dhapakhel, Nepal he was exposed to a lot of ethnically Newari culture due to the large Newari population in Dhapakhel. BK speaks fluent Newari along with English, Hindi and Nepali. After graduating from college he served in the military before moving to America. In America, BK calls Davenport, Iowa his home. He has 2 kids, a son and a daughter who are both in their 20s. BK’s hobbies include running, reading history and travelling.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

BK grew up in Dhapakhel, Nepal. Nepal is an ethnically diverse country. BK himself is ethnically Chettri but grew up in Dhapakhel which has a big ethnically Newari population. Because of this he was exposed to a lot of Newari culture and festivals. From this he came to know about the Lakhe, which is a demon clown in Newari culture,

Cultural Context:

In Newari culture, the Lakhe is a demon clown. It is said to go from house to house and kidnap children who do not behave and eat them. The existence of the Lakhe is used similarly to many other cultures to scare children into behaving well. Every year during Newari holidays people dress up in scary Lakhe costumes and go house to house and host dances to scare little kids.

Item:

If you are a kid you better behave well or the Lakhe will kidnap you and eat you. 

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

Naag (Bibaswan Khadka)

Leave a reply

General Information about Item:

Superstition

Language: English

Culture of Origin: Nepali

Informant: AK

Date Collected: 10-28-2021

Informant Data:

AK was born in Kathmandu, Nepal on April 12th, 1996. She grew up in Nepal before immigrating to the USA when she was 16. In America, AK calls Davenport, Iowa her hometown. She has one younger brother, BK, who is 4 years younger than her. AK’s hobbies include painting, running, and netflix. 

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

AK grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal. In Kathmandu, Naag Daha is a popular tourist attraction and lake. It literally translates to the lake of the Naag. The lake has a notorious reputation for drowning people who swim in it, especially young kids due to its depth. Thus, many people say that it is the Naag that pulls kids down into the lake. AK learnt about this through her mom. Nobody really remembers when the drownings started but every year 2 to 3 people drown in the lake. 

Cultural Context:

The Naag is a giant Cobra-like snake that calls the lake Naag Daha its home. It is said to live deep beneath the lake. The Naag can be both benevolent and malevolent depending on the context. Sometimes it is known to protect while other times it is known to kill. Culturally lakes and bodies of water are fun but also dangerous places due to the drowning hazard so it is not surprising that the Naag is seen as both benevolent and malevolent. 

Item:

One should not swim in the deep end of the Naag Daha unless they want to get pulled down and drowned by the Naag. 

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

El Cucuy (Noah Hensley)

Leave a reply

General Info About the Item

  • Spirit/Creature
  • Language: Spanish
  • Country of Origin- Mexico
  • Informant- EPV
  • Date Collected- Nov 1, 2021

Informant Data:

EPV was born in 2000 in the Los Angeles valley area. While born in LA, he spent a great deal of his childhood in the Lake Tahoe region with his father. His parents have been divorced since he was young, and he is of Mexican descent. EPV studies computer science at Dartmouth College, and is a current Junior. 

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: Mexican iconography and entities predate many Christian influences in the region, and are particularly poignant in those of native lineage (such as EPV’s family). Spirits and entities can be either positive, neutral, or negative depending on the intention of the spirit. 

Social Context: ‘El Cucuy’ is a spirit that attacks the disobedient, and therefore is passed down to younger children in Mexican households. EPV remembers hearing it from his aunt after he knocked over her bowl of soup as she was having dinner. Often, the illustrations of the cucuy are paired with an example from another family to build allure, e.g. “Your friend X didn’t go to bed on time, now El Cucuy grabbed him!” 

Item:

 ‘El Cucuy’ is essentially the Latin equivalent of a bogeyman. He is of short stature, hairy, and evil, and supposedly attacks children that are disobeying their elders. A child must go to bed on time, mustn’t steal, and mustn’t horse around or the Cucuy will come and grab them. Cucuy does not visit obedient children who listen to their parents.

Attatched File

El Cucuy (The bogeyman) - The Demons of Latin America

Informant Comments:

EPV remembers being quite scared of this as a child.

