Thursday, February 28, 2013

In Requiem: Alice Lannon, Storyteller and Tradition Bearer


It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing of one of Newfoundland and Labrador's treasures, Mrs Alice Lannon. Alice passed away this morning at the Palliative Care Unit of the Miller Centre here in St. John's.

Pat, Alice's daughter, emailed me today with the news. Pat writes, "She had been diagnosed with cancer in the fall. In the past few months all the medical people who have treated her were exposed to a few stories along the way. A week ago today she was admitted to the Miller Centre with her health deteriorating rapidly. She amazed everyone on Friday and Saturday and was obviously delighted to tell stories to everyone."

Alice was one of the last great tellers of traditional Newfoundland fairytales in the province, who learned many of her stories orally from her grandmother. In 2010, when Newfoundland hosted the Storytellers of Canada/Conteurs du Canada national conference, Alice was one of the gems of storytelling we chose to highlight. She was a regular performer at the St. John's Storytelling Festival, and someone we all loved. We were fortunate enough to have recorded her session at the SC-CC conference, and the stories she told that day are part of the permanent collection on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative.

To better understand her important place in the oral traditions of the province, listen to her introduction by the Department of Folklore's Dr. Martin Lovelace.

Or, better yet, stop what you are doing for the next 17 minutes, and listen to Alice tell one of my favourite Newfoundland folktales, "Open, Open, Green House."

We've lost a treasure today. I'll miss you Alice, very much.

Alice will be waked on Fri. Sat. and Sun. at Maher's Funeral Home in Placentia with her funeral on Monday morning @ 11:00 am from the Our Lady of Angels Roman Catholic Church in Placentia.

Condolences can be sent through their website:
www.mahersfuneralhome.ca/obituaries

Getting Closer to Designation, Heart's Content

 
On the evening of February 27th, 2013, the Heritage Foundation held a public meeting in Heart's Content to discuss the upcoming heritage district designation. This designation, scheduled for July of this year, aims to commemorate the unique history and architecture that resulted from the long-term presence of the telegraph cable industry in this community. Our meeting took place in the beautifully restored SUF Hall, a historic building in central Heart's Content.We had excellent turn-out with over 25 residents showing up to ask questions and learn more about what this kind of commemoration will mean to the community. This meeting was important for the HFNL because it gave us an opportunity to find out what issues are important to the people who live here and how heritage-related projects might help address some of these. It was inspiring to have so many people show up and take interest in what is going on here, despite the blustery cold weather we had. Thanks to everyone for coming out, and for all of the great input. I look forward to a continued relationship with the town of Heart's Content, as well as the official plaque ceremony that we will be holding this summer.

-Lisa

Dale Jarvis addresses community members and discusses the impending heritage designation.


HFNL's George Chalker (in blue) standing with John, Bob, and Claude of the Mizzen Heritage Society.












Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Orangemen Marching Band


This photograph was provided by the Mizzen Heritage Society's archives in Heart's Content. It shows the Orangemen Brass Marching Band. At one time there were two marching bands in Heart's Content, and they played at all the different events in town. This photo is undated but is likely from the 1940s or 50s.

To learn more about the Orange Order of Canada, please click here.

-Lisa

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Cupids Legacy Centre noticed by National Geographic

Cupids and the Cupids Legacy Centre have been named one of the 100 Places that Can Change Your Child’s Life. That’s according to a new book by the same name from National Geographic that lists 100 places around the world that author Keith Bellows considers must-see destinations for you and your child. 

In a section called “Continent’s Easterly Edge,” Bellows puts a spotlight on John Guy’s colony, the archaeological dig site, and the Cupids Legacy Centre in his short list of attractions on the Avalon Peninsula.

“Here in the region, we know the significance of our roots and the role Cupids played in the settlement of Newfoundland and Canada,” said Roy Dawe, Chair of Cupids Legacy Inc. when he learned of Cupids’ inclusion. “But to receive an endorsement such as this from such a world-class organization is a real honour—and gives a tremendous boost to our profile outside the province.”

