What is Tibb's Eve? Drink up, Newfoundland and Labrador, it's December 23rd.

Merry Tibb's Eve all!

What is Tibb's Eve? And where does Tibb's Eve come from? We've got you covered!

Many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians don't need much of an excuse to have a party. One of the most inventive local reasons might be Tibb's (or Tib's, or Tipsy) Eve.

For those of you who don't know what Tibb's Eve is, in Newfoundland, it is the eve of Christmas Eve, and it has a somewhat complicated history that is both old and new. 

Originally, St. Tibb was a character in English plays of the 17th century. A "tibb" in those times was a woman of loose morals, so Saint Tibb was a comedic character, intended to represent an impossible contradiction. Since St. Tibb couldn't exist, St. Tibb's Eve was a day that would never come. Owe someone money? Promise to pay them back on Tibb's Eve, and no problem!

At some point, Tibb's Eve became associated with the Christmas season, as in "a day that occurred neither before nor after Christmas" or "a day between the old year and the new."

Image: Dictionary of Newfoundland English Word Form Slips - Tibb's Eve

Newfoundlanders, perhaps looking for a reason to enjoy a drink during the abstemious season of Advent, inserted this day-that-would-not-come into their personal calendars. Somewhere on the south coast of the island, sometime after WWII, the day got fixed to December 23rd. 

In the 1960s and '70s, the expression still largely meant a day that wouldn't come, but in the '80s and '90s, the day of celebratory Pre-Christmas lubrication became more popular. Circa 2009-2010, St. John's bars and arts organizations introduced the idea of Tibb's Eve events to townies. With the rise of social media, the concept took off, and ex-pat Newfoundlanders spread the cheer wherever they were hunkered down for an away Christmas. 

Thirsty for more? There are a few places online you can look for more details:

• First up is the article "The origins of Tibb’s Eve" by Paul Herridge of The Southern Gazette, which includes an interview with folklorist Dr. Philip Hiscock. https://www.saltwire.com/lifestyles/the-origins-of-tibbs-eve-172334/?location=newfoundland-labrador
• The Archival Moments blog has an entry "Tippling on Tibb’s Eve http://archivalmoments.ca/tag/tibbs-eve/
• Tip’s Eve or Tibb’s Eve? Corner Brook long-term care residents celebrate eve of Christmas Eve https://www.saltwire.com/news/local/tips-eve-or-tibbs-eve-116700/?location=corner-brook 
• Tibb's Eve on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibb%27s_Eve
• Last up is the Dictionary of Newfoundland English entry for "Tib's Eve" https://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/a-z-index.php#5010

In the mood for a suitable libation for Tibb's Eve? Why not try Charles Dickens's Own Punch, from 1847:

Peel into a very common basin (which may be broken in case of accident, without damage to the owner's peace or pocket) the rinds of three lemons, cut very thin and with as little as possible of the white coating between the peel and the fruit, attached. Add a double handful of lump sugar (good measure [although Dickens had rather small hands]), a pint of good old rum, and a large wine-glass of good old brandy‹if it be not a large claret glass, say two. Set this on fire, by filling a warm silver spoon with the spirit, lighting the contents at a wax taper, and pouring them gently in. Let it burn three or four minutes at least, stirring it from time to time. Then extinguish it by covering the basin with a tray, which will immediately put out the flame. Then squeeze in the juice of the three lemons, and add a quart of boiling water. Stir the whole well, cover it up for five minutes, and stir again.

Enjoy the day! Have a memory of Tibb's Eve, or call it something different? Comment below!

- Dale Gilbert Jarvis

(last updated, Tibb's Eve 2020!)

Revitalizing Tradition: The St. John's Mummers Parade

Well, the big Mummers Festival is over for this year, and was a tremendous success. Very special thanks to everyone who helped organize the events, and a huge round of applause for the HUNDREDS of mummers that showed up to take part in the final parade on December 20th. It was truly remarkable, and a fabulous thing to be involved with.

Now, the question that everyone is asking! Should it happen again? Take the poll below, or leave a comment with suggestions!

http://micropoll.com/t/KDYXmZ9Bj





Mummers Parade on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsZaBWrED3I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C1iI0HmeeI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SO6Q0yy4TI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlEEwkCz3V4


CBC Television Coverage:
http://bit.ly/4GXjb2


VOCM Article:
http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=3304&latest=1


Blog Mentions and Flickr sets:
http://www.candicedoestheworld.com/?p=149
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dolphins42/sets/72157623038349104/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephennorman/sets/72157623047196328/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flipflik/sets/72157622928942309/

Mummers Parade This Sunday!!