Collector Comments:

This is really similar to other non-latin conceptions of a boogeyman, and struck me as reminiscent of my own childhood.

Tags:

Demon

Latin

Children

Latin America

Monster

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes (Ali Silva)

Leave a reply

Title: “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”

General Information about Item:

  • Children’s folklore, lullaby
  • Language: English
  • Country of origin: America
  • Informant: AS
  • Date Collected: October 20, 2021

Informant Data:

  • AS was born in Walnut Creek, California on June 6, 2001. She lived with her mother, father, and three brothers growing up. She has one older brother and twin younger brothers. Her extended family resides in California, Oregon, and Idaho. Her family did not practice any religion growing up and they were very involved with the community and extra curricular activities such as theatre and athletics. 

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural context: This item is a classic American children’s lullaby. The song is centered around wonderful dreams in order to entice the child to try to fall asleep. It is a common lullaby in America and has been featured in Disney movies such as Cinderella. The lyrics and the tone of this lullaby are gentle and soothing to ease the child to sleep. 
  • Social Context: AS family is very musically inclined so arts, music, and singing was very common in her house growing up. Her mom would sing her lullabies almost every night before bed. Since Cinderella was AS favorite Disney princess, her mother often sang this lullaby since it is featured in the movie. AS remembers learning this from her mom singing it to her and then AS sang this lullaby to her younger brothers to help put them down for a nap. 

Item:

“A dream is a wish your heart makes

When you’re fast asleep

In dreams you will lose your heartache

Whatever you wish for you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday

Your rainbow ill come smiling through

No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

The dream that you wish will come true”

  • This lullaby features rhyming and soothing words associated with love and joy like “wish” and “love”. It is designed to make sleep and dreaming appealing to a young child both in terms of sleep and reaching for your dreams in real life. 

Associated File:

Informants Comments:

“I will share this lullaby with my children when I am older since it is one of my cherished memories with my mom.”

Collector:

Ali Silva

Dartmouth College

Russian 13

Professor Gronas and Professor Apresyan

Fall 2021

Tags:

Dartmouth

Students

Verbal Folklore

English Lullaby

Children

Story 4: “Support Networks”

Leave a reply

Support Networks

Informant Information:

Cathy has a daughter who has Down Syndrome. She is fifteen years old, and has recently joined  the “My Own Voice” choir. “My Own Voice” is a choir for children with special needs in Andover, Massachusetts. 

Type of Lore: Not Applicable

Language: English

Country of Origin: United States of America

Social/Cultural Context: This story again is not folklore, but it is a touching story about the kinds of support that newly special needs family receive upon learning of a diagnosis from friends, family and providers.

Informant Comments:

When I found out [my daughter] had Down Syndrome I was 18 weeks pregnant.

I had an ultra sound that showed a heart defect.  I had an amnio that day. A few days later we got the news that [she] had Trisomy 21.

I reached out to two friends I had that had siblings with Down Syndrome.

They were both very positive and loved their siblings very much.

They had both lost their sibling with DS from illness. One from a heart defect that could not be repaired at the time he was born. They can now repair that heart defect😊

That friend said to me ” I won’t judge you but I know you will love that baby”. She also told me about how her brother with DS cheered her up when she was a teenager crying or upset about silly teenage stuff.

The other friend told me also about fond childhood memories of her sister with DS.

When I told a man on the board I am on (Board of Assessors), he said ” I have a cousin with DS. She always played with us just like my other cousins”.

[My daughter] is 15 years old , but those are the supportive responses I remember the most😊

I could not forget to mention Dr Allen Crocker at Childrens Hospital Boston.

He was a strong advocate for Children with Down Syndrome.

He met with us prenatal and spoke ok the positive things we would experience . He said we would never have to worry about drinking or drug abuse issues 😊

 

Best Regards,

Cathy

Collector’s Comments: 

We know that this is not folklore because this story involves individuals talking about other individuals in their families, but we do believe that it is significant how other people were so forthcoming with their stories of support and stories of their own siblings and experiences with the disorder. There is a theme in this of how people stressed the attributes of their family members that conveyed how those members of their family experienced many things as typical children do; all families face challenges with their children, those with special needs just have a different set of problems than most.