Dawe also congratulated the other attractions on the Avalon recognized in the book, which include the Johnson GEO Centre, the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve and nearby boat tours, and Signal Hill.

For more information about the Cupids Legacy Centre and how you can visit, see www.cupidslegacycentre.ca.

Move over, Dildo - The new best placename in Newfoundland



This gem of a placename comes to us from a friend who is obviously spending too much of his worktime exploring Google Earth. But we all benefit from him slacking off.

I'd love to know if there are residents of St. Shott's who can explain the origins of the name of "Lumpycock Pond," located at 46.638ºN by 53.586ºW.

There must be a story to this place name! Drop me a line at ich@heritagefoundation.ca if you know one!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Report on Heritage Day 2013



Shown here are Minister Terry French, Victoria Fitzgerald, HaeNa Luther, and Ashley Synyard at the Heritage Day poster contest presentation which took place yesterday at The Plantation in Quidi Vidi.  Over 1000 students from 50 schools across the province produced submissions for the contest. This contest was open to all schools in the province, and was organized through HFNL.

Victoria Fitzgerald, a grade 11 student at Gonzaga High School, St. John’s, submitted the overall winning submission. The winning submissions at the other grade levels were:
  • Primary – Jorja Pevie, Grade 3, Jakeman All Grade, Trout River, 
  • Elementary – HaeNa Luther, Grade 5, Stella Maris Academy, Trepassey and, 
  • Junior High – Ashley Synyard, Grade 7, Roncalli Central High, Avondale. 
Judges for the event included Margaret Walsh Best, artist and art educator; and Debra A. Barnable, visual artist and consultant.

Then, in the afternoon, I headed off to City Hall for the Heritage Day celebrations there. During the weekly City Council meeting, Mayor Dennis O’Keefe signed a proclamation which officially recognized the day as Heritage Day, and yours truly presented him with a copy of the Foundation's Heritage Day poster.

The City then presented Certificates of Recognition to the following residents and businesses:

  • Todd Perin, Kim Doyle and Stephen Lee for 8 Barrows Road, The Mallard Cottage
  • Christopher and Donna Hickman for 46 Circular Road, Brookdale
  • Paul Crosbie and Ellen Dinn for 70 Circular Road, Sunnyside
  • Glen Power and Florence Kennedy for 27 -29 Holloway Street
  • Judy Ryerson, Quidi Vidi Village Foundation and Paul Chafe, Stantec for 10 Maple View Place, Quidi Vidi Village Plantation
  • Craig Flynn and Brenda O’Reilly for 288 Water Street, YellowBelly Brewery and Public House
  • G J Cahill & Company for 240 Waterford Bridge Road, The Tower Corporate Campus
“The heritage areas are the heart and soul of our City and we are very pleased today to honour commercial and residential property owners for their work in rehabilitating, restoring and celebrating our rich built heritage,” said Mayor O’Keefe. “These properties are a wonderful illustration of what can be accomplished when owners take pride in their homes, businesses and City. I am very pleased to congratulate each of our award recipients for the excellent work they have done in our heritage areas.”

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Make and Break Art

As a folklorist, going out into the field can yield interesting and unexpected results. This past summer I was working on the 2012 Folklife Festival which focused on make and break engines. Doing fieldwork for this project, I expected to see a lot of boats, many engines, and even some time on the water. What I didn't expect was finding miniature versions of these traditional engines being made for use in art.

A work in progress - by Charlie Abbott (CBS).

A movable miniature installed in a model 'motor boat' - by Harry Pardy (Twillingate).

Another miniature engine in a model boat - by Otto Young (Twillingate).



A make and break powered model complete with skipper - by Victor Williams (Bay Bulls).


Another surprise was to find one of these artists making full scale replicas complete with moving parts and sound. Victor Williams creates replicas of Acadia 3 hp engines in his workshop in Bay Bulls. A series of spokes attached to the back of the flywheel hit against a small metal tab as the flywheel is manually turned. The result? The iconic tik-a-tok sound that could only come from a make and break engine. 


