The Twitterati/Blogatrixes @WillowCWinsham and @DeeDeeChainey have started up a new hashtag for those of us that love folklore and mythology: #FolkloreThursday, and an attendant Twitter account, appropriately enough, named @FolkloreThurs. As Willow notes on her blog:
During the last year of writing here at The Witch, the Weird, and The Wonderful, I've noticed two things. One is the never-ending supply of fascinating tales and intriguing images out there to share. The other is how many fabulous like-minded folks there are about, with fabulous blog posts and tales just waiting to be shared.
So, if you have something appropriately fabulous and folkloristic to share on social media, tag it with #FolkloreThursday each week, and join in the conversation.
The week's Memory Store video comes to us from the Annex Gallery
on the second floor of Devon House. Executive director of the Craft
Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, Anne Manuel, explains some of
the highlights or things that have made the space special over the Craft
Council's twenty plus years in the building.
Clickherefor
more information about the building's history and architectural style. If you
missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store cliphereto go
back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our
YouTube channel atICH NL.
Stay tuned for more short
stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral
history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if
you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador,
and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, terra@heritagefoundation.ca or
739-1892 ex. 5.
The photo shows his great aunt Amelia "Gertie" Gertrude (Jenkins) Hamlyn and her sister, his grandmother, Leah (Jenkins) Sharpe, thought to have been taken sometime in the early 1930s, positioned in front of the Jenkins House. Gertrude was born in 1919, Leah was born in 1925, and today is her 90th birthday! Happy Birthday, Leah!
You can read and listen to the interview I did with Corey about the house here.
Ready to map the living treasures of the community
It’s been a whirlwind two days of work here in Champney’sWest. Dale and I headed out Thursday
morning for a weekend of oral history interviews, asset mapping, and an oral
history workshop. On Thursday evening
there was a public asset mapping workshop held in Champney’s West to see what
heritage means to the people of the community.
There were three tables of locals with a moderator taking notes on the
community’s cultural organization, creative cultural industries, spaces and
facilities, festivals and events, cultural heritage sites, natural heritage and
intangible cultural heritage.
Discussing the community's cultural assets
Checking out the map of Champney West's living treasures
After the community brainstormed the important cultural assets of the community
the residents received a recipe card and were asked to think of a living
treasure in the community. Living
treasure just means someone in the community who is knowledgeable about a
particular topic or skill and why they are important. The residents then mapped these local
treasures on a map of Champney’s West.
After the map was completed everyone enjoyed a little lunch and cup of
tea before heading home for the evening.
Friday morning and afternoon Dale and I interviewed two older residents of the community
brothers Ben and Roy Hiscock. Both
brothers were great storytellers and told stories about growing up in the
community, local shipwrecks, memories from the Second World War, and jokes from
local characters. Be on the lookout for
clips of these two interviews!
Checking out Elliston, the root cellar capital of the world!
Don Johnson and I outside one of Ellison's many root cellars
Between the interviews with Ben and Roy we also headed out to Elliston to talk
with Don Johnson from Tourism Elliston to do a short interview on root cellars
in the root cellar capital of the world.
Don showed us a couple of cellars and explained their importance to the
community in the past and to the present community. He explained their upcoming festivals and
took us out to see the puffin site and the new sealers memorial.
The Sealers Memorial in Elliston
Puffin site in Elliston
After a lovely supper at the Bonavista Social Club we were back in Champney’s
West for the first coffee house of the season.
It was a great evening with live music, jokes, stories and another small
lunch. After lunch we were in for a
special treat as local characters Martha and Bertha put on a skit. They discussed the “h’asset mapping” and the ‘eritage
of the community. They even mentioned
the out of town folklorist who wrote a book on mummering. This is when it got interesting as Bertha bet
Martha he couldn't even mummer. Let’s
just say a nice bit of dress up and dancing ensued! Check out the pictures below!
Local fiddler
Martha, Dale Jarvis and Bertha
Plankin er down!
Thanks to Champney’s West for a great two days!
Today we've got a couple more interviews and an oral history workshop in
Port Union.
Our colleagues over at Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative are constantly uploading new documents to their already impressive collection of archival material.
Recently added was a fabulous short pamphlet entitled "Purse Seines to Lobster Pots" by F.H. Wooding, published in 1952 by the Department of Fisheries of Canada, and printed by the fabulously-named Edmond Cloutier, King's Printer and Controller of Stationery.
The booklet is from the Marine Institute Collections, 20 pages long, and provides an introduction to everything from British Columbia herring, to ice-fishing on the Prairies, to the fisheries of the Atlantic Coast. It includes some great photos of the era, including the Newfoundlanders with the cod trap, above, and the scene of men launching dories somewhere off the Atlantic coast, below.
The booklet also includes a series of great line drawings, such as the illustration of an Atlantic coast sardine weir, shown below.
Ferryland [VA 41-21] 1929 Newfoundland Tourist Development photograph collection Views of Newfoundland by W.R. MacAskil, Halifax, N.S. Photo: Courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives
Today's folklore photo is of a shipwreck in Ferryland. I am currently listening to a number of interviews completed in the Cape Race region of the Southern Shore. I am writing up tape logs for these interview and one reoccurring theme in the interviews are memories of ship wrecks. There are a number of stories about men saving the people from shipwrecks. One story in particular is about the Brave Joe Perry who saved a number of men by tying a rope around his waist and being lowered over the side of a cliff and hauled back up with a passenger by the men of the surrounding communities.
Another idea surrounding shipwrecks which is repeated is the practice of wrecking. For anyone who doesn't know the term wrecking refers to the practice of removing valuables from shipwrecks which have landed close to shore. One particular story which stands out is of a wrecked ship which was full of pork. The men of the community came home with chunks of meat for their family's supper after that particular wreck.
Have you heard any stories about shipwrecks? What about the practise of wrecking? If so leave a comment below or shoot us an email at terra@heritagefoundation.ca
Job Posting: Museum Association AssistantDuration: Full time until March 31st 2016
The Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANL) is a not for profit, registered charitable organization that supports our membership and museums throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Job Description
The Museum Association Assistant will work with the Executive Director in reviewing the organizational records of the Museum Association. The Assistant will be responsible for reviewing membership information and updating it on the MANL website. The Museum Association Assistant will also assist with planning, organizing and delivering our Annual General Meeting and training programs. The person reports to the Executive Director and works with committees of the Association to fulfill the goals of the Association.
The areas of responsibility include but are not limited to:
• Digitizing of records of the Association • Establish and maintain information related to members • Reviewing organization documents for retention • Assist in the development of membership database • Reevaluation and organization of reference library • Produce a regular newsletter and maintain the Association’s website • Assist with Annual General Meeting and training programs • Support the Board of Directors and committees of the Association, special projects and meetings as required • Some travel required must have a valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle • Other related duties as required.
Qualifications
The successful candidate will have demonstrated relevant experience. Must meet the criteria for the Graduate Employment Program, having graduated from a post-secondary program within the past two years. Must have experience with Microsoft Office programs such as Word and Excel; and possess excellent communications and organization skills. Knowledge of the museums, records management, light bookkeeping archives and heritage sector would be an asset. Completion of MANL and ANLA training would be an asset. The successful applicant must demonstrate the ability to work with others in an office environment. The successful candidate must present a certificate of conduct upon request.
Deadline for applications:
June11th, 2015, 3:00 pm
Applications may be forwarded by email only to: kflynn@nf.aibn.com
MANL thanks all applicants for their interest; however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Hi everyone this is Terra again. I just wanted to introduce you to my main project this summer with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador: "The Memory Store". The research for the Memory Store includes doing short video clips with people about the stories surrounding historic places. This means part of my summer job is checking out historic sites in and around St. John’s and listening to the stories about them. The video clips of these stories are part of the Memory Store which is a virtual spot where we can find stories about local places.
The Memory Store is part of the HFNL’s goal to foster a greater appreciation of historic places, by making the stories about these sites more accessible to the general public. The HFNL is working to document the architectural history and the associated stories of Newfoundland and Labrador’s historic places, in and around the St. John’s region. This research project will form part of a permanent collection with Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Digital Archives Initiative.
The following videos are the first in the series which will be posted every second Wednesday. In the first video folklorist and ICH development officer, Dale Jarvis, explains the idea behind the memory store. While in the second Gary Green, past president of the Crow’s Nest Officer Club, tells the story of the second fire escape in the Crow’s Nest placed there during the Second World War. Garry says although the first escape may look like nautical decoration it was put in place as a functional fire escape. Make sure to check out this link to learn more about the Crow's Nest Officer's Club as a historic site!
Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca, terra@heritagefoundation.ca or 739-1892 ex. 5.
