Playing with Fire! Celebrate Bonfire Night at Bitters Nov 1.

1 November · 8pm
Bitter Grad Pub @ MUN
Field Hall, 216 Prince Philip Dr.

The Public Folklore graduate class at MUN and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador are hosting a variety show celebrating Bonfire Night and fire traditions, featuring music, storytelling, spoken word.

Come enjoy our line-up of fiery entertainers and if you feeling the burning urge to share your own fire stories, songs or memories we warmly invite you to take part in the open mic portion of the night.

Admission is pay-what-you-can and all proceeds will go to support Shriners Hospitals.

There will also be FREE barbecued hot dogs/veggie dogs available.

So come watch the sparks fly in celebration of Bonfire Night. It's guaranteed to be a sizzling time!

For full list of events and community bonfires, see:

www.festivalonfire.ca

Walking on Water: Vernacular Architecture walk of St. John's

Last week, I met up with students of Gerald Pocius's Vernacular Architecture graduate level class, and gave them an overview of the Heritage Foundation's work, and a tour of a few sites in along the west end of Water Street.

Tomorrow, we're heading east, and I compiled a list of places we'll pass by for the participants. I thought that since I had it, I'd share it with you, my beloved blog audience, so you can take a little virtual walk along historic Water Street from the comfort of your computer screen.

On the route tomorrow:

Murray Premises
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2232

O'Dwyer Block
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2154&pid=12030&h=Odwyer,Block

Yellow Belly Brewery
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=5341
http://www.greatcanadianbeerblog.com/2008/06/yellowbelly-brewery-public-house.html

Grace Building (Model Shop)
http://www.heritagefoundation.ca/property-search/property-details.aspx?id=1890

Bowrings
http://bowring.com/about.asp
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/merchants.html

O'Brien's Music
http://obriensmusic.com/site/obriens-history/

Rocket (Neil Soper Hardware/Auntie Craes)
http://www.thetelegram.com/Business/Economy/2010-10-18/article-1856592/Historical-Auntie-Crae%26rsquo%3Bs-shutting-its-doors-in-December/1

Commercial Chambers Building
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2149&pid=0

And I'll also be talking about the [Here]Say project.

Full list of conference participants tweeting #AFS11

For those of you not at the American Folklore Society conference here in Bloomington Indiana, several participants have been posting observations and notes on Twitter under the hashtag #AFS11.

I'm going to list those who have been posting, below, so check them out and give them a follow. If I've missed anyone, let me know @dalejarvis or email ich@heritagefoundation.ca

@AndreaKitta
@barrchristina
@britas
@chickenpickin

@dalejarvis
@DebraLattanzi
@folklore_wadam
@foxyfolklorist
@ibrodie
@ICH_NL

@jasonjackson2
@johnfenn3
@LynneSMcNeill

@RebesaurusRex
@TradArtsIN
@USUFolklore
@wldoyle

Documenting traditional knowledge relating to Labrador inuksuit and stone markers

"They used to be waiting for caribou and when the caribou started comin' they'd go from one inukshuk to the other to get closer to the caribou" 
- Gus Semigak, Hopedale, Labrador, March 23, 2011


Inuksuit (the plural of inukshuk) have become an emblem of the north and an inukshuk appears on the official flag of Nunatsiavut (above). An inukshuk construction scene is pictured on the cover of the 2004 Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement, and is clearly an important symbol of Labrador Inuit identity.

During the 2010 Nunatsiavut Heritage Forum in Nain, elders in attendance voiced their concerns about how inuksuit were not being constructed in traditional ways, and how they lacked the meaning that the elders of Nunatsiavut are accustomed to. Elders also pointed out potential dangers associated with randomly built inuksuit, which had no meaning, but which might appear to mean something they didn't.

As a response, the Nunatsiavut Government, with funding though the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Program and the Tasiujatsoak Trust Fund, has prepared a research report on inuksuit in Labrador. You can download the full report, in pdf format, here.

Flag photo from Paul Illsley's web site.

Folklore 6740 Looking for Community Bonfires

Register Your Bonfire Night Event

Living in Newfoundland and Labrador has historically involved fire, from kitchen woodstoves to “mug ups” to community bonfires. One of the most important fire-related events is the November 5th bonfire celebrations, which have been a long standing, province-wide tradition.

The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL), in partnership with Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Folklore 6740: Public Folklore graduate level class, is organising a list of community events surrounding this lively and interesting tradition, as well as hosting celebratory events for the Second Annual Festival on Fire: Bonfire Night.

The Second Annual Festival on Fire: Bonfire Night will take place during the beginning of November. The project is a part of both HFNL’s goal to maintain the intangible cultural heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador, and of the graduate students’ education in public sector folklore, preparing them to have a part in preserving such traditions and helping communities to do so as well.

Dr. Jillian Gould, the professor of the Folklore 6740: Public Folklore graduate class, asserts: “The project is a unique opportunity for our students — to experience the entire range of public folklore fieldwork: from planning and interviewing, to presenting and celebrating. And most importantly, it’s a chance for students to tap into a significant cultural and historic event, giving them a greater sense of place, while strengthening relations between MUN and the larger community.”

To begin, organizers are asking communities to contact them about any Bonfire Night events they have already planned.

Communities or local fire departments wishing to register supervised, official town bonfires should send the following information by Friday, October 21st, 2011:

1. Name of community
2. Location of bonfire in the community
3. Start time and date
4. Backup bad weather date if applicable
5. Name/Contact information of official contact person.


Send information to:
Festival On Fire  
festivalonfire@gmail.com
www.festivalonfire.ca
Telephone: 709-739-1892 ext 3
Toll Free: 1-888-739-1892 ext 3
Fax: 709-739-5413

Along with registering your event you can also mark it on our Bonfire Map!

Tales of Town, this Wednesday night at The Rooms

HFNL and The Rooms kick off the Tales of Town series this Wednesday night, at 7pm. I'll be sitting down with three engaging locals: businesswoman Margaret Dunn, music shop owner Gordon O'Brien, and author Lisa Moore. We'll be sharing memories and stories about growing up in St. John's, and hope you will join us!

The Rooms, Wednesday, October 5th
7pm
Tickets $5, free for members