Riddle me this, folklore boy: Two traditional riddles from Forteau Labrador

More proof that I have a truly fun job: I just finished a very lively, funny session in Blanc Sablon, complete with an impromptu Lower North Shore Square set, rhymes in English and French, local insults and folk beliefs, and about 10 women all instinctively making the sign of the cross in the air when I put up a picture of a single crow as part of a power point presentation on intangible cultural heritage.

We also talked about riddles. Here are two collected from Clara Buckle, who learned them from her father, James Buckle, of Buckle's Point, Forteau, Labrador:

Riddle #1.

As I was walking up London Bridge
I met a London scholar
And drew off his coat, And drew off his cap
I told you the name of that scholar.

Riddle #2.

It is in meadows not in fields
It is in mountains not in hills
It is in me not in you
It is in men and women too.

Guess away!

If this is Saturday, I must be going to Blanc Sablon...

It is Saturday morning, and I am (yet again, it seems) at the St. John's airport, ready for another flight to another workshop, this time on the Lower North Shore of Quebec.

I've been invited by the Quebec Labrador Foundation to the Lower North Shore Heritage Forum. This event is intended to bring residents from all across the region together to share, learn, and plan activities that will help preserve the rich heritage and culture of the Quebec shore and the Labrador Straits. Presentations and small workshops will provide residents with some basic tools to adapt to their community plans, and some motivation as they take steps toward the preservation and promotion of local heritage. Through partnerships with Parks Canada and the Minister of Culture, Communications and Women’s Issues, there will also be presentations made that will assist local communities in their development and preservation efforts.

I'll be leading an afternoon workshop on intangible cultural heritage, and how community groups can start to think beyond the walls of a traditional museum to safeguard their living heritage. I will keep you all posted as to how it goes!

DanceNL announces its Road Map Project

DanceNL, the province’s first sectoral association for dance, is pleased to announce the beginning of its Road Map project.

DanceNL is looking to contact people and groups involved in dance activities across the province.

“We are looking to hear from everyone. If you’re a dancer, a dance teacher, a choreographer, a dance writer, a social dancer, we want to learn more about you and your dance activities,” says Kristin Harris Walsh, chair of DanceNL. “This is our first step at connecting people involved in all kinds of dance across the province and to spread the word about DanceNL. It’s a great opportunity for dancers to make their voices heard and share their activities.”

You can participate in the Road Map by visiting www.dancenl.ca and filling in the online form, or by e-mailing info@dancenl.ca.

The mandate of DanceNL is to preserve, promote and support all forms of dance and dance activity throughout the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The DanceNL Road Map document and website will serve as a vital reference to ensure our organization is inclusive of all forms of dance being practiced in our province. As well, it will act as a catalyst to network dancers, practitioners and dance enthusiasts giving dance a stronger presence provincially, nationally and internationally.

For more information, please contact Lynn Panting (coordinator of DanceNL Road Map project) or Kristin Harris Walsh (Chair, DanceNL) at info@dancenl.ca.

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Program Deadline April 15th

This program supports Aboriginal projects that involve the safeguarding of traditions and culture, including language; traditional knowledge and skills; storytelling, music, games and other pastimes; knowledge of the landscape; customs, cultural practices and beliefs; food customs; and living off the land.

Guidelines (37 KB)
http://www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/heritage/ach_program_guidelines_2010_11.pdf

Application (49 KB)
http://www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/heritage/application_form_ach_program_2010_11.pdf

Eligible Projects

• Documenting and inventorying cultural traditions
• Passing on cultural knowledge through teaching, demonstrations, publications, websites and other educational and awareness-raising activities
• Recognizing and celebrating traditions, and those with traditional skills, through awards and special events
• Identifying and supporting cultural enterprises that employ aspects of traditional culture (for example, craft production and cultural tourism)
• Professional Development for cultural workers, educators and knowledge holders

Eligibility

Established Aboriginal organizations with a cultural focus are eligible to apply. Professionals (Aboriginal artisans, cultural workers and educators) can apply for professional skills development if they have a demonstrated background in culture and have community support.

An Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee, with representatives from the Innu, Inuit, Mi’kmaq and Metis, reviews proposals and makes recommendations to the Department on project funding.

Program Deadline

There is one deadline annually: April 15

Project Funding

The maximum project funding available is $15,000. For projects that involve recognizing and celebrating traditional culture in events of short-term duration, the maximum funding is $1,000. While projects can be funded up to 100% of eligible costs, applicants are strongly encouraged to show other contributions, either financial or in-kind.

Aboriginal groups that are thinking of applying are encouraged to contact Lucy Drown, Program Officer or Dale Jarvis, Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer

Serendipity St. John's - A User Created Map of St. John's Tales

This map was created March 25th as part of the ICH Technical Workshop Series. This a rough map, made by the class as we went along, so it is more of an experiment than a finished project! Enjoy the stories!


View SERENDIPITY ST JOHN’S in a larger map

Fun With Google Maps! Website Examples

On March 25th, Jedediah Baker and yours truly are giving a day long workshop on how community groups can use Google Maps to help share local folklore (see previous post).

Below are various examples of historical/ethnographic/archival websites using Google Maps, many of which were found through the super cool Google Maps Mania blog (a source of endless procrastination):

• Twixt Aire and Calder Google Map
• Mapped historical photos, film, and audio | SepiaTown
• Fotocollectie Huis Doorn: Kaart
• The World's Creepiest Places
• Wayfaring Map - Historical San Francisco
• The National Collection of Aerial Photography

Two very different maps of the District of Columbia:

• District of Columbia Boundary Stones: Photos; Locations
• YELLOW ARROW :: CAPITOL OF PUNK

A basic, collaborative Google Map project:

• The Great War 1914 - 1918 Pool, with geodata - Google Maps

Other cool stuff:

• Atlas - Atlas of Historic NM Maps
• www.soundseeker.org
• Oral History of Route 66 (seems to be missing)
• Accents and Dialects - British Library website (links broken)

And, just because I love it, check out the HereSay project.

Dematerialization, illegal cassette dubs, and intangible cultural heritage

Spark is CBC's weekly audio blog of smart and unexpected trendwatching. As its website states, "it’s not just technology for gearheads, it’s about the way technology affects our lives, and the world around us."

ICH Development Officer Dale Jarvis spoke with Spark host Nora Young about the digital shift in cultural fieldwork, and how we are using digital technology in Newfoundland and Labrador as a tool to better record, share, safeguard and transmit our province's intangible cultural heritage.

You can find the Spark blog entry at:
http://www.cbc.ca/spark/2010/03/spark-106-march-21-23-2010/

Or you can download the podcast as a MP3 directly from:
http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/spark_20100321_29504.mp3

Tradition Bearer officially recognized by NL Government

The Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, has announced designations under the newly-established Provincial Historic Commemorations Program, which recognizes and commemorates distinctive aspects of our province’s history, culture and heritage.

Importantly for the field of intangible cultural heritage, the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program includes a category for "Tradition Bearer."  This marks the first time that a bearer of a living tradition has been commemorated as a historic resource in the province.

"This program is unique to the country," said Minister French. "In addition to recognizing persons, places and events of provincial historical significance, the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program also acknowledges our customs, practices and traditions – the intangible cultural heritage that defines us as a people and makes us who we are."

Kelly Russell, well-known fiddler and tireless promoter of Newfoundland and Labrador’s traditional music, is the first Newfoundlander to be recognized under the category of Tradition Bearer.

Born in St. John’s, Kelly Russell has been a professional musician since 1974. An original member of such iconic Newfoundland and Labrador groups as Figgy Duff and The Wonderful Grand Band in the 1970s, and more recently The Plankerdown Band, he also spent 10 years working closely with the late, great fiddle masters, Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit. Recognizing a need to preserve the music of older performers in Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Russell founded Pigeon Inlet Productions in 1979. The label has since produced more than 30 full length recordings on LP, cassette and CD. 

