Features - New York Folklore · 2018. 11. 14. · by Mark Kohan 28 Stand Clear of the Closing...

Spring–Summer 2001, Volume 27: 1-2

Features 6 NewYorkontheNationalMall: FolkloristsInterprettheCityfortheSmithsonian by Cathy Ragland

10 Poaching!EthicsinFolklore by Amy Godine

14 ThePolishAmericanLullaby:ACaseStudy by Maryann McCabe

22 In2/4Time:ThePolkaandtheAccordioninNorthAmerica by Mark Kohan

28 StandClearof theClosingDoors! OccupationalFolkloreof NewYorkCitySubwayWorkers by Ryn Gargulinski

32 AcrossBorders:BeadworkinIroquoisLife by Lynne Williamson

34 TheMagicof PirateGold: ANewYorkMerchantandCaptainKyd’sTreasure by Robert A. Emery

37 IkethePike by Shirlee Kresh Hecker

39 TheTaleof aTrail:MaterialCulturealongRidgeRoad by Allen G. Noble

Departments and Columns 3 NewYorkFolkloreSocietyNews

4 Upstate by Varick Chittenden

5 Downstate by Steve Zeitlen

12 MediaWorks by Barry Dornfeld

20 OnAir by Kate Koperski

24 Eyeof theCamera by Martha Cooper

26 Lawyer’sSidebar by Paul Rapp

27 ArchivalQuestions by Nancy Johnson

44 BookReviews

45 Announcements

ContentsSpring–Summer 2001

Iroquois beadwork is the subject of an exhibition that can be seen in Quebec, New York City, Toronto, and Mashantucket, Connecticut. Margaret Braylet’s beaded outfit was made by her mother Jenelle. See page 32. Photo: Denise Wood

� VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

Submission Guidelines forVoices: The Journal of New York FolkloreVoices: The Journal of New York Folklore is a membership magazine of the New York Folklore Society(www.nyfolklore.org). TheNewYorkFolkloreSocietyisanonprofit,statewide organization dedicated to furtheringcultural equity and cross-cultural understand-ingthroughprogramsthatnurturefolkculturalexpressions within communities where theyoriginate, share these traditions across culturalboundaries,andenhancetheunderstandingandappreciationof folkculture.ThroughVoicesthesocietycommunicateswithprofessionalfolklor-ists andmembers of relatedfields, traditionalartists, and a general public interested in folk-lore. Voicesisdedicatedtopublishingthecontentof folkloreinthewordsandimagesof itscreatorsandpractitioners.Thejournalpublishesresearch-basedarticles,writteninanaccessiblestyle,ontopicsrelated to traditionalartand life. Italsofeaturesstories,interviews,reminiscences,essays,folkpoetryandmusic,photographs,andartworkdrawnfrompeopleinallpartsof NewYorkState.Columnsonsubjectssuchasphotography,soundandvideorecording,legalandethicalissues,andthenatureof traditional art and life appear ineachissue.

Editorial Policy Feature articles.ArticlespublishedinVoicesrepresentoriginalcontributionstofolklorestud-ies.AlthoughVoicesemphasizesthefolkloreof NewYork State, the editorwelcomes articlesbasedonthefolkloreof anyareaof theworld.Articlesonthetheory,methodology,andgeog-raphyof folklorearealsowelcome,asarepurelydescriptivearticlesintheethnographyof folklore.Inaddition,Voicesprovidesahomefor“orphan”tales,narratives,andsongs,whosecontributorsareurgedtoprovidecontextualinformation. Authors are encouraged to include shortpersonalreminiscences,anecdotes,isolatedtales,narratives,songs,andothermaterialthatrelatestoandenhancestheirmainarticle. Total length, including citations, shouldnotexceed4,000words. Reviews and review essays.Books,record-ings,films,videos,exhibitions,concerts,andthelike are selected for review in Voices for theirrelevancetofolklorestudiesorthefolkloreof NewYorkStateandtheirpotentialinteresttoawideaudience.Personswishingtoreviewrecentlypublishedmaterialshouldcontacttheeditor.Un-solicitedreviewsandproposalsforreviewswillbeevaluatedbytheeditorandbyoutsiderefereeswhereappropriate.Followthebibliographicstyleinacurrentissueof Voices. Reviewsshouldnotexceed750words. Correspondence and commentary.ShortbutsubstantivereactionstoorelaborationsuponmaterialappearinginVoiceswithinthepreviousyear are welcomed. The editor may invite theauthorof thematerialsbeingaddressed to re-

spond;bothpiecesmaybepublishedtogether.Anysubjectmaybeaddressedorrebuttedonceby any correspondent. The principal criteriaforpublicationarewhether, in theopinionof theeditorortheeditorialboard,thecommentconstitutesasubstantivecontributiontofolklorestudies,andwhetheritwillinterestourgeneralreaders. Lettersshouldnotexceed500words.

StyleThejournalfollowsThe Chicago Manual of Style.ConsultWebster’s Third International Dictionaryforquestionsof spelling,meaning,andusage,andavoidgender-specificterminology. Footnotes.Endnotesandfootnotesshouldbeavoided;incorporatesuchinformationintothetext.Ancillaryinformationmaybesubmittedasasidebar. Bibliographic citations.Forcitationsof textfromoutsidesources,usetheauthor-datestyledescribedinThe Chicago Manual of Style. Language.AllmaterialmustbesubmittedinEnglish.Foreign-languageterms(transliterated,where appropriate, into theRoman alphabet)shouldbe italicized and followedby a conciseparenthetical English gloss; the author bearsresponsibilityforthecorrectspellingandorth-ographicsof non-Englishwords.BritishspellingsshouldbeAmericanized.

Publication ProcessTheNewYorkFolkloreSocietyholdscopyrighttoallmaterialpublishedinVoices: The Journal of New York Folklore.Withthesubmissionof mate-rialtotheeditor,theauthoracknowledgesthatheorshegivesVoicessolerightstoitspublication,andthatpermissiontopublishitelsewheremustbesecuredinwritingfromtheeditor.Althoughtheeditorwelcomesinquiriesviaelectronicmail,pleaseuseregularmailtosubmitmanuscripts. For the initial submission, send threepapercopiesandaPC-formatteddisk(preferablypre-paredinMicrosoftWordandsavedasRichTextFormat). Copymustbe typeddoublespaced,ononeside of a sheet only,with all pages numberedconsecutively.Tofacilitateanonymousreviewof featurearticles,theauthor’snameandbiographyshouldappearonlyonaseparatetitlepage. Tables,charts,maps,illustrations,photographs,captions,andcreditsshouldfollowthemaintextandbenumberedconsecutively.Allillustrationsshouldbeclean, sharp, andcamera-ready.Photographsshouldbeprintsorduplicateslides(notoriginals).Writtenpermissiontopublisheachimagemustbeobtainedbyauthors from thecopyrightholderspriortosubmissionofmanuscripts,andthewrit-tenpermissionsmustaccompanythemanuscript(authorsshouldkeepcopies). Materialsareacknowledgeduponreceipt.Theeditorandtwoanonymousreadersreviewmanu-scriptssubmittedasarticles.Thereviewprocess

takesseveralmonths. Deadlinespermitting,authorsreadandcorrectgalleyproofsfortypographicalerrors.Authorsreceivetwocomplimentarycopiesof theissuein which their contribution appears and maypurchaseadditionalcopiesatadiscount.Authorsof featurearticlesmaypurchaseoffprints;priceinformationisavailableuponpublication.

Submission Deadlines Spring–Summer October31Fall–Winterissue May31Manuscriptsshouldbesentbyregularmail(note-mail)toVoicesatthefollowingaddress:

NewYorkFolkloreSocietyPublications,133JayStreet,Schenectady,NY12301.

Spring–Summer 2001 · Volume 27: 1-2

EditorKarenTaussig-LuxSenior EditorSallyAtwater([email protected])Photography EditorMarthaCooperDesignMaryBethMalmsheimerPrinterThePressroom,BallstonSpa,NY

Editorial BoardSteveZeitlin,VarickChittenden,AmyGodine,KateKoperski,CathyRagland,KayTurner,DanWard

Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore ispublishedthreetimesayearbytheNewYorkFolkloreSociety,Inc.133JayStreetP.O.Box764Schenectady,NY12301

New York Folklore Society, Inc.Executive DirectorEllenMcHaleDirector of ServicesDaleJohnsonOffice ManagerJohnBraungardWeb AdministratorPattiMasonVoice518346-7008Fax 518346-6617Websitewww.nyfolklore.org

Board of DirectorsPresidentToddDeGarmoVice President MaryZwolinskiSecretary-TreasurerDavidQuinnLadanAlomar,DanBerggren,BeverlyButcher,CecilyCook,PamCooley,JamesCorsaro,EnikoFar-kas,NancyJohnson,MadahaKinsey-Lamb,StanRan-som,BartRoselli,EllyShodell,LynneWilliamson

Advertisers:toinquire,pleasecalltheNYFS518346-7008orfax518346-6617

Theprogramsandactivitiesof theNewYorkFolkloreSociety,andthe publication of Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore, aremadepossible in part by funds from the New York State Council on theArts. Voices: The Journal of New York FolkloreisindexedinArts & Humanities Citation IndexandMusic IndexandabstractedinHistorical AbstractsandAmerica: History and Life. Reprintsof articlesanditemsfromVoices: The Journal of New York FolkloreareavailablethroughtheISIDocumentSolution,InstituteforScientificInformation,3501MarketStreet,Philadelphia,PA19104.215386-0100.ISSN0361-204X©2001byTheNewYorkFolkloreSociety,Inc.Allrightsreserved.

VoicesisavailableinBrailleandrecordedversions.CallNYFSat518346-7008.


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NYFS News

Internship ProgramTheNewYorkStateCouncilontheArts,inpartnershipwiththeNewYorkFolkloreSo-ciety,hasinstitutedaninternshipprogramforgraduatestudentsinfolkloretogainvaluableworkexperienceinthefieldoffolkloreandfolkartsprogramming.In2000fivegraduatestudentsfromthroughouttheUnitedStateswere successful applicants. Recipients ofthefirstroundofinternshipswereMichaelMurrayof theUniversityofPennsylvania,who interned at the Arts Center for theCapital Region; Elisabeth Dixon of OhioStateUniversity,whointernedatTraditionalArtsofUpstateNewYork;KwaliFarbesoftheUniversityofPennsylvaniaandDeniseLynnof IndianaUniversity,who internedatCityLore;andMiriamRobinsonGouldof theUniversityofNorthCarolina,whointerned at theGenesee-OrleansRegionalArtsCouncil.Notonly did these talentedfolkloristsgainvaluableworkexperience,buttheyalsodiscoveredthewonderfullyvariedcultural experiences thatNewYorkoffers.WithcontinuedsupportfromtheNewYorkStateCouncilontheArts,theprogramwillberepeatedin2001withfivemoregraduateinterns.

Gallery of New York

thegallerypresentstheartof NewYork’straditionalartistsfromthroughoutthestateandoffersinformationabouttheartistsandtheirmediaandartforms.Sinceopening,thegalleryhashostedseveraltraditionalartistsforday-longdemonstrationsof theirwork:Walt Fleming of BallstonLake, tinsmith;BenRaino,awoodcarver,andMaryWard,aquilter,bothfromWhitehall;AdelaNowakof Utica,Polishpalmbraiding;andHowardBartholomewof Middleburgh,flytyingandfishingrods.Gotowww.nyfolklore.orgforinformationabout thegalleryandcurrentartwork,andvisitthegalleryitself at133JayStreet,Schenectady,ninetofiveonMondaythroughFridayandweekendsbyappoint-ment.

Cultural Heritage Tour-ism ForumCulturalheritagetourismhasbecomethedarlingoftourismindustryofficialsinmanyregionsoftheUnitedStates.Why?Becauseindustryinsid-ershavenoticeditseconomicpotential.Heritagetouristsspendmoremoney,aremorelikelytobringthewholefamily,andstayinanarealon-gerthanothervisitors.NewYorkispoisedtotakeadvantageofthistrend,withinitiativesintheHudsonValley,MohawkValley,andLakeChamplainareasalreadyinplace.

TheNationalTrust’s HeritageTourismProgramdefinesculturalheritagetourismas“travellingtoexperiencetheplaces,artifactsandactivitiesthatauthenticallyrepresentthestories andpeopleof thepast andpresent.It includes cultural,historic andnatural re-sources.”Although“cultural”and“heritage”tourismareoftenoneandthesame,informalsurveysofprogramsacrossthecountryrevealthat“heritage”programsareusuallyinruralsettings,and“cultural”programsarepromotedinurbanareas.Nevertheless,theseprogramsappealtothesametypeoftravelerandoftenhavesimilarcontent.OnOctober5,2000,theNewYorkFolklore

SocietycohostedaforumwiththeArtsCenteroftheCapitalRegionentitled“HeritageandCulturalTourisminNewYorkState.”Folk-

loristMaryZwolinskiassisted inplanningandimplementingtheforum,andwehadagoodturnout.FolkloristKathleenCondon’spresentation,“FolklifeandCulturalTourismintheUnitedStates,”sparkeddiscussionof tourism possibilities with examples fromaroundthecountry.Theroleof folkloristsand community members was also dis-cussed.TimothyHolmes,of theSchuyler’sCanal Park in Schuylerville,NewYork,described the initiatives being tried alonghisstretchof theChamplainCanalcorridorclose to theSaratogaBattlefield.NicholasWestbrook, director of FortTiconderogaNationalHistoricLandmark,recountedthehistoryof tourismintheChamplainValleystartingfrom1790.

Besidesthepresentersweredirectorsandrepresentatives from sevenmajor tourisminitiativesintheregion:theMohawkValleyHeritageCorridor;ChamplainValleyHeri-tageNetwork;SaratogaNationalHistoricalPark(NationalParkService);HudsonRiverValleyGreenway;ParksandRecreationof Whitehall,NewYork;VermontCenterforTourism;andtheHudson-MohawkHeritageArea.Folklorists inattendancewereToddDegarmo,EllenMcHale,MaryZwolinski,KathyCondon, andDale Johnson.NewYorkFolkloreSocietyboardmembersLadanAlomarof CentroCivicoof Amsterdam,PamelaCooleyof theUpperCatskillCoun-cilontheArtsinOneonta,andJimCorsaroof theRensselaerCountyHistoricalSocietywerealsothere.Thediscussionswereinfor-mativeandlively.

The participation of heritage tourismleadersfromthispartof NewYorkStateintheforumbodeswellforfuturecollabora-tionswithfolkloristsandthe inclusionof aspectsof contemporarycultureinheritagetourism.Theyhadachance tomeeteachotherandbecomeawareof complementaryprojectsgoingoninthestate.TheNewYorkFolklore Society hopes this dialogue willcontinue, and that folkloristswill becomeinvolvedintheseprojects,whichcanaffectlocalcommunitylifeinprofoundways.Cul-turalheritageprojectsareheretostay,anddespite—or because of—their economicbenefits,caremustbetakenthattheyremain

Traditions TheGalleryof NewYorkTraditionsisanewNYFSprogramthatprovidesaplacefor folkartists to sell their art inapublicsetting. First opened inNovember 2000,

Traditional artists demonstrate and display their work at the New York Folklore Society’s Gallery of New York Traditions, in Schenectady.


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My life—mystudy,mygarage,TAUNY—isfullof boxes.ForthepastfewmonthsIhavebeenpackingandloadingandunloadingandunpacking36years’worthof professionallifeinteaching.TheBigRofficiallycameinJuly2000.Itaughtacoupleof classesinthefall,butinDecemberIfinallyhadtoclearoutthefiles,throwoutpilesof whatseemedliketreasuresatonetime,andsavethebestforthenextphaseof mylife. InthoseboxesIhavesetasidehundredsof student projects, dozens of audio andvideo tapes, scores of photographs, andwhoknowswhatelse.Aquickcalculationtellsmethatasmanyas3,000studentshadtakenmyfolkloreandruralAmericanstudiescoursessincethemid-1970s,andmostof them submitted somekindof field-basedresearch, usually from their hometownorfamily. It is quite a collection, anduntil Ihadtohandle itallagain,evenIhadlittleidea how it illuminated life in our regionandtheinterestsof generationsof collegestudents. Theirpapersareavariedcollection:ghosttalesfromoneruralroadinLewisCounty,a study of outbuildings on a century-oldfamilyfarminFranklinCounty,adiscussionof pie-baking techniques in one genera-tionof womeninoneneighborhood,anddocumentationof exoticdancersas“afolkgroup”inCornwall,Ontario.Andtherearedozens of collections of drinking games,curesforhangovers,fraternityrituals,hockeyplayers’ superstitions: they were collegeprojects,afterall.Afewof themaregems,asgoodasmanygraduateschoolpapersI’veseen.Othersarenotverywellwritten,andsometimestheresearchtechniquesarealittlequestionable. Butwhataresource!Whatacompilationof namesandplacesandstoriesandleadstoanunderstandingandappreciationof locallife!Ialwaystoldmystudentsthatthesewerenoordinary library research assignments,thattheymusttaketheseprojectsveryseri-ouslybecauseinmanycases,thismightbetheonlytimetheirsubjectsandtheirinfor-mantswouldbewrittenabout.Occasionally,

Going…going…gone? BY VARICK CHITTENDEN

Ihaveheardthatcopiesof tapesorphotosorresearchessayshaveendedupasspecialgiftstofamilymembers,tobetreasuredfarintothefuture. Yearsago,BruceBuckley,mymentorandfolklife teacher in the old Cooper-stownprogram,toldmehowrewardingteachingfolkloreinacommunitycollegewouldbe.AlthoughSUNYCantonhasalwaysbeenaresidential two-year school,most studentscomefromnearbytownsandeithercom-mutedailyorgohomeforweekends.Mostremainveryclosetotheirfamiliesandsmallcommunities while still in college. Mosthaveeasieraccesstotherichvarietyof lo-cal customsandbearersof tradition thanmanyfolkloristsdreamof. IcannowsaythatBrucewasright.If youbelievethatthestudyof folkloreismorethananacademicpursuitof raretextsof narrativesorsongsorasocialsciencewithquantifiableresults,tryitoutonagriculturalandtechnicalstu-dents—kids learning air-conditioning orveterinary science or culinary arts—anddiscoveritsrelevancetotheirlives. IwillneverregretthatIwentintoteach-ingforacareer,andIwillalwaysbegratefulthatIfoundfolkloreasafieldtosharewithmy students. But I leave with one majordisappointment:nooneisgoingtoreplacemeorteachmycoursesinthehumanitiesdepartmentoranywhereelseatthecollege.Ihaveheardof similarsituationsinotherplacesasourgenerationof professorsleavesteaching.Twofolkloristcolleagueswhobe-tweenthemhavetaughtcollegestudentsformorethan50years—DickLuntatSUNYPotsdamandBobBethkeattheUniversityof Delaware—have recently retired anddiscoverednoinstitutionalcommitmenttocontinuingtheirwork. Folklore courses for undergraduatesshouldbeasbasictoaliberaleducationasLiterature101,IntroductiontoPsychology,andCalculus.Folklore shouldbe as com-monatvenerable IvyLeagueschoolsandsmallpubliccollegesasatinstitutionswithgraduateprogramsinfolklore.Inthisage,whenwe requireeducators at all levels to

impart self-esteem and promote culturaldiversity,wherearethefolkloristsandtheircourses?Going,going,gone!Ifearthatthestateof teachingfolkloreisincrisis,thatitisconsidered—if itisthoughtaboutatallbydeansandpresidents—afrillatbestanddispensableatleast. The New York Folklore Society wasfounded by great teachers like HaroldThompsonandLouisJones.Formanyyears,numerous institutions in the state had atleastoneortwocourses.Butnowthattheprospectsforcreatingtenuredpositionsinfolkloreareslimatbest,Icallonmyyoungcolleagueswithacademiccredentialsinpub-licfolklorepositionsallovertotakecharge.Petitionyourlocalcollegestoofferatleastonecourseayear—atnight,onweekends,online,bywhatevermeans—soatleastsomeresidentsinourcommunitieswillbeintro-ducedinadisciplinedwaytostudyingthevitalityanddiversityof traditionallifeandcultureinourworld.If yougetluckyenoughtoteachthatcourse,anddoitlongenough,you too will have a wonderful collectionof resourcesfrompartsof thecommunityyoumight never get to otherwise. And,incidentally,youcanlookforwardtoboxeseverywhere,too.

Varick A. Chittenden is professor emeri-tus of English, SUNY Canton College of Technology, and executive director of Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY). Photo: Martha


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Without warning, in the earlymorninghours of November 17, 2000,NewYorkCitybulldozersstagedasurpriseattackononeof ConeyIsland’sfewremainingmonu-ments, the long-neglected Thunderboltrollercoaster.Initstwistsandturnsnestledthe old Kensington Hotel—the “HouseundertheRollerCoaster”madefamousasthehomeof AlvieSingerinAnnie Hall.ThesmallhotelwasalsohometoMayTimpanoandFredMoran,whoownedtheThunderboltandlivedthereformorethan40years,thecoasterrattlingtheirlivingroomwitheveryride.

Thehouseandcoasterwerebothslatedforasecretdemolitionbythemayor,whosewaterfrontdevelopmentplansforanew,moreprofitableConeyIslandwillseveralltiestoitsglamorouspast.Thedemolitionordersassertedthat thestructurewasunsafe(althoughitwascompletelyfenced),andthattheCityownedtheproperty(mapsshowitdidnot).

At10a.m.Ilearnedof thebulldozers’as-saultonthesitefromDickZigunatConeyIsland USA. Dick is a Yale drama schoolgraduatewhohasspenthisadultlifecreat-ing and sustaining theMermaid Parade,SideshowsbytheSeashore,andtheConeyIslandMuseum.Liketheentirepreservationcommunity,Dickwas never informedof thedemolitionuntilitwastoolateeventomountameaningfulprotest.IimmediatelyaskedmyofficetocallthetelevisionstationsandtheNew York Times,thenjumpedontheF train—running maddeningly slow thatday—inhopes thatwithConey Islanders,fellowpreservationists, and amedia blitzthatnevermaterialized,Imightbeabletostopthisdisgracefulact.TheKensingtonHotel,builtin1895,was

the last remaining waterfront structure inConeyIsland.ItmiraculouslysurvivedtheBoweryfireof 1903andtheSteeplechasefireof 1907.In1926ownerGeorgeMoranhiredtheworld’smostfamousrollercoasterdesigner,JohnMiller,tobuildtheThunder-bolt.Theyfoundawaytosavethehotelbyrunning the steel supports of the coaster

The House under the Roller Coaster BY STEVE ZEITLIN

rightthroughthebuilding.“Youdon’tteardownbuildingsinConeyIslandif youcanhelpit,”Moransaidatthetime.ThehotelandtheThunderbolt,crownjewelof JohnMiller’s survivingwooden roller coasters,created a unique landmark. In its nearlysixty-yearrun,theThunderbolthadcarriedhundredsof thousandsof screamingridersonitsthrillingjoyride.Thehistoricstructurehadevenwithstoodtwomorerecentfires,onlytofacethemayor’swreckingball.MayTimpano, theKensingtonHotel’s

former resident, arrived on the scene inher Sunday best for the sad occasion. “Iwantedtoseeitsaved,”shetoldreporters.Shebrightenedasshebegantellingstoriesabout living under the Thunderbolt. Sherecalledfindinginheryardfalseteethandothercuriositiesthathadslippedfromthehandsandpocketsof theriders.“Wehadtostraightenthepictures,”shesaid,“buttheshakingwasn’tasbadasitappearedtobeinWoodyAllen’smovie.”“Hey,you’retearingdownapricelesspiece

of Americana!” I yelled to two workersinsidethehotel.Oneraisedhisheadasif tospeak.“Don’ttalktonobody,”theothermuttered.State AssemblywomanAdele Cohen,

Dick,andIwincedeverytimethelongarmof thecranebroughtanotherpieceof his-tory to theground.We talked abouthowthecoastertookayeartobuild,sixtyyearstoaccruememories,butjustafewhourstoberazed.Thesteelbentandtheoldtimbers

creakedandcracked,andpiecesof woodfelllikebranchesof agreattree.

Astheironclawof asteamshovelgradu-allytorethescaffoldingdown,thecrumblingThunderbolttooktheformof animposing,oddlybeautifulwood-and-steelsculpture.Wefeltdwarfedbothbyitandbyourpowerless-nesstostopthedamage.WethoughtwehadcometosavetheThunderbolt,butinsteadwehadcometostandwitnessasaworkof greatbeautywasdestroyed—andperhapstomakesurethisstorygetstold.

The wrecking team destroyed not onlyConeyIsland’spastbutalsothepossibilityof afuturethatwouldhonoritshistoryasthesiteof thefirstenclosedamusementpark,theplacewherethehotdogandtherollercoasterwereinvented.Planshadalreadybeensub-mittedbypreservationistCharlesDensontostabilizetheThunderbolt.Landmarkedandrestored,perhapswithaboardwalkrestaurantin thehotel, itmighthavebeen thegaudycenterpieceof arevivedConeyIsland.

Steve Zeitlin is executive director of City Lore, 72 East First Street, New York, NY 10003; [email protected]. His most recent book for children is The Four Corners of the Sky: Ancient Myths and Cosmolo-gies from Around

The Thunderbolt was a Coney Island landmark. Built in the 1920s, it ran for almost sixty years—right over the 1895 Kensington Hotel—but was razed in 2000. Photo: Charles Denson © 2001


New YorkNew York

By Cathy Ragland

Folklorists interpret the city for the

Smithsonian

on the

The Smithsonian Institution’s annual Folklife Festival will this summer celebrate the multitude of cultures found in New York City. Folklorists who have spent the past year researching aspects of life in the city will share their knowledge and coordinate presentations by musicians, actors, chefs, deejays, and many other specialists whose work—whether highly visible or behind the scenes—contributes to the vitality and excitement of life in the five boroughs.orthefirsttimeinthe35-yearhistoryof theSmithsonianFolklifeFestival,thespotlight

will benoton a stateor regionof the country but on one city: NewYork.The 2001 festival,whichwill

an event thatwould reflect the city’s richvitalityandmingledcommunities.“Theideawastoreprisetheworkdonebysomelocalfolklorists and look at the city as a ‘con-centratedstate,’” shesaid.“Beyond issuesof urbanness, ethnicity, and geographiclocation,wearealsolookingatthefolkloreof occupationsthatarespecifictothecityaswellastheinfluenceof differentculturesoneachother.Notmuchworkhasbeendoneintheseareas,yettheyarecentraltoNewYorkcultureandcommunitylife.”In2000,GrocesentfolkloristsandNew

York“specialists”intothecitytoseekout,explore, and document everything fromBroadway costume designers to Brooklynbagelmakers,pigeonracerstowatertowerbuilders,WallStreettraderstohigh-fashionindustryinsiders,neighborhoodmuraliststotheatercurtainmakers,spokenwordartiststocommunityweddingbands.Theirworksuggestedthefestival’sthemes—Broadway,WallStreet,fashion,music,urbansportsandstreetgames,masstransit,streetparades,andfestivalsandfoodways.“NewYorkCityattheSmithsonian”isnowmuchmorethananambitiousidea,anditsshapeandfocuswill reflect the very personal experiences,impressions,andvisionof theresearchers.FASHIoN

InherworkfortheSmithsonianFolklifeFestival,MarionJacobsonlivedasafashionistafor several weeks while documenting the

FrunJune27–July1andJuly4–8ontheMallinWashington,willcelebratethediversity,excitement,andspiritthatareNewYorkbyexploring thecity’smusic,culture,history,andfolklore.

