Tag Archives: family

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep (Jennifer Wendelken)

Leave a reply

Title: Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

General Information about Item:

Verbal Folklore
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States
Informant:  Peter Rizzotti
Date Collected: 10-2-21

Informant Data: 
Peter Rizzotti was born on May 13, 2000, in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Peter’s mother is from Boston, MA and his father is from Ridgewood, New Jersey. He has one younger brother. Peter is a senior on the men’s lacrosse team at Dartmouth and a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity. He was raised Catholic in a traditional family home. Peter shared that some of his earliest memories were his mother singing Ba Ba Black Sheep to him before bed as a child.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: 
“Ba Ba Black Sheep” was the only lullaby that Peter’s mother sang to him growing up. She would sing this lullaby to his little brother and him whenever they could not fall asleep or if they awoke from a nightmare and were scared. He talked about how his mother is not the warmest individual, but whenever she sang them “Ba Ba Black Sheep” she was tender and loving.

Cultural Context: 
This lullaby was first written in England in 1744 but matched to a tune in Philadelphia in 1879. There is now controversy over the negative racial implications associated with the lyrics, and there are now versions released with adjectives other than ‘black’ including ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘hopping’, and ‘pink’. Peter was sung “Baa Baa Black Sheep” by his mother because her own mother also sang the lullaby to her growing up. This shows how family traditions are passed down through generations.

Item: 
Ba Ba Black Sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.
One for my master,
One for the dame,
One for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

Associated file: 

Ba-Ba-Black-Sheep-_Master-Recording_Download

Informant Comments: 
My parents did not really sing lullabies to my brother and me often, but my mom sang “Baa Baa Black Sheep” to us whenever we had trouble falling asleep or had a bad nightmare. I really used to like it when she sang to us and sometimes I would fake not being able to sleep just so she would sing to me.

Collector Comments: 
Peter is one of my very good friends who does not share much about his childhood so it was great to hear him talk about a tender memory he has with his mom. It was harder to get information out of him which I think can be attributed to masculinity.

Collectors Name: Jennifer Wendelken

Tags: Dartmouth, student, male, English, verbal, family, childhood

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Jennifer Wendelken)

Leave a reply

Title: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

General Information about Item:
Verbal Folklore
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States
Informant:  Jason Montima
Date Collected: 10-14-21

Informant Data: 
Jason “Jay” Montima was born on June 24, 1999, in Groton, Massachusetts. His parents are both from Haiti and work in the medical field in the Boston area. Jay is a senior on the squash team at Dartmouth and is a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. He has one older brother. Jason speaks Haitian Creole fluently and talks with his parents in Creole around their family home. Interestingly, Jay’s parents sang English lullabies to him as a child to help assimilate him into American culture and to help with their own English-speaking abilities.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: 
Jay’s parents sang a few lullabies to him and his brother growing up when he was too energetic to fall asleep, but Jay has the clearest memories of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. His brother is 9 years older than him, so when his brother would babysit him, he would also sing it to Jay. Jason talked about how he never thought much about why his Creole-speaking parents chose to sing to him in English until he was in high school but says it made sense to him when they told him they wanted to practice their own English.

Cultural Context: 
Coming from a strong Haitian family heritage, Jay is very familiar with other Haitian music and stories, but he noted how his lullabies were all sung in English. Mixing American and Haitian culture has been a theme in Jay’s life across most of his experiences. His parents wanted Jay and his brother to have an American upbringing, sending him to Boston preparatory schools his whole life. He says it makes sense to him that his childhood lullabies were all sung in English because his parents would also read English children’s books to him growing up.

Item: 
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are

Associated file: 

Informant Comments: 
I appreciate my parents putting effort into exposing my brother and me to both American and Haitian traditions growing up. I am very comfortable with both my identities and how they have mixed all my life. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is a staple from my childhood.

Collector Comments: 
Jay is one of my closest friends so learning about his mixed background was super interesting. I haven’t talked much with him about his early childhood so hearing about the balance of Haitian and American culture in his earliest days was really enjoyable.

