Dartmouth Climbing Polymodal Folklore
The Feed
Marlee Montella
Hanover, NH
May 22, 2019
Informant Data:
Marlee is a sophomore at Dartmouth College from Nevada. She began climbing her freshman year of high school before attending Dartmouth. Marlee originally started climbing indoors. Once she got to Dartmouth, she participated in team trips outside as well as continued bouldering in the Dartmouth Climbing Gym. Marlee is now a member of the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club and is on the Dartmouth Climbing Team. She often participates in break trips. Marlee says that climbing has helped shape her Dartmouth experience; climbing was the first group that she joined on campus. When she started, it was a small group and she was one of the few people that had climbed before. She noted that the climbing community is fun and a great friend group.
Contextual Data:
- Social Context: This piece of folklore was conducted via an interview with Marlee at Sigma Delta sorority. My informant learned about this tradition after joining the climbing team and participating with friends.The Dartmouth Mountaineering Club (DMC) Feed occurs weekly and is hosted by members of the DMC. Typically, only members of the DMC or the climbing team attend. The feed is shaped by the people that attend as mingling and informal conversation is a large part of the appeal. The feed serves both as an opportunity to present any important information that members of the climbing community should know about as well as a chance to enjoy spending time with fellow climbers and to meet new members. Marlee noted that it is a good chance to see other people in the climbing community that you do not always see and to meet and talk to other DMC members. The Feed is both a fun bonding experience and a functional way to establish bonds between members of the climbing community.
- Cultural Context: Marlee noted that the Dartmouth Climbing Team is not part of the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club, but rather is a separate subset of the overarching Dartmouth Outing Club. Members of the Dartmouth Climbing Team are encouraged to attend the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club Feeds, as climbers make up a significant portion of members in the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club. The Feed is an important way to bring together members of these communities to establish bonds within the community and to have a forum to present important information to the community.
Item:
(While i have recorded the Dartmouth climbing tradition of The Feed as closely as possible to Marlee’s exact words based on notes taken during the interview, this is ultimately my own phrasing of Marlee’s words.)
The Feed is a dinner that occurs every Tuesday evening with the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club and the Dartmouth Climbing Team. This specific tradition is unique to Dartmouth College. Each week, two members volunteer to cook for the rest of the community. The funds are provided by the Dartmouth Outing Club. Typically, one large meal such as tacos or chile will be cooked, and there will be a vegetarian option. Participants bring their own bowl to be ecologically friendly. Typically, all attending members will participate in an introduction game with questions such as “Tell us your name, your year, where you are from, and if you could lactate anything what would it be”. People mingle and leaders of the communities will present any important information such as upcoming events and trips. Occasionally guest speakers relevant to the climbing community will present. The number of people attending the feed fluctuates widely, and attendance is not mandatory.
Kelly Peterec, Age 20
Hinman Box 3552, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
Russian 13
Spring 2019