Thegoalof uncovering andpresenting“NewYorkasNewYorkersseeit,”asthefestival programpublicists promise, pre-sented a complex, even unruly challengetoorganizersandfestivalgoersalike.“Thefestival will be a snapshot of New Yorkcultureattheturnof themillennium,”saidNewYorkfolklorist,author,andprogramcuratorNancyGroce.“Itwillbeachanceforpeopletoexploreseriousaspectsof citylifeandtounderstandhowcommunitiesoverlapandinfluenceeachother.”

Howdoesonetakesuchasnapshot?Whowillbeholdingthecamera?Fromwhatangleisitpossibletocapturethe“real”NewYork?AndwhichNewYorkisthat?Thefashionworld, Broadway stages, Chinatown andLittleItaly,WallStreet,themusicindustry?The concept of a multicultural Americabeganinthemazeof thecity’sstreetsandneighborhoods and continues to thrive inNewYorkCitytoday.

Groce engaged a team of professionalresearchersandcommunityinsiderstobringtogetherthemultitudeof NewYorksinto

New York City’s contributions to American cuisine are justly celebrated, and its street fare is world renowned. This summer the Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., will give visitors a taste of the city in a foodways section. Photo: Martha Cooper


hipandglamorousdoingsof NewYork’sfashion world. Her research began withmannequin factoriesandeventually led torubbingelbowsandhandbagswiththelikesof designerRichardTyler,VoguemagazineeditorAnnaWintour, and fashionwritersfrom the JapanesemagazineFigaro—whomistookher for a fashion icon. JacobsonalsohookedupwithDJJavier,whocreatedmusical“mooddesign”fordesignerCarolinaHerrera’srunwaysandbecamethesubjectof apaperJacobsondeliveredatthe“LocalMusic,GlobalConnections” conference,heldinthecityinMarch.Jacobson’s researchwillmanifest itself

at the festival in the form of a fashionshow,completewithmakeshiftrunway,andbackstage talks anddemonstrations abouthairdesign,musicalsoundscapesforrunwayshows,mannequinmaking,andhaute coutureclothesdesign.

MuSIC Myexperienceasafolkloristandethno-

musicologist allowed me the opportunitytobeinvolvedintheSmithsonianFestivalproject as coordinator of the musicprogrammingonbehalf of theCenterforTraditionalMusicandDanceinManhattan.I also assisted in producing a double-CDsampler,“NewYorkCity,GlobalBeatfromtheBoroughs,” featuring recordings fromNewYork’s ethnicmusic communities,tobemadeavailableat thefestivalby theSmithsonian/Folkwayslabel.

Notask iseverassimpleasone thinksitwillbe.Insearchingforthemostrepre-sentativeandmusicallyexcitingrecordingof ItalianAmericanmusic,ExecutiveDirectorEthelRaimandImetJohnCaccavale,thesonof the latebandleader and composerPhilipCaccavale. The father, alongwithPasqualeFerraraandAntonioRosalia,wrotethepopularsong“OGiglioeParadiso,”andhis1961recordinghasbecomeananthemof ethnicprideandsolidarityamongItalianAmericansinBrooklyn,particularlywhenitisplayedoverloudspeakersfortheannualGiglioprocessionandcommunitycelebration.Theprocessionispartof theannualfeastsponsoredbyOurLadyof MountCarmelChurch inBrooklynandreenacts thesafe

return of St. Paulinus from enslavement.“OGiglioeParadiso,”hasbeenusedsincethelate1950stocoordinatetheliftingand“dancing”of theGigliotower.JohnCaccavalewasintearsashelovingly

handed over hiswell-usedLP recording,alongwithseveralcopiesofa45-rpmversion.AllweretoodistortedbysurfacenoiseandwarptobeusedinthesamplerCD,andtheoriginaltapesandmasterrecordingsofthesonghadbeendestroyedyearsago,inaflood.CallswentouttoCaccavalefamilymembersand friends inNewYork and around thecountryforacleancopy of thealbum,Giglio Melodies,whichcouldthenbeputthroughanewlydevelopedrestorationprocess.AnunopenedrecordingturnedupinCalifornia,

butitwaslostinthemailenroutetoNewYork. We heard stories about the song’stravelstoItaly,whereitwasrecordedbyafamousNeapolitansinger—butnooneinBrooklynhadactuallyheardthatrecording.Afterwehadresignedourselvestoleavingthe recording off altogether, anotherunopened copy of the LP surfaced inBrooklyn.Of courseitwasalotof troubletosecurejustonesong,butonceyouhearitamongtheother30examplesfromNewYork’sethniccommunities,you’llknowwhywepursuedeverylead.THEATER

Independent curator Andy Davis isworking with the crafts and traditions of backstage Broadway. For several months

Each year in Brooklyn a street procession in honor of St. Paulinus features the Giglio tower and the singing of “O Giglio e Paradiso.” The popular song—a favorite among the city’s Italian Americans—is among the recordings now available on a new Folkways CD.


hehasbeeninterviewingcostumemakers,hatdesigners,makeupartists,propandsetdesigners, and other insiderswhomakeBroadway theater happen from behindthe scenes.The festivalwill feature a castof actorsandadirectorrehearsingonthefestival grounds for a live Broadway-styletheaterperformance.Festivalattendeeswillbe able to explore the behind-the-scenescraft and creativity that go into staging asuccessfulBroadwayplay.

“Howoftendoyougettheopportunitytotalktopeoplewhodothiskindof workinthetheater?”Davisasked.“TheBroadwaybackstagesectionatthefestivalisachancetodojustthat.We’llhavepeoplelikeLindaRice, from the setof Saturday Night Live!, who will be demonstrating wig-makingtechniques. And we’ll learn how vacuformpropsandsetpiecesaremadefrompressedplasticmoldscreatedbyNinoNovilinoof CostumeArmorInc.”ETHNIC RADIo

FolkloristandmusicianHenrySapoznikhasbeen researchingethnic radio inNewYork.Heandsomeof hisinformantsand

their impact within the community. Withthatcomesthefocusonemergingcultures

basedonthemixingof traditions,languages,andcustoms.

“The levelof immigrantassociationontheground,inlocalneighborhoods,isverydifferentfromthoseontheair,”Sapoznikexplained. “You get a lot of mixing andsharing of ideas and techniques. Forexample,WGBB-AM has two kinds of ChineselanguageprogramsandCaribbeangospel, along withGreek and Russianprograms. You hear the same thing as inthe old days of radio: birthday greetings,andlocalrestaurantadswiththesamekindof reverb as on the Latin stations. It iscommunity-basedyeteveryonewholistenshasaccesstoit.”

RooFToP CuLTuRE FolkloristKathyCondon’sfestivalwork

withwatertowerbuildersandpigeonfliersopenedhereyes.“Afterspendinga lotof my research timeonNewYork rooftops,I realized that I had never looked at thecityfromthatperspectivebefore.NorhadI noticed all thosepigeonsflying around.Now Ifindmyself looking up at the skyallthetime.”Thedesignof theall-woodtowers,most

of them constructed by the RosenwachCompany, hasn’t changed inmore thana hundred years. The work is dangerousandrequiresthecooperationof ateamof workers. The resulting bonds—and occu-

New York City’s pigeons are not all “wild” birds; many are specially trained homing pigeons that belong to competitive “mumblers.” Photo: Martha Cooper

subjects—like African American deejayandNewYorkculturaliconHalJacksonof stationWBOS—willbedoinglivebroadcastson the festival grounds. Sapoznik’s workexemplifiesoneof thefestival’sobjectives,the presentation and documentation of grassroots community organizations and

On opening night of Aida, chorus members reach out to touch the wearer of the Gypsy Robe for luck as he circles the stage. The robe is passed along from production to production, with performers adding decorations. The wearer of the robe is traditionally the chorus member who has performed in the most different shows. Perhaps it is the unpredictable nature of the theater, or the nature of the workers who make their careers in the theater, but few places are as rich in folklore and superstitions as Broadway. And no theatrical custom is more New York than the Gypsy Robe. In 1959, Bill Bradley, a dancer in the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, borrowed a tacky dressing robe from a chorus girl, or gypsy, as the singers and dancers in Broadway cho-ruses call themselves. On opening night, he paraded through backstage, bestowing blessings on the production. The musical was a major hit, and a tradition had begun. Photo: Martha Cooper


pationalfolklore—havecreatedaclose-knitworkingcommunity.While working aloft, Condon also

discoveredtheworldofthepigeontrainerswho spend their days with the homingpigeons that race across theBrooklyn andManhattanskylines.Shemetpigeonflyers,nicknamed “mumblers,” whose “fancy”pigeonsengageinwarstocapturethebirdsofotherpigeonowners.“IgottoknowquitealotabouttherooftopcultureofNewYork,”shesaid.Atthefestival,watertowerbuilderswill

erectatowerontheMallandwilltellstoriesto illustrate thenatureof thisuniqueanddangeroustrade.Pigeonstrainerswithcoopsandbirdswill tell festivalgoers about thecultureandpracticeof pigeonkeeping.

FooDThegoalfornutritionistandfolkloristAnnie

Lawsonwastocultivate,asshedescribedit,“afoodvoicefromNewYork.”“NewYorkersgloataboutfood,”shesaid.

“They are always bringing food items torelativeslivinginotherpartsof theUnitedStates.Foodreconnectspeopletotheirpast,andthefoodwayssectionatthefestivalwillallow visitors to eat their way back intohistory.”Oneexampleof suchanexperienceis eating a hotdog from Katz’s Deli on abunfromthe123-yearoldGermanbakery,Holterman’s.“Themomentyoutakeabite,youhavecreatedafoodmemoryfromthe1930s.”

Lawson is developing a special “doughtheme” for the festivalby featuringbakersfromdifferentnationalitiespreparingpopularethnic food items made from flour andwater—bagels,totakeanobviousexample.TherewillalsobeChinesechefspreparingfreshnoodles,Greekpastrychefsstretchingfilodoughon12-foottables,andOrthodoxrabbismakingschmoramatzahballs.Onlyahandfulofestablishments in thecountrypreparematzohballs—andallhappentobelocatedinBrooklyn.

This celebration of New York City’sculture and urban folklore in the newmillenniumwillrevealtheever-changingandmultifacetedmeaningbehindthecity’sstatus

Cathy Ragland, who serves as project coordinator for the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, is an ethnomusicologist and folklorist. She thanks Drew Magrattan, who assisted with the interviews for this article. For more information on the Folklife Festival, visit http://www.folklife.si.edu/.

The staves of Manhattan’s wooden water towers are precision-cut in the Rosenwach factory but must be assembled in situ. The working conditions lead naturally to camaraderie and a rich trove of occupational lore. Photo: Martha Cooper

as the global capital. Today,withmorethan40percentof itspopulationhavingbeenbornabroad,thecity’scommunitiesandculturaltraditionsarebeingredrawnand rethought. It is the city’s ability tochangeandredefineitself withtheshiftingandmergingof itspopulationsthatmakesNewYorkanexcitingandunpredictableexperienceforlocalsandtravelersalike.

10 VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

Poaching!Ethics in Folklore

thappenedatacocktailpartyinSaratogaSprings.Afriend introducedmeto twovisitingManhattanites,writers andaca-

BY AMY GoDINE

tookalotofnotes,andrevealedverylittleofherownfindingsexcepttodiscountthemandsayhowmuchmoreresearchshehadyettodo.AtaTimbucto-relatedroundtable,Iwatchedherdowhatanygoodreporterwoulddo:collectsources,quotes,andleadsfromthoseinvolvedinthisregionalresearch.Aftermylectureshepulledmeasidetoobservethatwhilemostof whatIsaidsheof coursealreadyknew,she had further questions about sources:Whowasthisperson,wherewasthatquotefrom,could Idate thisparticular citation.Nowshesaidpublicationwasapossibilityforher(atourfirstmeeting,shehadassuredmeitwasnot).AgainIremindedherthatthiswasunpublishedresearch,thatIwouldpre-fershewaituntilithadbeenpublished,andshesaid,Sure, absolutely, completely understand.A few days later, I got an e-mailwith

kindwordsforthelecture,followedbystillmorequestions,allaimedatgainingmorespecificinformationaboutprimarysourcematerial.

Whatisthesoundof thestrawthatbreaksthe camel’s back? In this case, somethinglike a sonic boom. Stupidly, I had envi-sionedadealalongthelinesof “I’llshowyoumine, you showme yours.” Vague,informal,evencrude,butnotunreasonable.Earlier that year, for instance,when theTimbuctoprojectresearcherspaidavisittotheQueensHistorical Society, eachof ushadnewsfortheother—theQueensteamwashotforGerritSmith;wewererunningdownbiographiesof granteesfromQueensCounty—andweladledoutourgoodiesinmountingportionsaswegainedtrustandconfidence about the uses towhich ourfindingswouldbeput.Now,IknewSheilahadexploredanumberof archivalsourceswehadn’tyetpursued.Surelythiscouldbe,shouldbe,atwo-waystreet.Surelysheun-

derstood.Yetonlynow,inthelastsentenceof here-mail,wasSheilaofferingtoreturnthefavor:Wouldweliketoseeacopyof herpaper?Sheesh,Ineverevenknewshehadapaper;shehadrepresentedherworkas justamessof notes.SoI replied,Yes,youbet.Ialsowrotethatasforherinquiriesregarding sources, sorry, this time I reallycouldn’thelp.Wishedherwell,andhopedsheunderstood.

Ineverheardfromheragain.The encounter got me thinking. I’ve

beeninSheila’sshoes.Iknowthezealthatovertakesthespiritof collegiality,thebrightambition that rationalizesplaying fastandloosewithotherpeople’swork.ButIknowitmostly,sadtosay,inhindsight.

Ialsoknowhoweasyitistobeinappropri-ately,reflexivelypossessive.Someyearsago,forinstance,Iapproachedthedirectorof aprominent regional museum with an ideaaboutanexhibitiononethnichistory.Shegotmeonboardtodotheresearch,whichwasswell,butshealsohiredaconsultanttoinventoryarchivalresources—somethingIknewagoodbitabout,andIcouldn’tseewhatthisotherfellowwasdoingon my turf.Inmypetulantnaïveté,Ihadn’tconsideredthatanarchivistmightownamethodologyand an expertise quite separate from myown.Then I readAlbertFowler’s report,whichwas, of course, terrific. Itwas, forme, a pointed lesson in humility. I’mnotanarchivist.I’majournalist,awriter.Andwriters—notwithstanding Sam Seabrook’sidealized example on West Wing—do notalwaysgettodoitall.

It’saprettygreasypoleweshimmybetweenasking,borrowing,filching,andoutrighttheft,andeverybodyhasastory.Howaggrievedwe let ourselvesbecomedepends in largemeasureonhow realisticallywe admit the

Idemics.OneofthemhadauthoredabookonillegalimmigrantsinNewYorkCity.IhaveastronginterestinethnicandmigrationhistoryinnorthernNewYork,andwhenIwasdoingre-searchforarticlesonturn-of-the-centuryillegalChineseimmigrationintheAdirondackregion,thisbookhadbeenveryhelpful;Ihadciteditinbothmyarticles.Iofferedtosendmyclips.Andtheywereverypleased:theywerecollaboratingonasecond,moreambitiousbookonasimilarsubject, andwhat Ihadwrittenmighthelp. Then the research partner added briskly:But what we really need is your documentation.We want sources.It saves us so much time.Anothertime,itstartedwithane-mail.Igot

aqueryfromaNewYorkCitygraduatestudentinAmericanhistorywhoknewaboutanexhibi-tionIwascurating,“DreamingofTimbucto.”TheexhibitionconcernedanantebellumfarmsettlementforfreeAfricanAmericansintheAd-irondacks.Itwasarichstoryandwewereheadywithsomeofourdiscoveries—the“we”beingthevolunteerresearcherswhohopedtobringthislostchapterofAdirondacksocialhistorytolife.Wewereamotleybunch—inadditiontomyself,aphotographerforthestateparksdepartment,acontractor,alaborlawyer,andhu-manrightsactivistMarthaSwan.Additionally,wehadasolidscoreofalliesamongtownandcountyhistorians,independentscholars,librar-ians,andteachers,whothrilledtothechallengeofbottom-uphistoryandtheroll-your-sleeves-uparchivalresearchitrequired.Sosure, I told“Sheila,”wecanmeetand

talk;cometoourroundtablesandlectures.Justbearinmind(Itoldher),I’mhopingtogetthisgreatmaterialintoprint,soIhaveaproprietaryinterest inmyfindings,whichI’massumingyou’llrespect.Sheilawasfriendly,gracious,smartasawhip,

andniceaspie.Sheaskedalotofquestions,


andstewardsof musicaltraditions.(Italsohelped,of course, thatWoods,afirst-ratereporter, turnedout a crackerjack piece.)Ward’sconclusion:“Itwashardtobeconsid-eredaprimarysource,butintheendit’sjustmoreimportanttogetthestoryout.”

Amorebitterthreatforapublicfolklor-istlikeVaughnWardispoachingwithinherownprofessionalworld.Ward,whorunstheBlackCrowNetworkfromherhomeinRex-ford,NewYork,cancitemanyinstancesof folklorists’headinguppublicprogramswhohavehorned inonhercarefullycultivatedsources.Butwhatcanyoudo?SaysVarickChittenden,directorof TraditionalArtistsof UpstateNewYork,“Wearen’tagents.Wedon’townthesepeople.”Still,it’shardnottotakeaproprietaryinterestinsomebodyyou “found,” nurturedwithout any hopeorexpectationof compensation,andalso,invariably, befriended.Ward, for her part,blameschangingethicsinthefield:

IntheSixties,wewerealltrainedthatifwedidtheprimaryworkwithaninfor-mant,wewerethegatekeepers.Wewereconsideredthemainrepositorybecausewehaddone the spadework.So youwent throughus, andwhenyouweredone,yougaveusacopyofeverythingyou’dfound.Andthiswasnonnegotiable.Thesewerecommonlyheldprofessionalassumptions.

Wardistalkingaboutfolklorists,butI’mthinking about myself. It strikes me thatnobodygoesintofolklorewhodoesn’tlikepeopleandisn’tdrawntemperamentallytostoriesof theunderdog.Thefieldispredi-catedontheabilityof thefolkloristtogainthetrustandconfidenceof asourceandtosustainthatconfidenceovertime.Enterthethievingjournalist,deadline-driven,byline-buoyed,with little patience (or talent) forthe scrupulously culti-

limitsofourexpertise.Icouldn’tseewherearchivalworkendedandmyowninterpretivereportingbegan,soIgotbentoutofshapeovernothing.

TheStoryofSheilawasmore tricky:herewere twowritersmining thesamevein,andthesoundofSheila’spickaxwhistlingpastmyheadmademejumpy.TowhichSheilamightreply:ForGod’ssake,I’manacademic!You’rearegionalist!Yetaslongaswe’rebothshoot-ingforgeneral-interestpublicationdowntheroad,ourtrajectorieswerefatedtocollide.

Maybe I’ve got a bad attitude aboutacademics.Maybe they’ve got aworse at-titudeaboutthelikesof me—independentscholars, lay researchers,publichistorians,freelance journalists, and others of ourproudlynonaffiliatedilk.Ithinktheythinkwe’relightweights,andIthinktheirairof professional entitlement makes for lousymanners.

AnAlbanyprofessorthinks itmightbeneat to have her undergrads do researchonTim-bucto.SodoI!Soundsterrific!Butbeforeshecancommitherclass,sheasksmetomakehercopiesof allourprimaryresearch material so that she knows whattheyhavetoworkwith.Anannotatedbibli-ographywon’tdo.Shewantssources.Whichiseasyforhertosay,ensconcedinamajoruniversitydepartmentwithsecretariesandacopycenteratherdisposal.ButI’mnotKinko’s.I’mafreelancer,Iworkathome.Whatshe’saskingforwilltakemedays.Itisunthinkingandabsurd.

Anotherstory:anAlbanyprofessorcallsand demands I forward my clips aboutJewish peddlers in theAdirondacks.He’swriting a scholarly piece and needs themforbackground.Ihavetoask:AmIgoingtobefootnoted?Well,hesays,alittlecross,yourworkisalloutthere,it’sbeenpublished,it’sinamagazine—asif thefactof (mere)magazinepublicationsomehowrelieveshimfromtheresponsibilityof acknowledginghissources.It’sakindof poaching,butwhatthehell.Isendalongtheclips.LynnWoods,anotherfreelancejournalist

withastronginterestinAdirondacksocialhistory, knows frompoachers. Impressedwith her work on Native American his-

toryinnorthernNewYork,aSchenectadyprofessortrackedherdownandinvitedherto help him develop a Native Americanprogramathiscollege.Onthe faceof it,the project sounded wonderful. But whathereallywantedwastorewriteherresearch,addingnothingtoitof hisown,thenslaphisnameonit,anduseittojustifyarequestforprogramfundingshewouldneversee.“I told him, ‘You’re certainlywelcome tobuildonwhatI’vedone.’Butintheend,Ifeltalittleused.”

OrhowaboutthisonefromafolkloristIknowwhoisanauthorityonFrenchCa-nadianbuildingtraditionsinNorthernNewYork.Shespendsanhouronthephonewitha builder and architecturalwriter, spillingeverythingsheknows.Notonlyissheneverthanked, quoted, or even acknowledgedinthesubsequentarticle, theill-manneredboornever even sendsher a copyof themagazine.Anotherdoozie:thissamefolklor-istgotaconsultinggigdoingoralhistorieswithlong-timeemployeesof anAdirondackGreatCamp.For awhile they sat in coldstorage. Then a regional preservationistwhipped them into an anthology withoutcontactingthefolklorist.Fairenough,onlythesubjectswerenevercontactedfortheirpermission to be quoted, and the releaseformstheyhadsignedfortheoriginalstudycoveredonlyeducationalandresearch(notcommercial)useof thematerials.Nobodywouldprobablyhaveminded,butthefolk-lorist is bothered by the breach of goodfaith.Sheobserves,“Thisisthenatureof doingcontractwork.”Howeverpersonallyinvestedyoubecome,youjusthavetokissitgood-bye.IknewthatfolkloristVaughnWardand

herhusbandGeorgehadspentdecadesmin-ing source material about North Countrymusicaltraditions.Iwonderedhowshefeltabout Lynn Woods’s article on this samesubjectinAdiron-dack Life.Vaughntoldmewhat I suspected: she had long hoped towriteastoryalongtheselinesherself.Butwasthispoaching?Notatall.Firstof all,Lynn never presentedWard’s findings asherownandindeedtookpainsinthisstorytocelebratetheWards’workasfolklorists

Amy Godine ([email protected]) curated Dreaming of Timbucto, a traveling exhibition about a black antebellum farm settlement in the Adiron-dacks (at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Moun-tain Lake through October 2001). She is available as a lecturer through the New York Council for the Humanities speakers program. She lives in Saratoga Springs.

1� VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

Med

ia w

or

kS

Documenting Community BY BARRY DoRNFELD

Cultural documentarians have longexploredthecreativecombinationof visualimageandsoundindepictingsociallifewithrichnessanddepth.Theirexplorationsoftenfocusedoncombiningstillimageandspokenword,usuallyrenderedaswrittentext.Walk-erEvans’sandJamesAgee’scollaborationonthebookLet Us Now Praise Famous Men,forinstance,standsoutasanexemplarof howtointegratewordsandpicturestorepresentaculturalworldwithcomplexityandpassion,whilenotassumingthesemediaaccomplishthesamethingsthesameways.

TherecentlycompletedIndivisibleProj-ect is a descendant of those image-textcollaborations, applied to contemporarysocial issues. The book-CD combinationLocal Heroes Changing America: Indivisible,editedbyTomRankinandproducedbytheCenter forDocumentary Studies atDukeUniversity,isthemosttangiblemanifestationof acomplexprojectthatalsolivesthrougha travelingmuseumexhibit, an innovativepostcardexhibit,andawell-developedweb-site at http://www.indivisible.org/. The PewCharitableTrustsfundedtheproject,whichwascodirectedbyRankinandTrudyWilnerStackof theCenterforCreativePhotogra-phyattheUniversityof Arizona;RaySuarez,

publicbroadcastingcorrespondent,wroteaforewordandnarratestheCD.

The Indivisible Project paired photog-raphers and audio ethnographers (radioproducers, folklorists, anthropologists) intwelvesitesaroundtheUnitedStateswheregrass-roots, community-based initiativeshave thrived and enhanced the economy,health,orculturallifeof thecommunityinwhichtheyhavegrown.Theprojectteamscoveredan impressiverangeof Americancommunities: Stony Brook, Long Island, New

York,wheretheDoulaServiceof UniversityHospitalandMedicalCentertrainswomentoofferprenatal,labor,andearlypostpartumsupporttomothers. EauClaire, SouthCarolina,where

agroupofresidentsworkthroughbiracial,faith-based initiatives to improve thecom-munityforall. TheYaakValleyForestCommunity

inMontana,where residents interested inenvironmental conservation balance theirconcernswith those of loggers, sawmilloperators,andotherslivingoff theland. NorthPhiladelphia,where theVil-

lageof ArtsandHumanities,acommunityorganizationbegunbyartistLilyYehasa

parkbuildingprojecton a vacant lot, hasflourished into a constellation of educa-tion,arts,neighborhooddevelopment,andoutreachprograms.Iworkedonthissiteasaudioethnographer,collaboratingwithstillphotographerReaganLouie.Thephotographspresentedinthebook,

and inamore limitedversionontheweb,displayanextraordinaryrangeofstylesandapproaches,allwithinthegenreofdocumen-tary—fromgrainy,evocative,black-and-whiteveritéimagestoreflexiveironiccolorportraitstocarefullycomposed,Evans-like interiorsandlandscapestocollagesofmultipleimagesonthebookpage.Thetextcomesdirectlyfrominterviewswithlocalpeopleandoffersawide rangeof discussionswith activists,workers,culturalexperts,artists,elders,andpatients.TheaccompanyingCD,alsoavail-ablethroughdownloadontheweb,containsaudiopieceseditedfromethnographers’fieldtapes intoshortcompilationsof interviewsandveritésoundmaterial.

Working as an ethnographer and audiodocumentarian in collaboration with anaccomplishedstillphotographerpresentedboth unexpected challenges and foundopportunities.Attimes,ReaganandIhadtonegotiateourworkasateamsothatwewereintentionallydocumentingeventsandgettingtoknowpeopletogether,oratleastcovering complementary subjects. Whenweworked togetheron site, Ihad to stayout of his frame, and Iwantedhis voiceandshutterclicksoff myaudiotrack.Ontheconceptual level, Iwonderedhow theeditorswouldintegratestillimagesandtextinthevariousformatsinwhichtheprojectwouldbepublished.Giventhespecificityof Reagan’simages,I

feltfreedtoincludemoreephemeralsoundelements,likemusic,thesoundsof work,theinteriorof a localtavern,andthebroadercity soundscape. As with other sectionsof the book, the images and text in ourchapterarerarelyliterallycoordinated,withphotographsrepresentingspeakersoreventsdepictedintext,butaremoreoftensugges-tivelyconnected,withtextcontexutalizingBoy playing hide-and-seek in Ife Ife Park, North Philadelpha. Photo: Reagan Louie


Barry Dornfeld (University of the Arts, 320 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102; [email protected]) is director and asso- ci-ate professor of the Communication Program at t h e U n i v e r s i t y of the Arts, Philadelphia, and specializes in sound recording and documentary filmmak-ing. He has published research on media organizations, media reception, and cultural performance, including “Producing Public Television, Producing Public Culture,” an

imagesof placesandpeople.Throughoutthebook,thesetwosymbolictrackseitherdriftapart,witha lessmotivatedsenseof connectionbetween image andwords, orstandalone,withapagedominatedbyeitherphotographic images or print. The audiomaterialonCDorwebsiteaddstextureandsoundscape.

Atoneof optimismundergirdstheIndi-visibleProject,suggestingthatcommunity-basedinitiativesalonecanredresssociety’sproblems.Thecynicinmewantstorebutthisoptimism, topoint to themanywaysthatforcesof powerconspireagainstcom-munity-basedchange,andtorejectBushSr.’s

thousandpointsof lightasthe solutiontosocialinjusticeandcommunitydisem-pow-erment.Nevertheless,onecannothelpbutbemovedbytheeffortsof theindividualsdepicted here and be impressed with thepassionandresourcefulnesswesee.Perhapsasimportant,though,istolook

toIndivisibleasamodelfordocumentaryprojects. A generous budget funded themanyteams’extendedvisitswiththesecom-munities,underwrotetheproductsinseveralformats,andenabledmountingatravelingnationalexhibit.Notmanyinitiativeswillbeabletorecreatethislevelof support,buttheidea of pairing ethnographers, folklorists,andwritersarmedwithaudiorecordersandstillphotographerstogenerateanarchiveof imagesanddigitaltapesoffersaproductivemodel for documentation. And the abil-ity to make material available in multipleformats is possible only when you havedocumented it in a high-quality format. IhopethatIndivisiblewillinvigorateotherstobuildonthismodelof creativecommunity

documentation.TheIndivisibleProjectmuseumexhibit

canbeseenattheCenterforCreativePho-tographyinTucson,Arizona,fromJuly14throughSeptember30,2001.ItthentravelstoRaleigh,Sarasota,LaJolla,Philadelphia,andfinallyAnchorage;checkthewww.in-divisible.orgwebsiteforspecifics.

BarryDornfeld(Universityof theArts,

indivisible is a project of the Center for documentary Studies at duke university in partner-ship with the Center for Creative photography, the university of arizona. indivisible is funded by the pew Charitable trusts.

Village staff members Sally Hammerman and Andres Chamorro performing with puppets on Earth Day. Photo: Reagan Louie


A Case StudyPolish American Lullaby

BY MARYANN McCABE

Interviews tape-recorded in New York City and in Boston in March 1988 reveal how the different cultural experiences of Polish American women affected their use and transmission of traditional Polish lullabies. These songs conform well to characteristics of the genre as described in the few secondary works devoted to the folk lullaby, but there remain areas for further exploration. The strong functional aspects of the lullaby explain the occasional substitution of other genres in the lullaby context, as well as the degree of improvisation that mothers use. The lullaby functions intimately, socially, psychologically, and creatively for the caretaker and her child. Although the women interviewed for this article can no longer recall all the Polish lullabies they once knew, the lullaby is yet a living manifestation of their culture.

y study of the Polish lullaby genre began with an effort to find infor-mants. I originally intended to inter-

musicians offered me materials on the lullaby but declined interviews. Several individuals noted that since they came from the city, they did not know many folk lullabies and could not sing them “primitively” enough.

My informants eventually came from two locations: central and eastern Massachusetts, and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in New York City. My first informant was my mother, Con-stance Samborska McCabe, native Polish speaker and the daughter of Polish immigrants from P»ock (a suburb of Warsaw). She was raised in a tightly knit Polish community in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The remaining informants were members of the Saint Cecilia Choir of Saint Stanis»aw Kostka Roman Catholic Church in Green-point. The director, John Bartosiewicz, spoke of my interest to four women before choir rehearsal, and when interviewed, the women responded openly. The joint interview, taped after rehearsal, was initially chaotic. Once the group dynamics got under way, however, this arrangement had its positive side. The women helped one another to remember titles, texts, and music.

Initially, only one of the four informants

from Saint Stanis»aw—Halina Kalitka—re-membered Polish lullabies. Born in Germany of a Polish father and Ukrainian mother, Halina has lived in the Polish communities of New York for most of her life and attended Polish school. As far as she can remember, “Nobody sang to me but I sang to my children.” Halina is an organist. Sophie Klujsza, choir member and soloist, was born in Greenpoint in the early 1920s of Polish-born parents. Sophie, youngest of three, had no children to whom she could sing lullabies, so she flatly did not recall them—at least not right away. Polish immigrant Barbara Pierzcha»a-StyÑ remembers singing lullabies to her children but was at first unable to recall specific examples. Irene Owczarzak, born in Poland in the early 1940s, entered the United States in 1987. She did not remember lullabies that may have been sung to her. Irene, a film-maker, reads to her own children instead. All of my informants or their parents came from the capital, Warsaw, or its environs.

Themes and FunctionsThere is scanty literature on the lullaby as

folklore in East Slavic communities. Noth-ing deals with the Polish or Polish American lullaby. The literature regarding other Slavic traditions—Ukrainian, Ukrainian Canadian, and Russian—details the sociopsychological themes expressed in the texts as literature (Klymasz 1968; Spitz 1979).

In her perceptive study of the American lul-laby, Bess Lomax Hawes (1974) distinguishes content from function and asks whether we define the genre by its function or by its the-matic content. She poses two questions that constitute the framework for my study: “Is a song a function of its lexical content or its social usage? Is a lullaby a song about going

Mview elderly and primarily Polish-born women at Saint Stanis»aw Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan’s Lower East side. When I asked the women whether they knew Polish lullabies and whether they would be willing to sing them, their responses were polite but negative. Some women simply did not sing; others said they had never learned Polish lullabies. Most women, however, did not remember the songs: they said their children were fully grown or they had no grandchildren and that lullabies were no longer useful. Some questioned my interest in such practical songs.

Since lullabies are spontaneously expressive with the goal of putting a child to sleep, it was difficult to recall them out of context. These women, a possible precious resource, were now too old, and the genre, too functional.

I encountered other problems as well. Polish organizations failed to take my project seri-ously. Perhaps they were dismissive because the lullaby is a genre associated with women and the oral tradition. These administrators were more interested in thematic content and Polish “art music” lullabies. A few singers and


Example 1Lulajóe Jezuniu, as sung by Constance

Lulajóe Jezuniu, as sung by Sophie with improvised, chordal piano accompaniment played by Halina

“Lullaby Carol” (English translation by Marguerite Wilkinson) Lullaby, little pearl, dear baby Jesu,Lullaby, little pearl, dear baby sleeping;Lullaby, little one, dear baby Jesu,Mary is holding you, guarding and keeping.

Additional verses of Lulajóe Jezuniu can be found in Botsford (1921, 1:87).

to sleep or is it any song on any subject that is used to induce slumber?” (Lomax Hawes 1974: 141). I have found from my own research that function more appropriately accounts for what my informants sang and for the processes of lulling they describe.

I also advocate defining the lullaby by func-tion rather than by thematic content because any composed or improvised song can be a lullaby. The genre can perhaps be viewed as a dynamic continuum. On one end are the styl-ized and thematic composed lullabies of the Western art music tradition, such as those by Benjamin Britten, Gabriel Fauré, or Stanis»aw Moniuszko. In between are the composed yet orally transmitted folk lullabies of the Anglo-American tradition; an example is “All the Pretty Horses,” which exists in many versions. Similarly, other composed songs that are not lullabies thematically function as such if the

singer chooses them for this purpose. On the opposite end of the continuum is the improvised lullaby, including the partly improvised types in which texts or melodies are changed or replaced to varying degrees.

My informants’ repertoires reflected that continuum. Many knew Moniuszko’s lullabies but did not sing them, nor had these songs been sung to them. The outcome is consistent with the way in which these “lullabies” function: as stylized evocations of the poetic atmosphere of a lullaby. Would anyone sing Britten’s A Charm of Lullabies after a long day’s work to a scream-ing child who needs to go to sleep? Such com-positions lack the immediacy so central to the activity at hand. I mention this artificial sort of lullaby, which typically requires piano parts for “performance,” to illustrate the extent to which the real lullaby is immediate, spontaneous, and functional. “Brahms’s Lullaby,” which has

become a folk lullaby in many cultures, was curiously hummed by Barbara and Halina.

The Blurring of GenresMy hypothesis, that the Polish lullaby is best

defined by function, arose from my mother’s use of Polish Christmas carols as lullabies. These include composed lullabies to Jesus but also carols about the nativity. The theme of many “lullaby carols,” as well as their function, reflects the parallel relationship between Jesus and Mary, and child and mother, and represents a strong tradition among Polish Christians. This theme exists within the Anglo-American tradition as well: In A Book of Lullabies Smith (1925) includes such categories as “The Child and the Infant Christ” and “Christmas Lul-labies.”

Perhaps the Polish carol that is most revered is Lulajóe Jezuniu, which I would translate as “Lullaby, Little Jesus” (example 1). The English translator for this example, Marguerite Wilkin-son, chose to title it “Lullaby Carol,” further suggesting the song’s dual function. Lulajóe is frequently sung in church at a special moment during midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Con-stance regarded it as a Christmas Eve medita-tion. Irene said emphatically: “I very much like this song.” It is an emblem of cultural identity for many Polish Christians.

The text of Lulajóe Jezuniu is purely folk poetry and recalls the story of the Three Kings who brought gold, incense, and myrrh after Christ’s birth. Mary and unspecified others appeal humbly and lovingly to baby Jesus that He fall asleep, and they invite Poles to give Jesus presents of almonds, raisins, berries, bread and butter—kingly riches from the Pol-ish countryside.

When I asked my informants whether they would consider Lulajóe both ko»ysanka, “lul-laby,” and kol“da, “carol,” they unanimously agreed. For Constance this song had been a specifically Christmas lullaby over the course of two generations. She recalled her mother singing it to her younger sisters while rocking them to sleep during Christmas time. Then “as we got older, we all sang it together,” and “that got to be something that I sang to all of you until you learned it, too.”

Barbara, who could not remember lullabies at first, later recollected having sung Lulajóe as


a lullaby. She too considered it both lullaby and carol. Although Irene likewise considered the song to be of both genres, she suggested a more thematic classification than one based solely on function. She described Lulajóe as a ko»ysanka: “not for people, but for Jesus.”

Halina best expressed my conclusion: “It’s a kol“da but it’s really like a lullaby because you’re putting the baby Jesus to sleep and ev-erything is connected in this way.” She noted that the soothing lullaby vocables in the Polish language, lu, lu and li li li laj, are found in Polish lullaby carols in the context of putting Jesus to sleep. “You connect this with your own children,” Halina said. In fact, Constance used these same vocables in improvised examples when she imitated her mother’s practice of singing lullabies.

Halina and Sophie considered many kol“dy to be ko»ysanki and expected them to be used as such. From this carol repertoire Halina specifically named Siano, Siano (“Oh, Hay, Oh, Hay!”), Gdy Sliczna Panna (“When the Beautiful Virgin”), Jezus Malusie½ki (“Little

Jesus”), and Cicho Noc (“Silent Night”).Halina’s motivation for singing carols as

lullabies may have been slightly different from that of Constance and her mother. The women who sang carols as lullabies would not think of doing so outside the Christmas season. Also, Halina appeared to be building her own tradition. She sang to her children for all sorts of reasons even though, she said, “Nobody sang to me.” Referring to Lulajóe, she commented, “I use it on my own children. It doesn’t matter what time of year, just to put them to sleep.” She also considered many Pol-ish carols “very peaceful,” implying that they were appropriately used as lullabies. Halina’s choice of the word “use”—seen together with her remark “sometimes [I] sing to children to make them eat”—indicated that she was aware of both her role and the power of music. By “casting a spell” on her children, she effected the desired end.

Performance PracticeConstance was one of two from seven chil-

dren who did not marry Poles; she has lived in an English and Irish American environment for much of her life. Her experience has affected the transmission of traditions and language. Many of my cousins learned Polish at home and at school; although I understand some Pol-ish, I do not speak it. It is not surprising that Constance recalled singing the Irish American lullaby “Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral.” In contrast, the four women of Saint Cecilia Choir have lived in more homogenous Polish communi-ties, whether here or abroad. All sang strictly Polish songs, which, Halina said, “simply sound better.”

Since Constance clearly remembered her mother singing lullabies to younger siblings and herself singing them to her own children, there is a richness of two generations through which to view change in repertoire. I compare her mother’s practice with her own to determine how the process of making and singing lullabies has changed. I also compare the repertoire and procedures of the other informants.

The lullaby has two functional parts. These parts represent separate activities and also al-low interaction between composed material and improvisation. Lomax Hawes (1974:144) calls these two parts “chats” and “lulls.” Chats include word games, rhymes, and lively rhyth-mic singing; lulls involve soft, soothing singing or humming with the intention of quieting the child into sleep.

Constance’s description of the lullaby pro-cess recalled Hawes’s categories. She linked the process to the particular behavior of the child and mood of the mother: “You have to be in a certain mood to want to sing it.” In ad-dition, the chat and lull structure is sequential. She continued:

First you get the child interested and then you do something slow. First you enter-tain and then you get the child settled down and contented. The child is not yet ready to fall asleep. Yet you have to cap-tivate them so that you have settled them in your arms, and so you sing something entertaining and catchy and then sort of drift into more of a lullaby with a slower, soothing melody.

Constance recalled that most of her mother’s chats and lulls, both text and music, were im-

Example 2 Kto rano staje as sung by Constance

“The Early Riser” (English translation by Constance)He who rises early, God blesses.So little lazy one, don’t lie in bed.Look at the happiness around you;The sun is shining, calling people to workWith its golden rays.So little dear one,Fall on your knees and pray devotedly,And the little angel will come from the highest heavenAnd bless all little children.


provisatory and referred to daily events; for example: “When Baby wakes up from a nap, we’ll go for a walk.” The lullaby might start out with a Polish vocable pertaining to sleep, lu, lu, and then add sentences that describe the baby’s day. Con-stance suggested that her mother differentiated between chat and lull not melodically but rather by moderating rhythms, tempi, and textual choices to fit the situation at hand. Constance’s inability to remember specific examples of her mother’s improvisa-tory process reinforces the spontaneous and functional nature of these lullabies.

Constance did recall, however, a number of nursery rhymes, or wierszk dla dzieci, that her mother used, which functioned as both chats and lulls. One was a poem from her grandmother that her mother set to a calming melody for rocking. Kto rano staje (“The Early Riser,” example 2) is Constance’s variation on the basic melodic patterns that she remembered. Her mother, Constance said, would know how sleepy her children were by their reactions whenever she would change the melody a bit.

Another example of how a nursery rhyme can serve as a chat or lull depending on the mood or context is the humorous verse Koci, koci »apci (example 3). Constance’s mother set this verse to her own melody for the purpose of lulling; Constance tended to recite the poem at a fast tempo as a chat, while clapping the baby’s hands together rhythmically. Note the differences in rhythm between the sung and recited versions of example 3.

A well-known rhyme that is used as a chat is A, a kotki dwa (“There Are Two Kittens”). Constance sang a version learned from her mother. The four choir members confidently sang a different version. When asked about other melodies, each said that the melody she sang was the only melody associated with that particular rhyme.

other Genres and TextsConstance recalled her mother singing other

songs as lullabies, such as ballads and religious songs. One nostalgic song, entitled Jak wie szybko mijaj chwile (“How Quickly the Min-utes Pass,” example 4), bemoaned the passing of time, separation, and death.

Daily events were incorporated into the lul-

laby through the use of religious songs. The church calendar played a strong role in Polish life and influenced Constance’s mother’s choice of melodies for lullabies. The texts may have been chosen for her benefit, and the melodies, for the children’s. Often, Constance noted, her mother would sing hymny, religious songs for feast days, especially those dedicated to Mary.

One hymn that Constance recalled her mother singing is Serdeczna Matko (“Beloved Mother”). She had to concentrate to reconstruct the text, but the melody came readily to mind. Although she had a limited repertoire of Polish songs and she had forgotten the texts, she said she did remember the melodies. She would add her own words to these religious hymns and use them as lullabies. The rhymed texts were newly invented and highly situational. Given their occasional nature, she could not call to mind any in particular. Importantly, the texts were generally in English.

Her experience illustrates the power of the melody in memory and the feeling of nostalgia for her past. It was not important to her that she

be a “big poet.” Her children, she said, “just wanted to hear my voice”:

My own mother did the same thing. The point was to send a message to the baby that you were there. The lullaby was just to be a soothing assurance that you were there.

Lullabies for the MotherOf special interest are the autobiographi-

cal and psychological aspects of the Polish American lullaby. Although Sophie could hardly recall what was sung to her when she was young, after a few minutes of thought, she did remember a love song (example 5) that her mother “strangely enough” sang to her often and taught her to sing when she was six years old. Sophie never knew the song’s title.

This love song is a dialogue between a bro-kenhearted young woman and her beau, who leaves her. In the second line the man answers that “he is not going far away, and that when he returns he would be hers alone.” Sophie said, “That’s not a lullaby because I was long past needing to be put to sleep.” Context, however, suggests that this song was indeed a lullaby.

Example 3Koci, koci, »apci as sung and recited by Constance

“Kitten paws, kitten paws” (English translation by the author)Kitten paws, kitten paws,We will go to grandmother’s;Grandmother will give some moneyAnd [baby’s name] will buy a cigar.


how she used to hear her mother sing religious songs very softly as a “lullaby to herself,” a personal and calming reassurance. One song that Sophie mentioned was a Lenten hymn or lamentation, translated roughly as “Who Is Knocking at Your Door?”; her mother, no doubt overwhelmed with difficulties, was pleading to God for help.

The Ambivalent LullabyIn the interview Halina sang a song entitled

Stary niedwiedï mocno Ñpi (“This Old Bear Is Sleeping Soundly,” example 6), which she associated with the lullaby. She also described the activities that accompanied it, because it functioned as a children’s game, nursery rhyme, and lullaby. Halina summarized the text:

This old bear is sleeping soundly and we don’t want to wake him up because we are afraid to, and if he does wake up, he will eat us up, or at least be very angry. With that, too, you can put someone to sleep.

Halina is thus suggesting that this rhyme could be used as either chat or lull. She then described the game:

You put one child in the middle and you have a bunch of children running around singing softly: Stary niewiedï mocno Ñpi. This child in the middle is making believe he is the bear and so you go around and sing, sing, sing, and then when you say, Jak si“ budzi tam na zje [“if he wakes, he will eat us”], the bear gets up and starts running around and picks the next child to be the bear and puts him in the center of the circle.

The topic of this versatile rhyme pertains to sleep, which is appealingly associated with makebelieve. Its psychological content expresses projection and bargaining, which is reinforced by the activity. The child identi-fies with the bear—and thus with a twist, the tale serves to give relief to the caretaker and control to the child, appeasing the frustrations of all concerned. The parents want the child to sleep: “If you (the bear, the child) wake up, you will eat us.” The portrayal of the child as something bad or wild and the themes of the death wish and bargaining have been explored in a few studies (Lomax Hawes 1974:145; Klymasz 1968:177–79; Lebentritt 1987:3; Spitz 1979:19–23). The overwhelming demands that

Example 4Jak szybko mijaj chwile as sung by Constance

“How Quickly the Minutes Pass” (English translation by the author)How quickly the minutes pass, How quickly time passes;In a year, in a day, in a moment,We will not be together.

Example 5Untitled love song, as sung by Sophie

(English translation by Sophie and Constance)Dearest Johnnie, to where did you vanish? Leave, sadness, but not my dreams.Give me back my heart which you took;Or in place of it,Give me yours.

Dearest beloved,I love you.O my dear angel,I’m not going very farAnd when I return,I will be yours.

Sophie’s father died when she was ten months old, leaving her young mother with three small children. Significantly, Sophie mentioned the love song in the context of the lullaby, and it ap-pears to have served the psychological needs of the widowed mother and her family (Lebentritt

1987; Johnston 1987). It was in fact a lullaby for Sophie’s mother.

Whatever my informants chose from their experience to associate with the lullaby validates its definition in this cultural con-text. Later in the interview Sophie recalled


Maryann McCabe received her PhD in musicology (New York University), MA in historical musicology (University of Toronto, Canada), and BA in music and German (Barnard College, Columbia University). She currently researches topics involving gender and the sociology of music. She conducts summer seminars at Rutgers University (Newark, New Jersey) and teaches at the Coalition School for Social Change (Alternative High Schools, New York City Public Schools).

children make on their caretakers account for this violent imagery.

Ultimately, the lullaby is a sad song of separation, as is sleep for the infant. Although lullaby collector Julia Lebentritt approaches the lullaby from a more psychological and less culturally specific slant, she offers a fine inter-pretation of Lomax Hawes: “A basic feeling of bedtime is loneliness. The mother is the one who waits—for the child to sleep, for the child to grow up, to leave her” (Lebentritt 1987:3; Lomax Hawes 1974:2). The lullaby is, in this Polish context, too, living song about culture,

separation, and deep-seated memories.

ReferencesBotsford, F.H., comp. and ed. 1921. Folksongs of

Many Peoples, vol. 1. New York: The Woman’s Press.

Burnim, Mellonee. 1983. Culture Bearer and Tradi-tion Bearer: An Ethnomusicologist’s Research on Gospel Music, Ethnomusicology 29:432–47.

Hawes, Bess Lomax. 1974. Folksongs and Function: Some Thoughts on the American Lullaby, Journal of American Folklore 87:140–148.

Johnston, M.E. 1987. Lulling Your Newborn, Mother-ing (Fall):98–100.

Klymasz, R.B. 1968. Social and Cultural Motifs in

Being of Polish American extrac tion myself, I was an “observing

participant” while conducting my inter-views. That dual role was more influential than I had expected. I felt my presence as a Polish American while interacting with my informants. At times my experience was helpful. For example, my hypothesis regarding the use of Polish Christmas carols as lullabies, generated prior to the fieldwork, derived from my experience as a Polish American. My questions to my informants were neutral—“What did your mother caretaker sing to you or your siblings before sleeping?” and “What did you yourself sing to your children?”—but they elicited responses

Doing FielDwork as an insiDer

common to my experience, and the extent to which this was true hit home when I was analyzing my transcripts. My role as a “cultural bearer” (Burnim 1983) was also an impediment. While sort-ing my data, I realized that I had missed and failed to appreciate the variety of responses apparent from the interviews. This reminded me that I am heir to a tra-dition that is more dynamic and broader than one hypothesis. I was reminded of customs and of concepts and expressions that have existed in my mind only in the Polish language, even though I was born and raised in a non-Polish community of Boston.

“This Old Bear Is Sleeping Soundly” (English translation by the author)This old bear is sleeping soundlyIt’s not wise to wake him upBecause we fear him.If he does wake up,He will eat us.

Example 6Stary niedwiedï mocno Ñpi, as sung by Halina, Barbara, and Irene

Canadian Ukrainian Lullabies, East European Journal 12:176–83.

Lebentritt, Julia. 1987. The Lullaby Project, New York Folklore Newsletter 8(3):2–3.

Smith, Elva S., comp. 1925. A Book of Lullabies. Boston: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Co.

�0 VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

Up-Tempo Upstateo

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cholarshavetracedtherootsofthepolka to the 1830s. According toethnomusicologistCharlesKeil,the

Up-Tempo UpstatePolka in Western New York

INTRoDuCTIoN BY KATE KoPERSKIRADIo INTERVIEW BY JoYCE KRYSZAK

WITH JoE MACIELAG AND JERRY DARLAK

The following interview with polka musicians, presented here with a brief history of polka in the New World, is one of a series of radio documen-taries sponsored by the New York Folklore Society. Others in the series include “Square Dancing in Western New York State,” “Mark Hamilton: Folk Fiddler and Square Dance Caller,” and City Lore’s 1999 People’s Poetry Awards. The documentaries have been produced by Dale W. Johnson, the society’s director of services, and Lamar Bliss. Packaged as Voices of New York Traditions, they will be available later this year to public radio stations and classrooms.

music trends. As polka musician MarkKohanputsit;

Polish American polkas are a con-coction of Polish folk melodies,Americancountrymelodies,adashofDixielandandapinchofjazz—allpackagedinalively2/4beat.TheyareasuniquetoAmericaPoloniaasBluesaretoBlackAmerica.

The earliest recorded Polish Americanpolka music drew heavily on a Polish“folk” sound.Themelodies and lyricsof early Polish American polkas were oftenadaptedfromhistoricPolishfolksongs.Thepopular “Malgorzatka” (Margaret) polka,for example,was sungby students at theJagiellonianUniversity inKrakowduringthesixteenthcentury.Duringthe1920s,Chicago-basedorches-

tra leadersKarol Stoch and JanKrysiakwerewell-knownfortheirGórale-stylefid-dling—atraditionalstylethatoriginatedintheTatraMountainregion.Thefiddleandbasswereemphasizedovertheaccordion.

Bythemid-1930sPolishAmericanpolkamusichadbeguntoacquireamorecontem-

porary sound, latercalled“Eastern” style.Influencedbythetremendouspopularityof theera’sbigbands,polkagroupsbegantoplaytighterandfaster.Emphasisonfiddleandbassgavewaytobrasssectionsoftenfronted by virtuoso clarinetists. AlthoughEasternstyledominatedinmanycitiesuntilthemid-1960s,anewsoundbegantotakeshape in Chicago during the 1950s. Bandleader Li’lWally Jagiello is creditedwithinventing what we now call Chicago-stylepolka.Featuringtheconcertinaratherthantheaccordion,Chicagopolkaisslowerandlessorchestrated.Itissometimesdescribedbymusiciansandfansas“polkafromtheheart.”SomeaficionadosfurthersubdivideChicagopolkas into“honky”and“dyno”styles.

Polish American polka continues tochangeandevolve.Inresponsetotheper-ceptionthatthepolkahadbecomeincreas-ingly influenced by country-and-westernmusicandothermainstreamsounds,manycontemporarybandsarecommittedtoplay-ingmaterialderivedfromPolishfolkmusicand singing in the Polish language. EvenGórale-style fiddlinghas enjoyed a bit of acomeback.Theup-tempofolktunesanddances that once enabled peasants fromthe southern regionof Poland to toleratetheir hard life are now providing PolishAmericanswithnewmaterial—andkeepingatraditionalmusicalive.

JoeMacielagisasecond-generationPolishAmericanwho,interviewerJoyceKry-szak

Spolka originated when people living inBohemia, on Poland’s southern border,imitatedadancedonebyPolishwomen.Inspring1844thepolkabecameacrazeinParisandLondon.Europeannewspapersreportthatduringtheheightofthepolkamania, people danced in the streets ofParisdayandnight.By the 1860s, the polka had spread

acrosscontinentsandoceans.Itbecamethe national dance of Paraguay and wasplayed by the Papago and Pima IndiansintheAmericanSouthwest.

ThedistinctivesoundofPolishAmeri-canpolkamusicdevelopedduringthelate1920s as the recording and radio indus-triesbegansimultaneously topopularizemainstreamAmericanmusicandcatertoethnictastes.PolishAmericansinsearchofasound theycouldcall theirown—amusicthatwoulddistinguishthemfromother ethnic groups—came up with auniquestyleofpolka thatdrewonbothOldWorldmusictraditionsandpopular


atthePolishFalconsonColumbiaStreetinDepew.

The Polka Originals meet at 7 p.m.onthelastThursdayof themonthattheFr.JustinHallonUnionRoadinCheek-towaga.

discovered, is helping carry on the polkatradition.ThiswesternNewYorkmusicianhadoneof thelongest-surviving—andmostsuccessful—polka bands, the Pic-a-PolkaOrchestra.

Macielag: Whenthepeoplecamehereat the turn of the century, they broughtthiswiththem.Andwehereinthiscountryweregiventhesetraditionalsongsthatwerepassed on from family member to familymember,fromgenerationtogeneration.Webecamepreservationists.WeclungtowhattheycamewithheretotheUnitedStates.

Kryszak: Preserving Poland’s musicalheritageoncewasacentralpartof PolishAmericancommunities.Polkaswereatthecoreof Polishsocial,religious,andfamilylife in the early 1900s. Macielag says hisboyhood memories are intertwined withthemusic.

Macielag: Peoplewould get together,they’dplaycards. I remembersausagebe-ingputoutonthetableandpeoplewouldeat,andthenthey’dhaveacouplebeersanddrinks,andthenthey’dstartsinging.Itwasafestivetime.

Kryszak:And he remembers his earlydaysasaperformer.Inthe1940sand1950stalentedpolkabandswereinheavydemand.Macielagsaysbackthen,weddingswereanall-daygig.Thepolkabandwouldplayinthemorningatthebride’shome,onthewaytothechurch,andatthebreakfastreception,andthenintothenight.Macielagsaysthefestivities followed the old Polish villagetraditions,lastingfordays.

Macielag: Thewordwaspopravena,“thenextday.”Guestswouldagainassembleandin many cases eat the leftover food fromtheweddingfeastandjustgettogetherandregaleagain.Sortof acontinuousparty.

Kryszak:Now,Macielagsays,that’sallchanged.Thereareadultreceptions,soundsystems, and children learn towatchTVinsteadof playtheaccordion.Polishcom-

members are always ready to share their knowledge of polka dance and music. they welcome you to their monthly meetings.

ThePolka Variety Clubmeetsat7p.m.on the firstWednesday of themonth atthe MoranPost on Center Street in WestSeneca.

The Polka Boosters Club meets at 7p.m. on the third Thursday of the month

Kate Koperski is curator of folk art at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara Univer-sity. She coordinated the Polka History and Dance Workshop at the Cheektowaga Polish American Arts Festival in August 2000. Interviewer Joyce Kryszak is the arts and cultural affairs producer for WBFO, 88.7 FM, in Buffalo; she lives in nearby

of what is called the eastern polka bandscene:abig-bandsoundwithtwelvemusi-ciansplayingstrings,brass,andwindinstru-ments. But just as big bands faded awaywitheconomiesof scale,so,too,havepolkabandshadtoevolve.The1960sgavebirthtotheChicagostyle,withfewerplayersandamorecontemporarysound.JerryDarlakisawesternNewYorkpolka

musicianwhostartedwithChicagogreatslikeLittleWally.Overtheyears,Darlaksays,bandshavestruggledtokeepanaudience.They’ve blended in country-and-westerntunes and gone to English vocals. Darlaksaysthere’splentyof workforhisband,butheworriesaboutpolka’sfuture.

Darlak: I seebandsevery year foldingupbecauseof lackof work. If youdon’tdraw the crowds, you’re not going to getrebooked.Consequently, the bands don’twork,andconsequently,theygootherways.Theygootherroutes.

Kryszak:But JoeMacielag sayspolkamusicwillalwaysbehere.Hesaysitwilljustkeepchanging.Ithas to—becausecultureisthemirrorof society,andchangeispartof culture.Macielagbelievesit’sthesoulof polkathatwillendure.

Macielag: Itwas part of my life, andyou know, it’s something I almost deemsacred,becauselikeIsaid,musicisthesoulof people,andthisismysoul.

one of the best ways to learn about polish american polka

is to hang out with local fans and boosters. western New York has three active clubs whose talented

munitieshavedriftedapart,andwiththemthedemandforpolkamusic.AndMacielagsaysthemusicisalsochanging.Themanyrhythmsof Polishfolkmusichavebecomeone.Themazur,theoberek,thekwakowiak,theczardasz:theseareallthree-quartertime,very similar.Here in theUnitedStates, intoday’sday and age, thepolkabandsplaythesedifferentrhythmsidentically.

Macielag’sorchestrawasattheforefront

Polka has been central to Joe Macielag’s life, and his Pic-a-Polka Orchestra has helped preserve—and expand—this traditional music in western New York.Photo: Kate Koperski

�� VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

herearetwouniversaltruthsaboutac-cordions.Thefirstisthattheaccordion

In 2/4 BY MARK KoHAN

polkasonrecord.Still, ifonlybyassociation, theaccordion

belongstothepolka.

The “Stomach Steinway”Theaccordionis,forallpracticalpurposes,

aportablepiano,poweredbyairdrivenovertuned reeds.Andhence itspopularity: it iseasiertocarryanaccordionthanapianodowntoachurchbasementweddingreception.

Theaccordion’spopularity amongpolkabandscanbeattributedtothatfact.Althoughmostpolkabandsarededicated to their artform, theymustplayavarietyofmusic forbread-and-butter receptions, dances, andparties.Itwasnotuntilthelate1970s,whensynthesizedkeyboardsreplacedtheaccordionastheportablekeyboard,thatgig-playingpolkabandscouldmakeuseofboth instruments.Mostsuchbandstodayhavebothanaccordionandasynthesizedkeyboard.

Theconcertina lackstheaccordion’skey-board.Itisusuallysmallandhexagonal,withbuttonstobeplayedbybothhandsastheypushandpulltoworkthebellows.

First-Generation PolkaTheearlypolkabandsintheUnitedStates

made littleuseof the accordion—ornoneatall.Theyplayedwhathasbecomeknownas“village”musiconviolins,bassviolins,aclarinet,andabowedcelloorbass.OneoftheearlybandleaderswasFranciszekDuklaofChicago,whowithvocalistFrankZielinskibeganarecordingcareerforVictorRecordsonDecember7,1926,withthesongNa Okolo Ciemny Las. “Around theDarkForest,” asit’sknowninEnglish,ispartofthestandardliteraturefortoday’spolkabands.

HowthemusicofFranciszekDukliWiejskaBanda(FrankDukla’sVillageBand)evolvedintotoday’spolkashasbecomeadebateamong

academics.ItisbelievedthatPolishmusiciansadoptedandadaptedtheaccordionandcon-certinatofitpopularmusicstyleswithintheircommunities.Totracetheuseoftheseinstru-mentsintoday’spolkabands,wemustlooktoearlyrecordingsbyPolishartists.

TheearliestAmericanPolish-languagere-cordingsweremadebytheBerlinerCompanyin1897,featuringatenorwithpianoaccompa-niment.Itwasn’tuntilthenextdecade,whenrecordingtechniqueshadimproved,thatfullinstrumentationcouldbeadded.Thefirstrecordingofeithertheconcertina

or the accordionby aPolish artist ishardto trace.Columbiadidnotbeginaseparatenumberingsystemforethnicrecordingseriesuntil1908;Victor’sbeganin1912.ApparentlythefirstknownPolishartisttorecordtheac-cordionwasJanWanat,ontheVictor labelin1917.Wanat’sdiscsof traditionalPolishdances,playedinaconventional,formalstyle,werehot sellers.His accordion soloswereplayedonacustominstrumentthatbroughtoutthebass.EarlyPolishrecordingscanbeclassifiedas

folksong,lightandgrandopera,patrioticandtraditional song anddance, popularmusicplayed and sungbyPoles, anddialogue—mainly comedy skits.At the timemanyofthese recordingsweremade, thepolkawasverypopular,especiallyoutsidePolishcom-munities. A majority of Polish folksongs(particularlysongsofwar,suchasparademusicandmarches)werealreadyincuttime,the2/4polka tempo.OtherPolish folk anddancesongs—themazurka,krakowiak,polonaise,andkujawiak—wereeasilyadaptedaspolkas,obereks,andwaltzes,whicharethedancesstillpopulartodayamongPolishAmericans.

TherecordingcompaniessoughtPolishart-istswhosemusicwouldappealtonewcomerswhoyearnedformusicofthehomeland,but

Tisalmostalwaysassociatedwithpolkamusic.Thesecond:aconcertinaisthesamething.

TowhatdoweowetheassociationoftheaccordionwithPolishdancemusic?Theac-cordionisnotexclusivetothepolka.Itssweet,reedysoundhasbeenthemusicalbackdropforscenariosoflonelycowboysintheTexasPanhandle, romantic interludes under theEifelTower,andCajunhousepartiesdeepinLouisiana’sswamps.SurelyaccordionsarenotplayedjustbyPolishAmericans.There is amystiqueabout theaccordion,

albeitoftenanegativeone.WhenMadisonAvenuewantstodemonstrate“cool”versus“uncool,” it sometimes calls upon the ac-cordion todemonstrate the latter.But theaccordionwasarespectableinstrumentuntiltheadventofrock’n’roll.Songsofloveanddevotionwerethensungovertheelectrifiedstrainsofguitars,andteenidolswhoplayedthesix-stringedtalismanofrebellioncreatedacharismaforthemselvesequaltothatofguyswhodrovefastcars.Beginning in themid-1980s, accordions

regained some lost ground.Credit isdue acounterculturemovementintherock’n’rollindustry.Seekinganalternativetotheguitar,bandsincorporatedtheaccordionintosomeoftheirmusic.AmongthebandsandmusiciansnotafraidtolettheinstrumentdemonstrateitsversatilityweretheTalkingHeads,BruceSpringstein,Billy Joel,DavidLindley,LosLobos,eventheGratefulDead.

AnditistheIrishwhocanlayclaimtothefirst recordingsofaccordionandconcertina.TraditionalIrishdancemusicplayedonfiddle,uilleannpipes,concertina,accordion,flute, tinwhistle,tenorbanjo,pianos,andcombinationsthereofwascapturedoncylinder recordingsbefore theportablepianowasheardplaying


WallyJagiello,thesonofPolishimmigrants,whooftensangwithZima’sbandatpicnicsinChicago.AlthoughJagiello’searlyrecordingsmadeuseoftheaccordion,heismostfamousfor hiswork on the concertina, and forpromotingChicago-stylepolka tonationalprominence.HisrecordingofZosia(“Sophie”)sostartledsomediscjockeysthattheythoughtit defective, but the song’s slow, heartfelttempowonitnationwidepopularity.Today,Chicago-style polkas dominate the polkarecordingindustry.Jagiellointurnhasinspiredmanyoftoday’s

virtuosoconcertinaplayers, includingWallyMaduzia,LennyMaynard,RichBenkowski,AlPiatkowski,RichieKurdziel,ScrubbySewer-yniak,BillCzerniakSr.andJr.,RonnyMar-cusiuk,TomKula,andTeddyKiewicz.

ReferencesBreathnach,B.1971.Folk Music and Dances of Ireland.

Dublin:TalbotPress. Camp,T.1992.WeirdAlfindsaveinof funinrock

parodies.Milwaukee Journal, July7.Ethnic Recordings in America.1982.Washington,D.C.:AmericanFolklifeCenter,Libraryof Congress.

Spottswood,R.1982.“TheSajewskiStory”inEthnicRecordingsinAmerica:ANeglectedHeritage.Washington,D.C.:AmericanFolklifeCenter,Libraryof Congress.

Treasured Polish Folk Songs with Translation.1953.Min-neapolis:PolaniePublishingCo.

therecordexecutiveswereatalossastowhatmusicthatwas.AccordingtoAlvinSajewski,sonofWladyslawSajewski, founderof theW.H.SajewskiMusicCompanyinChicago,therecordexecutivesknewtherewasahugeeth-nicmarketbutdidnotknowhowtotapit:

Therecordswerebypeoplefromthecitywholikedtheclassicalsingers,thehigh-pitchedsopranos.Peoplewantedsimpleprettymelodies,buttheywouldbuytheserecordsbecausetherewasatleast somethingPolishon them.Thepeoplewantedfolksongs(Spottswood1982).

The Successful HybridIn1923Columbia recordeda“duma,”a

waltzbyHenryLewandowski.Thisold-timefiddlerledthewayfornewerbandsthatwerebeginning toplaypolkas andotherPolishdancesinalivelierandlessformalfashion.

OneofColumbia’shottestartistswastheUkrainian fiddler Pawlo Humeniuk. Thecompany“polonized”HumeniukbychanginghisnametoPawelHumeniak,andwithPol-ishvocalists,hisrecordssoldwellinChicago.The January 1927 recording ofZareczyny, Czesc 1 (“TheEngagement,Part1”),withsinger Ewgen Zukowsky was the genesisof thePolishAmericanpolka.Theplayingtechniqueof theanonymousaccordionistisalmostidenticaltothatusedtoday.Columbia and its competitors—Victor,

Okeh,Odeon,Brunswick,andVocalion—realized more than modest profits fromthehybridPolishAmericanpolka.Duringthe 1930s the Polish recording businessexploded.In1931Victoralonereleased176recordingsinitsPolishseries,including38byvillageorchestras(playingwhatisknownvariouslyasGórale,Mountain,Highland,orOldCountrymusic)and12bywhatRichardJ.Spottswoodhascalled“new-wavepolkabands”—theforerunnersof today’sbands.Thesenew-waverecordings,madeprimarilybyIgnacyPodgórskifromPhiladelphia,andbyEdwardKrólikowskiof Bridgeport,Con-necticut,blendedbrass,accordion,andviolinand combined “the energy of the villageorchestraswithasmoother,moreemphaticmelodyline”(Spottswood1982).Podgórski, whose popularity extended

intothe1940s,alsosoldsheetmusicof hismaterial,muchof whichwasbasedonthe

musicof thevillagebands.The Concertina and the PolkaOneearlyartistwhogreatlyinfluencedthe

hybridPolishAmericanpolkawasaconcer-tinaplayerandsingerfromChicago,BrunoRudzinski.Hiswork, likeLewandowski’sandHumeniuk’s,waslessformal—amixoftraditionalPolishfolkmelodiesinfluencedbyAmericanjazz.Rudzinski’srecordingsmadehimthePolishSpikeJonesofhisday,ashewouldoften repeator forget linesandstartthevocals over again.His first recording,Przyszedl Chlop do Karczmy (“AManCametotheSaloon”),wasontheVictorlabelandreleasedin1928.Itwasn’tuntilthelate1940s,however,that

theconcertinamadeitswayintomainstreampolkamusic.TheinstrumentwaspromotedbybandleaderEddieZima,probablythemostfamousofallpolkaconcertinaplayers.Hewasborn inChicago in1923andbeganplayingtheconcertinabyearwhenhewassix.Hisrecordof“Circus”polka,whichbecameahitinthenation’sPolishcommunities,introducedhundredsof thousands tobothZima andtheconcertina.HerecordedfortheCapitol,RCA,Dana,Chicago,andJayJaylabels,andhisorchestralaterformedthenucleusofthestill-popularAmpol-Aires.He is consideredthegodfatherofChicago-stylepolkas,whichareslowerandbouncierthanthetraditional“Eastern” style,namedafter thebigbandsfromtheEastCoastthatplayedthesezestypolkasfromthe1940suntilthelate1960s.Zimainfluencedamultitudeofmusicians

whofound theconcertinaanatural for thepolka. Among those he inspired was Li’l

Mark Kohan is editor-in-chief of the national monthly newspaper Polish-American Journal and leader of Steel City Brass; he plays both accordion and concertina. With the permis-sion of the publisher, this article was adapted from “Squeezebox Jam,” a publication of the Polish-American Festival held in August 1992 in Cheektowaga, New York. The annual event is sponsored by the Town of Cheektowaga and made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.

In 1927, when this photo was taken, polka music had already been captured on record. The photo is apparently the oldest surviving image of polka dancing in the New World. Photo: Joseph E.


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Very soon wewillallbeworkingdigitallywith flash cards and pixels. Until then,beforetakingaphoto,wemustfirstputfilmin the camera. For years most folkloristshave chosen slide film as their standard,backedupwithblack-and-whiteprints.Theyprimarily needed slides for presentationsandgrantapplications,andblack-and-whiteforpublicationsandexhibitions.It’stimetoreevaluatethesechoices.First of all, it’s not a good idea to

shoot two kinds of film at once. Mostphotographers find that the quality of their work suffers if they have to switchbackandforthbetweentwocameraswithdifferent film in each. Since black-and-whiteiscomposedandexposeddifferentlyfrom color, aesthetically and technicallyit’sdifficult tohandle thembothatonce.Additionally,shootingtwokindsof filmisexpensive—apointthatbudget-consciousfolkloristsmustconsider.The question, then, is which film to

shoot. My personal choice is color print(also called color negative) film. It’s themost versatile and forgiving for severalreasons.

1. Printfilmhasalotof latitude.Youcan overexpose it or underexpose it andstillgetdecentprintsfromthelab.Slide(orpositive)filmmustbeexposedmuchmoreaccurately because it isn’t easily adjustedafterward.When I’m shooting slide film,Ibracket(changeexposures)alottomakesure I get the perfect exposure, sincean overexposed slide looks awful whenprojectedandisnearlyimpossibletoprintwell.ThemorefilmIuse,themoreitcosts,andthemoregoodshotsImissbecauseof incorrectexposures.

2. Thehigh-speedprintfilmsthatareavailableareexcellentforlow-lightsituations

which Film?BY MARTHA CooPER

withoutflash.Thecorrespondinghigh-speedslidefilmsareof muchlesserquality.

3. Print film can be purchased andprocessedeverywhere.Slidefilmusuallyhastobeprocessedbyaprofessionallab,andgood labs are as hard tofindoutside bigcitiesasslidefilmitself.Irecentlyranoutof slidefilmwhileonashoot inQueens,NewYork.Iwenttoahugemallandseveralone-hourphotoshopsbutcouldn’tfindasingleroll.

4. Thecolorbalanceof printfilmcaneasilybecorrectedbytheprocessinglab.Youcanshootfilmbalancedfordaylightundertungsten or fluorescent lighting, and thelabcanfixitlater.Withslidesyoumustbuydifferentfilm,filterthedaylightfilm,orbecontentwithgreenororangephotos.

5. Making a print from a sl ideis prohibitively expensive and oftenunsatisfactory. Exhibition prints fromslides can cost hundreds of dollars, buteven smaller prints are costly. With printfilm,youcanorderaduplicate setof thewholerollfor$3andpresenttheextrastoyoursubjects.

If you do need slides to accompanylecturesorgrantproposals,itisn’tdifficulttomake them yourself fromprints. Justphotograph the printwith slidefilm.Forbest results, put the camera on a copy

standtoholditsteadyanduseamacroorcloseuplens.Yourslideswillbealittlelessfocusedandalittlemorecontrastythantheoriginalbutgoodenoughforpresentationswheresubjectmaterismoreimportantthanphotographictechnique.

It’simportantwhenshootingcolorprintfilmtodevelopagoodrelationshipwithareliablelocallab.Thequalityof processingvaries enormously from lab to lab so itis worth it to shoot a few test rolls andtry out different labs. The best labs havesophisticatedmachinesandknowledgeable,patientoperatorswhoarewilling toworkwithyoutoachieveprintsyouwilllike.Themost modern processing equipment willgenerally be found in stores with a highvolume of business. I’ve had very goodexperienceswithWal-Mart,forexample.

Disappointingprintsareoftentheresultof aninexperiencedlabtechnician.Becauseprint film is so flexible,most negativescanyieldverygoodresultswhenproperlyprinted.Donotgiveup!Therearealwaysvariablesfromdaytoday.Thecodemayalsovary frommachine tomachine, so checkwiththe labtomakesureyouunderstandthecodeonyourprints.

Newermachinescanproduceindexprintsthatlooklikeminicontactsheetsandusuallycost$1.50extra.Theseareusefulreminders

A copy stand holds the camera directly over the photo or other flat artwork, allowing you to position it precisely and shoot at slow shutter speeds if required.

To smooth a curled photo, you could flatten it under glass, but glass is reflective and difficult to keep clean. I prefer to put strips of black paper around the edges of the photo and weight the paper down with flat objects that won’t make a shadow, such as booklets. Since many of the things you are copying will not be the same dimensions as your 35mm camera’s frame, the black paper provides a neat frame-filling border in addition to holding down the edges of the photo.

Some tripods can be turned into copy stands. Ready-made copy stands often come with two lights attached to the center pole but I have found these difficult to work with. I gener-ally copy things in daylight using a corner window so that the lighting is even from both sides. You can also use floodlights with tungsten film and position them on either side of the copy stand. Used and reasonably priced stands are available on eBay.


photographscanbeoneverypersonalwaytothankthemfortheircooperation.Iliketothinkthatourphotoswillfindtheirwayinto

of what’s on each roll even though theimagesare toosmall toshowdetails.Thebetter machines also print a “reproducecode”onthebackof eachprint,withthenegativenumber,colorbalance,anddensity.Thiscodeenablesyouandtheoperatortoadjust the color and density of the printif youdon’t like thewayan image turnedout,ortoduplicateitif youdo.Istronglyrecommend using a lab that codes itsprints—Ifindthis informationinvaluable.Such labswillbeable tomakereasonablypricedmachineprintsthatlooklikecustomquality.

Storing prints and negatives is alwaysa problem, since the prints tend to getseparatedfromthenegatives.Filetheindexprintwiththenegativessothatevenif yougive theprints away, you’ll stillbe able tofindtherollbylookingattheindexprint.If there’soneoutstandingprintona roll,indicate it on the index print so that youcanfind it again. It’s helpful towrite therollnumberonthenegativeenvelope,theprintenvelope,andtheindexprint.If you

The reproduce code, decoded:W. SIDE 1 Hr: Name of lab.

<No. 6A>: Negative number, also corresponds to number on index print.

935: Roll number (if you reprint from this roll, it will have a different number).

N N –1 +1: Color balance and density, where N = normal. In the example, yellow and magenta are normal; cyan is minus 1; and density (light or dark) is plus 1. If you like a particular print, refer to this code and have it reprinted the same way. Or request a change in the reprint and see exactly what was adjusted.

Martha Cooper, the director of photog-raphy at City Lore, documents the art and folk culture of New York City, largely in print film. Her images have appeared in museum exhibitions, books, and magazines. If you have a question about photography that you’d like her to address in a future column, send your suggestion to the editor of Voices.

reprintfromthesameroll,therollnumberonthebackof thereprintwillbedifferentfromtheoriginalrollnumber,soyoumaywant to make note of that. Water-basedmarkers and ballpoint pens won’t writeontheplastic-coatedpaper;useafine-linepermanentmarker.Forme,oneofthemostpersuasivereasons

toshootprints insteadofslides istheeasewithwhichIcangiveprints to thepeopleinthephotos.Slidesarehardertoshareandoften wind up stuck in an inconvenientlylocatedfiledrawer.Folkloristsworkwiththesamesubjectsforyears,andgivingthemgood

21st annual

of TradiTional Music & dance

June 22, 23 & 24AltAmont FAirgrounds,

AltAmont, nY

u Music u Crafts u Camping u Participatory Dance u Singing u Family Activities 2001 PERFORMERSMartin Carthy & norMa Waterson • Karan CaseyMaMadou diabate • silK City • lou & Peter berryManbeverWyCK string band • david Kaynor • toM sPierstoM, brad & aliCe • MontCorbier • arrogant WorMsJoel Mabus • laurie riley • harMonia • steve tilstonalison MCMorland • stillhouse rounders • ruth PelhaMsally rogers & hoWie bursen • Fred breunig • artisandonna hÉbert • ben Murray & siobhan Quinn • the sevensaKire bubar • roger the Jester • sara grey • siMPle giFts Peter & Mary aliCe aMidon • sCuttlebutt • MarK rossCindy Mangsen & steve gillette • Finest Kind • storyCraFters

Call/wRitE FOR FREE bROChuRE:Old Songs, inc. PO box 399, Guilderland, NY 12084

(518)765-2815 Email: [email protected]

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Voices is looking for reviewers for the following books. if you are interested, contact Sally atwater, 2621 west Lake rd., Skaneateles, NY 13152; e-mail [email protected]. information on review length and format may be found in the Submission Guidelines (see page 2).