Collectors Name: Jennifer Wendelken

Tags: Dartmouth, student, male, family, English

“A Bushel and a Peck” (Jennifer Wendelken)

Leave a reply

Title: A Bushel and a Peck

General Information about Item:
Verbal Folklore
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States
Informant: Rosie McCarthy
Date Collected: 10-17-21

Informant Data:

Rosie McCarthy was born on November 16th, 2001. Her mom grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and her father grew up in Portland, Oregon. She currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her parents. Rosie is a sophomore on the lacrosse team at Dartmouth. She has three older sisters whom she is very close with. She shared with me that the lullaby “A Bushel and a Peck” we collected was a key part of her childhood, as well as in her mother’s life because her grandmother would sing it to her mom.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

This lullaby was sung to her and her sisters every night before falling asleep when they were little. Her mom wanted to continue the tradition of singing this lullaby to her daughters because it was sung to her. Rosie’s mother would pat her back to the tune of the lullaby, just as her own mother would do for her. When her mom couldn’t sing it to her, her older sisters would sing it to her instead.


Cultural Context:

Rosie’s family’s tradition of “A Bushel and a Peck” being sung on her mother’s side is remarkable. Rosie’s mother and grandmother both sang this lullaby to their daughters growing up and each generation was impacted by it. Rosie and her three sisters all feel a special connection to the lullaby and plan on continuing the family tradition with their children, daughters and sons alike. This lullaby originated from the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls in 1950. Rosie was not sure if that was how her grandmother first heard it.

Item:
I love you, a bushel and a peck,
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap and I’m talkin’ in my sleep,
About you

Associated file:

A-bushel-and-a-peckDownload

Informant Comments:
This lullaby is super special to me and one of my earliest childhood memories. My mom would pat my back to the tune of the lullaby the same way my grandma would do to my mom. My sisters and I have talked to my mom about her childhood a lot so feeling connected to her upbringing through A Bushel and a Peck has been a great experience.

Collector Comments:
Rosie is one of my teammates and I know her family pretty well. It was awesome to hear such a special family tradition surrounding a lullaby. It was super interesting to see how Rosie’s female family members were brought together in this way.

Collectors Name: Jennifer Wendelken

Tags: Dartmouth, female, tradition, family, student

“Toora Loora” (Lucy Murray

Leave a reply

Title: “Toora Loora”

General Information about Item:

Verbal Folklore 

Language: Irish-American 

Country of Origin: USA

Informant: M.B.

Date Collected: 10-31-21

Informant Data: 

M.B. was born December 6th, 2000 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. She is the youngest of 3 girls and has lived in New Jersey her whole life. Her parents are incredibly supportive of her endeavours as she is currently on the Dartmouth Field Hockey team. She enjoys being outside with friends and taking in the simple moments. M.B.’s parents are both Irish, so she grew up with many Irish lullabies before. One she highlighted that was a staple in her household was “Toora Loora”

Contextual Data: 

Social Context: 

M.B. sang this lullaby frequently during her childhood. She mentioned that both of her sisters also heard this lullaby when they were younger. Looking back, she realized that hearing this song was truly a soothing method for her when she was little. It instantly calmed her nerves and made her feel at home. 

Cultural Context: 

Being from an Irish family made this lullaby known to M.B. When interviewed, it made me realize that there are so many more lullabies out there than we realize. For M.B., she feels connected to her Irish roots when she hears this lullaby. She also mentioned that both her parents sang this lullaby as kids, so it has been in the family awhile. M.B. would consider this lullaby to be a huge part of her Childhood. 

Item: 

Over in Killarney, many years ago

My mother sang a song to me in tones so soft and low

Just a simple little ditty in her good old Irish way

And I’d give the world if I could hear that song of hers today

Audio: 

Informant Comments: 

My family is Irish, so this lullaby was a great way for my parents to teach us about our Irish heritage. I was actually only ever sung a part of this lullaby. There is a whole other part, but my parents kept it short and simple.  I will always remember Toora Loora and will be singing it to my children as well. My family is Irish, so this lullaby was a great way for my parents to teach us about our Irish heritage. I will always remember Toora Loora and will be singing it to my children as well. 