With wife and partner Tonya Kearley, Mr. Russell also runs music and dance events in Trinity such as Dance Upand the popular dinner theatre show A Time in Pigeon Inlet in Bay Roberts. He has performed locally, nationally and internationally, bringing the unique music of Newfoundland and Labrador across Canada and around the world. Most recently, Mr. Russell performed in Vancouver, British Columbia, at BC Place on February 26 – during Newfoundland and Labrador Day at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

"This event is just the beginning for the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program," said Françoise Enguehard, Chair of the Historic Commemorations Board. "We are hoping that people from all over Newfoundland and Labrador will take a close look at their community’s heritage and will nominate the people, places, events and living traditions that they value.　The important thing to consider will be how these aspects of our heritage and culture demonstrate a broader provincial importance."
Administered by a board of six individuals, the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program is citizen-driven, in that residents of Newfoundland and Labrador can make nominations that they feel are provincially significant and worthy of commemoration.

Establishment of the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program was among the objectives outlined in the province’s cultural strategy, Creative Newfoundland and Labrador: The Blueprint for Development and Investment in Culture (2006).

For more information about the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program, including nomination criteria, please visit: www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/heritage/commemoration_program.html or call the Commemorations Office at 709-729-6901.

Using Google Maps for Community Folklore Projects

This workshop will teach you how to use the Google Maps feature My Maps to create dynamic, interactive maps for your organization or classroom. During the course of the afternoon you will be introduced to My Maps, and explore its use on a neighborhood-, city-, country-, and world-wide-scale. You will learn how to add text, links, photos, and videos to placemarkers on your map, and how to share it with others. (See Accents and Dialects - Archival Sound Recordings for an example of a project using Google Maps to share audio files.)

Instructor: Jedediah Baker is a graduate of Memorial University's Folklore Department and has worked in at City Lore in New York City, where he worked on the website City of Memory. For the past year, he has been employed as Memorial University's Intangible Cultural Heritage Intern, working with the Digital Archives Initiative.

Note: Participants must provide their own wi-fi enabled laptop for use. This workshop limited to 12 attendees. Preregistration mandatory. RSVP to Dale Jarvis at ich@heritagefoundation.ca or phone 709-739-1892 ext 2.


Tuition: $50
Date: Thursday, March 25, 2010. 9am - 4pm
Location: St. John's, TBA

ICH Update Newsletter for March 2010

In this issue of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update newsletter for March 2010: Newfoundland prepares for a visit from Cecile Duvelle, Chief of the Intangible Heritage Section of UNESCO and Secretary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage; the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador introduces its technical workshop series with workshops on digital audio and Google maps; schoolchildren on Newfoundland's west coast learn the traditional art of spruce root basket making; poetry and storytelling; a snowshoe exhibit at the Labrador Interpretation Centre in North West River, Labrador; and an invite to a public lecture on spatial knowledge.


Download the pdf version of the newsletter here:
http://tinyurl.com/ycxzace

Digital Audio Recording for Ethnography and Oral History

Description: Both novice and experienced ethnographers and oral historians are often mystified by digital jargon and by the increasing array of options and equipment available for audio recording. Aimed at the requirements of field researchers, this workshop will provide a thorough introduction to: 1. fundamentals of digital audio 2. the selection and use of digital audio equipment for recording interviews. Attendees will have opportunities for hands-on work with recorders and microphones.


Instructor: Andy Kolovos is the Archivist and a staff Folklorist at the Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury, Vermont. He earned an MA in Folklore and an MLS, both from Indiana University. He has worked as an Instructor for the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University, a researcher and archivist for Traditional Arts Indiana, a fieldworker for the Polis Center at IUPUI, project assistant for the Folklore volume of the MLA International Bibliography, and the librarian and archivist of the American Society for Psychical Research. His research interests include audio field recording, audio preservation and the history and development of folklore and folklife archives. He maintains the Vermont Folklife Center's Audio Field Recording Equipment Guide.

This workshop limited to 12 attendees. Preregistration mandatory. RSVP to Dale Jarvis at ich@heritagefoundation.ca or phone 709-739-1892 ext 2.


Tuition: $50
Date: Thursday, March 11, 2010. 9am - 4pm
Location: The Lantern, 35 Barnes Road, St. John's