Gordon hall Gerould, The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk Story (university of illinois press, 2000).

Glenn hinson, Fire in My Bones: Transcendence and the Holy Spirit in African American Gospel (university of pennsylvania press, 2000).

elaine Lawless, Women Escaping Violence: Empowerment through Narrative (university of Missouri press, 2001).

BooK REVIEWERS NEEDED

u Music u Crafts u Camping u Participatory Dance u Singing u Family Activities

21st annual


Law

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A basic and perplexing legal issuecon-frontingpeoplewhocreatethingsformoney(andcompanies thathire themtodoso) isthe“work forhire”doctrine.Thedoctrine,whichiscodifiedinthefederalcopyrightlaw,attemptstodefinewhoownsthecopyrightstoacreativeworkinasituationwherethecreatorispaidtomakethecreation.Simply,copyrightsinacreativeworkvestin

thecreatorassoonastheworkisin“tangible”and“fixed”form(inotherwords,whenthething’sdone).Copyrightsareabundleofrightsthatmaybedoledoutbythecopyrightowneroneatatime.Theserightsincludetherightstoduplicate,distribute,alter,display,orpublishthework,andtherighttomakederivatives,ormodifiednewversions,ofthework.Apainter,forexample,ownsallcopyrightstoapaintingwhen it’sfinished.Hecansell thepainting,andwiththepainting,thepurchasergetstheright todisplay it.But thepainterkeeps therightsto,forexample,makeandsellprintsof thepainting,andtocreateanotherworkinadifferentmediumbasedontheimagesinthepainting.

“Workforhire”isanexceptiontothegen-eralrulethatthecreatorownsthecopyrightsin her ownwork.Under this doctrine, if thecreativeworkiscreatedbyanemployeeas part of her job, the copyrights vest intheemployer.If theworkiscreatedbyanindependentcontractororresultsfromanyrelationshipotherthanthatof employer-em-ployee,thecopyrightsstaywiththecreatorexcept(1)whentheworkisacollectivework,part of amotion picture, a translation, acompilationof otherworks,atextbook,atest,anatlas,orasupplementarywork(forexample, illustrations or a foreword for abook),and(2)if thepartiesexpresslyagreeinawrittenandsigneddocumentthattheworkshallbeconsideredaworkmadeforhire.Onlywhenbothof thesequalificationsaremetdothecopyrightsinaworkbelongtosomeoneotherthanthecreator.

Theemployer-employeesituationisfairlystraightforward:if youfeellikeanemployee,youprobablyareanemployee.Occasionally,however, there is a differenceof opinion

Work for Hire BY PAuL RAPP

oversomeone’sstatus.Thecourtshavede-velopedteststohelpresolvethesedisputes,typically looking at such things as whereandhowtheworkisdone,whohascreativecontrol, andwhether thepayment for theworkinvolvestaxwithholdingoremployeebenefits.

Where there is no employer-employeerelationship,thingscangetverydicey.Afterpaying a creator a substantial amount of moneytomakesomething,peopleareoftensurprised,tosaytheleast,tolearnthatthey

don’townthecopyrightstothethingtheyjustbought.

I had a sculptor client who was com-missioned to make a large human-formsculptureforsomedoctors.Therewasnowrittenagreement.Thepiecewasdisplayedinthedoctors’waitingroomandwasverypopular with the doctors’ patients. Afterseveral months the doctors decided thatthe imageof the sculpturewouldmakeagreat logo for theirmedical practice.Thesculptorwasshockedtoseeaprimitivelinedrawingof herexquisiteworkinanewspa-peradvertisementformedicalservices;thedoctorswereequallysurprisedtogetalet-terfromalawyer(thatwouldbeme)tellingthemtheyhadabsolutelynorighttousethiscopyrighted image insuchaway.Theadsneverranagain.Thecaseillustratesperfectlythe typical tensions in the work-for-hirescenario:thepurchasersthinktheyownallthecopyrightsuponbuyingtheartwork,andtheartistseekstoprotecttheintegrityanduseof herwork—aconceptthatpurchasersof creativeworksoftenfailtoappreciateorunderstand.

The current work-for-hire law is fairlyrecent(itwaspartof the1976overhaulof

thefederalcopyrightlaw)andismeanttoprotectthecreatorfromwhatwasperceivedaspriorabusesof artists.Inresponsetothework-for-hire law, companies and institu-tionshaveincreasinglyinsistedthatindepen-dentcontractorsandartistsassignallrights,includingcopyrights,tothepurchaseruponcompletionanddeliveryof thework.Suchan assignment (which must be in writingandsignedbybothparties)makesitcrystalcleartoeveryoneinvolvedwhoownswhatandcanpreventbigandexpensiveproblemsdowntheroad.

Somecreatorsrefusetomakeanysuchblanket assignment of their copyrightsunlesstheyreceiveasignificantdollarpre-mium.Otherpossiblealternatives includethe assignment of only certain of thebundleof rights,orenteringintoalicenseagreementwherebycopyrightsarelicensedtothepurchaserforalimitedanddefinedperiodof time.In theworldof folklore,work-for-hire

issuestypicallyarisewhenthecreator isafreelancer (i.e.,notanemployee),andtheworkisacommissionedcontributiontoa“collectivework”(likeanarticleforamaga-zineorachapterinamultiauthorbook),anytypeof contributiontoafilmorvideo,oraforeword,afterword,orannotationattachedtoapreexistingwork.Notethataworkof these typeswillbeconsideredawork forhireonlywhenthereisawrittenagreement,signedbyboth parties,formalizingtheworkforhirerelationship.

Whichever side of the transaction youmaybeon,whenfacedwithatransaction

…the purchasers think they own all the copyrights upon buying

the artwork, and the artist seeks to protect the integrity and use of

her work…

Paul Rapp ([email protected]) is an at-torney with the Albany law firm of Cohen Dax & Koenig. He also teaches art and entertainment law at Albany Law School. Write to him or the editor of Voices if you have a general-interest question or topic you’d like to see discussed in print. Photo: Buck Malen


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When anyone with an archival collectionthinksaboutgettingthingsinorder,thoughtsnaturally run todatabases.Adatabase isanincomparabletoolforprovidingdescriptionandaccess.Butdoalotofthinkingandplan-ningbeforeyouplungein.Attheveryoutset,defineyourgoal.What

willtheresultbe:aprintedfindingaidforvisit-ingresearchers,onlineaccessforthepublic,staff-onlyuse?Whatkindsofinformationareneeded:canthedatabasebeasimpleinventory,ormustitbefullysearchable?Whowilluseit,howdotheyapproachthesubject,andhowcanyoumakeiteasyforthemtofindwhatthey’relookingfor?

Basic ToolsExpertise. Seek advice from colleagues

involvedinsimilarprojectsandcallintheexperts—acomputerguru,anarchivisttoarrange the collection and translate thatarrangement to adatabase format, apro-grammer to help with indexing. Take fulladvantageof anyonewhoknows thecol-lection—thecollectioncreator,staff of anorganization,someonewithspecialsubjectexpertise.

Fundingforshort-termconsultanciesforarchival,computer,anddatabaseexpertiseis available from several sources. SeeAn-nouncements in this issueof Voices (page45)formoredetails.

Hardware. Doyouhaveacomputerwithsufficientmemorytobuildadatabase?Willitbeavailableforusers?Relyingonanoldmachineoronaworkstationthatisofteninuseforanotherpurposewillyieldfrustrationratherthanresults.

Software.Thereisnoone“correct”archi-valdatabaseprogram.If youhaveapackageyouknowandlike,considerusingit.If youarestarting fromscratchorconsideringanewsoftwarepackage,findoutwhetheritisaflatfile(likeExcel)orarelationalda-tabase (likeAccess).A relationaldatabaseallowsmoresearchingpossibilitiesandmay

Before You Put Your Collection on a Database… BY NANCY JoHNSoN

decreasetheneedtoenterinformationmorethanonce.Learn the software, and knowwhentoaskforhelp.

People power. Databases do not buildthemselves. Who will design the tables?Whowillenterthedata?Willthedataentrypeopleneedspecialexpertise,liketheabilitytoidentifymaterials?Calculatestaff hoursrealistically; it will take much longer thanyouthink.

Designing Your Database This is thehardpart,and itassumesthat

thereissomeordertothecollectiontobeginwith.Ascholar’sboxof notesonaproject,justpulledfromtheattic,mustfirstbear-rangedintologicalseries—correspondencesortedchronologically,photographsidenti-fiedandarrangedbysubjectordate,materialrelating to other projects removed—withitemsplacedinlabeledfoldersorboxessothattheycanbefound.Adatabase,byitself,willnotbanishchaos.Withthecollection inorder,adatabase

designer can create an arrangement, orstructure, for the database.For example,if therearegroupsof photographs,audiotapes, videotapes, andfiles, your databasewill most likely need a separate table foreach group. Relationships can be createdbetweentablesusingconsistentdescriptorsorindexing.Orif itemsindifferenttablesallpertaintooneeventortheme,theycanberelatedusingacommonidentificationfield,suchasaneventorcollectionnumber,oraconsistentsubjectterm.Whatfieldswill youneed in yourdata-

base?Keeptheseconceptsinmind:Consistency. Collect the same type of

informationabouteverythinganduse thesame language to describe it. Archivistsgenerallylookforthepersonororganizationthat created thematerial; its title; itsdate;howmuchof itthereis(“extent”);howitisorganizedandarranged,bothphysicallyandintellectually;brief biographicalorhis-

torical information about the collector orsource; a concise narrative description of thematerial(“scopeandcontent”);whereitcamefrom(“provenance”);whereitisnow;restrictions,if any,onusingthecollections;andsubjecttermsthatcanbeusedforkeywordsearching.

Anotheraspectof consistencyisusingthesametermsbothtodescribeitemsandtocreatetheindexorsearchingterms.If eth-nicityissomethingyoutrack,forexample,itisessentialtouseexactlythesamedescrip-torseachtimetofacilitategoodsearches.

Clarity.Uselanguagethatcanbeunder-stoodbyeveryone,andavoidjargon.Makeyourtablestructureandlinksbetweentablessimple,clear,andeasytoworkwith.

Scale. Startsmall.Thepurposeof ada-tabaseisnottorecreateacollection.Avoidthe temptation to overload your databasewithinformation;startinsteadwithaverygeneraloverview.Adatabasewithjustafewfields that describe an entire collection ismuchmorevaluablethanonethatprovidesverydetailedinformationaboutjustasmallpartof acollection.Youcanalwaysgobackandaddmore.

Test Your DesignConfirmthatyourdatabasestructureworks

by entering at least twenty records to seewhether thefieldsyouhave setupactuallywork.Ifthesameproblemrecurs,gobacktothedrawingboard.Itisworththeefforttogetyourdatabasetodoexactlywhatyouwantit

Nancy Johnson is a freelance archivist and a new member of the New York Folklore Society Board. She has worked with NYFS on its archives project, as well as with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, City Lore, the Calandra Italian American Institute, and the Association for Cultural Equity/Alan Lomax Archives.


Stand Clear

tudiesof occupationallorevarywidely,their subjects ranging from factoryworkers,librarians,collegeprofessors,

Occupational Folklore of New York City Subway WorkersBY RYN GARGuLINSKI

talkingtoconductorsonthejobwhileridingthetrain,andfrequentingsubwaystations.Onlytwosubjectsallowedmetotapetheirinterviews.SomeevenlookedwarywhenIproducedpenandpaper,andIhadtocom-mitmyfindstomemoryuntiltheinformantswereoutof sight.Allexchangeswereinthemannerof aformalinterviewratherthana“natural” setting where the stories wouldnormallybeexchanged.

After collecting a number of subwaystories,Icategorizedthem,analyzedthem,andexaminedtheirfunctions.Ialsoexam-ined their themes and variations—whichare what make them folklore. How doesthe transmissionof thesestories illustrateformulationanddisseminationof folklore?Whotellsthemandwhy?

Irealizedthataccidentandcautionarynar-rativeswerethemostcommon.Theywouldbemytopic.Ithentookafreshapproachinmyinterviews,searchingonlyforthattypeof subwaystory.Ichosetheaccidentandcautionary stories that came up the mostfrequently,struckmeasthemostinteresting(orgruesome),orcontainedexamplesof thetypesof detailsIwishedtodiscuss.What I found amid all the debris, rats,

andgrimeinthesubwayswasacommunityof close-knitworkerswho share, besidestheirjobsinthebowelsof themostdiversecityontheplanet,anumberof storiesthatadhere them.Manyof the tales thatbindfallintotheaccidentandcautionarygenreand can be broken down intofivemajorcategories: accounts of death, near-death(andclose-call)stories,taleshighlightingthe

unstableenvironment,heronarratives,andtalesthatdealwithhumor,pranksandtheabsurd.Forthisarticle,Ifocusonasinglecategory:talesof death.

ExamplesDismemberment. Severedheadsanddismem-

bermentareamajorthemefoundagainandagaininthesubwaytales.Askanysubwayworkeraboutacorpse(orpartsof it)andheorshewillbesuretocomeupwithatleastonestory.Take,forinstance,thehomelessguywhogothisheadsmashedbyanincom-ingtrain.Whenhefell,headgushingblood,awomanontheplatformtookoff hershirttouseasatourniquetonhisskull.

Thentherewastheconductorwhohadworkedthesubwayformorethan40years.One day he was concerned about somerowdy kids in the rear cars. He stuck hisheadoutthewindowtoinvestigate—onlytohavehisskullshatteredbyaprotrudingsignal.“Hewasinamillionpieces,”saidmyinformants.

Thatnarrativeissimilartothestoryof theconductorfounddeadinhiscab:

Aconductorpulledoutof thestationwithnoproblems—noonewasstuckbetween the doors—and the trainpulled safely into the next station.But after it reached the station, thedoorsdidn’topen.Thetrainoperatorradioed his conductor to ask himwhattheproblemwas.Therewasnoanswer.Heradioedagain.Noanswer.Hetriedathirdtimetonoavail.Whentheoperatorfinally lefthispostandwalkedbacktotheconductor’sbooth,he found the conductor dead, stillstanding,withhalf hisheadshornoff.He must have left his head out too

andhospitalworkerstowindowwashersandlawyers.Somedangerousoccupationsthathavebeenexaminedincludepoliceofficers,Air Force pilots-in-training,miners, andfirefighters.Inthetransportationcategory,researchershavelookedatNewYorkCitytaxicabdrivers,porters,andflightattendants.Inalmostallsuchstudies,theemphasisisonlogocentrism—thespokenoverthewrittenword.“Letthepeoplespeakforthemselves,”asfolkloristJackSantino(1988)putit.

SubwaytalescanbefoundinSallyChar-nowandStevenZeitlin’sfolkloreandoralhistory of transit, I’ve Been Working on the Subway (in which workers term a numberof narratives“warstories”), RobertSnyder’scollection entitled Transit Talk,MarionSwerdlow’s book Underground Woman, andcolumnist JimDwyer’sbookSubway Lives.Withthosesourcesasbackground,Idecidedto hear for myself what New York Citysubwayworkershadtosay.MyfieldworkbeganinJuly1998,whenI

approachedatokenboothclerkandsaidIwasdoingathesisprojectontheNewYorkCitysubwaysystem.Firstheasked,“Why?”Thenheheldhisnoseintheuniversalgesturethatsays,“Itstinks.”Ithasbeenalongroadeversince.Ihaveinterviewedatleast50NewYorkCityTransitemployees—conductors,trainoperators, tokenboothclerks,officeemployees, trackworkers, subwaymanag-ers, even theTransit chaplain—whereverIcouldfindsomeonewillingtotalk.ThismeantcatchingworkersbetweenshiftsattheStillwellAvenueterminal inConeyIsland,

of the


longandbeenpartiallydecapitatedbyoneof thesignsjuttingoutfromthetunnelwalls.Also in the decapitation category is

thestorytoldbyaconductoraboutkidsjumping up and down on the roadbedadjacenttothetracks wherehistrainwaspullingintothestation.Ayoungpassengerhadapparentlybeengoofingoff betweencars and fallen under the train. The copshadcutpowertothetrackswherethekidshadcongregatedandtheirdeadfriendlay.Theconductorwasoneof thefirstworkersonthescenetoseethelifelessbodyof thechildonthetracks.“Achunkthesizeof asoftballwascutoutof hishead...hisbrainswerespillingoutof hishead.”Oneemployeeinyetanotherincidentsaidhewouldneverforgeta decapitatedheadhehadseen smol-deringonthethirdrail:“Itwasagruesomesight.Theskinwasturninggrayandtherewassteamcomingoutof itsnose.”

There is also the tale of the passengerwhowaswaiting for the trainat theedge

of theplatform.ThisstorycamefromaninstructorwhotellsitinhissafetyclassesattheTransitAuthority(CharnowandZeitlinn.d.:32):

Iwasoff dutyandmywifehadsome-thingtoexchangeinGimbel’s.Itwasstill the rush hour, and I’mwaitingforhertowardthemiddleof theplat-formnear thedown stairs from themezzanine.Andyousee,theyalwayshaveahabit,thelocalwillpullinthestation,andtheexpressisalreadythreequarters at the receiving end of thestation.Well,thelocal,assoonashepulls into the station, he’ll openhisdoors,letpeopleout,andrightawayclose the doors before the expresstraincomestoafullstop.Meanwhile,thisman’s running down the stairs,andIhear,“Hold it!Holdthetrain!Hold the doors! Hold the doors!”AndIlook,andthere’sanotherguyattheedgeof theplatformreadingthenewspaper—this isatruestory.Themanrunningnudgedhimaccidentallybecausehejumpeddownthelastfewstairsandlosthisbalance.Henudgedhimfarenoughfortheexpresstrain

coming in tohithishead.Boom! Ithithishead, it cracked,blood splat-tered.And theotherman made thelocaljustbeforethedoorsclosedup.He didn’t even realize he’d killed aman.ThatmanwasaDOA.Ontheplatform,dead.

Suicides. Suicides are another theme inaccident and cautionary narratives. “It’stheworst around holidays,” oneworkerinformedme, relating a story of a youngmotherontheplatform,holdingherchild’shand,whojumpedinfrontof anoncomingtrain on theFourthof July.And a newlytrainedconductortalkedaboutthe18-year-oldwhojumpedtohisdeathinfrontof atraintheweekbeforeChristmas.

“I refuse to drive my car under the el-line,” began one transitworker. “Letmetellyouwhy.”Hethenrelatedthetaleof amotormanon theoverhead linewhohadthe misfortune of blasting into someonejumpinginfrontof thetrain—a“jumper.”Althoughchunksandarmsand legswere

The city’s Transit Authority workers tell and retell stories that entertain, instruct, and horrify. The use of insider jargon

30 VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

foundon the track under the train, therewasnohead.Nottoworry.Itturnedupthefollowingdayinthebackseatof someguy’sconvertible.Evidentlyithadfallenfromtheoverheadlinetothestreetbelow,nottobenoticedbythedriveruntilthenextday.

Anothertaleinvolvesajumperwhohitthefrontof thetrainwithsuchaforcethathesmashedthroughthetrain’sfrontwindow,breakingthetrainoperator’sarm.“I’venever seena suicide, thankGod,”

oneworkersaid.Afellowworkerwasnotsolucky.Amanjumpedinfrontof thetrainaweekbeforethetrainoperatorwasabouttoretire.“Nowhehastolivewiththatimagetherestof hislife.”

AnalysisThefirstissuethatmustbeaddressedis

what, exactly,makes these subway narra-tivesfolklore.WritesJanHaroldBrunvand(1981:3)inThe Vanishing Hitchhiker, “Alltruefolkloreultimatelydependsuponcontinuedoral dissemination, usually within fairlyhomogeneous‘folkgroups,’andupontheretentionthroughtimeof internalpatternsand motifs that become traditional in theoralexchanges.”Certaininternalmotifs—thefivemajorthemesof death,closecalls,theunstableenvironment,heroes,andhu-mor—runthroughoutthesubwayaccidentandcautionarynarratives.

The scariness inherent in the accidentandcautionarysubwaystoriescanbefoundintalespresentedbytheBrothersGrimm:“Little RedRidingHood,” “Hansel andGretel,”and“Cinderella.”Theyallcontainadarkshadowof foreboding,warningthelistenerstoactinasafemanner.Of course,accidentandcautionarystoriesare,bytheirverynature,gloomyandfullof gruesomehumor.

Another factor that makes the subwaytalesoccupational lore is theirmannerof transmission: these stories are told, re-shaped,andtoldyetagain—sometimeswithslightvariations.InonetaleIheardseveraltimes,astoryaboutamanpinnedbetweenthesubwaycarandtheplatform,thevictimis sometimes found between the car andthetunnelwall.Alwaysamale,heiseither

ahomelessmanonthetracksorapassengerwhowas pushed, careless, or attemptingsuicide. In somecaseshedies thesecondthetrainpullsoutof thestation;inothers,theemergencyteamliftsthetrainfromthetrackswithairbagsandtransportshimtothehospitalbeforeheperishes.Heissometimesgrantedhislastrequest:acigaretteorabeer,orboth.Thisstoryissopopularthatitbe-cameanepisodeof television’sHomicide: Life on the Street;inturn,ashowwasthenairedaboutthemakingof thisparticularepisode.Sometransitworkersmaynotevenbeawarethattheyareparticipatinginwhatweknowas“narrativefolklore”—thepassingdownof wisdomthroughtheirstories.ExplainsBrunvand(1981:1),

Whenwefollowtheancientpracticeof informallytransmitting‘lore’...bywordof mouthandcustomaryexam-plefrompersontoperson,wedonotconcentrate on the formor contentof our folklore; instead,we simplylisten to information thatothers tellusandthenpassiton—moreorlessaccurately—tootherlisteners.

For example, a subwayworker asking afellowemployeewhetherhehasheardabouttheyoungtrackworkerwhowas“smearedbyatraininthisveryspot”isdoingmuchmorethanrelayinginformation.Heisparticipatinginatradition.

That tradition isplayedoutamongaho-mogenousfolkgroup—inthisparticularcase,thesubwayemployees.Theyareallworkingforthesameboss,NewYorkCity,underthesamehazardousconditions.Theyalsoworkverycloselywithoneanother.Subwayworkbyitsverynatureissocial.Subwayemployeesareregularlyassignedtoworktogether.Thetrainoperator–conductorrelationissimilartothatofpolicepartners:onebecomestheother’sright-handman.Trackworkersarealwaysassignedtoworkingroups.Onthejoboronbreaksorin locker rooms, transitworkershaveampleopportunitytotalktooneother.As in any occupation, subwayworkers

use jargon to signal their standing withinan elite, privileged group. Their termsinclude “roadbed,” “jumper,” “tube” and“indication.” They also use nicknames todifferentiatethesubwaylines.Forinstance,

theB line isBravo (formerlyBoy), theQtrain isQuincy,and theNo.2 train is theDeuce.Theuseof thisspecializedlanguage,likeknowledgeof thedecapitationstories,proves that the speaker has “earned hisstripes”intheprofession—andalsokeepstheoutsidersout.More importantly, it is the telling and

retellingof certain subwaynarratives thatcreates thecommunityof folklore.Inmanyinstances, the transitworkerswould havenothingelseincommonbesidesthebondtheysharethroughtheirworkenvironment.Thestoriesactasagluethatreinforcesthebondandbrings thecommunity together.Besides being part of the occupationalcommunity,throughtheirstorytellingtheydistinguish themselvesasmemberswithinthat community: “the guy who tells thestoryabout...,”“thosewhohaveheardthestoryabout…”

Anotherelementcommontotheaccidentandcautionarytalesistheirfunction.Theyallservetoencouragesafetybyreinforcingtheimportanceof remainingalertandcare-ful.Intoto,theycanbetakenasabiglistof “don’ts.”Don’tletyourguarddown;don’tfeel safe and comfortable; don’t forget tousecaution;don’tunderestimatethepowerof aroaringtrain;don’tbecomedistracted.In someof the narratives, theworkers

themselves explain the purpose of thestory.Forinstance,afterrelatingthetaleof thedead-on-arrivalontheplatformintheGimbel’s story, the safety instructor com-mented, “I tell that story to [emphasize]safetywiththeworkers.Neverstaytooclosetotheedgeof thoseplatforms;workershaveahabitof doingthat.Youneverknowwho’srunningforatrainorwhomaygetadizzyspellandfallagainstyou.Alwaysmaintainsafety:stayawayfromtheedgeof platformlevels”(CharnowandZeitlinn.d.:32).

Thedeathtaleswarnworkersaboutthedangersof theirworkandremindthemthattheyarereckoningwithforcesmightierthanthey.Thethirdrail isaforcebeyondtheircontrol.Trainsarebrutalandfatal.Workersmustalwaysbeonguardagainstmechanicalfailureaswellashumanerror.Peoplecanbecruel—andsometimesjustasdangerousas


versal.Althoughtheirphrasingandjargonmaybeuniquetoaparticularfield,thetalesshare the language of everyday life. Theyhaveauniversalapplicationthattranscendstheboundariesof aparticularoccupationandcanbeappreciatedbyeveryone,regard-lessof hisorherjob.Everyonelovesagoodstory,andalmosteveryoneshouldbeableto relate to the subway narratives. Theirprimarypurpose—toteachandwarn—hasuniversalappeal.

The subway itself is universal. It is animportantpartof thelifeof allNewYork-ers—themillionsof passengersand55,000transit employees alike. The subway is amicrocosmof thisdiversecity.Althoughthesubwaytrainitself isconstantlyinmotion,its territory remains constant, stable.Thestoriestravelthroughthevastarrayof tun-nels—656(somesourcessay714)milesof track—tothehundredsof tokenboothsinwhichworkerssit,totheBline,theNline,constantlyonthego.

Thisstudyshowsthatasimpleexchangebetween subway employees can be morethan it seems.Afinal case inpoint is theconversationof twosubwayworkersIover-heardwhileridingatrain.“Whatajackass,”onesaid,referringtoayoungworkerwhoshowedupdrunkhisfirstdayof trainingandwasinstantlyfired.Thekid’sfather,asubwaybigwig,hadgottenhimaplumassignment,but as the otherworker said, “He didn’tknowhowgoodhehad it.”Anexchangethatbrief (andseemingly inconsequential)betweensubwayemployeesinrealitydoesalotmore.Asinthesubwayaccidentstories,the workers are weaving their on-the-jobknowledgeintocommunalsubwayworkerknowledge,ventingtheiremotions,provid-

anythingelseworkersfindinthesubways.Tokenbooth clerkshavebeen torched todeath,andworkersshouldbescared.

Andtheyarealsowarnedtoexpecttheunexpected.Nowhere is safe, as exempli-fiedbythetaleof theworkerwholeftthelighting department after many years. Hefinallyhadthechancetogetoff thetracksandtransfertothetelephonedepartment.Onedayheandhispartnerwerecrossingthetracksbetweenplatformsandboom—hesteppedrightintothepathof aroaringtrain.The narrators of the tales themselves attimesconcludedtheirstorieswithcautions:“Thisisavery,verydangerousjob…”(Sny-der1997:53).Someof thewarningscouldperhapsbeprefacedwiththeline,“Oh,thethings that you’ll see!” Suicides. Severedheads.Smolderingcorpses.

Inadditiontothemanytalesaboutworkerfatalities, there are other stories inwhichworkers have a brush with death. Beingcautiousandbeingpreparedarelessonstobelearned—soarebeingalertandknowinglimitations. Tales remind workers not torushortryto“makeuptime”byspeedingthroughdangerouscurves.Postingsinthesubwaystationsevenwarn,“Mostaccidentshappenwhenpeopleareinarush.”Workerswhoaretired,anxious,ordrunkorondrugsarealsohazards.

Thetaleof thefatalMalboneStreettraincrash (Cudahy1999) continues tobe toldprecisely for thebenefitof suchworkers.Thiscrash,whichkilled93(somesourcessay102) in1918,had the fatal element: afatigued andpoorly trainedoperator.Thetalecontinuestoserveasawarningandiscirculated among current workers as wellasfoundinalmosteverybookontheNewYorkCitysubway.

Another lesson is community. Subwayemployees must work together to ensurethe safety of all involved. “Out of suchshareddangersandworkroutinesemergesa sense of camaraderie…” (Snyder 1997:90).Theworkingrelationshipisnotjustapartnership—it could be a matter of lifeanddeath.“Peopleof all ages love a good scare,”

writesBrunvand(1981:47).Somenarratives

are, indeed,meanttohorrifythe listeners,butnotwithoutanunderlyinglesson.Sub-wayaccidentandcautionarynarrativesarenottoldforthesolepurposeof enjoyment.Everytaleof deathanddestructioniscloselyfollowedwithamessageof caution.Someof thegory stories encourage the listenertolethis imaginationrun:“Whatif Ihadslippedjust one inch totherightandfallenonthethirdrail?”“Whatif Ididn’thappentolooktheotherwayandseethetrainracingtowardmefromtheoppositedirection?”Inthiscategoryisthetaleof thetrackmain-tenance supervisorwho took thedayoff,onlytohearthatthemanfillinginforhimwasfriedwhilecuttingacableonthetracks:“Hewentupinaballof flames”andspentmorethansixmonthsinaburnunit.Thesupervisor liveswith the thought, “Whatif Ihadgonetoworkthatday?Thatcouldhavebeenme.”

ConclusionOccupational accident and cautionary

narrativesarealive,well,andcirculatingintoday’sworkplace.Theyreflectthedangersandconcernsof workersinhazardousjobs.Theyserveavarietyof purposesand,aspartof occupationalloreasawhole,constituteamajorpartof oraltradition.Theyalsogiveworkers “at least a measure of personalcontrolover [their]working lives (McCarl1988:35).Thenarrativesreveal“avarietyof strategiesusedbyworkerstoinsureinformalcontrolof worksafety.Theseriousnessof thefatalityaccountresultinginanewsafetyprocedureandthecatharsisof thenear-missnarrative underscore the way verbal ac-countsof worktechniquesprovideinsiderswithnecessaryinformationinacompellingform”(McCarl1988:40-41).Thismeasureof controlisextremelyimportant,especiallyinunstableenvironmentsliketheNewYorkCitysubwaysystem.Thetalestellworkerswhattolookoutfor,howtoavoidpotentialdisasters,andhowtodothingsdifferentlythanafellowworkerwhowasnotsocau-tious—andpaidtheprice.

Twoaspectscommontoalloccupationalaccidentandcautionarynarrativesstandout:theyaresimultaneouslyspecializedanduni-

Ryn Gargulinski is a journalist, poet, cartoonist, and humorist. She wrote her master’s thesis on the occupational folklore of New York City subway workers for Brooklyn College (CUNY), where she also received a BFA in creative writing. She contributes a monthly column, poems, and illustrations to 12gauge.com.


Across Borders Across Borders heconceptofbordercrossingrever-berates in Haudenosaunee (or Iro-

feredopportunitiesforTuscaroraartiststoselltheirworknotonlyinthemuseumshopbutalsodirectlytothepublicatmeet-the-artistsalesatthemuseum.(Stilltocomeareacatalogandwebsitethatwillenablevisitorstobuybeadworkfromtheartists.)

Across Borders also makes a persuasivestatement about the process of culturalrepresentation. The interdisciplinary teamguidingtheproject’sdevelopmentbroughtcuratorial, art historical, and folklore ex-pertise as well as deep knowledge of theexperiences of bead-work artists in theTuscarora and Kahnawake communities.Manybead-workersparticipatedinprojectresearchonhistoricalmuseumcollectionsand contributed to the exhibit’s videoprograms and signage texts.This kindof collaborationbetweeninsiderandoutsiderperspectivesencouragesaclearer,moreac-curate,andmoresensitiveinterpretationbyincorporatingthecomplexitiesandrealitieswithinthecommunitiesrepresented.Forinstance,althoughitispossibletogain

awarenessof HaudenosauneesymbolssuchastheSkyDomeorCelestialTreethroughstudyandscholarship,afullunderstandingof thepowerof thesesymbolsforHauden-sauneepeopleand thesignificanceof thetraditions and stories for their lives andsenseof community identity comesmostcompellingly from within this experience.According to Jolene Rickard, Tuscaroraartist,assistantprofessorof artandarthis-toryattheStateUniversityatBuffalo,andmemberof thecuratorialteam,

Inmycommunitythere isarelation-shipbetween all theobjects thatwecreateandthewordsthatsurroundus.Thewordsareheretoteachandguideus through life; theobjects are heretoservethememoryandmeaningoftheword.Thepracticeof looking at

thingstorememberisourway...Whatwecreate,touristitemornot,servesasareminderofourspiritual,economic,andculturalsurvival(Rickard1992).

In someways, thedecorativebeadworktraditioncallstomindthepowerfulandsa-credwampumbelts,whosedesignsprovidehistoricalinformation,tellstories,andexpressHaudenosauneeconceptsandvaluesthroughsymbolism.Haudenosaunee cosmology,rhetoric,oralhistory,andexpressivecultureareextraordinarilypoeticandsymbolic,andcommunitymembersretainahighdegreeofculturalliteracyintheirmetaphorsandsto-ries.Drawingontheknowledgeofitsnativecurators and thebeadworkers themselves,theexhibitgroundsitsinterpretationintheHaudenosauneeworldviewandinaHaude-nosauneewayofseeing.Initsowninstallation,theCastellaniArt

Museumadded adramatic introduction tothetravelingexhibit.Onewallinthemainhallfeaturedapaintedandphotographicmontageofbeadworkdesignsfromawoman’sskirtinterspersedwithportraitsoflocalartists.AprojectedvideoofNiagaraFallsthundereddownanadjacentwallasareminderofthesite’s historical importance to beadworkmarketing.Visitors thenproceed throughsectionsontheIroquoisuniverse,thedevel-opmentofbeadwork, creating,marketing,andcontinuing.TheycomeawaywithnewunderstandingsofthehistoryandprinciplesoftheHaudenosaunee,theoriginsandevolu-tionofearlybeadwork,theprocessofmakingbeadwork,thedevelopmentofnewformsformarketing,theuseofbeadworkintravelingandperforming shows, selling to tourists,beadworkmarketstoday,useofbeadworkinthecommunityandfordiplomacy,andex-tendingthetraditionthroughcontemporaryart.At severalpoints along the route,one

BY LYNNE WILLIAMSoN

Tquois)consciousnessasafundamentalright,guaranteedbytheJayTreatyof 1794andre-enactedeveryyearinJuly,of nativepeopletocrosstheborderbetweentheUnitedStatesandCanadawithoutrestrictions.Atravelingexhibition of Haudenosaunee beadwork,organized and circulated by the McCordMuseumof CanadianHistoryinMontrealandtheCastellaniArtMuseumof NiagaraUniversity,takesitsnamefromthisconcept.Across Borders refersnotonlytothebinationalproject teambut also to the two featuredcommunities,Kahnawake inQuébec andTuscarorainNewYork.ThetwomuseumsmountedtheexhibitincollaborationwiththeKanien’kehakaRaotitiohkwaCulturalCenterof theKahnawake, theTuscaroraNationcommunitybeadworkersinNewYorkState,andtheRoyalOntarioMuseum,Toronto.Designedtopresentthehistory,context,

andcontemporaryexpressionofalong-stand-ingtraditionalartformthatisdeeplyimpor-tanttotheHaudenosaunee,thisinformativeandevocativeexhibitionsucceedsonseverallevels.TheprojectsituatesHaudenosauneebeadwork in both its historical roots andits present-day strength. The exhibit goesbeyond excellent scholarship, however, tohonor in a compelling andprofoundwayhowHaudenosauneecosmology,expressedthrough symbols,metaphors, andmotifs,givesmeaning to the art and continues toinformthelivesoftheartists.Curatorstack-led such issues as innovation and culturalcontinuityintraditionalarts—subjectsoftendebatedinmuseum,arthistory,andfolkloreforums.Marketing,socentraltoHaudeno-sauneebeadwork,hasbeenaddressedbothintheexhibitinterpretationandinpracticeby theCastellaniArtMuseum,whichof-


passesthroughalonghouse—ametaphoricaldoorthatreinforcesthesenseof movementandexchangebetweenspaces.

The exhibit provokes consideration of changeandcontinuitywithinatraditionbyaddinghistoricalexamplesof beadworkindiplomatic, commercial, and “wildwest”show contexts, and also by having com-missioned contemporary native artists toexploreandevenreinventtheconceptsandusesof theform.Themultifacetednatureof Haud-enosauneebeadworkanditscon-tinuingpopularityandresonancesuggesttheneedforasophisticatedunderstandingof complexandchanginginteractions—bordercrossings, perhaps—between cultures andalso within cultural groups. The role of marketing,forinstance,sometimesthought

to demean and adulterate a tradition, hasserved to inspire Haudenosauneewomenespeciallytocreateitemsencodingtheirbeliefsandsenseofidentitywhileatthesametimefeed-ingtheirfamilies.

Thisreviewerfoundthebeadworkbreath-takingandnotedanexpansionoftheartformandthenumberofartists,evenduringthelasttenyears.Manyofthehistoricalpieceshavenotbeenexhibitedbeforeandareeloquentexpressions of Haudenosaunee cosmol-ogy—for instance, thebagdated1820–40depictingthetwinsfromtheCreationStory,andSophroniaThompson’sTreeof Peacefrom the late nineteenth century. Manycontemporary examples reflect the formsanddesignsof olderpieces;othercreationsexhibitindividualtouches.

Lynne Williamson is director of the Con-necticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program with the Institute for Community Research in Hartford.

May 25–October 28, 2001CanadianMuseumof CivilizationHull,Québec

December 9, 2001–May 19, 2002National Museum of the American In-dianGeorgeGustavHeyeCenterNewYorkCity

June 21, 2002–October 13, 2002RoyalOntarioMuseumToronto

November 23, 2002–February 16, 2003MashantucketPequotMuseumandResearchCenterMashantucket,Connecticut

Exhibit SchEdulE

Thecontributionof Across Borderscomesfromitsclearexpressionof complexideas,its vibrant native voices, its organizationanddesign, and thewell-written interpre-tivetexts.Theprojecthasstimulatedartistsfrom thenearbyTuscarora community toformtheTuscaroraBeadworkStudyGroup,for example, and theCastellaniArtMu-seumhaspublishedaspecialeditionof itscalendar newsletter with the exhibit textsincluded.Theprojectgeneratedatwo-partbeadwork conference cosponsoredby themuseumandthearthistorydepartmentof theUniversityof Buffalo.Andtheproposedillustratedcatalogueandwebsitewillbringthesignificantideas,thedynamiccollabora-tiveprocess, and the fascinatingworldof beadworktoawiderpublic.

ReferenceRickard,Jolene.1992.CewEteHawITih:TheBirdThat

CarriesLanguageBacktoAnother.InPartial Recall,LucyLippard,ed.NewYork:TheNewPress.

The richness of the Across Borders exhibit comes from the collaboration of contemporary beadworkers with curators and historians. By honoring the significance of their art in their world, traditional artists from several Native communities link past and present for museum goers. Photo: Biff Henrich, Keystone Film Productions


Being one of New York City’s most successful merchants was not enough for Abraham Thompson (1776–1851). He yearned for still more riches—Cap-tain Kyd’s pirate treasure. His hunts began with use of folkloric formulae to find the treasure that legend said had been buried on his native Long Island, and when those failed, he created public treasure-hunting compa-nies seeking the investments of fellow enthusiasts. Finally he undertook systematic studies of the tenets of ceremonial magic by which to locate buried pirate gold. eal-world commercial acumen coexisted with a belief in the fantastic in the person

The

Magic of

BY RoBERT A. EMERY

of Abraham Gardiner Thompson(1776–1851). A leading New YorkCitymerchant,Thompsonthrough-

Poe’s“GoldBug.”Anationfamiliarwiththespiritualistic revelationsof theFox sistersand the attempts to establish mesmerismasanexactsciencewouldnothavefoundThompson’sinterestsaltogethereccentric.

PerhapsThompsonacquiredhisinterestinburiedtreasureearlyinlife.Hismotherwas a Gardiner of Gardiner’s Island—aplacelongassociatedwithpiratelore—andhis father’s family was among the settlersof LongIslandintheseventeenthcentury,theheydayof thepirates.Afterreceivingascanty early education,Thompsonbeganhis business career in Islip. He early dis-played the commercial ability and publicspiritthatlatercharacterizedhismercantilecareer.Hewas,forexample,largelyrespon-sibleforestablishingthefirstpublicpostalsystemoneasternLongIsland—nomeanachievement in light of the isolation thatthencharacterizedSuffolkCounty.Inabout

1806hemovedtoNewYorkCityandthelargerbusinessopportunitiesof whatwastobecomeAmerica’sgreatestport.

Thompsonwasnotsatisfiedwithmakingmoneyinconventionalways,however.TheLongIslandof hisyouthwasthelegendarysiteof thetreasuresaidtohavebeenburiedbyCaptainWilliamKyd(orKidd)beforehiscapture and execution for piracy in 1701.Some situated the treasure on Gardiner’sIsland,somenearMontauk,andlongbeforethe Revolution the likely spots had beenpockmarkedwithtreasurehunters’digs.ItmatterednotthatreputablescholarscalledKyd’s treasurefiction;ever since theearlyeighteenthcentury,hopefuladventurershadcontinuedtosearchforit.

With Rum, Rods, and Spells In his old age, Abraham Thompson

recalledhistreasure-huntingefforts inthedaysbeforehemovedtothecity.Despitethe passage of time, his recollections ap-peartohavebeenaccurate;infact,oneof his fellow treasure hunters independentlyreportedmuch the same efforts, albeit inlessdetail.

SolomonDavis,Thompson’s long-timecoachman,recalledthathisemployer“knewaplaceatMontaukwhereKidd’smoneywasburied”—FortPondBayatMontaukPoint.

outhisbusinesscareerwasfascinatedbythelegendary riches of Captain Kyd’s hiddenpiratetreasure.Tosomeextent,Thompson’spreoccupa-

tionwithtreasurehuntingwasaproductof histime,andhewasnotthefirsthard-head-edbusinesspersontobebitbythetreasurebug.GoodwinWharton (1653–1704), forinstance,amemberof ParliamentandLordof theAdmiralty, combined advice fromfairies with modern technology—divingbells,albeitinventedbyangels—tohuntforsunkentreasure(Richards1971).Inantebel-lumAmericatreasurewasintheair,sotospeak.InterestinhiddengoldrangedfromJoseph Smith’s treasure-seeking activities,which ultimately led him to discover theplates of gold, the basis of theBook of Mormon,toextremesof ratiocination,asin

R


Once,Thompsonwent therewith anoldmanandoneDavidMulfordof SagHarbor,armedwith“arodthatwouldattracttothemoney.”TherodworkedbetterinMulford’shandsthanintheoldman’sbecauseMulford(who“drankmorerum”)“hadmoreof theWaterof Lifeinhim.”Usingtherod,Mul-ford“foundwherethedepositwas,struckacrowbardownonit,anditsounded;formedhis ring and commenced digging.” Whenhebroke the turf, ahugeblack-and-whitebullranoverthehill,pawing“asif hewasmad”andlooking“asbigasamountain.”Thennearlyathousandcattleranovertheoppositehill,actingthesameway.Mulfordexclaimed,“ByGod,wehavegotit,”andallthecattlestoppedandbegantofeed.Thecrowbarsankintotheearthafootdeep;butMulford’sexclamation“brokethespell,”andwhentheydugdown,alltheyfoundwasalittlepieceof mother-of-pearl.

Another time Thompson went to FortPondBaywithSullivanMoultonand“oldMr.Brower.”Browerhad“aneedle”tolo-catethetreasure.“Theycenteredthespotwherethetreasurewas,beganoperations,”butwhenBrower’sold“bull-bitch”lappedtheirpailof drinkingwater,Browercursedthedogandagainbrokethespell.Browerrememberedmuchdigging,withspellsandincantations.WhilelivingonLongIsland,Thompson

didsomesearchingonGardiner’sIslandaswell, presumably using similar tactics andtools.

“Rather a Shrewd Man”Although Abraham Thompson had

establishedhimself asamerchantinNewYorkCitybeforetheWarof 1812,hisbusi-nesscareersoaredonlyafterthewarended.Determined that Great Britain’s postwarexports shouldcome toNewYork ratherthan go to competing ports, in 1817 thecity’simportauctioneerschoseThompsonastheirlobbyisttoseekafavorableauctionlaw from the state legislature. Thompsonwas successful: the new auction statute,by assuring the sale of all importedgoods put up for auction, attractedBritish exports predominantly to

NewYork.Thelawalsolimitedthelucrativeimportbusinesstoonlythirty-fivelicensedauctioneers,of whomThompsonwasone.Thismeasure,coupledwiththeconstructionof theErieCanal(inthefinancingof whichThompsonalsohadaninterest),madeNewYork City the commercial metropolis of North America: by 1825 it handled morethanhalf thenation’stotalimports.

Thompson’swealthgrewwiththecity’s.From1815onhetradedasanimportauc-tioneerinthefirmof Boggs&Thompson,at62WallStreet,andmadeenoughtobenamed among the “RichMen of 1822,”with$27,000inrealandpersonalproperty.By1845hewasworthsome$500,000andwasincludedamongthe“WealthyCitizensof NewYorkCity.”Thompson did not confine himself to

the auction business. At various times heservedasabankpresidentandasdirectorof anotherbank, two railroad companies,andtwoinsurancecompanies.Neitherwashe oblivious to the wider interests of hiscommunity: he was an active member of BrickPresbyterianChurchandatrusteeof the Seamen’s Friends Society. SometimesThompson’smorespeculativebusinessdealsbackfired,butinsum,asoneof hisbusinessassociatessaid,“Inmoneymattershewasconsideredratherashrewdman.”

The Public Treasure HunterAbrahamThompson’sbusinessreputation

lentplausibilityeventohistreasure-huntingventures.Infact,rumorhaditthathisGar-dinerancestrygavehimsecretinformationon the location of hidden gold. In 1829Thompsonandothersformedasyndicatethatpurchased100acresof shorelineandtherighttomineaportionof theriverbedof thelowerHudson,justbelowtheHighlands,wherelegendheldthatKydhadscuttledhispirateship.Thesyndicateprobedandboredthe property without much

luck. In 1844, a successorfirm (inwhichThompsonhadalsoinvested)usedadivingbellandactuallyrecoveredsometimber,acannon, and (Thompson said) a cask of silver. It was probably in this connectionthat Thompson interested himself in theinventionof a“submarinetelescope.”

Thompson himself may have written apamphlet,Account of Some of the Traditions and Experiments Respecting Captain Kidd’s Piratical Vessel,publishedinNewYorkin1844;fivecopies survive. This pamphlet recountedvariousKydstories (manyof thembasedonsources“onwhomweplacetheutmostreliance”), suggested that “immense loot”couldbefoundattheHudsonRiversite,andsolicitedinvestmentsinthesalvagefirm.Itnoted thatThompsonwould receiveone-thirdof thevalueof anytreasuresalvaged,aswellasbe“bankerandreceiver”of thefirm.Investmentsmustnothavebeenforth-coming,sincenothingmorewasheardof thesalvageefforts.

Turning to the OccultAbrahamThompson carriedonprivate

studiesintheoccultwhileheconductedhissuccessful commercial career. His studiesdivergedfromthestorieshehadabsorbedasayouthonLongIsland,whichwerebasedonbeliefinghosts,clairvoyants,anddreamsthat foretold the future.Rather, their aimwasgold,andtheycamefromabook.Hetold some of his associates about thesestudiesbutdidnot(perhapsunderstandably)mention them to suchmen as his pastor,Dr.GardinerSpring,apillarof NewYorkrespectability.

ThompsoncarefullyreadThe Magus, or Ce-lestial Intelligencer,byFrancisBarrett,ateacher(andpresumablypractitioner)of ceremonialmagic,activeinEnglandaround1800.Hewasalsoanotablyunsuccessfulballoonist.


Barrett’sMagus,atomeof some500pages,wasdevotedto“naturalmagic”:the“naturalsympathyandantipathyamongstallthingsthroughoutthewholeuniverse.”Itdescribedin general terms the philosopher’s stone,theelementsof alchemy,andinsomewhatmoredetail,theraisingof planetaryspirits.Thompson,with his attraction to thingsoccult,readThe Maguswithintenseinterest.Thebooksuggestedthatonecouldobtaingoldandwisdomthroughmagicbutpro-vidednospecificformulae.

It is unclear how far Thompson actu-allyattemptedtopracticemagic.Afterhisdeath,inadjudicatingasuitthatchallengedthevalidityof Thompson’swill(whichleft$347,000tocharity),thejudgesuggestedthathehadmerelydabbledinchemistry,electric-ity,andmesmerism.Thom-pson’sclaimstomagical attainmentsmay reflectmore hisbeliefsthanhisachievements,althoughhehimself believedthatspiritstormentedhimforengaginginoccultexperiments.

Thompsonstatedthatexceptfor“thewa-

terof life”—whichinvolvedshuttingamanforsixmonthsaroomlinedwithIrishlinenandkeepinghimdrunkonstrongbeerorLondonporter—“hehadthereceiptandalltheingredientstomake”thephilosopher’sstone.Whenhesucceededinmakingthis,hewouldbeabletotransmutemetalsintogold,findtreasuresintheearth,curediseases,andprolonglife.Asimilarlymiraculousinstrument,amin-

eralrod,couldbemadetolocateburiedtrea-sure,andinfactThompsonexperimentedinusingonetofindahiddenpurseof gold.Themineral rod (madeof one-thirdeachof silver,bismuth,andwhitecopper,plusunspecifiedherbs)hadtoberubbed25daysbyamagnetbeforeuse;italsohadtobeputintoahollowquillandplacedintheBibleataparticularchapter.

Thompsonbelievedthatlookinginanap-propriatelyprepared“glass”(possiblyamir-ror)wouldallowhimtouseplanetaryspiritstoseethingsatadistanceandlocatehiddentreasure;theglasshadtolieontheeyesof acorpsetoconcentrateitsspirit.WitnessesdifferedonThompson’sstatementsthathishouseonColumbiaStreet,inBrooklyn,wassetupformagicexperiments:somedenieditaltogether;othersmentionedamysteriousroomthathealoneentered.

BeliefssuchasthosemusthavebeenaproductmoreofThompson’sstudyofceremonialmagicthanofthestoriesderivedfromhisLongIslandyouth.Asthejudgeinhiswillcontestsuggested,Thompsonmayhaveregardedthem,ifanything,asscientific.InAbrahamThompson’seyes,ritualmagicofthesortexpoundedbyThe Magusmaywellhaveseemedanintellectuallysystematicoccultsystemthatcouldfindthepiratetrea-surehisearlyfolklorebeliefsandhisgold-huntinginvestmentshadfailedtolocate.

select one of these for inclusion under“furtherreading”?Barrett,Walter. 1870.The Old Merchants

of New York City, 3, pt.1 (NewYork:M.

Albion,RobertGreenhalgh.1939.The Rise of New York Port. New York: CharlesScribner’s Sons. This history detailsThompson’s lobbying efforts andthe effect of New York’s auction law(L.1817,c.275).

Barrett,Francis.1801.The Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer ; being a Complete System of Occult Philosophy. London:Lackington,Allen.

Bonner,Willard Hallam. 1947. Pirate Laureate: The Life and Legends of Captain Kidd.NewBrunswick:RutgersUniversityPress.

Emery,RobertA. 1989. “Fragments of 19th-CenturyFolkBelief inNewYorkCourtReports,”New York Folklore15(1-2):111Adiscussionof courtopinionsasafolkloresource.

Furman,Gabriel.1968.Antiquities of Long Island . New York: Port Washington.1968.

King,FrancisX.1992.The Flying Sorcerer.Oxford:Mandrake.Thebookcontainswhat little is known about FrancisBarrett,authorof The Magus.

Murphy,HenryC. 1846.ThePiracy of CaptainKidd,Hunt’s Merchants’ Magazine14:49–50.Acontemporarycommentontreasure-huntingefforts.

Ritchie,RobertC.1986. Captain Kidd and the War against the Pirate. Cambridge:Harvard University Press. The authordiscusses the realities and legends of Kyd’streasure.

Skinner,CharlesM.1896.Myths & Legends

Robert A. Emery (e-mail: remer@mail. als.edu) is reference librarian at the Albany Law School Library, 80 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208.

of Our Own Land. Philadelphia: J.B.Lippincott.

Smith,William Jr. 1972.The History of the Province of New York. Cambridge:HarvardUniversityPress.

Thompson, Abraham. 1844. AuctionSystem in New York. Merchants’ Magazine and Commercial Review10:154–57.Thompsonwrotehisownaccountof lobbyingfor theauction law.Theauctioneers’ quasi-monopoly lasteduntil1838,L.1838,c.52.

Thompsonv.Quimby,2Braf.Surr.339(1853),aff ’dThompsonv.Thompson,21Barb.107(1855).Thisistheprimarysource for Thompson’s treasure-huntinginterests.Thecase,concerningThompson’s competence to write avalidwill,includedextensivetestimonyregardinghisactivitiesandbeliefs.

Thompson,HaroldW.1967.New York State Folktales, Legends and Ballads.NewYork: Dover. Originally publishedunder the titleBody, Boots and Britches Folktales, Legends, Ballads and Speech of Country Newin1939,thisbookmakesclear that belief that Kyd’s treasurecouldbefoundonMontaukpersistedintothe20thcentury.

Watson, John F. 1846.Annals and Occurrences of New York City and State, in the Olden Time.Philadelphia:HenryF.Anners.Theauthorcited“Mr.Brower”ontreasurehunting—thesameBrowerwhofiguresinThompson’saccount.

Wilkins,HaroldT. 1937.Captain Kidd

For Further reaDing anD research


lmost twoweeksbeforePassovermyfatherbroughthomealivefishinorderformymothertocookit

A short story by Shirlee Kresh Hecker

Ithought,beingasimaginativeasanyfive-year-oldshouldbe.“You know,” addedmy father, “when

peopledie,theycancomebackasanythingoranyone.”“Evenafish?”Iasked.“That’swhatLevinecamebackas,”my

father said convincingly, and I truly be-lievedit.

ThencamethefatefuldaywhenMommaaskedmyfathertokillthefish.“Kill him, are you crazy?”my

fathersaid.“ThatmightbeLevine.Hestaysinthetubforever.”

Mymotherjuststaredatmyfather and then said quietly,“Take that fish out in theyardandbringitbackdeadsoIcancookit,andstoptelling the child that thefish is your friend.Yourfriendisdead,andthat’showIwantthatfish.”Butmyfatherrefused,

andhewalkedoutof thehouse,muttering that hewould never, as long ashe lived, lift a hand to hisfriend.

Thiswentonforalmosttwodays,andIstaredfromoneparent

totheother,wonderingwhowasgoingtowinthebattle.Icountedonmyfather,butmymotherwouldnotrelent.“Izzy,”shesaid,“if youmakemekillthis

fish,Iwillneverforgiveyou.”“Well,Rosie,”myfatherreplied,“if you

wanttoseehimdead,youbethemurderer,”andhesadlyleftthehouse.

Iwatchedmymother as shepickedupabigtowel,walkedovertothetub,caughtthefish in the towel,andwentout to thebackyardwithit.

“Stop!” I screamed. “Don’t kill him.Please.Please!”Buttonoavail.

Mymotherraisedthehammerandaimedforthefish’shead.Iscreamed,“Murderer!”atthetopof mylungsandheldontoher,butshepushedmeasideandstruckthefish’sheadagainandagain.Butthefishwouldn’tstopmovingandjumpingaround.“Die,Levine,die!”shepleaded,andwith

thethirdblow,thefishfinallystoppedmov-ing.Itwasthenthatmymother,whomIhadneverseeninrealtears,burstoutcryingand

Afortheholidays.Of course,heknewthisfishwouldbeof thefinestquality,sinceitcamefrom his landsman on the East Side. Papamade the trip from Brooklyn by a trolleycarthatpassedrightinfrontof ourhouseHehadthisfishinabucketandpresentedittomymothersoshecouldputitinthewashtubandfattenitupuntilshewasreadytoprepareit.Thisfishbecamethefamily’snewpet,and

soonithadaname.“Lookhowheknowsme,”my father said after just one day, as“IkethePike”settledinthewashtubinhisnewhome.

Eachtimemyfatherliftedthewashtub’slid,thefishperkeduphisheadandopenedhismouth.Myfatherwouldfeedhimlittlepiecesof breadandtalksoothinglytohim,andeverytimemyfatherwouldapproachthetubhewouldsay,“Watchhowhegreetsme.”Sureenough,thefishwouldjumpupto thedirectionof the lightandopenhismouth.Ikeseemedtoknowthatmyfatherwouldbetheretofeedhim.

MyfatherwasfascinatedwithIke’sintel-ligence, and soon Ikebecameoneof myfather’sfavoritepets.Papawouldshowoff thisfish’sso-calledtalentstowhoevercametothehouse.AlthoughIwasveryyoung,Iknewthat

myfatherhadawaywithallanimals.Ialsobelievedthisfishtobejustwhatmyfatherclaimed—“verysmart.”Iknewnothingof theword“conditioned.”Oneday,myfatherbeckonedmeoverto

the tub to lookat Ike.“CanyouseehowmuchhelookslikemyfriendLevine?”hewhispered.“Theeyebrows, theone largereyethatheldhismonocle,thethinlipswiththe cigar always in place, and the highcheekbones?”Why,hereallydoeslooklikeMr.Levine,


raninthehousewiththefish.WhenPapacamehomehepassedbythe

tub,buthedidn’tliftthelidtolookinside.Heknew,justlookingatmymother’sface,thathisfriendwasreallygone.Thefirstsederwasthenextnight,andafter

whatseemedlikeendlesspraying,Mommagot ready to serve.By that timeeveryonewasonedge.IgotyelledatadozentimesforvariousthingsIclaimedIdidn’tdotomysister,andmysisteralmostgothitforthethingsshediddotome.Asformyoldestsister,shesaidshewasn’tveryhungryandleftthediningroom.

Itwasthenthatmymotherbroughtoutthegefiltefishplatter.Whensheuncoveredit,thereontheverytopwasafishballwitha face: horseradish for amouth, a carrotforanose,andraisinsforitseyes,andonone eye was my Charlie McCarthy doll’smonocle,justliketheoneMr.Levinewore.Initshorseradishmouthwasasmallpieceof celeryinplaceof acigar.Mysisterhaddonearealgoodjobontheface,butnooneappreciatedit,noonelaughed,andnooneateanygefiltefish.Myfatherleftthetable,sayinghedidn’t

feelgood.Mymotherdidnothingbutmutter

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underherbreathabouthowshewasgoingtokillmysister(whohadlockedherself inthebathroom).Needlesstosay,thefishwasnoteaten,nor

wasitsavedthenextday.Asfarasweknow,mymother,whoneverwastedfood,threwitinthegarbage.Asformyfather,heneverbroughthomealivefishagain.

ThisstorywaspreviouslypublishedinBecause God Loves Stories: An Anthology of Jewish Storytelling,editedbySteveZeitlin(NewYork:Simon&Schuster,1997).

The youngest of three daughters, Shirlee (Shanna) Kresh Hecker was born in Dickson City, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Brooklyn during the Depression. She began writing stories about her child-hood as a legacy to her grandchildren so that they would learn what things were like when she was a child.

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Tale BY ALLEN G. NoBLE

Trail Ma te r i a l Cu l t u r e along Ridge Road

o f

The

An ancient east-west route across western New York State acquired commercial importance in the westward expansion of the early nine-teenth century. A combination of physiogeographic features and early immigrant life created a strip of material culture whose remnants can be seen today. A drive along Highway 104, Ridge Road’s latest incarna-tion, reveals early burial grounds, old orchards, cobblestone houses, one-and-a-half cottages in the Greek Revival style, and rectangular barn doors painted to look like arches—but no log homes survive.idgeRoad,fromtheGeneseeRivertotheNiagaraRiver,becameinthenineteenth

centuryoneofthetworoutesopen-ingupforsettlementtheextensivewilderness of northwestern New

followsthisroutebetweenRochesterontheGeneseeRiver andLewistonon theNiagara.WhatmadeRidgeRoadsignificantwas

itsconstantelevation,25to40feetabovethelakeplainstothenorthandtheglacialtillplaintothesouth,anditscontinuity.TheridgerepresentstheshorelineofLakeIroquois, the glacial-period ancestor ofpresent-day Lake Ontario. In only oneplace is the basic east-west direction ofthe ridge interrupted. Between WrightsCornersandWarrensCorners,adistance

of approximately fourmiles, the ridgedisappears, probably because of a wideembaymentofLakeIroquois.Inthisareathe ridge was pushed south against theescarpmentoftheNiagaradolomiteinthevicinityofLockport.

Thepracticalresultofthosegeologicalandhydrologicalfeatureswasthedetourof Ridge Road around the swamp thatlies between Wrights Corners and War-rensCorners.Thediversionaddedaboutthree miles to the journey but followedanelevated(anddry)routeasitranalongpresent-day Lake Avenue, oldNiagaraRoad,andStoneRoad.In1825atollroadwas built across the swamp, initially oncorduroylogs.ItwasknownastheLongCausewayTurnpike(Pool1897).Late inthenineteenthcenturyan improvedandstraight road was built across the now-drained swamp. Because of the poordrainageandthelackofanelevatedridgerouteway,noneoftheearlymaterialcul-turefeaturestypicaloftherestoftheridgeappearalongthissectionofRidgeRoad.

Another aberration in Ridge Roadoccurs justwest ofMolyneauxCorners,whereitsplitsintotwoarmsforaboutfourmiles,enclosinganessentiallyflatandlevelspace.Nowhereelseintheentire85-milelengthoftheridgebetweentheGeneseeand theNiagara doesonefind a similarbifurcation.Theelevation,east-westdirection,and

continuity of the ridge determined itsutility as a pioneering route, but othercharacteristicshelpedensureitscontinuedimportance,resultinginauniquecombina-tionofmaterialculturalartifactsrepresen-tativeofnorthwesternNewYork.

Early GraveyardsThe ridge is composed of sand and

gravel,whichallowgooddrainage.Anum-berofsandpitsarescatteredmostlyalongthenorthernlowerslope,butgravelpitsaremuchrarer(andonlyoneremainsinoperation).Thecombinationofsandandgravelandgooddrainageencourageduseoftheridgeforgraveyards.

Two small burial grounds vie for theWhat is today Highway 104 began as a trail on high ground through swampy land and became a well-traveled route in the nineteenth century, as settlers followed the pioneers into the Midwest and beyond.

RYorkState.In itsprehistoricdays, itof-fered a more-or-less dry route throughvast, almost impenetrable swamplands.Native Americans, unencumbered byheavy wagons with baggage and house-holdeffects,hadwornaroughtrailalongthe ridge. Westward-moving Americansettlers in the early nineteenth centuryfollowedthispathofleastresistance,butateverystream, logcorduroysandextrateamswereneeded.TodayHighway104

�0 VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

Apple orchardists took advantage of the good drainage on the ridge; many of the old trees are still standing.

distinctionofbeingtheoldestontheridge(Thomas1870),oneatWestRidgeway,andtheotherjusttotheeastofGaines.Earlygraveyards are of two types: cemeteriesclose to a church (the Gaines cemeteryisanexample),andsmall,isolatedburialgrounds that served local families—andsometimesjustonefamily(liketheWestRidgewayburialground).Bythemiddleofthenineteenthcentury,

no fewer than twenty cemeteries werefound on the ridge, an average of oneeveryfourandahalfmiles.Cemeteriesinsurroundingareas,bothnorthandsouth,are more widely dispersed and usuallypostdate the draining of the lower-lyinglakeplaintothenorthandtheintermit-tentswampstothesouth.Thecemeteries

Many cemeteries can be found along Ridge Road, or close to it. The sandy soil was easy to dig, and the number of travel-ers and canal workers created local demand. Cemetery records from Gaines indicate that most early settlers came from the east, especially New England.

alongtheridgemayinsomeinstancesbesitedashortdistanceoffRidgeRoadoncrossroads,buttheyarestillonthegeo-logicalridge.

Many of the ridge cemeteries are thefinalrestingplacesofthepioneersettlerswhotraveledalongRidgeRoad.Mostofthese individuals had been born or hadfirst settled in the Yankee-Yorker cor-ridorofwestwardmovementthatbeganin New England. The birthplaces ofprominent early Ridge Road settlers aregiven inThomas(1870),whichcontainsthemostexhaustivesuchlisting.Withoneexception, all thepeoplecame fromtheYankee-Yorker corridor. Consequently,many of the material culture aspects ofRidge Road are ultimately drawn from

theseorigins.

Apple and Cherry orchardsA second consequence of the combi-

nation of good drainage and sandy andgravellysoilwasanearlyconcentrationofapple,peach,andsweetcherrytreesratherthanfieldcrops(Thomas1870).Theprox-imitytoLakeOntarioandthemoderatingclimatological effects of this large bodyofwater,threetoeightmilesdistant,alsoattractedfruitgrowers(HistoricalAlbumofOrleansCounty1879).Encouragedbyextensive drainage efforts and growingmarketdemand(Signor1894),after1845the settlers expanded their apple andcherryorchardstothelakeplains.Com-mercialprospectscausedashiftawayfromthepioneervarietiesof apples and theirreplacement bymoremarketable ones,especiallyBaldwins,whichby the1880shadbecomethedominanttypegrownonthe ridge (Historical Album of OrleansCounty1879).Atpresent,becausecom-mercialgrowerschangevarietiesasoftenaseverytenyears,veryfewBaldwinsarenowproducedinOrleansCounty(Breth2000).Eventoday,more than150appleand

cherryorchards, includingorchard rem-nantsandabandonedtrees,persistalongtheridge.Somearecommercialproperties,butmanyothersareuntendedorkeptupjustfortheowner’sfamilyuse.Althoughorchards are scattered the length of theridge, three areas remain the sites ofextensivefruitculture.InthevicinityofClarksonintheeastandMolyneauxCor-nerstothewestaresmallconcentrationsoforchards.Thegreatest agglomerationstretcheseastwardfromnearRidgewoodtojustwestofGaines.InalllikelihoodtheeasternmarginofthisthirdareaiswheretheBurgessfamilylaidoutthefirstsmallapple orchard on the ridge about 1810(Thomas1870).WestofDickersonville,appleandcherryorchardsnowgivewaytothevineyardsoftheNiagaraFrontierwinearea.Cobblestone Structures

Waveactionalongtheancientshoreline


ofLakeIroquoisdepositednotonlysandandgravelbutalsolargenumbersofwa-ter-rounded cobblestones, ranging fromegg-sizetothoselargerthanadoubledfist.Suchdepositsprovedmoreattractive tothestonemasonsthrownoutofworkbycompletionof theErieandothercanalsthanthenearbydolomiteoftheNiagaraescarpment.Quarrying,sizing,andcuttingthedolomiteinvolvedconsiderablelaborandexpense;thecobblestones,however,couldbepickedupatornearthesurfaceand required only sorting by size to beusedasabuildingmaterial.Schmidt(1944,16)notesthat“thechildrenandoftenthewomenaidedingatheringthestonesfromthe fields, creek beds, and gravel pits.”Onsomeoccasions,the“youngandoldfrom theneighborhoodwouldgather atthefarmofthemanwhowasplanningtobuildacobblestonehousewheretheyallwouldparticipateingatheringstonesforseveralhours.Thentheywouldsitdowntoagreatoutdoorsupperfollowedbymusicanddancing.”

Thenumberofstonemasonswhohadbeen drawn to the area or learned theirtrade toworkon thenearbyErieCanalwas certainly a factor in the popularityof cobblestone construction in this area(Noble and Coffey 1986). Beginning inthe 1830s and continuing through the1840s and 1850s, cobblestone housesand other structures were built alongtheridge.Today,atleast46cobblestonebuildings still stand alongHighway104.AsSchmidt(1944)notes,RidgeRoadhasmore cobblestone houses per mile thanany other road. Details of most of thecobblestonestructuresalongRidgeRoadcanbefoundinSchmidt(1966).

Onefactorthathascontributedtothelonglifeofcobblestonehousesisthenine-teenth-century lime-sandmortarusedtobindthestones.UnlikemodernPortlandcements,thismortarhardenedveryslowly.Theprocess requiredmanymonths andsometimesevenyears,but“Thisslowrateofhardeninggavethenewbuildingtimeto settle and adjust to the site withoutcracks appearing” (Shelgren et al. 1978,

23). The problem of cobblestone build-ingswasnottheintegrityofthewallsbutthenecessitytoguardagainstroofleaks,whichcouldrapidlyleadtodisintegrationofthewalls.

Astheuseofcobblestonebecamepop-ular,newsourcesofstoneswererequired.The shore of LakeOntario, just a fewmilesaway,suppliedtheneed.Thelocalabundanceofcobblestonesandtheireaseof use made them one of the cheapestbuildingmaterialsfordomesticstructures.Moreover, cobblestone walls did notrequire painting (Schmidt 1958). Paintwas expensive in the second quarter ofthenineteenthcentury,andtimberframestructures required at least one coat ofpaintandpreferablytwoormore.

Althoughcobblestoneswerearelativelyinexpensive buildingmaterial, consider-ableskillwasrequiredintheiruse.Onlyexperienced stone masons could erect acobblestone structure.Hence, a cobble-stone house signified a well-settled andreasonably affluent owner. That almostfiftyofthesestructureswereerectedalongRidgeRoadtestifiestotheimportanceof

therouteinthenineteenthcentury.

one-and-a-Half CottagesAnotherrelativelycommonhousetype

alongRidgeRoad—onethatdidnotsug-gestaffluence—wasthe“one-and-a-half”New England cottage. This house typecametoNewYorkStateinthe1830swithimmigrantsfromNewEnglandandrep-resentedastageintheevolutionofNewEnglandvernacularhousing(Noble1984).The façades of thesemodest frame, ormorerarelybrick,housesweredecoratedwith vernacular Greek Revival details,including pediments, entablatures, andcornice returns. Their most distinctivefeature was the half-windows that lighttheupperhalf-story.

One-and-a-half New England housesaremoreorlessevenlydistributedalongthe length of Ridge Road, with a slightconcentrationnearthevillageofMurray.Elsewhere,clustersoftwoorthreesuchhousesmayindicateconstructionbythesamebuilder,butdetailedinformationontheirconstructionisoftenlacking.

Cobblestone structures were popular along Ridge Road, at least among those who could afford to build them. Erie Canal stone masons supplied the skilled labor. The map plots their incidence along


Log HousesIn many twentieth-century studies of

earlyAmericanhousing itwas anarticleof faith that the westward-moving NewEngland Yankees built no log housesbecause their building tradition lackedsuch construction.But a careful readingofnineteenth-centuryhistoriesofOrleansandNiagaracounties, suchas thoseref-erenced in this study, and especially theoriginalmemoirsandaccountsofthefirstsettlers,confirmsthatlogstructureswereregularlyandcommonlybuilt.Anexcel-lentdescriptionofthecharacteristicsandconstructionofpioneerloghousesisgiveninThomas(1870).

Log houses were universally lookedupon as an expedient, to be replacedas soon as convenient by timber frame,stone, or brick dwellings. As early as1824,brickyardswere in fullproductionin settlements along the ridge (Signor1894,452).Today,asfarasIknow,notasinglelogstructureremainsontheridge,despite the numerous original accounts

thatmentionthem.

Painted-Arch Barn DoorsAnotherdistinctivefeatureofmaterial

culture found alongHighway104 is theoccurrence of rounded-arch doorwayspainted on wooden barns. This entirelydecorativefeatureisidenticaltothatfoundintheeasternMidwestandineast-centralNewYorkState.Noble(1993)suggestedthat the idea of painted-arch doors wastaken to the Midwest from the lowerMohawkandSchoharievalleys.Thecon-centrationofpainted-archdoorsonbarnsalongtheRidgeRoad—thelikelyrouteofthosewhosettledtheMidwest—stronglysupportsthisconclusion.

Noonehasyetadvancedanadequateexplanation for the adoption of thisdecorative device, which apparently be-camepopularsometimeinthenineteenthcentury. The rounded arch, rendered inpaint,doesnotfollowtheconstructionofthedoor,whichactuallyhasasquaretop.Two explanations for the painted form

arepossible.First,thearchrecallsNormandoorways

andmaybeanattempttomimicafeatureofsomeEuropeanbarns,eventhoughthedooritselfisnotrounded.InbothEng-land andGermany, themost importantsourcesofAmericanruralsettlersintheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies,Nor-mandoorwaysoccuronthelargebarnsofprofitable farms. These structures weregenerallybuiltofstoneorbrick,andhereandthereinNorthAmerica(butnotalongRidge Road) a comparable example canstillbefound.MostAmericanbarns,how-ever,werebuiltinwoodframe,amaterialthatdoesnotlenditselftocurvedforms.Togain theprestige associatedwith theuseofNormanarchdoors,earlybuildersmayhavepaintedthearchonrectangularwoodendoors.Eventually, the style be-camepopular.

A second possible explanation is thatthe rounded-arch form is related to themid-Victorian penchant for decoration,whichcanbeseenonAmericanbarnsoverawidearea.Elaboratewooden lanterns,Gothic-stylewindowframes,slattedlou-versandventilatoropenings,tintedglassballson lightningrods,anddelicateowlholesonbarngablesareotheraspectsofsuchdecoration.

The Future of the RidgeThevolumeoftrafficonHighway104

issteadilyincreasing,andconse-quentlytheagitationto“improve”theroad is,too.Fortunately,theconstructionoftheNewYorkStateThruway to the southandalakeshore–huggingexpresswaytothenorthhaveallowedHighway104acertain respite. How long the highwayand its rich material culture will beable to withstand the pressures for“improvement” remains problematic,however. Further comp-licating thesituation is the fact that the routepassesthroughtwocounties.Thus,localinitiativesforpreservationandopposedtodevelopmentaremademoredifficult.Finally, little local preservation lead-ershiphasarisen.TheCobblestoneSociety,

The “one-and-a-half” cottage was a New England house type built mostly in the Greek Revival style, with half-windows just above the floor on the second level. As settlers came west in the 1830s, they brought this style of farmhouse with them and built many such structures along Ridge Road.


headquartered in a group of cobblestonestructures in the crossroads village of Childs,hastoonarrowafocusatpresenttobeeffectiveasapreser-vationfocusfortheentireroute.Aregional,orperhapsevenastate,preservationeffortwillbeneededtomaintainthematerialcultureintegrityof theridge,oneof ourmostimportantroutesof nineteenth-centurywestwardsettlement.

ReferencesBreth , Deborah , Corne l l Coopera t iveExtension, fruit specialist.October 2000.Telephonecommunication.

Historical Album of Orleans County, New York.1879.NewYork:SanfordandCo.

Noble,AllenG.1984.Wood, Brick and Stone: The North American Settlement Landscape,vol.1.Am-herst:Universityof MassachusettsPress.

———.1993.BarnEntryPorches,PentRoofsandDecoratedDoorsof theEasternMidwest.Journal of Cultural Geography,14(1):21–34.

Noble,AllenG.,andBrianCoffey.1986.TheUseof CobblestonesasaFolkBuildingMaterial.P.A.S.T.Pioneer American Society Transactions9:45–51.

Pool,William.1897.Landmarks of Niagara County, New York.Syracuse:D.Mason.

Schmidt, Carl F. 1944.Cobblestone Architecture.Rochester(?):CarlF.Schmidt.

———. 1958. The Cobblestone Houses of CentralNewYorkState. Journal of the American Institute of Architects29:229-35.

———. 1966. Cobblestone Masonry. Scottsville,

Wood-frame barns with paint-ed-arch doors are fairly common on Ridge Road, as shown in the map below. The decorative idea apparently began in New York’s central valleys and spread west into Ohio.

Allen G. Noble is distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Akron in Ohio. He is the author or editor of several books on cultural landscapes, including Wood, Brick and Stone: The north American Settlement Landscape; An Ethnic Geogra-phy of Early Utica, New York: Time, Space and Community; To Build in a New Land; and The Old Barn Book. A native of New York City, he spent his boyhood in the Mohawk Valley.

For more information about preserving

Ridge Road

ContacttheCobblestoneSocietyMuseum,Routes98and104atChilds,P.O.Box363,Albion,NY14411;716589-9013or589-9510;[email protected] sixcobblestonestructures,theearliestdatingfromthe1830s.

To continue to receive Voicesand enjoy the full range of

New York Folklore Society programs,become a member!

See page 48 for more information

NY:CarlF.Schmidt.Shelgren,Olaf William, Jr., Cary Lattin, and

RobertW.Frasch.1978.Cobblestone Landmarks of New York State.Syracuse:SyracuseUniver-sityPress.

Signor,IsaacS.,ed.1894.Landmarks of Orleans County, New York.Syracuse:D.Mason.

Thomas,Arad. 1870.Pioneer History of Orleans County, New York.Albion,NY:H.A.Brun-er.


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Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Reli-gion, and American CultureJenniferE.PorterandDarceeL.McLaren,

eds.Albany:StateUniversityofNewYorkPress.1999. 315 pages, bibliography, index. $20.95paper,$62.50cloth.

This profoundly interestingandimportantvolume is the very first to examine religiousthemesinStar Trek,“themostpopulartelevisionshoweverproduced,” and in its spinoff films.Consideringthesheerquantityof peoplewhoselives are influencedby theStar Trek franchise,such a well-written and deeply thoughtful en-deavorislongoverdue.Twelvereligionscholarsexplore themes of resurrection, sacrifice, im-mortality,faith,andspiritualquestinrelationtoscienceandtechnology,secularhumanism,andscientism,aswellasfandom.Thefirstsectionof thebook,entitled“Religion

inStarTrek,”includesanoverviewof religiousthemes in episodes since the television seriesbegan in 1964. In it Ann MacKenzie Pearsonmaintainsthattheagnostichumanistphilosophyof founderGeneRoddenberry (1921–1991) isevident in the original episodes; only after hisdeath was there overt exploration of religiousthemes.Thequestionof whetherGod isdeadwas an idea posed in the 1967 episode “WhoMourns for Adonais?”; according to RobertAsa,Star Treksuggeststhereisnolongeraneedforagod(orgods)becausesuchbeingsdonotoffer humankind anything that the individualdoes not have the potential to develop withinhimself orherself.Similarly,GregoryPetersonobserves inhis analysisof Star Trek: The Next Generation(1987–1994)thatreligionandscienceareportrayed asbeing in conflict and that theevolutionaryeschatologyforhumanbeings(i.e.,“whereinthespeciesasawholeissavedinasmuchasitreachesthehighestechelonof evolutionarybeing”)iswhatisputforthintheseepisodesasbeingdesirable(76).PeterLinfordfindsinStar Trek: Deep Space Nine

(1993–1997)amore sophisticatedportrayalof religionthaninthedaysof classicStar Trek,whenRoddenberrywasalive,butfindsthattheepisodesuggeststhatsocietiesultimatelydooutgrowtheneedforreligion.PorterandMcLarenfindamorepositiveportrayalof religioninStar Trek: Voyager(1995–1998),which,theyclaim,demonstratesanew-agespiritualityandproposesthatscienceandspiritualitycanindeedcoexist(109).InPartTwo,“ReligiousandMythicThemes,”

JohnWagnerexploresissuesof immortalityanddeaththroughananalysisof Star Treknarrativesinvolvingandroids, resurrectedcharacters,uni-versedoubles,andotheralternative life forms;themessageisthatdeathisnotanecessaryconse-quenceof life.LarryKreitzer’schapteronbiblicalimageryinStar Treksuggeststhe“ongoingfruit-fulnessof theChristiantheologicalmessage”:forexample, Spock canbe interpreted as aChrist

Spiritual Trekking and Urban Legendsfigurewhenheofferstosacrificehimself foroth-ersinStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.IanMaherseesthevoyagesof theEnterpriseasmetaphorsforthehumanspiritualquestformeaningandpurpose.JeffreyScottLamparguesthataslongas the focusof sacrednarratives is ethics—asopposedtosupernaturalinterpretations—andaslongasthedominantsecularenvironmentisnotthreatened,individualexpressionsof religionarepermittedintheStar Trekuniverse.“ReligionandRitualinFandom,”PartThree

of thebook,exploresthevariouswaysinwhichfansthroughouttheworldfindmeaninginStar Trek.MichaelJindraandMcLarenareinagree-ment, for instance, thatmany fans livebyStar Trekfolkphilosophy—thePrimeDirective(PD),whichforbidsinterferenceinthedevelopmentof otherworlds,andtheInfiniteDiversityinInfiniteCombination(IDIC),whichespousestolerance.McLarenassertsthatStar Trekcanbeviewedasa myth that provides individuals with modelsfor humanbehavior, and she and Jindra bothgiveevidenceof thepracticalmanifestationof suchbehaviorinthelivesof fansthroughcharitywork,fundraisers,andcommunityservice.Finally,PorterseesStar Trekconventionattendanceassecularpilgrimagetoaplacewhere individualscantrulyexperienceIDICandasenseof com-munalbelonging.

Istronglyrecommendthistexttoanyonein-terestedintheextenttowhichStar Trekreflects,informs, and critiquesAmerican society in itsattitudestowardreligion,especiallyinrelationtoscientificandtechnologicalprogress.

Beverly J. Butcher, Ph.D. Folklorist, Schoharie County Arts Council

Adjunct Humanities Instructor, SUNY CobleskillCobleskill, New York

The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story ByJanHaroldBrunvand.UrbanaandChicago:University of Illinois Press. 2000. 217 pages,index.$22.95cloth.

“A woman bathesherpetpoodleand,inahurrytodryit,decidestopoptheanimalinhernewmicrowaveforafewseconds.Thepoodleexplodes.”JanHaroldBrunvand,professoremeritusof

EnglishspecializinginfolkloreattheUniversityofUtah,isarguablytheforemostexpertintheworldon the subjectofurban legends.He isalsoawonderfulwriter.Hisnewestcollectionofessaysontheurbanlegend,The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story,servesasbothavaluablecontributiontothestudyof legendandanenjoyableread.

Brunvandwasintroducedtotheurbanlegendgenre during an undergraduate class he tookfromfolkloristRichardM.DorsonatMichiganStateUniversityintheearly1950s.Inthosedays,Dorsonstilllabeledthesestories“urbanbelief tales”or“modernlegends.”Brunvandcontends

thatalthoughscholarsfrommanydisciplineshadcollectedandstudiedandanalyzedthesestoriesinthepast,RichardDorsonwasfirsttosubjecttheurbanlegendtoseriousfolkloristicscrutiny,inhis1959textbook,American Folklore.Intheyearsthatfollowed,manyotherfolklorists,includingLindaDegh,concentratedondocumentationandanalysisof urbanlegends.Clearly, though, JanHarold Brunvand has

takenanimportantextrastep.Morethananyoneelse,hehastransformedtheurbanlegendgenrefrommerelyasubjectof folkloristicinterestintoa householdword.According toBrunvand, aturningpointinhiscareerasafolkloristcamein1980when,alreadytheauthorof thestandardcollege text inAmerican folklore,he revisedacollegelectureonurbanlegendsforpublicationinPsychology Today.Thefollowingyearhepublishedapopular survey text,The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings. Insubsequentyearsheproducedastringof increas-ingly engaging andpopularly received sequels,includingThe Choking Doberman;The Mexican Pet;Curses! Broiled Again!; and The Baby Train. Forfive years, beginning in 1987,Brunvandwroteapopularnewspapercolumnonurbanlegendsthatwaspublishedtwiceweeklyandsyndicatedworldwide. His comprehensive urban legendanthology,publishedin1999,istitledToo Good to Be True.

Thisnewcollectionofferstwelvecasestudiesonvariousaspectsof theurbanlegendandin-cludesanessaybyBrunvand’scomputerscientistson,Erik,aboutcomputerhackerlegendstradedontheInternet.Eachessayisrevisedandupdatedfromaconferencepaperoranacademicjournalarticle.Originalsourcesareindicatedinthenotes.Inhisconcludingchapteronthefutureof urbanlegends,Brunvandnotesthatwithhelpfromnewmedia channels and several recentmovies, thefuturelooksverygoodforurbanlegends.But,hecontends,aslongaspeoplecommunicatewithoneanother,thetruthwillneverstandinthewayof agoodstory.

Thisbookisawelcomedadditiontothefolk-lorist’s reference library.ThecasestudiesdrawuponBrunvand’ssubstantialknowledgeof thegenreandupontheunrivaledarchivalresourceshehasamassedasbotharespectedscholar-expertandasacelebrityauthor-columnist.Theacademicstudyof legendaside,it’salsojustplainfun.

Daniel Franklin Ward, Ph.D.Folk Arts Program Director

Cultural Resources CouncilSyracuse, New York


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Announcements

Botkin CelebrationTheLibraryof Congress,incooperation

with theNewYorkFolklore Society,willpresentacelebrationinhonorof folkloristBenjaminA.BotkinonNovember15and16,2001.Botkin,whodescribedhimself asa“Yorkerbychoice,”wasthefolkloreeditorfortheFederalWritersProjectfrom1938to1941.Helaterservedasheadof theArchiveof AmericanFolkSongat theLibraryof Congress and president of the AmericanFolkloreSociety.UponrelocatingtoCroton-on-Hudson,hebecameanimportantfigureinthefoundingof theNewYorkFolkloreSocietyin1944.Asacollectorof folklore,Botkinwanted

tohelppeopleunderstandhowmuchartandwisdom that they possessed, created, andrecreated.Hisfirstpublicationsof folklore,Folk-Say, A Regional Miscellany(1929–1932),werepublishedwhilehewasattheUniver-sity of Oklahoma.He later released fivepopulartreasuriesof folklore—A Treasury of American Folklore, A Treasury of Southern Folklore, A Treasury of Western Folklore, A Treasury of New England Folklore, and A Trea-sury of Railroad Folklore.HealsopublishedanentirevolumedevotedtoNewYorkCity,entitledNew York City Folklore.Thetwo-daycelebrationinWashington,

D.C., will feature Alan Jabbour, JerroldHirsch, Steve Zeitlin,MargieHunt, JoeHickerson, JohnCole, andStephenWadeasspeakers.ScheduledperformersincludeCherishtheLadies,PeteSeeger,andKingsof Harmony.Forfurtherinformation,pleasecontact theNewYorkFolkloreSocietyat518346-7008,[email protected].

Kuniko Koga Katz HonoredInApril 2001,KunikoKogaKatzwas

honoredwiththeWestchesterArtsCouncil’sFourth Annual Tradition Bearer’s Award.Katzistheexecutivedirectorof theJapanAmericaCommunityOutreach, inWhitePlains, an educational organization shefounded to promote understanding of

Japanese arts and culture. In her youth,Katz learnedthefolkartsof origamiandfloral arrangement inKumamoto, Japan.Today,sheresidesinScarsdale,atemporaryhometomanyJapanesebusinessexecutiveson assignment to their companies’ NewYorkoffices.KatzbringsJapanesewomentogethertopracticeandthenpresenttheirlanguage,crafts,andartstothecommunityasawhole.Theresultingoutreachprogramsand events have helped create a place of prominence for Japanese arts and cultureinWestchesterCountyandensuredfurtherunderstanding between Scarsdale’s EastandWest.

TAuNY, Winner of the Gov-ernor’s Arts Award

Thefolkartsreceivedstatewideattentionlast fall,whenTraditionalArts inUpstateNewYork (TAUNY)washonoredwithaNew York State Governor’s Arts Award.TAUNY’s executive director,VarickChit-tenden,traveledwithstaff andtheboardof directorstoNewYorkCityinNovembertoreceivetheaward.Theawardwaspresentedto Chittenden by Kitty Carlisle Hart andMartha Stewart. Other recipients in 2000includedtheNorthAmericanFiddlersHallof Fame, theBronxArtsCouncil, artistMarkdiSuvero,balletdancerPeterMartins,andjazzmusicianJimmyHeath.

National Cookbook AwardGood Food Served Right,written byLynn

CaseEkfelt andpublishedbyTAUNY, isthenationalfirst-placewinnerof the2000Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards.Thejudgesselectedthebookunanimously,stating that it “epitomizes the essence of a community cookbook.” Each sectioneffectivelyhighlightsapartof thetraditionalcultureandvarietyof foodcustomsfoundinupstateNewYorkcommunities,andtherecipes represent the breadth and depthof local cuisines. Recipes include AppleWalnut Cake, Black Lake Pan FishwithAlmonds,Maple-Candied SweetPotatoes,

SpicedWinterSquash,andMagnoliaLaneRoast Duck. The book costs $19.95 plus$5 shipping and handling; order it fromTAUNY,P.O.Box665,Canton,NY13617-0665,315386-4289,www.tauny.org.

2001 North Country Heritage Award Recipients

Recipientsof NewYorkFolkloreSociety’s2001NorthCountryHeritageAwardsareCatherine Labier,Whitehall, a French-American storyteller;ErwinQuigley,Og-densburg, a stonewall builder; and theRedfordFeastof theAssumptionpicnicinRedford.TheawardsceremonytakesplaceonSeptember16.

Two TAuNY EventsTheartof LavernKelleywillbeondisplay

attheTraditionalArtsinUpstateNewYorkGallery from June 2 throughAugust 11,2001.CuratedbySydneyWalleranddistrib-utedbytheMidAtlanticArtsFoundation,“ARuralLifeDrawnandCarved”includesdrawings,woodcarvings,photographsanddiary excerpts of the artist, a resident of OtsegoCountywhoseworkdepictedruralexistence.

TAUNYwillsponsortheBorderlandFid-dlingFestivalonthecampusof St.LawrenceUniversity,Canton,onSaturday,November10,2001.Theday’sactivitesaredesignedtodrawattentiontotraditionalfiddlingintheborderland region,where influences fromOntario,Québec,northernNewYork,andNewEnglandcometogther.

Music FestivalsThe 20th Annual Old Songs Festival

will take place June 22–24, 2001, at thefairgrounds inAltamont,NewYork. Forinformationandtickets,contactOldSongs,Inc.,P.O.Box399,Guilderland,NY12084;518 765-2815; fax 518 765-4344; [email protected]; website www. oldsongs.org.


Members:Orderyourcopiesof NewYorkFolkloreSocietybooksatamembers-only discount.TojointheNewYorkFolkloreSociety,seepage48.

ADD THESE ESSENTIAL RESouRCES To YouR LIBRARY!

Working with Folk Materials in New York State: A Manual for Folklorists and Archivistsedited by John w. SuterWithcontributionsbyleadingNewYorkStatearchivistsandfolklorists,thismanualintro-ducesfolkloretothearchivistandarchivestofolklorists.Itisrequiredreadingforthoseworkingwithcollectionsof folklorematerialsinanypartof thecountry.168pages,loose-leaf notebook$25 $35 nonmembers $_________

Folklore in Archives: A Guide to Describing Folklore and Folklife Materialsby James Corsaro and karen taussig-LuxWrittenprimarilyforarchivistsandotherswhocareforcollectionsof folkculturaldocumen-tation,thismanualdescribesthetheoryandpracticeof folkloreandprovidesessentialinformationonhowtoaccession,arrange,anddescribefolklorematerials.128pages,loose-leaf notebook$25 $35 nonmembers $_________Self-Management for Folk Artists:

A Guide for Traditional Artists and Performers in New York Stateby patricia atkinson wellsThishandbookisamustfortraditionalartistsinNewYorkStateinterestedinmanagingandmarketingtheirownbusinesses.Topicsin-cludepromotion,booking,contracts,keepingrecords,taxes,andcopyright.148pages,loose-leaf notebook$30 $40 nonmembers $_________

Books subtotal $__________ To oRDER

Shipping and handling Add $4 for the first book, $1 for each additional item. $_________ Total $_________

enclose check payable to New York Folklore So-ciety and mail to New York Folklore Society, p.o. box 763, 133 Jay St., Schenectady, NY 12301.

_____________________________________________

______Name

_____________________________________________

_______Shipping address

Long Island Bay House TourOnSunday, June24,2001,LongIsland

TraditionswillsponsoritsannualbayhousetourinFreeport,hostedbyfolkloristNancySolomon,directorof LITraditions.Thebayhouseshistorydatetothemid-nineteenthcentury,whenbaymenharvested salt hayfor farmers during the winter. The bayhouses provided shelter, alongwith stor-ageforfishermen’strapsandduckdecoys.Theyhavebeenusedbyduckhuntersandcommercialfishermenandhavebeenpasseddownfromgenerationtogenerationwithinmanyfamilies.Ticketscost$15if requestedbyJune17,

$20afterJune17.Nochildrenunder10areallowed.Timesforthetoursare10:30a.m.,and 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Space is limited.CallLITraditionsat516767-8803ormailpaymenttoLITraditions,382MainStreet,PortWashington,NY11050.Theprogramis funded in part by the New York StateCouncilontheArtsandtheNationalEn-dowmentfortheArts.

Haitian and Latino Folk Arts ProgramOnSaturday,July28,2001,theHun-

tington Arts Council and Long IslandTraditions will celebrate Haitian andLatinotraditionalculture.AnafternoonworkshopandmusicsessionwillfeatureNationalHeritageawardwinnerFrisnerAugustin,atraditionalHaitiandrummerand his ensemble La Troupe Makandalof Brooklyn, along with DominicancomposerandmusicianLuisCorderoyLos Amigos del Amargue of Freeport.Ethnomusicologists Cathy Ragland andLois Wilcken are documenting HaitianandLatinotraditionsaspartofthepro-gram. Local traditional artists will alsoparticipateintheprogram.Theculminat-ingeventwillbeafreeconcertat8:30p.m. atHeckscherTownParkinHuntington.Formoreinformation,callLITraditionsat516767-8803ortheHuntingtonArtsCouncilat631271-8423.

PrizesTheFolkloreProgramattheUniversity

of LouisianaatLafayetteinvitessubmissionsfortheannualAlcéeFortierprizeof $250,tobeawardedforoutstandingworkintheareaof FrenchorFrancophonefolklorestudiesduring2000–2001.Theselectioncommitteewillconsiderbooks,articles,films,record-ings, exhibitions, or othermedia coveringany part of the French-speakingworld,including FrancophoneEurope,Québecandother parts of Canada (e.g.,Ontario,theAcadianMaritimes),Louisiana(includ-ing the original territory),NewEngland,theAntillesandHaiti,Sub-SaharanAfrica,theIndianOcean,theMaghreb,theMedi-terranean, SoutheastAsia, andPolynesia.Send submissions toBarry JeanAncelet,Box4-3331,USL,Lafayette,LA70504,bySeptember15,2001.

TheAmericanFolklore SocietyFellowsstudent prize recognizes and encouragesoutstanding contributions by students tofolklore studies. Eligible are publishedprofessionalworksinfolklore(e.g.,journalarticles, essays,monographs, exhibitioncatalogs,websites) that have appeared inprintorbeenacceptedforpublication(orthe equivalent) between July 1, 2000, andJune30,2001.WorksinEnglishandotherlanguagesareeligible.Theawardrecipientwillreceive$100.Sendthreecopiesof thenominatedworkbeforeJuly31,2001,withacoverlettertoProf.JayMechling,AmericanStudiesprogram,Universityof California,One ShieldsAve.,Davis,CA95616USA(e-mail:[email protected]);submis-sionsshouldnotbefaxedore-mailed.Thesubmissionmaybenominatedbytheauthoror,withtheauthor’spermission,bysomeoneelse(suchasajournaleditor).Thecoverlet-tershouldidentifytheprograminwhichthestudent isenrolled,currentstudentstatus,student’s address andphonenumber, thedateandplaceof thepublication(oraccep-tanceforpublication)of thework.

Therecipientsof boththeAFSFellowsstudentprizeandtheAlcéeFortierprizewillbeannouncedatthe2001AFSmeetinginAnchorage,Alaska.


information,contactMarkPuryearat202682-5522;[email protected]. SOS Grants. Special Opportunity

Stipends, a project of the New YorkFoundation for the Arts (NYFA) incollaborationwithartscouncilsandculturalorganizationsacrossthestate,aredesignedtohelp individual artistsof all disciplinestake advantage of opportunities that willbenefit theirworkorcareerdevelopment.Visual,literary,media,andperformingartistsmay request support ranging from$50 to$500 for specific opportunities (distinctfromworkinprogress).ThenextdeadlinesforapplicationsareSeptemberandFebruary.Applications and information are availableatNYFA’swebsite,http://www.nyfa.org/sos/index.html,orcontactNYFAat144Avenueof theAmericas, 14thFloor,NewYork,NY10013;212366-6900ext.217.

Call for PapersThe Anthropological Association for

the Study of Play is soliciting papers forVolume7,Special Issue on Festival, Sports and Community Play,underGuestEditorsFeliciaMcMahonandBrianSutton-Smith.Targeteddateforpublicationis2002.Theannualse-

Funding opportunities NYFS Mentoring and Professional

Development Program. TheNewYorkFolkloreSociety invites readers to apply to itsMentoringandProfessionalDevelopmentProgram,fundedbytheNationalEndowmentfor theArts.Apartnershipwith theFolkArts Program of the New York StateCouncilontheArtsenablesthesocietytooffersmallgrantsinthefollowingcategories:quick-response consultancies, short-termconsultancies, long-term consultancies,folk artist mentoring, and professionaldevelopment exchanges. The program isflexibleandresponsivetoindividualneeds,and theapplicationprocess is simple.Forguidelines and application forms, contactEllenMcHale atNYFS, P.O. Box 764,Schenectady,NY 12301; 518 346-7008;websitewww. nyfolklore.org. MAAF Peer Assistance and Mentoring

Program.TheMidAtlanticArtsFoundation’sPeer Assistance and Mentoring Programhelps people engaged in the practice,presentation,or conservationof folk andtraditionalarts in themid-Atlantic region.The program has two goals: to provideaccesstofolkartsresourcesintheregion,andtostrengthentheabilityof artistsandorganizations to carry out their work. Itprovides a subsidy of $250 per day forup tofive days. For information, contactCarlos Fernandez, Institute for CulturalPartnerships,3211FrontStreet,Harrisburg,PA 17110; 717 238-1770; website www.culturalpartner ships.org. NEA Traditional Arts Growth Grants.

TheNationalEndowmentfor theArts incooperationwiththeNationalCouncilfortheTraditionalArtsannouncestheexpansionof its technical assistance support totraditionalartsorganizationsandprogramswiththecommencementof itsTraditionalArtsGrowthinitiative.TAGsupportsone-tothree-dayconsultanciesonawiderangeof topics,includingorganizationalplanning,specialized traditional arts expertise, andaudio production. Funds for professionaldevelopment and travel to professionalmeetingsoutsidethefieldarealsoavailable.Consultancies are limited to $1,500. For

riesPlay and Culture StudiesiseditedbyDr.JaipulRoopnarineofSyracuseUniversity.Theseriesaddressesresearchonplayinallitsforms—children’splay,leisurestudies,sport,drama,festival,andotherworkthatis based on play theoretical constructs.Manuscripts for volume 7 are due July1,2001.Manuscripts should followAPAstyle and not exceed 35 pages, includingtables,figures,andreferences.Mail threecopies(donotsendviae-mail) toFeliciaMcMahon,DepartmentofAnthropology,209Maxwell Hall, SyracuseUniversity,Syracuse,NewYork13244-1090;fax315443-4860;office315443-2200;homeoffice315696-2443.

Next AnnouncementsThe deadline for submitting notice

of future events to be announced in theFall–Winter 2001 issue of Voices is Sep-tember1,2001.Sendcopy to [email protected]

Coming Next Issue

BobMarleyandtheProverb

VoiceandVisions:ACurriculumof AcceptanceandRespect

BluegrassandOrigami:JapaneseCultureinWestchester

ItalianAmericanMusiciansinWesternNewYork

GrowingUpinNewYorkCity

DigitalPhotography:IsItTimetoSwitch?


JoinNYFSandbecomepartof acommunitythatwilldeepenyourinvolvementwithfolklore,folklife,thetraditionalarts,andcontemporaryculture.Asamember,you’llhaveearlynoticeof keyevents...

Fall Conference.Peopletravelfromallovertomeetinadifferentpartof thestateeachyearfortheNYFSFallConferenceandAnnualMeeting.Professionalsinfolkloreandrelatedfieldsjoinwitheducatorsandpractitionerstoexplorethecultureandtraditionsof thearea.Lecturesanddiscussionsarebalancedwithconcerts,dancing,andtoursof culturalsites.

New York State Folk Arts Forums.Folkartsprofessionals,colleaguesinrelateddisciplines,and lay people come together each year toaddress a topicof special interest–whether itbefolkloreandtheInternet,heritagetourism,cultural conservation, or intellectual propertylaw.

Help When You Need ItBecome a member and learn about technicalassistanceprogramsthatwillgetyouthehelpyouneedinyourwork.

Mentoring and Professional Development Program for Folklife and the Traditional Arts. Receive technical assistance from amentorof yourchoosing.Youcanstudywithamastertraditionalartist,learnnewstrategiesformarketing,master concert and exhibitionproduction, organize an archive, or improveyourorganizationalmanagement.

Folk Artists Self-Management Project.If you’re a traditional artist, you know theimportance of business, management,and marketing skills to your success inthe marketplace. NYFS can help you withworkshops,mentoring,andpublications.

Folk Archives Project. What could bemorecritical thanfindinga repository for animportantcollection?TheNYFSisaleaderinthepreservationof ourculturalheritage.Attendour workshops and order copies of NYFSbooksatadiscount.

Consulting and referral.TheNYFSoffersinformalcounselingandreferralservicestothemembersinthefield.Contactusbytelephone,e-mail,orletter.

Publications. MembersreceivediscountsonallNYFSpublications.Seepages38and46orvisitwww.nyfolklore.orgforcurrenttitles.

A Public Voice

Join the New York Folklore Society to-day

TheNYFSraisesawarenessof folkloreamongthe general public through three importantchannels...

Print.Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore,publishedtwiceayear,bringsyoufolkloreinthewordsandimagesof itscreatorsandpractitioners.Thejournal’snewlookdistinguishesitfromotherpublications in thefield.ReadVoices for newsyou can use about our field and legal issues,photography, sound and video recording, andarchiving.

Radio.Voices of New York Traditions isaseriesof radiodocumentariesthatspotlightthefolklifeof the state, to be aired onpublic radio. Staytuned!

Internet.Visitwww.nyfolklore.orgforthelatestnewsoneventsinfolklore.Updatedweekly,theNYFSwebsiteisdesignedtoappealtothepublicaswellaskeepspecialistsinformed.

Advocacy TheNewYorkFolkloreSocietyisyouradvocateforsympatheticandinformedattentiontofolkarts...• Werepresentyouon issuesbefore thestatelegislature and the federal government whenpublicpolicyaffectsthefield.Visittheadvocacypagesatwww.nyfolklore.orgtolearnwhatwe’redoingandhowyoucanhelp.• Thesocietypartnerswithstatewide,regional,andnationalorganizations,fromtheNewYorkStateArtsandCulturalCoalitiontotheAmericanFolklore Society, and frequently presents itsprojectsandissuesatmeetingsof professionalorganizations in the allied fields of archives,history,andlibraries.

So Join!Becomepartof acommunitythatexploresandnurtures the traditional cultures of New YorkStateandbeyond.MembershipintheNewYorkFolklore Society entitles you to the followingbenefits:• A subscription toVoices: The Journal of New York Folklore.• Invitations to conferences, workshops,meetings.• Updatesontechnicalassistanceprograms.• Opportunitiestomeetotherswhoshareyourinterests.• DiscountsonNYFSbooks.Plusthesatisfactionof knowingthatyousupporttheonlyorganizationdevotedtofolkloreacrossNewYorkState.

o Yes, I want to join the New York Folklore Society.

Name___________________________________________

Organization_____________________________________

Address_________________________________________

City,state,zip ____________________________________

Country ________________________________________

Telephone_______________________________________

E-mail__________________________________________

$35 Basicmember $20 Full-timestudent $20 Senior(65+) $50 Joint(twoormoreatthesameaddress) $50 OrganizationsandinstitutionsPleaseadd$5foradditionalpostageforforeignmemberships.

o Newmember.JoinnowandgetafreeSmithsonianFolkwaysCD.

o Giftmembership.Introduceafriendor relativetotheworldof folklore!

Makeatax-deductibledonationandhelpsupporttheorganizationthatsupportsfolklore!

Mydonationoverandabovemybasicmember-shipfeewillentitlemetothefollowingadditionalbenefits:o $60.Supportingmember.ANYFST-shirt.o $100 and up. The Harold W. Thompson

Circle. A NYFS T-shirt and choice of acompletesetof New York Folklore Quarterly

1946–1974*oracompletesetof New York Folklore1974–1998.*

2001 2002Membershipdues $_________ $_________

Tax-deductibledonation $_________ $_________Totalenclosed $_________ $_________

Theamountof membershipsgreaterthan$20andalldonationsaretax-deductibletotheextentallowedbylaw.

MakeyourcheckpayabletoNewYorkFolkloreSocietyandsenditwiththisformto:NewYorkFolkloreSocietyP.O.Box764,Schenectady,NY12301

*Somesold-outissuesareonlyavailableasphotocopies.

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Features - New York Folklore · 2018. 11. 14. · by Mark Kohan 28 Stand Clear of the Closing...

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