Collector Comments: 

I had never heard of this specific Irish lullaby before, but M.B. was extremely passionate about sharing. I learned a lot about her family and the importance of their Irish heritage. I appreciated the time I got to speak with M.B. and thought it was extremely valuable. 

Collector’s Name: Lucy Murray 

House Families

Leave a reply

Title: House Families

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore
  • Informant: R.C. ’22
  • Date Collected: 05/19/2020

Informant Data:

  • R.C. is a male student at Dartmouth College. He is affiliated.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Families are small units of close individuals. The adoption of this technique into fraternity culture serves a similar purpose.
  • Social Context: House families are smaller groups in the house new members are sorted in to. These act as smaller and closer social groups for the new members in the house.

Item:

  • This specific fraternity gives its new members “families” within its members. These families consist of one to two new members and a handful of older members to serve as a resource during and after the rush process.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I found these families to be an interesting and useful way to help new members during the rush process. They stay families for life, long after active membership in the fraternity ends. In this specific example, the family the informant was in was easily dated back to Dartmouth alumni from 2014.

Collector’s Name: Charlie Wade

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Lore
  • Family
  • Social

Blood of the Covenant

Leave a reply

Title: Blood of the Covenant

General Information:

  • Verbal lore, Proverb
  • Informant: Caroline Petro
  • Location: Via Phone Call to Massachusetts Area
  • Date: November 1, 2018

Informant Data:

Caroline Petro is a Dartmouth alumna who graduated in June 2018. She is 22 years old. She was born and raised Catholic, though she attended private school instead of Catholic school. She lives in Norwood, Massachusetts, and she currently works on the cape of Massachusetts as an intern for a museum fundraising and marketing department. She has three siblings, one of whom is in training to become a Catholic priest, and her mother recently earned a degree to become a theologian.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

Caroline has heard this proverb from many different people in its shorter version, but the longer version she heard from her mother a few years ago. Her mother, as above, is a theologian, and studies philosophy and religion. Caroline and her mother are very close, and their faith is a part of their relationship.

Cultural Context:

Caroline said that the better-known proverb is interpreted to mean that the blood of your familial relationships means more than the water of other relationship bonds. But the full proverb, in its Catholic meaning, preferences the blood of the covenant (a metaphor for Christ’s sacrifice, and a commitment) means more than the water of the womb (a metaphor for familial ‘blood’ relationships). This proverb doesn’t say that family or friends are more important than either family or friends—but that the relationship among church members and people who share in that covenant is greater than any other relationship.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb:

“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

Expanding upon the secular proverb:

“Blood is thicker than water.”

Interview Audio:

This proverb (and Caroline’s background) is discussed up to the 9:44 mark.

Collector’s Comments:

The formula is a two part proverb that relies on comparison. The image is a serious reflection on the church’s tenets, and evokes a mental image of the blood of Christ/the cup of wine at church services. The message contradicts the meaning as interpreted by secular culture, and instead preferences church family above “blood” relations or friendships. This is one of few proverbs that doesn’t explicitly state friends or family preferences, but instead values a different kind of relationship above both of those.

Collector:

Alexandra Norris, 20
3305 Hinman, Hanover, NH, 03755
Dartmouth College
Russian 13
Fall 2018

Tags:

  • Proverbs
  • Catholic Proverbs
  • Relationships
  • Family
  • Friends

Saints and Martyrs

Leave a reply

Title: Saints and Martyrs

General Information:

  • Verbal lore, Proverb
  • Informant Name: Meg Costantini
  • Location: Meg’s office, Aquinas House, Hanover, NH, 03755
  • Date: October 18, 2018

Informant Data:

Meg Costantini is a campus minister at Dartmouth College’s Catholic student center, Aquinas House. She describes herself as a “cradle Catholic,” meaning that she was born and raised Catholic her whole life. She went to public school for grade and high school, Villanova for her undergraduate degree, and got her Masters of Divinity from Notre Dame in 2015. After that, she started her current job. She is married to her husband Shawn, has a one-year-old daughter Lucy, and a baby on the way. (And her dog, Rey, who you’ll hear barking in the audio recording.)