Victor Williams and his replica Acadia 3 hp (Bay Bulls).

Friday, February 15, 2013

Floating George and Annie Warren's House, Placentia Bay


Lisa Wilson and I are just back from a trip to Arnold's Cove, to meet with their local heritage committee on a web project they are undertaking, on the theme of resettlement.

Committee member Edna Penney shared with us this great image, which would have been a fairly typical sight during the resettlement period. It shows George and Annie Warren's house, being floated from Best's Harbour (Tack's Beach) to Arnold's Cove in July 1966.

If you've got a photo of a family house being floated, or hauled across the ice, we'd love to see it. Toss us a line at ich@heritagefoundation.ca



Thursday, February 14, 2013

A Valentine's themed ICH newsletter, sealed with a kiss!


In this special February edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update for Newfoundland and Labrador, our contributors get all romantic. Learn about the Heritage Foundation's celebration of Heritage Day 2013, enjoy some traditional Czech pernicky (gingerbread), explore love stories from the appropriately named community of Heart's Content, see how an outport nurse celebrated her honeymoon, and lock up your loved ones. We love you, folklore!

Download the PDF

Contributors: Andrea O'Brien, Christina Robarts, Lisa Wilson, Nicole Penney, Dale Jarvis

Russian Matryoshka Doll



The matryoshka doll, also known as the Russian nesting doll, is often painted and made out of wood. It consists of a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size. The doll typically follows the “object within a similar object” or onion metaphor by placing the smaller doll inside the larger doll. The image painted on the doll is traditionally of a Babushka, which means motherly figure; this is where it derives its name. Another image that is typically painted is that of a peasant woman. This babushka or peasant woman are drawn wearing a head scarf, also called sarafan, and a long and shapeless peasant jumper dress. Which is the traditional dress for Russia. The centre and smallest doll is generally a baby wrapped up in cloth.

The artwork can also range from very simple to very elaborate. Although public perception is that of the head-scarf-wearing woman figure, matryoshka dolls are not limited in theme or gender. Other subjects include: animals, Christmas objects, music, films, sports, fairy tales, popular culture figures, political leaders, and males in general.

The very first Russian matryoshka archetype is said to have appeared at the end of the nineteenth-century. Russia was having an interesting period of economic and cultural development, as well as a rising sense of national identity. Artists like S.I. Mamontov (1841-1918) used folk toys from local regions or foreign countries to express this new art movement. It is thought that the idea of the matryoshka doll came from Japan on the island of Honshu, and that the idea for the doll was adapted to fit the needs of the toy makers. However, there are other stories behind the creation of the first Russian matryoshka doll.

The dolls seen here are owned by Irina Glazkova, who came from Russia to Canada in 2007 in order to attend Memorial University. Her collection of Matryoshka dolls was given to her as a present from a friend who returned from a trip to Russia. Irina told me how she grew up with the dolls and how different regions of Russia have taken the doll and recreated and or adapted it to fit their own style.

Irina: Matryoshka dolls became an integral part of society. Differences are based on colour and ornaments. I played with them since I can remember. In addition, me and my mom would also make up stories about them.





Photos taken by Christina Robarts Jan. 20, 2013, of a Matryoshka doll (Russian nesting doll) owned by Irina Glazkova

Source: Soloviova, L.N. 1997. Matryoshka. Slovenia: Interbook Business.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Days of the Bulldozer

One thing you can count on during wintertime in Newfoundland is that everyone starts talking about the local snow plows. Whether you are happy with their work on your street, or have a dozen things to complain about, we all know that we are better off with them than without. I recently had a chat with Lloyd Smith of Heart's Content about how they used to deal with snow on the roads before the days of the plow. Our conversation was inspired by a photograph he showed me from 1959 of a bulldozer pushing snow off the roads. To see this photo and hear Lloyd's recollections of getting around during the winter when he was young, watch the video below. After that, hear him talk about how the town would use a horse and dray to deal with all the potholes that would appear once the snow had fully melted.