Tags/Keywords: Special Needs, Children, Down Syndrome, Story, Expectations, Health, Support

Story 3: “Exceeding Expectations”

Leave a reply

“Exceeding Expectations”

Informant Information:

Jeanette has a son who has Down Syndrome. He is nineteen years old, and has been a member of the “My Own Voice” choir for a few years. “My Own Voice” is a choir for children with special needs in Andover, Massachusetts. 

Type of Lore: Not Applicable

Language: English

Country of Origin: United States of America

Social/Cultural Context: This story again is not folklore, but it is a kind of story that often has a shared sentiment among special needs families. These more personal stories are typically shared individually or with close friends of the family.

Informant Comments:

 Prom - The Whole Prom Crew

I have more than 19 years of stories!

The most recent that was especially heartwarming to me:

[His] 5th grade general education teacher had each of his students write a letter to her or his future self, the letter to be mailed to the students as they were preparing for high school graduation.  [He] received his letter last week.  In the letter, [He] spoke of friends who are still his friends today, and future plans.

I am happy to report that [his] closest friends from 5th grade are still his friends today.  Additionally, his circle of close friends has expanded.    The attached picture includes friends from 5th grade and newer friends, all of whom will likely be friends for life.

[His] goals included working in his best friend’s bookstore and becoming an artist.  His best friend has changed his goal from owning a bookstore to working in a library or bookstore, a vocation that is well-suited to his personality and skill sets.  [He] has taken art classes throughout middle school and high school, and in the fall he will be taking a drawing class (for credit) at MassBay Community College.  His artistic passion will serve him well as a pre-school teaching assistant or patient relations representative in a hospital pediatric unit.  I’m confident that both will be jobs yielding a competitive compensation package, including benefits.

When I found out in-utero that I my son had Down syndrome, I had 3 concerns:

  •  Would he be healthy
  •  Would he have friends?
  •  What kind of future would he have?

I am happy to report that he is healthy, he has a close-knit circle of friends, and he has a bright and happy future doing things he is passionate about.  What else can any mother ask for her child?

Collector’s Comments: 

We found that similar to Story 2, this story relayed similar sentiments addressed in the Holland Poem. Families who have a special needs child often redefine their expectations for their children, and are then even more astounded by their accomplishments. Additionally, many people who find out that their child has special needs for the first time or is outside of the special needs community often do not hear these tales of triumph and achievement. We feel very fortunate to have been trusted with this submission.

Tags/Keywords: Special Needs, Children, Story, Leadership, Expectations

Story 2: “Leadership Values”

Leave a reply

“Leadership Values”

Informant Information:

Jeanette has a son who has Down Syndrome. He is nineteen years old, and has been a member of the “My Own Voice” choir for a few years. “My Own Voice” is a choir for children with special needs in Andover, Massachusetts. 

Type of Lore: Not Applicable

Language: English

Country of Origin: United States of America

Social/Cultural Context: This story again is not folklore, but it is a kind of story that often has a shared sentiment among special needs families. These more personal stories are typically shared individually or with close friends of the family.

 

Informant Comments: 

Angelina,

I’m going to take a stab at this.  This is one of my favorite stories about [my son].  Feel free to pare it down if it’s too long or to let me know if I need to make changes so it’s meaningful to your project.

A few years back, when he was 15 years old, [he] attended a summer day camp program in which he was the oldest child there, and one of only a couple with intellectual disabilities.  [He] had attended this summer program since he was 8 years old, so he was a senior camper and really knew all the routines.  Two days a week, the campers travelled by bus to an indoor pool to swim.  [He] always sat with a very young child named Mitchell (not his real name).  Mitchell was a very active child, but when he was with [my son], he was always compliant and very well behaved.  One day, [he] had an early morning appointment and we dropped him off at the pool later.  The camp counselors were very happy to have [him] there for the ride back to camp because Mitchell had been pretty tough to deal with on the way to the pool that morning.  The ride back was much more calm because Mitchell had his mentor and role model there.

In my family we value intellect and leadership.  [My son] has Down syndrome; so, he has intellectual disabilities.  This was the first time I ever thought of my son as a leader and role model to others.  I had an amazing feeling of pride.

Since then, I have experienced his leadership first hand when we are home for the holidays and he is monitoring the play among his younger cousins.  They are old enough to realize their cousin has special needs, but because he’s older, they respect and look up to him as a role model.  When he tells them they need to take turns and that they need to be nice to one another, they listen and respond well. My siblings have noted this as well.

I’ve always been told that it’s important that [he] have access to “typical” peers to model age appropriate behavior for him.  It never occurred to me that he could be a leader and role model to others and that they would learn appropriate behavior from him; nor did it occur to me that this passion could potentially lead to a fulfilling job or volunteer opportunity as an adult.

Jeannette

Collector’s Comments: 

We found this story relayed similar sentiments addressed in the Holland Poem. Families who have a special needs child often redefine their expectations for their children, and are then even more astounded by their accomplishments. We feel very fortunate to have been trusted with this submission.

Tags/Keywords: Special Needs, Children, Story, Leadership, Expectations

Story 1: “Following Instructions”

Leave a reply

“Following Instructions”

Informant Information: 

Terry has a son who has Down Syndrome. He is twenty years old, and has been a member of the “My Own Voice” choir for several years now, and still participates. “My Own Voice” is a choir for children with special needs in Andover, Massachusetts.

Type of Lore: Not Applicable

Language: English

Country of Origin: United States of America

Social/Cultural Context: Little stories such as these are shared often throughout the community, similar to how parents share mishaps regarding their typical children as well. These are often given as cautionary tales.

Informant Comments: 

Dear Angelina,

So nice to hear from you!  We were in the process of packing up to move when we received your email telling us about the project you are working on.  We have been in our new home just over one week and this is the first time I am opening and responding to them.  

What a fun project!  So, Brian and I were just talking about how Joshua has viewed or understood a particular thing and we recalled a time when:

[He] was, maybe, 10 years old, and he had his first Gameboy and was playing Ratatouille.  He was mixing together all the ingredients for the recipe needed for the game and putting it into a baking pan.  Well, next, it needed to be “cooked”. The Gameboy, along with the game of Ratatouille, recipe ready, was placed into the microwave and turned on for cooking!  How could we feel anything except, grateful that the only things that did not survive were the Gameboy and the microwave, and compassion for [our son], and a greater “SENSE” of humor.

Life can be taken too seriously.

We hope you will enjoy this little story.

Collector’s Comments: 

While this story is entertaining, we have determined that it is not folklore. This is a story about an individual child told by his mother. What is significant in the characteristic of this particular story, though, is how it all hinges on this child’s interpretation of instructions literally, which is a view of the world that many, many people with special needs share.

Tags/Keywords: Literal, Stories, Children, Special Needs, Down Syndrome

 

Music as Communication among Peers

Leave a reply

Music as Communication among Peers

Informant information:

Mary Kate resides in Andover, Massachusetts. She has a daughter who has an undiagnosed developmental disorder. Her daughter is nine years old and participates in the” My Own Voice” choir, a choir for children with special needs in Andover.

Type of lore: Customary

Genre: Children’s Folklore

Language: English

Country of Origin: United States of America

Social / Cultural Context:

Mary Kate and Neal’s daughter cannot speak even though she is now nine years old as a result of an undiagnosed developmental disorder. Among the challenges this presents, she often has a difficult time connecting with her peers. This video captures how she and her peers created a methods of sharing a common act on a daily basis.

 

Informant’s comments:

The “typical” girls that [our daughter] is friends with at school also use music and songs to connect to her. They make up dances to show the teacher and even have a secret handshake which is really an elaborate high five routine with some dance moves and a sing songy recital of the moves. I would say this is the most included that [she] has been in the classroom in a long while and it is through music and movement.

Collector’s comments: 

This seems to be a piece of true children’s folklore, the girls work on songs, dances and routines like this together. What makes this particular one special is how it is in an effort to communicate with the girl who has special needs in a way that she is capable of reciprocating. At the end of the video one girl raises her hands and begins to shake them, which symbolizes applause in American Sign Language.

Tags/Keywords: Music, Communication, Custom, Special needs, Children, Dance, American Sign Language