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

Meg said that she heard this proverb from many Catholics, and could recall most recently the priest that she works with saying it in a homily. Homilies take place during Catholic mass services, after the day’s gospel reading, and are intended to preach a message with deeper meaning. Otherwise, they were casual conversations.

Cultural Context:

For Catholics, saints are people who lived out the Church’s teachings to the fullest extent, and martyrs are people who died for the faith. Both serve as role models to modern-day Catholics. This proverb pokes fun at one person needing to act as a martyr in order to live with someone who is a saint—or thinks that they are one. Meg mentioned that this proverb has a special meaning to her in her relationship with her husband; that they take turns being the martyr and the saint to each other. In her mind, this proverb exemplifies that there’s something about interacting with other people that makes us better versions of ourselves. When we interact with real people, with difficult or different personalities, we develop our own selves. The proverb is a reminder that when we feel frustrated with the people we live with (especially in marriage), that is a call to respond in a way that will bring us closer to God.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb:

“It takes a martyr to live with a saint.”

Audio Recording:

Volume Warning: Meg’s busy life includes a young baby who liked to stand near the computer and a dog who likes to bark–they are audible and loud on the recording! Listen with care as to your volume.

This portion of the interview concludes about halfway through the second audio recording.

Collector’s Comments:

The formula of this proverb is two parts, with a statement and a condition. The image is intended to be humorous, though with a heartfelt/serious message behind it. This proverb uses metaphors of Catholicism to diffuse tension, inject humor, and poke fun at humility, while showing that martyrdom and sainthood are valued within the Church. This is one of two proverbs that I collected that focus on sainthood, which seems to be an important goal to strive towards, and certainly imparts morals, as well. Additionally, my informant chose to explain this proverb through her own life as well as through church history, showing a very personal connection.

Collector:

Alexandra Norris, 20
3305 Hinman, Hanover, NH, 03755
Dartmouth College
Russian 13
Fall 2018

Tags:

  • Proverbs
  • Catholic Proverbs
  • Family
  • Relationships

Family and Sainthood

Leave a reply

Title: Family and Sainthood Proverb

General Information:

  • Verbal lore, Proverb
  • Informant Name: Mike Carlowicz
  • Location: Aquinas House Library, Hanover, NH, 03755
  • Date: October 17, 2018

Informant Data:

Mike Carlowicz is a freshman at Dartmouth College. He was born and raised Catholic, went to Catholic school for all of his education before college, and now is involved in the Catholic student center at Dartmouth. He regularly attends Catholic mass at home. His parents are married and he has siblings.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

Mike heard this proverb separately from a few different priests at his home parish while they were saying a homily, the reflection on the gospel reading for that day’s mass. He later was in the same space as all of those priests, in an informal gathering room like a study or lounge, and asked them if they had all heard it separately or from each other. They had all picked it up on their own, and it was a coincidence that they each preached about it.

Cultural Context:

Mike says this proverb is meaningful to him because as a Catholic, he believes that we should all strive to become saints. He knows that he’s not perfect, but he thinks this proverb exemplifies how much easier it is to be of a saint-like nature around people who aren’t family. Additionally, he says that this proverb points out that while it is more difficult, family may be a more valuable setting in which to try to emulate those qualities. He outlined two reasons for his interpretation. First, it’s easier to be saint-like around others because family members know your past and the motivations behind your actions; for example, if you’re acting with kindness in order to get your way later or gain something for yourself. Family members can more easily recognize your common sins. Second, the family is a more valuable setting in which to try to become a saint, because they can encourage you, support you, and see your progress. Since it is all the more difficult, it is even more impressive to be able to emulate the saints among people who know you deeply and may also know how to provoke you.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb:

“It’s harder to be a saint around your family.”