The big day for the St. John's Mummers Parade is coming up fast, and we want you IN the parade! Full details at: http://www.mummersfestival.ca

MUMMERS PARADE
Sunday, December 20, 2009 - 1:00pm - 2:30pm:
MacPherson Elementary to The Rooms

The Mummers Parade needs you…and in disguise. We invite all mummers, janneys, hobby horses, Christmas bulls, nallajuit, ribbon fools, wren boys, and wren girls to this most exciting people's parade. According to some accounts, St. John’s used to have a mummers parade in the 1800s, and groups of mummers still parade from house to house throughout the province. But you won’t see too many mummers parading the streets of St. John’s these days. We’d like to change that. So shake out those long johns and borrow your Aunt’s size 42 bra. We’re calling all mummers to the Mummers Parade.The parade will start at MacPherson Elementary, pass through the Georgestown neighbourhood, and end on the grounds of The Rooms for a Christmas concert and Mummers Jam with music, dancing, and spaces for impromptu performances. We hope for more mummers than spectators in what might be the most exuberant, participant-focused parade in the province. Bring your music makers, disguises, hobby horses, wren sticks, songs, and dances.

When at The Rooms, stay in costume long enough to have your picture taken at our photo booth, so we can create a permanent archival photo collection of all our mummers!

PARADE LINE-UP: Between 1:00 pm and 1:15 pm

PARADE START TIME:
1:30 pm

LOCATION:
Macpherson Elementary School. 40 Newtown Road (behind Sobey’s on Merrymeeting Road).

PARKING:
There is no parking available at MacPherson School.


MUMMERS PARADE FOOD DRIVE
The Georgestown Neighbourhood Association is organizing a food drive in support of the Community Food Sharing Association in conjunction with the Mummers Parade this Sunday, December 20th. Food donations can be dropped off during the Rig Up at the entrance t MacPherson School prior to the parade beginning at 11:30 a.m., or at the Rooms at the end of the parade until 5:00 p.m.. Also, food-bank mummers will be collecting donations during the parade.

Parade route: MacPherson School to Merrymeeting Road; left on Merrymeeting Road to Bonaventure Avenue; left on Bonaventure Avenue as far as Howley Avenue; right onto Howley Avenue down to Belvedere Street; left on Belvedere Street as far as Fleming Street; right on Fleming Street as far as Hayward Avenue; right on Hayward Avenue as far as Mullock Street; up Mullock and over to the Rooms for the Mummers Concert and Jam.

Please be generous with your food donations, and enjoy the parade and concert/jam!!!

Virtual Extras Needed for Machinima Project in Second Life

Distance Education and Learning Technologies (DELT) at Memorial University is producing a machinima for the Conne River Project in Second Life, a virtual world developed by Linden Lab that launched on June 23, 2003 and which is accessible via the Internet.

The machinima (a short video filmed within the virtual world) is based on the book Muinji’j Becomes a Man, by Misel Joe of Conne River, Newfoundland. This coming of age story is set in the late 1800s and follows a young Mi’kmaq boy and his Grandfather as they travel up river with a load of furs to trade. While the story focuses primarily on the 2 main characters there are several scenes that involve 20 extras in the background (other Mi’kmaq people in the village and townspeople in the coastal community).

If you like a particular avatar ie Conne River and City, please contact Marlene Brooks and let her know which you would like to play and she will send you the login information. You can view the characters at the following location in Second Life. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Creation%20Island/163/168/22/

"You don’t have to worry about delivering lines as these characters are all moving around in the background and the sound will be added later," says Brooks. "If you do not have a preference of character/avatar we will assign two avatars to you (one for the village and one for the town) and a set of directions for your scene so you know what your character has to do. You will be provided access to the Muinji'j island once you have selected an avatar and have their password."

If you would like to be involved in the production of the machinima please contact mbrooks@mun.ca or IM Zana Kohime in Second Life.

December 21st 2009
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. SLT/PST Time
12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Newfoundland Canada Time

December ICH Update - Any mummers 'lowed in?