 
 

Fingers crossed that we don't get another huge snowfall anytime soon. In the meantime, let's all thank the local snow plowers who are doing a great deal of hard work this year. -Lisa

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Fabulous stop-motion documentary on Irish furniture

If you are going to watch one stop-motion documentary on vernacular Irish furniture, watch this one!

I hadn't heard of this lovely little 2012 film, directed by Tony Donoghue, but it was recommended to me (thank you!) by Joy Hecht. Apparently, it has won an award for animation at the Sundance Film Festival. If you have 9 minutes or so to spare, check it out on YouTube.

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: English Picnic Baskets


A woven basket owned by Neal Wells of Grand Falls-Windsor
A woven basket owned by Patricia Mchuge of Grand Falls-Windsor
Last year the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office undertook a collection project focused on basket making in this province. We documented several basket styles, including what we believe to be two English picnic baskets. Beyond that we know very little about these baskets and would like to figure out exactly what they are woven from. We suspect the baskets to be made of willow, as this is a very common material used by English basket makers. Also, both these baskets seem to constructed using the randing weave, which is a common style of English willow weaving.

If you happen to have any idea what these baskets are made of  please get in touch with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office, we'd love to hear from you! Contact Nicole at 1-888-739-1892 ex.6 or email at nicole@heritagefoundation.ca 



Friday, February 8, 2013

Bay Roberts Heritage District Plans

Yesterday evening Dale Jarvis and I traveled to Bay Roberts to join the local Heritage Advisory Committee for one of their monthly meetings. On the agenda was a topic that I have a vested interest in: The Bay Roberts Heritage District plan. The planning for district has been in the works for quite some time and will ultimately involve the official designation of Cable Avenue in Bay Roberts as a heritage district. This street is lined with houses that were built around 1913 by the Western Union cable company as accommodations for their staff. You will also see several large chestnut trees that were planted in 1915, just after the buildings were completed.

Over the next few months I will be collecting oral histories with residents who have either lived on this street or have some personal connection to this unique architectural district. Ultimately, the fieldwork I am doing will be put towards a special exhibit for the 100th year anniversary of the cable station in Bay Roberts.


The above image was taken in 1913 and shows the construction of Cable Ave. It is from the online  archival collection: The Cable Story--Bay Roberts Virtual Museum (provided by Bay Roberts Heritage Society Inc). Please contact me if you know anyone who has lived on Cable Avenue or has any stories to share about these buildings.

lisa@heritagefoundation.ca
709-739-1892 ext.3

-Lisa

Thursday, February 7, 2013

12 tips for a better oral history or folklore interview

Nervous about your first oral history or folklore interview? It's OK, I'm here to help! Here are some tips and tricks to get you ready. And if you want, you can download this as a one-page PDF for handy reference.


1. If you haven't done any oral history interviewing before, think first about a focus or theme for your project.  Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this interview? What information do I want to get?”

2. Think about the type of interview you wish to do.  Life History Interviews focus on the life history of a person and the changes they may have experienced;  Topic Interviews collect information about a specific subject, workplace, skill or occupation.

3. Do an informal “pre-interview.”  Be clear with your “informant” - the person you are interviewing - that the interview is being recorded, and what it will be used for. Have a discussion in advance about the type of information of interest to you.

4. In general, have a list of topics in mind you want to cover in the interview, rather than a set list of questions. You might have some written starting questions to begin with, but then shift to your topic list and be flexible.

5. Start off with some easy questions, such as short biographical questions about name, date of birth, parents and the like. This gives you good identifying information at the start of the interview, and helps relax your informant. You can ask more detailed or personal questions after you both settle into the conversation.

6. Ask questions one at a time. If your question has two or three parts, ask them separately.

7. Ask open-ended questions that require more than a "yes" or "no" answer. Questions that start with “how” or “why” get you more interesting answers.