Interview Audio:

Collector’s Comments:

This is a two part proverb, with a statement and a condition. The image is humorous, but with serious implications, as emphasized by the informant with personal connections to his own life and faith journey. This proverb stresses the importance of sainthood to Catholics, and suggests a method of achieving it (by being most saintlike when it is difficult to do so). As the informant inherited this proverb from several sources at different times, it also seems somewhat ubiquitous.

Collector:

Alexandra Norris, 20
3305 Hinman, Hanover, NH, 03755
Dartmouth College
Russian 13
Fall 2018

Tags:

  • Proverbs
  • Catholic Proverbs
  • Family
  • Relationships

North America Initiation Rituals: The Importance of Family at a Quinceañera

Leave a reply

Title: North America Initiation Rituals: The Importance of Family at a Quinceañera

 General Information about Item:

  • Initiation Rituals
  • Culture: Latinx and Catholic
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Mexico/America
  • Informant: Athina Schmidt
  • Place Collected: Kappa Delta Sorority
  • Date Collected: 11-2-18

Informant Data:

  • Athina Schmidt, age 29, is a female Dartmouth student who is graduating with the class of 2019. She was born in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She is currently living in Brooklyn, New York. Her ethnic background is half Dominican and half German. She went to a public high school in the city. At Dartmouth, Athina is in Kappa Delta sorority, a member of the club Squash team, and a member of the Gospel Choir. She is planning to major in Psychology with a minor in Digital Art.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The U.S. Latinx culture has deep roots in respecting their cultural customs, traditions, and religion from the past. The main religion practiced by this cultural community is the Catholicism. In the U.S. a way many their Latinx families continue to pass down their cultural and religious customs is through the Quinceañera. The Quinceañera is an important way for a girl of Mexican American decent to stay connected to their ethnic history. After completing theQuinceañera a girl becomes incorporated into the cultural community in a meaningful way.
  • Social Context: The Quinceañera is practiced by most self-identifying Latinx members no matter their economic and geographic situations. TheQuinceañera can vary in how elaborate the ceremony and party is, depending on the particular socioeconomic state of the individual family and community. This coming of age ceremony is not only important to the girl and her family, but also the cultural and Catholic community she is a part of.

Item:

  • One of the most important aspects of the Quinceañera is the family of the girl. The event is just as much for the girl as it is for her family. The whole extended family is invited to the Quinceañera. For my informant, that meant having over 150 people at her Quinceañera. The past generations are honored and symbolized through the candle lighting ceremony at the church. The family gives speeches at the Quinceañera about the birthday girl. An iconic aspect of the Quinceañera is the father and daughter dance. The family is just as active in the initiation traditions as the girl. The family is initiating the girl and welcomes her into womanhood throughout the ceremony. As a result, the family is involved in all three stages of the initiation rite.

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

 

Transcript:

  • “For the Quinceañera it was done in Brooklyn with my entire family. So my aunt and uncles were there and all my cousins. And all my girl cousin had matching dresses and of course we went to the first part of the service was at our Catholic church. And we did like a special mass and you know the lighting of the candles for like our dead relatives and all that stuff… And after that, then there was like a big party at a dining hall. That’s when the family, like all of the families, got together. And it had to be like 150 people. It was so crazy, I didn’t realize there was so many people in my family… They all had speeches… We did the dance with your dad, the first dance. That was really cute.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • She thought that she had a small family before her Quinceañera. She was amazed by the amount of people at the Quinceañera.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I never realized just how family centered this the Quinceañera

Analysis:                

  • All initiation rituals consist of three main stages: separation, transition, and incorporation. For the North American Sweet Sixteen and Quinceañera, the separation stage consists of the girl getting prepared and planning for the ceremony. This includes, for many girls, their first time wearing tall high heels, getting the makeup professionally done, and wearing elaborate gowns. The transition stage is marked by the various ceremonial traditions. The ceremonial traditions include the opening of gifts, the dance between the father and daughter, reading of speeches, and blowing out candles. The incorporation stage of the Sweet Sixteen and Quinceañera is the party after all the ceremonial traditions are completed. The girl celebrates becoming a women with her friends, family, and community.

Comparison:

  • Comparison within the subgroup: Both the Quinceañera and Sweet Sixteen are very family centered events. There are many overlapping family traditions that are a part of both initiation rites. For example, at both many family members give speeches about the birthday girl. One of the most iconic parts of both traditions is the father and daughter dance. Both have the meaning that the first man in a girl’s life should be the father.
  • Comparison to the rest of subgroups: Many of the culturally based initiation folklore include tasks and physical activities as an aspect of the initiation rite. A comparable initiation rite to the North AmericanQuinceañera and Sweet Sixteenfrom another subgroup was the Jewish Bat Both the Quinceañera and Bat Mitzvahsare rooted in religious beliefs and customs. Since, both these religious based initiation rites are common in America, customs from both are commonly borrowed in Sweet Sixteen celebrations. In all three coming of age ceremonies the family is an interregnal part of what makes the tradition special. In the context of the rest of the our group, this piece of folklore is another example of a tradition that is a transition point in a person’s life.

Collector’s Name: Darien Jones,Dartmouth College, Russian 13, Professor Valentina Apresyan, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Fall 2018

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary folklore
  • Initiation
  • Quinceañera
  • Catholicism
  • Family
  • Candles
  • First Dance
  • Speeches

Difficult Person

Leave a reply

Title: Difficult Person

General Information about Item: 

  • Verbal Lore, proverb
  • Language: English and Yiddish
  • Informant: Hannah Margolis
  • Date Collected: 28 October 2018

Informant Data

  • Hannah K Margolis was born and raised in north-eastern Nevada. She is Jewish by birth, and her mother, father, and father’s parents all practiced Judaism actively throughout her early life. Her grandparents spoke and could read both Yiddish and English, so when Hannah visited them in Baltimore she was exposed to Yiddish sayings and their contexts.

Contextual Data

  • Cultural Context: Although Hannah doesn’t remember when or where she first started using the proverb in question, it was likely picked up during her childhood from her grandparents. She uses the proverb as advice when someone mentions having to deal with a difficult person- often someone they don’t get along with from former experience. Most often, she would invoke it when a difficult relative was visiting and someone mentioned dreading the visit.
  • Social Context: The proverb itself is meant to be met with amusement and is used casually. Often, the amusement can help relax the tense situation of awaiting said relative or acquaintance’s arrival. To Hannah, the proverb should convey a sense of relief and reminder that it is better to deal with a difficult person you do know than a difficult person you do not know as when dealing with someone you do know, you can at least be aware of what is ahead, manage expectations, and have experience on how to make the encounter less difficult. The proverb can be said to people of all ages and regardless of which family member or acquaintance they are experiencing difficulty with.

Item

The piece was recalled in its English version, which is how Hannah has always used it. She is aware that the piece also has a Yiddish translation from which it originated, which she looked up and provided.

“Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t!”

Translation to Yiddish-

“Besser mitn taivel vos m’ken eider mitn taivel vos, ‘ken im nit!”

 

Collector’s Comments

  • This proverb is a clear example of Dundes’ “Better _______ than ______ structure” and  a clear example of a Yiddish proverb. Particularly in English, this proverb had the interesting characteristic in that it is rather a mouthful to say and has a specific rhythm to it. Given that this proverb is used to dispel tension through humor (as well as give advice), I have speculated that the rhythm and clunkiness of the English saying within itself provides a way of diverting a conversation out of concerns over a relatives visit and into the proverb and humorous response to follow.

Collector’s Name: Hannah Margolis

Hannah Margolis, 20

Hinman Box 2464

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH 03755

Russian 13

Fall 2018

Tags/Keywords 

  • Verbal Lore
  • Proverbs
  • Yiddish Proverb
  • Relationships
  • Family
  • Friends