In this month's edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update, find out what we mean when we talk about a "folklife" festival. Discover one of Christmas's more frightening traditions, the hobby horse, and find out how you can learn to make one of your own. Get a full list of events for this year's mummers festival and get the inside scoop on the St. John's Mummers Parade and a partnership with the Georgestown Neighbourhood Association that is full of holiday cheer!

Download the newsletter at:
http://tinyurl.com/ye82jwm

Mummering Today: A contemporary look at mummering traditions

Folklorists from Memorial University explore how the mummering tradition manifests itself in our modern-day culture.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009
7:00pm - 8:30pm
The Rooms Theatre

Simani’s “Mummers Song”: Revitalizing a Tradition, Dr. Gerald Pocius.
A look at Simani’s “Mummers Song” and its impact on mummering traditions over the years.

Marketing Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland, Dr. Paul Smith.
This talk explores a variety of artifacts and images of Christmas Mummers that have been produced over the years by local artists.

Newfoundland Mummers and the Mediation of Difference, Dr. Diane Tye.
From the strange, ominously violent mummer that first attracted the attention of folklorists and anthropologists in the 1960s to the happy mummer of the crafts fairs and shops of present day, this talk explores meanings contained in Newfoundland mummers and mummering practices.

http://www.mummersfestival.ca/
Presented in collaboration with The Rooms as part of the First Annual Folklife Festival of Newfoundland & Labrador

Mummering Memories: Show and Share Your Mummering Experiences

Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009
Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: The Rooms

This year, as part of the Folklife Festival of Newfoundland and Labrador, we are focussing on Christmas mummering and related traditions. In addition to the public workshops, lectures and the final Mummers Parade on December 20th (http://www.mummersfestival.ca), we have been collecting information on Christmas traditions as part of our ongoing partnership with the Digital Archives Initiative (DAI).

The DAI is a gateway to the learning and research-based cultural resources held by Memorial University and partnering organizations. From books and maps to photographs, periodicals, video and audio, the DAI hosts a variety of collections which together reinforce the importance, past and present, of Newfoundland and Labrador's history and culture.

Intangible Cultural Heritage depends on its basis in communities, and on the continuing activities of those with specific knowledge of traditions, skills and customs within these communities. Regarding the participation of communities and groups, Article 15 of the International Convention on Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO 2003) states:

“Within the framework of its safeguarding activities of the intangible cultural heritage, each State Party shall endeavour to ensure the widest possible participation of communities, groups and, where appropriate, individuals that create, maintain and transmit such heritage, and to involve them actively in its management.”

In light of this, we are interested in viewing, hearing, and documenting all aspects of our mummering traditions, and documenting those traditions on the DAI. Whether you’re a mummer, a janney, a nalujuk, a wren boy, or a wren girl, if you have a story, artifact, or photograph to share or are just curious about mummering, we’d love to meet you.

This Sunday, December 6th, from 2-4pm, you’re invited to contribute a digital copy of your mummer materials to the Digital Archives Initiative as a record of our province’s Christmastime house-visiting tradition. We will have digital scanners for photos and a video booth to record mummer experiences. We are looking for YOUR memories of Christmases past and present, to be recorded and shared with future generations.

For more information, meet us at The Rooms this Sunday, or call Dale Jarvis at 1-888-739-1892 ext 2.

Presented in collaboration with The Rooms as part of the First Annual Folklife Festival of Newfoundland & Labrador

Janney Film Night

Date:
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Location:
The Rooms Theatre, St. John's

Mummers and Masks and Mum's the Word

Mummers and Masks is a one-hour documentary by Chris Brookes that examines the ancient Christmas tradition of mummering on both sides of the Atlantic. Mum's the Word is an outrageous short comedy about mummers in St. John’s plotting a robbery directed by Ed Tanasychuk and written by Kerri MacDonald.

PLUS: A new short film by Jason Sellars!

Presented in collaboration with The Rooms as part of the First Annual Folklife Festival of Newfoundland & Labrador.

http://mummersfestival.ca/home/?q=node/50

Labrador Inuit diary - documentary broadcast

A new feature documentary from Battery Radio can be heard on CBC Radio IDEAS Monday Nov 30th and Tuesday Dec. 1st

Listen online at: http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/

ABRAHAM'S DIARY traces the tragic story of 2 Labrador Inuit families who travelled to Europe in 1880 to be exhibited in zoos.

The late 19th century saw the rise of scientific racism in Europe, and those who flocked to the zoo exhibit expected to gape at "exotics" from some "primitive race". What they found instead were Labradorimiut who spoke 3 languages, played German hymn tunes on violin, and who were keeping their own ethnographic notes on the "uncivilised" Europeans. Tragically, both families died of smallpox, but not before Abraham Ulrikab wrote his impressions of the trip in a remarkable diary.

The 2-hour special features the voices of Solomon Simeak, Robin McGrath, Tom Gordon, Rainer Baehre, Hans Rollman, Mary Simon, Aaju Peter, Aiden Flynn and others. Part One will be heard on Monday night, with Part Two the following evening.

You can find information and online audio at http://www.batteryradio.com/Pages/Abraham.html

The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Ms Reiko Yoshida, Assistant Programme Specialist. Intangible Heritage Section at UNESCO, elaborates on the relevancy of the Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage during the Mapping for Change Conference which took place in Nairobi, Kenya in September 2005.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B4Cqzm-lWA

The Wren, The Wren, The King of the Birds - The Wren Song

The wren is just one of several Christmastime house-visiting traditions that continue in Newfoundland and Labrador. Typically, children and/or adults will visit homes within their community carrying around an effigy of a small bird—the wren. Upon entry into a home, they usually recite a poem about the wren and may offer some kind of performance, be it song, joke, or recitation. Often the host will offer up food, drink, or money for the visit. Unlike other house-visiting traditions, there are no disguises involved.

Recorded over one day in November of 2009, here are four slightly different versions sung and recited by five different people, all from the community of Colliers, Conception Bay.

Blair Phillips & Gay Phillips http://collections.mun.ca/u?/ich_xmas,6

Honora Skanes http://collections.mun.ca/u?/ich_xmas,1

John Ryan http://collections.mun.ca/u?/ich_xmas,3

Will Murphy http://collections.mun.ca/u?/ich_xmas,7

Granny! 'Tis Mummers!!

The province's First Annual Folklife Festival kicks off tonight with an exhibition of fine art and craft dedicated to the history and culture of Mummering.

“The Mummers Festival is a series of events taking place in late November and December which will culminate with the Mummers Parade on December 20th, ending on the grounds of The Rooms with a Christmas concert and Mummers Jam with music, dancing, and spaces for impromptu performances,” says the Province’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Officer, Dale Jarvis.

Jarvis says “The folklife festival is an opportunity for cultural exchange - a place where audiences can feel free to engage with particular traditions and their respective tradition-bearers-within a 'museum without walls' context. The folklife festival is an invitation for audiences to participate, to learn, dance, dress, move, sing, and interact with tradition-bearers and each other.”

Folklife Festival Organizer Ryan Davis says “Mummering in Newfoundland and Labrador takes on many different forms: it continues as a Christmastime house visit; it has become a type of performance for summertime Come Home Year celebrations; it’s the topic of a still-popular song; and it’s represented in art and craft.”

The Mummers Festival is being organized by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and our sponsors: The Rooms; The Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador; Memorial University; MITACS; The Friends of Victoria Park Lantern Festival; Georgestown Neighbourhood Association; Mummer's The Word; and MacPherson Elementary School.

For more information about how you can participate, volunteer and learn more about the Mummers Festival go to the festival website at www.mummersfestival.ca

For Further Information
Contact:
Ryan Davis

1-888-739-1892
info@mummersfestival.ca

ICH Update for November 2009

In this month's ICH update: the creation of Dance NL, to safeguard dance traditions and contemporary dance in Newfoundland and Labrador; and our ICH intern Jed Baker sails off to the Wooden Boat Conference and reports back.

Download the pdf at:
http://tinyurl.com/yfz38mp

Traditional Dance Night, November 25

Dust off your dancing shoes and let loose for a night of traditional jigs, reels and running the goat. Music will be provided by those darlings of Water Street (Tuesdays only) - The Auntie Crae Band (Stan Pickett, Andrew Lang, Doug Baggs and Rick West).

Folk Night happens every Wednesday night at the SHIP PUB (formerly known as the SHIP INN) on Solomon's Lane (265 Duckworth). The music goes from 9:30 pm to 12:00 am. $5 at the door.

People and Place: Realizing Potential

A lecture on people and place, and the intangible cultural heritage strategy of Newfoundland and Labrador, given by folklorist Dale Gilbert Jarvis on Thursday, November 19th, 2009, at the Cultural Tourism Conference in Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada.



Download a copy of this video at:
http://www.archive.org/details/PeopleAndPlace

The Annotated Jack: A tale of two characters, from Newfoundland, named Jack.

A romp through a tale of two "Jacks": one the hero of traditional folktales; the other a retired fisherman passing the time in his fishing stage spinning tales of his youth.

You'll find them both in Newfoundland -- like Ireland a big island anchored off a bigger continent -- populated with the descendents of Irish and English fishermen. Populated too with the stories and folktales that those settlers brought with them centuries ago, and handed down by word of mouth through the generations. In particular, you'll find folktales which usually begin like this:

"Once there were 3 brothers: Tom, Bill, and Jack. Now Tom and Bill, they were handy, they were actually able to do something. But Jack, well, all Jack could do was sit by the fire, and.."

.and we're off on a fantastical tale of derring-do starring Jack, the ne'er-do-well youngest brother. In the traditional tales, he slays giants, outwits witches, befriends every creature he meets, carries out magical feats by applying simple common sense and an innate naiveté, finds his Fortune and marries The Princess. This is Jack, the poor youngest son who unlocks the secrets of living and embraces magic as his kingdom, the unlikely big-hearted hero who undertakes impossible tasks and survives incredible adventures to ultimately live happily ever after.

The other Jack in this documentary is not mythical at all, but a very real retired fisherman living by the harbour in St. John's city: Jack Wells. This Jack and his friends spend each day together sharing memories and telling stories in his twinestore - a fisherman's shed crammed with stored nets, rope, and fishing gear. Telling stories "makes the time go quicker" they say, remembering their own impossible tasks and incredible adventures.

The stories told in Jack's twinestore are tales of fish, of falling overboard, of coiling more rope or splitting more fish than anyone, of days when the wind came up suddenly, of when the motor froze or the cod were scarce, tales of doing battle with the giants of weather and outwitting the witches of officialdom, and always in the end winning the Princess of Fish in the Kingdom of Memory. Adventures no more or less unlikely than those of the other told-about Jack who eventually finds his fortune, too.

This documentary weaves together the real and the mythical Jack, and considers the role that stories play in accompanying us through life and into retirement. In the end, as the story goes: "if they don't live happily ever after, then may all of ye"
Produced by Chris Brookes at Battery Radio in Newfoundland for RTE Radio 1's, Documentary on One.
(Photo left to right) Charlie Riall, Jack Wells, Mike Walsh

First broadcast Oct 31st 2009.
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/jack.html
Download the podcast at:
http://www.rte.ie/podcasts/2009/pc/pod-v-310109-39m07s-annotated-doconone.mp3

Talking Stick Making Workshop

The Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl is pleased to present visual artist Barb Wood for a workshop on making talking sticks. Come out and try your hand at some arts and crafts while learning to tell stories in this creative way.

Barb Wood lives in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Her paintings and craft work bring together a diverse mix of natural materials and textiles. Her artistic expression is nurtured by a strong sense of connection to the land that living in Labrador inspires. Barbara has received a number of honors for her work including the Canada 125 Award, the Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Craft (2005) from the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Labrador (2002) from the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women.

Pre-registration is required. Register with Christine Hennebury <christine@mombie.com>

Tuesday Nov. 3
7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
$20 (includes materials)

Admiralty House Museum, Mount Pearl.
Admiralty House
23 Old Placentia Road

ICH Update for October 2009

In this month's ICH Update, we look at a project to place materials from the Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive which relate to mummering traditions online, an article on the wren, the king of the birds, a note from Harbour Breton on an Iron Foot, an update on what's new with the Digital Archives Initiative, and a preview of the Place, Narrative and New Media Symposium coming up November 5th.

Download the pdf from:
http://tinyurl.com/ylsmxdj

MMaP lecture series to discuss Aboriginal Australian women

The latest installment of the Research Centre for Music, Media and Place’s lecture series will host a discussion surrounding the history and contemporary realities of indigenous Australian women.

Dr. Elizabeth MacKinlay will present on “Big Women from Borroloola: Approaching, applying and decolonising ethnomusicology in the context of Indigenous Australia” on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the MMaP Gallery, located on the second floor of the Arts and Culture Centre.