8. Use plain, straightforward words and avoid leading questions. Rather than asking “I suppose life as a fisherman was hard?”, ask “Can you describe what life was like for a fisherman?”

9. Ask follow-up questions. Then ask some more! If something is unclear, ask for clarification.

10. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to which you think you already know the answers. You might get suprising answers!

11. Be a good listener, and refrain from talking too much yourself. Use body language, nodding, and smiling to encourage your informant. Let them know, visually, that you are interested.

12. Don't let periods of silence fluster you. Just wait and don’t rush the interview. Sometimes people need a moment to complete their thoughts. If you are silent, chances are your informant will fill the gap by saying something more about the question you asked last.



Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Russian Gzhel Folkcraft Hand Crank Coffee Mill

 
 
 
Photo taken by Christina Robarts Jan. 28, 2013
 
 
As part of the interviews conducted for the "Newfiki" project I have been documenting objects that immigrants coming to Canada have brought with them from their home country. The above photo is a picture of a porcelain hand crank coffee grinder mounted on the cabinet in the kitchen of O.V, in St. John's, NL. The top portion is decorated in the Gzhel style which is recognizable by its characteristic blue-and-white colour scheme.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Hunting Hogboons and Detecting Trows: Kids search out the supernatural

I had two meetings today about future folklore projects in Conception Bay, one in Bay Roberts and the other in Cupids. Perhaps unsurprisingly, talk of the fairies came up in both. Conception Bay is rich in fairy lore, and there seems to be a growing interest in communities in the area in documenting and celebrating these traditions.

While in Cupids, I mentioned two fairylore projects from across the pond, one from Shetland and the other from Orkney. I first heard about the Shetland project from storyteller Davy Cooper when he visited Newfoundland a few years back. The Shetland Museum and Archives had created a Trowie Knowe, the house of a "trow" - a type of small, ugly supernatural creature like a troll. They had also created a "Trow Detector" - a steampunkish looking device for alerting museum goers to nearly trows.

The Orkney project allowed kids to search out evidence of a similar type of creature, a hogboon, a mound-dwelling creature tied to particular families. The hogboon hunt was part of a one day workshop where participants used newly learnt archaeological skills like surveying, map making, photography, and collecting and documenting artefacts. You can check out the video of the kids on their hunt on Vimeo. The story in the piece is told by Orkadian storyteller Tom Muir.


Rousay Summer Club Survey from Mark Jenkins on Vimeo.

Friday, February 1, 2013

The Paranormal in Heart's Content

As a folklorist, it isn't every day that you get to hear a good ghost or fairy story, but then on some days, people will tell you two or three. Doing fieldwork for the Heart's Content heritage district this past Wednesday, a few residents shared some of what they know about the paranormal in Heart's Content. Art Cumby had a wonderful fairy story to share, along with a photograph of himself hanging out with the other boys he knew as a child. You'll find him standing up, wearing a striped shirt. He and his friend Art Button (also wearing a striped shirt) were just 11 years old when this happened to them:


Gina Balsom, on the other hand, has been working as an interpreter at the Cable Station historic site for several years. She explained that while she has never had any strange experiences or feelings in the old building, a few visitors certainly have. Here is what Gina had to say about working in a supposedly haunted space:


Thanks to Art and Gina for sharing their stories. In fact, I'm always looking for a good ghost or fairy story. If you know of any from the Heart's Content or Bay Roberts (my next heritage district destination), please drop me a line at lisa@heritagefoundation.ca.

-Lisa

Help us, universe, we need this type of headset. Ideas?

Hi all,

We have an antiquated (heritage?) phone system in our office, and we need to find a headset we can use with it.

The phones do NOT have a standard mini headset jack, they have an old fashioned phone jack port like this:


None of the usual places you'd buy phone/computer equipment in town sell headsets that fit these anymore. I'm looking for something that might look like this, with a headphone plug instead of a mini jack:


Anyone seen one of these lying around somewhere, or for sale in St. John's? If you have, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca