Folk Art as it is

“Folk art” is a form of art that expresses a culture.  Members within a culture express not only their culture but also their selves. Folk art is more over looked than regular folklore.  I didn’t realize all the things folk art pertained to until I read this article.  In the article they explain that something as little as young kids drawing pictures is a traditional form of art within a folklore group.  There is a wider range of miscellaneous forms of folk art sculptures; quilts, paper ornaments, and baskets all are considered a form of folk art. Normally these forms of artistic expressions are passed down from generation to generation and have some type of historical and personal meaning.  While reading the article I became curious about a few things. For example in the old southern culture they produce quilts as a form of traditional and educational folklore.  Each peace of the quilt symbolizes something that is significant to that specific culture.  Today many cultures continue to make this significant pieces of folk art, but bedding companies also make them.  Can a store bought quilt still posses the same cultural symbolism as a handcrafted one even if the members choose to pass it down from generation to generation?  Even though all the folk art originated from the members of the culture there a lot of outsiders that either enjoy the product or enjoy creating the form of art for their own personal entertainment. A create example of this is in the African culture they make pottery and carve symbols that pertain to their culture and their experience.  They then use the pottery to make their lives more convents.  In America many Americans who are unfamiliar with the meaning behind pottery make and sale it to outsiders for decoration or house hold task.  Art and crafts are embedded within a folklore group.  It is also interesting to know that many cultures relate certain forms of art with gender roles.  In many instances females make things such as blankets’, quilts, jewelry, and baskets while the males make weapons, arrowheads and more strenuous complicated forms of art.  There are some things that both men and woman create such as painting, sculptures, and pottery.  Americans normally share the tasks among gender roles opposed to other more strict cultures.  Many forms of art produced where produced for a certain purpose and with the resources that were provided.  Even child hood toys are a form of folk art. Things such as whistles, rattles, and fiddles were produced by children and or their parents.  These products are still made and passed down to children for entertainment.  Woodcrafts and pottery are two of the most universally used forms of art all cultures use and create a large variety of these products.

An Insider

Brunavard who started off being an outsider of the Navajo tribe adapted to their culture and declared himself an insider.  He made close relationships, married a Navajo woman, and engaged in Navajo duties.  He even gave tours to the Americans as if he new everything about the area and was a true member of the Navajo culture.  As he began to feel comfortable within the culture it came to his attention that he had not mastered the language, which is the most important part of the culture.  Not knowing the language set him back to the stage of being an outsider.  Eager to learn the language he received help from a Navajo graduate student.  During this time Brunavand became the interviewer all over again he asked questions and recorded every thing that was said so that he would miss anything.  One thing that I observed from reading the article is that when interviewing and recording people you have to abide by the rules of their beliefs and culture out of respect.  In the article the graduate student was reluctant to tell Burnavand the tales that were to only be told in the winter in concern that Burnavard would repeat them at an inappropriate time.  Burnavard promised to obey the rules of their culture and agreed to not even replay the recordings of the stories unless it was in the winter.  Brunavard was very intrigued to learn everything about the culture and language, him asking so many questions would have made him looked suspicious of witchcraft to any other Navajo member.  Witch Craft was a very serious issue in the Navajo culture.  Even though it was not easily understood by outsiders it had a huge impact on the members within the culture. Witchcraft can cause death, poverty, insanity, poor health, and isolation.   Another thing that greatly confused Brunavard was the purpose and the meanings of the coyote stories.   As an outsider it is hard to grasp the main moral of the coyote story.  In the begging of the class when we began to observe the writings of Tolken and Brunvand we observed that the coyote stories where told as a form of education to educate the children about how natural occurrences and features happen.  For example the story about the coyote getting sap in his eyes, we took the meaning of that story to describe to us why coyotes have brown fur around their eyes but the Navajo tribe not only uses those stories for those meanings but for life long meanings.  These stories are way beyond children stories they are told to people of all ages at appropriate times.  In most stories the coyote possess characteristics of selfishness, self-destructive, foolish, and gluttonous.  All of these characteristics lead to destruction and wont allow you to prosper.  In the article the Navajo graduate continues to tell Brunavand the coyotes story about how he killed and cooked the prairie dogs that insulted him.  I believe that the Navajo graduate continues to tell Brunavard this story in hopes that he will be cautious in what he says so that he will not insult the other Navajo members on accident, while trying to collect his findings.

HOMECOMING (Extra Credit)

Homecoming is a largely broadcasted event throughout high schools and colleges in America.  This event is classified as a form of folklore because it is passed down from generation to generation throughout the American culture.  Mizzou was the first college to ever have a homecoming.  Because they were the first to initiate it Homecoming is a very big deal amongst Mizzou students, alumni, and fans.  This has been my first homecoming at the University.  The African American community on campus participated in a separate itinerary of events.  The week began with students preparing outfits, posters, and plans for the fun filled weekend. 

Thursday was the begging of the events.  The LBC massacre homecoming ball took place in a hotel where hundreds of Mizzou’s African American students joined to eat, dance, and reveal the winners of homecoming court. Every one dressed in formal clothing the males wore suits and ties and the females wore formal evening dresses.  The court consisted of popular males and females that sought to gain recognition from their peers.  There was a pair chosen from each grade. The winners won a sash and a crown.  After the revealing ceremony was over everybody began to dance to ethnic modern music until the ball was over.

 Friday, the day before the game, friends and family of the students began to arrive to join in on the festivities.  The campus of over 30,000 students began to quickly flood with eager and excited foreigners.   The homecoming comedy show was the first event planed for the day. Everyone joined in Jesse auditorium to be entertained by some the most entraining famous African-American comedians.  After the comedy show everyone went to their friends dorms to prepare their selves for the homecoming parties that where taking place.  The females wore provocative clothing, make up, and spent hours arranging their hair.  The parties did not begin until ten o’clock that evening.  As an observer I noticed the behavior of the men and women at this event.  The female’s dances in a circle with their immediate friends until a male would approach them for a dance.  The pair would dance until the song is over, potentially exchange contact information and continue this process with many people until the party comes to an end.  The party ended at three o’clock in the morning.  Everyone danced to their cars and began to discuss how much they fun they had experienced.

            The most intense day of the weekend is Saturday, which is game day. As I walked out side all I saw was swarms of yellow as almost every person on campus supported the school by wearing the traditional school colors.  The parade began that afternoon.  The parade consisted of thousands of Mizzou fans that walked the streets of Columbia with music and festive cheering.  After the parade was over the African-American Greek steep show began.  Greek fraternities and sororities joined in the quad to perform rehearsed steeps and dances.  Former fraternity and sorority members form chapters as far back as 1965 came to join the performance.   The crowd roared in excitement as the steppers preformed intensely.  After the step show many people went to the game to whiteness the Mizzou tigers claim victory over America’s number one ranked college football team of the year. After the game was over the opposing team walked sluggishly to their cars as the Mizzou fans ranted and raved around the campus to their next destination.  There where dozens of parties where young college students from almost every college in Missouri attended.  Students swarmed the small town of Columbia until the sun arose. 

            Sunday was basically a rest day as the friends and families packed up to return back to their homes and school and the students began to recoup from the intense weekend.  

Meat Preservatives

Food brings people together it is a universal cultural characteristic.  In many cultures the members use their other members together.  Food is provided for birthdays, thanksgiving, Christmas, and many other group gatherings.  The foods that different cultures consume derives from what was provided for them by the geographical area they are around.  Cultures in different cultures eat different animals, plants, and fruits that may not be available in other countries.  Also the way food is prepared and preserved is different due to technology and rituals.  In the reading the early American culture had to preserve their meats with salt and sugar to prevent spoilage.  Today some grocery stores sale salted meat such as salt pork.  Because of highly advanced technology many Americans use other preservatives and electronics and appliances to preserve meats.  Even though the World has greatly improved in technology, people choose lifestyles that comply with their culture and their selves as a whole.  There are may people in the central part of Missouri who still use the old cultural process of salt preservation.  The Little Dixie is a small part of Missouri where people still live their lives like people did in the south in the 1800’s.  They refuse to use the technology that is offered to them for their benefit.  Most cultures do things because that’s what they were taught by the earlier members of the culture.  The technique of preserving meat is imbedded within the culture because it is a type of tradition that is passed down through out the years.  In the reading they preserved meat such as pork and beef. These two meats reveal a lot about the culture.  The reader can assume that this culture does not originate from origins of Asia because cows and cattle are sacred in all Middle East cultures and pigs are thought of to be dirty and forbidden animals.  Even though food can bring cultures together on a common level it can also divide them.  

THE BLUES

Music is a form of folklore because it validates a culture.  Different cultures have different forms of music with different meanings.  Within in the American culture music is a way of life every American listens to some form of music.  The American culture is more diverse than any other culture; every citizen comes from a different ethnic background.  In the reading the author discusses the ownership behind blues music.  In my opinion within the American culture it is not right to assign a certain race with a style of music.  Even though African-Americans may have the originators of blues, jazz, R&b, and rap music, it doesn’t mean that other races cannot master those forms of music.  During the time of segregation and racism Caucasian people still enjoyed African American music.  There were also Caucasian people such as Elvis who could sing the blues and different genres of music that sounded as well as African-American blues.  Some African-Americans such as my grandfather believe that the “Whit man” stole jazz and blues from us and tried to make it their own.  He is bitter because he believes white people can never let black people have anything.  In the late 1940’s white music groups used to steal the songs of African-American groups and claim it as their own which caused white groups to make more money and fame than the African-American groups.  I believe the ability of ones vocals to sing blues, jazz, country, or gospel is based on genetics and not the color of their skin.  In regards to the reading when it comes to authenticity then I believe that is where the racial claims play apart.  African-Americans and Caucasians are sub cultures within the American culture.  Both races have been experienced different struggles and are accustomed to different cultural backgrounds.  Music has always been a major part of the African-American culture dated all the way to slavery and beyond.  Africans used music and dance to relate an issue rather good or bad.  When slaves came America they sang songs in code so their slave masters couldn’t not understand what they where discussing.  They also sang about their awful struggles, which were passed down from generation to generation and where conformed to different styles of music such as the blues.  On the surface Blues is not a racial thing anyone can sing the blues regardless of nationality, but within a certain culture which it derived from then I would have to agree with it being authenticated by African-Americans.

TL;DR MEME

Tl;dr means “to long, don’t read”.  This meme describes aspects that relate to the American Culture.  Wikipeda is an informational website that Americans use to find research about nearly any topic of concern. This image depics how much Wikipedia offers.  This shows how reliable the internet is in America, unlike other countries who’s technology is not as advanced as ours.  This meme also shows a factor of laziness.  Reading is not a popular hobby among Americans.  When it comes to strenuous work or lengthy readings Americans try to find the easy way out. Wikipedia is used for educaional 

purposes within a folklore group.  It informs and also entertains.  Due to the fact that Wikipedia is open for the public to add information it is not an professional or institutioanl form of work. Wikiepia is an unofficial form of communication that is distrbuted to a group of people who seek to discover the same information about intersting topics.  Even though Wikipedia is an American bades website they also offer information in other languages to accomidate other cultures who may me curious about certain issues. This meme is entertaining and humorous because as an American I can relate to the joke behind the image. I find myself using Wikipedia whenever I need to know an answer.  It is alot eaiser to go online and read information about a topic by just typing in the name rather than reading an encylopidia.  If wiipedia was converted into a book this image wouldnt even compare to the information that Wikipedia provides. 

Is 9/11 Really Funny?

               The Bombing of the world trade center on 9/11 was a major disaster that will always be apart of the America culture.  Due to the fact that other countries were involved, this event is well known to the entire world. Reading this article made me realize that folklore is apart of everything.  This event will be known as a legend in the American culture because it is written down in history and taught in schools to the younger generations. Kuiper’s observation of the disaster and the behavior of Americans showed that humor had died after the attack.  As an American I actually experienced the event.  I believe that humor will always be a major part in American culture. At this tragic time it brought Americans closer together. Humor was used to lighten up the situation.  Many jokes where related through the Internet, which shows how the Internet is a necessity to Americans. Other countries may forbid or think it is disrespectful to make jokes or laugh about a disaster so tragic.  It wasn’t until a year later when Americans felt comfortable to make jokes about the attack. Now nine years later you can find an array of 9/11 jokes on the Internet, in stand up comedic shows, and on television.   I think that these jokes are a way to cope with the pain.  This is still a very sensitive issue for many Americans because this event was the cause of the war against America and Iraq.  Thousands of Americans are still loosing their lives due to 9/11.  The jokes told about 9/11 are also considered to be a form of folklore because it is a form of entertainment that offers escape from the real world. 

The Hmongs

       The members of the Hmong tribe participate in many different rituals.  During the last few classes we have learned about the traditions of Native American tribes, and their way of life.  The Hmong’s are very particular about the process and the rituals that are preformed during the birth of a child.  “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman is an informative novel that is a form of folklore.  Since these traditions are taught to be truth and are passed down from generation to generation it is known to be a sacred legend.  The women in the Hmong tribe are very independent and strong.  During childbirth they birth the child, nurse the child and nurse them selves without the help of anyone.    Even though the women in the Hmong tribe are independent and strong they are inferior to the males in the community.  Its starts at birth when the burial of the placenta takes place. If the child is a girl her placenta is buried in a less important part of the house like under her parents bed, opposed to if the child was a boy and his placenta would be buried by the post of the house which keeps the house standing for he will one day be the foundation and the head of his house.  Immigrating to the United States drastically changed their traditions of childbirth. The mother was unable to give birth to the child by herself, she was taken to a local hospital.  She was also unable to burry the placenta or wash the baby herself.  This story relieved the difference if importance between the Hmong tribe and Americans.  No one in the Hmong tribe knew how old they were.  The mother didn’t even know how many months she had been pregnant.  These facts are important to Americans.  The Hmong’s first child to be born in the United States was their daughter Lia.  Throughout her young age Lia became very ill. The Hmong’s believed that because they were unable to complete some of their traditions than that was the cause of her illness.  They were unable to burry her placenta, the mother was unable to give birth by herself, and she was unable to eat all the traditional foods.   The unfortunate illness of their daughter led them to have stronger faith in there religion and scared teachings.  As an American we don’t believe in their traditions so we interpret Lia’s sickness to be caused by her mothers health conditions.  

"Its a Bird No its a Plane No its a UFO"

        “It’s a bird it’s a plane. No it’s a UFO” The Supernatural stories of UFOS and anomalous lights are considered to be a form of folklore.  The first thought of these experiences did not register in my mind as being categories of folklore.  After reading the article it started to make since.  The sights of UFOs and anomalous lights are somewhat like the sights of demons and holy spirits. Unlike many other countries The United States is very versatile every one does not believe the same things.  The religious culture may believe in the sights of demons and angels, and it is written in the Bible. Also many families teach these teachings to there children, who pass it down to their children.  All of these characteristics exemplify a form of folklore.  Some people perceive UFO’s in the same nature.  Many people believe in UFOs based on person experiences and stories told by others.  There is no real scientific evidence that reveal if UFOs are indeed real or simply an allusion of the imagination.  Many people argue this fact just like they argue the happenings in the Bible. 

            Many cultures believe in UFOs. I believe that people in other countries are more open to believe things quicker than Americans, because The United States is a very technical country we like to prove things before we believe them. The fact that UFOs stories have been told for many years makes it a legend.   These stories can also be considered as schemas. Schemas are indistinct stories that are told among a group of similar people.

            I personally do not believe in UFOs because I was never taught to believe in them and I have never experienced them.   Unlike other forms of folklore, the legends of UFOs and anomalous lights don’t belong to just one culture.  People across the world believe in such happenings.  Opposed to the tails of coyotes and spider woman, that where only told in native American cultures.  

"The Bloody Chamber" v.s. "The Blue Beard"

        “The Bloody Chamber” and “The Blue Bread” are two similar folktales that share many difference but also many similarities.  From reading both pieces of folklore I noticed that “The Blue Bread” had a more magical unrealistic theme to it. “The Bloody Chamber” was more mature and was written for a more mature audience. In the “The Blue Beard” the forbidden room was said to be a magical blue closet that has to be opened with a magical key, opposed to the dingy old dark room described in “The Blood Chamber” 

            Gender Roles were very different between the two stories. Both of the young girls were portrayed to be very naïve.  The husband was given the role of an evil manipulative beast. This character has been introduced in many folktales including “Little Red Riding Hood”. In the end of the stories the young girl is saved from the guillotine preformed by her husband.  In “The Bloody Chamber” Carter has made the mother of the bride the heroine of the story, erasing the stereotype of weak women.  She is described as a strong horsewoman on a mission to save her daughter.  In the “Blue Beard” The heroes are the two bothers of the naïve helpless girl.

                 Alice Carter did not follow the stereotype of ignorant women. Even though the character of the young girl was naive she was still smart. She was aware that something was not right and she handled the situation with thoughtfulness unlike the female character in “The Blue Beard”. Carter used seduction and sharp-wittedness to defeat the wrath of the evil husband.  She also portrayed the strength of a woman’s intuition, the mother of the bride knew by the tone of her daughter’s voice that things we were not right so he took it upon herself to be strong and courageous and rescue her daughter. Carter also introduced the character of a young blind boy who played the role of a comforter, which is mostly played by a female. 

Variations of "Little Red Riding Hood"

“Oh Granny what big teeth you have”, “The better to eat you with my child” Almost every child in America has heard a variation of this quote by little red riding hood and the big bad wolf. “Little Red Riding Hood” is a common childhood folktale often told to children by their parents, teachers, and baby sitters.  This story has many variations and interpretations such as the “Little Red Cap” and “The Grandmother”.  All of these stories share many similarities and differences.

       These folktales posses many similarities such as location, gender roles, binary oppositions, and morals.  All of these variations take place in a small village near the woods. The detail of location allows the reader to grasp a sense of era. We can make the observation that this story did not take place in modern times, which might have supplied Little Red Riding Hood with more protection.  The roles of the characters and their genders reveal how our American society expects males to be the manipulators and the females to be innocent.  “Little Red Cap” introduces another character to the story. A young masculine huntsman played the role of a concerned hero. Unlike the other two variations ,“Little Red Riding Hood” and “grandmother”,  Little Red cap and her grandmother were retrieved from the wolf's stomach and the wolf dies.

The binary oppositions in these folktales are very obvious, “good” vs. “evil”, “naïve” vs. “sharp-witted” and “male” vs. “female”.  The Wolf is evil conniving and manipulative.  He takes advantage of young naive red riding hood, persuading her to tell him where she is going.  In the story of “Little Red Cap” the wolf takes initiative to pose as temptation by directing her to be distracted by the flowers in the forest making his task easier to accomplish. These stories provide assumption that women are easier to manipulate and be distracted by temptation than men. 

          The underlying moral of this folktale is to avoid strangers and obey your parents.  In both “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Grandmother” the consequences of Little Red Riding hood talking to strangers and disobeying her mother results in her and her grandmother getting devoured by the wolf. In “Little Red Cap” it gives a different interpretation it reveals to children that there is a chance that someone will save you from danger and the consequences will not be so drastic.

     The teller of this folktale has many option of how they may decide to tell it.  As long as they correctly disclose the proper events in the proper order and the same moral is revealed then the folktale remains consistently sacred.

Which Social Group will I belong to Today?

        As I walked to my dorm i stop at a vacant bench for a quick rest, while i admire the summer breeze i was accompanied by a fellow Mizzou student. As we proceeded to have a friendly conversation we discover that we share many commnon intrest and similarities.  We are both from St. Louis, Missouri, we both are accounting majors, and we both enjoy eating at Baja grill. As I began to observe our conversation i realize i have joined another social group.  A social group is a group of individuals that share the same social intrests.  The social groups one belongs to is always changing and increasing.  I belong to many social groups and all of them have played a significant role in my everyday life and the growth of my self-esteem.  Joining a social group is often subliminal.  Interacting with one or more people about a specific intrest or topic places you into a social group.  Barre Toelken explains that the smallest form of a social group is a dyad.  Learning what a dyad was drastically increased the amount of social groups that I belong to.

Dyad:(Tolkens definition) two people who participate in an ongoing relationship which is so close that each partner provides an immediate reflexive counterpart to the other.

     I am involeved in many social groups such as my family, friendships, classmates, dormmate, associates, co workers, and church groups just to name a few. I began to observe the characteristics and the way we interact with one another. Tolken states, "Since most peple are members of more than one such group, and since people do not always do the same things when they come together, it becomes necessary for the student of folklore to make close observations of that particular group."
     Me and my family share the common similarity of being related and we share the intrest of having love and respect for one another. The dynamics of our relationship is informal and educational. We are comfortable to where we say things that will not normally say in a more formal group. folklore is also being taught throughout our everyday interaction. Past experiences from the elders of the group informs the younger generation of obsticles they may face in the near future.
      The relationship I share with my friends is very informal. As i observed our conversations and actions our relationship is based of escape enetertainment and support. This group will have to be the group that I am the most comfortable in, I am allowed to be myself and use language and terms that would not be appropiate in a different group.
      When interacting with my fellow classmates and teachers taking caution is very important. Not knowing the unkown draws the line between whats appropiate and whats not. I am unware of the morals, religious views, and what may be offensive to them, so being curtious and respectful is very important. This particular social groups strongly informs education
      The interaction with associates and co workers is mostly very limited. We discuss the topics and intrest that we share which are normally very few.
      There are new groups forming every minute all you need is a intrest and a simlarity. What  social group will you join today?