Dr. MacKinlay is senior lecturer in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, where she teaches indigenous studies, women’s studies and ethnomusicology at the University of Queensland. She will reflect on her time spent with women from the Aboriginal community at Borroloola in the South West of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia in 2008-09.

Currently undertaking research and publishing widely on a diverse range of topics such as Aboriginal women’s music, performance pedagogy, critical race theory and discourse, autoethnographic approaches and music and mothering, Dr.
MacKinlay is also the editor of the Music Education Research and Innovation (MERI) and co-editor of the Australian Journal of Music Education (AJIE).

The Canada Research Chair in Ethnomusicology, Dr. Beverley Diamond, in conjunction with the School of Music and the Department of Folklore, inaugurated this interdisciplinary lecture series in 2002-03.

Distinguished scholars from the academic community are featured in a series of presentations regarding historical and contemporary musical practices. Members of the general public, as well as the university community, are cordially invited.

For more information, please contact Kristin Harris Walsh, kharriswalsh@mun.ca

Place, Narrative & New Media Symposium

On Thursday, November 5th, 2009, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Intangible Cultural Heritage program, as part of the annual St. John’s Storytelling Festival, is organizing a half-day symposium on how new technologies are being incorporated into storytelling. Several invited speakers will detail how they are using new media or technology to tell the stories of real places.

Chris Brookes will speak about the [Here]Say, a story map of Water street that allows people to listen to stories, via cell phone, about the location they are standing in at that moment. Marlene Brooks brings us news on 3D Virtual World Storytelling, and will explain how Conne River and Cupids 400 Projects are using Second Life to preserve cultural stories of local communities. New York is only a click away: Jedediah Baker will explain how through his discussion of City Lore's City of Memories. Parks Canada is Implementing GPS based interpretation at a number of their sites and Cupids 400 will be launching an iTouch based interpretation of the 1610 archaeological site.

After brief presentations by all invited speakers, an open panel discussion of the potential of such technology, as well as some of the possible problems, will ensue. What are we able to accomplish and what would we like to be able to accomplish with these resources? How can technology help link place and story? Come see, share, and participate!

See the full symposium site at:
http://www.mun.ca/ich/resources/conferences/conf2009.php

Place, Narrative and New Media Symposium
Celestial Gallery, Johnson GEO Centre
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 1pm-4pm

Free admission to pre-registered participants.
RSVP to Jed Baker at: 737-3582, or by e-mail: jedediah.edwin.baker@mun.ca

Don't Miss The Boat: 2nd Annual Wooden Boat Conference

Summer has turned into Fall and that means October is fast approaching. Our 2nd Annual Wooden Boat Conference is taking place on October 23 - 25th. We have extended the “Early Bird Special” deadline for registration until September 30th – you can save $20 off total registration fee by taking advantage of this limited time offer. And don’t forget... members get a 10% discount! Keep in mind that area accommodations are filling up quickly – so return your completed form to address indicated ASAP - you don’t want us to ‘set sail’ without you!

To register, contact Beverley King
Project Administrator
Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador
(709) 583-2070

ALSO: We have been advised by Land and Sea that the program "Wood or Nothing" featuring Henry Vokey and the Wooden Boat Museum of NL will air on Sunday, October 18th at 12:30 PM.

Conference Agenda – October 23 – 25, 2009
Winterton, NL

Friday, October 23

1:00 PM Registration – SUF Hall

2:00 – 5:00 PM Workshops - Facilitators Jerome Canning, Aidan Penton, Wayne Vokey
Lamination
Steam Bending
Corking and Caulking
Shaping Timbers
7:00 PM Registration and Meet and Greet – SUF Hall

Saturday, October 24

8:00 – 9:30 AM Registration – Winterton Recreation Center

9:30 AM Welcoming Remarks – Frank French – Conference Chair

9:45 – 10:45 AM The Indeavour Story and the unveiling of the Indeavour Model - Robert Halliday, St. John’s

10:45 – 11:00 AM Coffee Break

11:00 – 11:45 AM The Gander River Boat (speaker to be announced)

11:45 – 12:30 PM The Canoe – Joe Goudie, Happy Valley Goose Bay

12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch

1:30 – 2:15 PM Dories – Gerald Crews, Grand Bank

2:15 – 2:30 PM Research Update – Howard Cooper

2:30 – 2:45 PM Coffee Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM For the Love of Boats – Derrick Burry, Portugal Cove – St. Phillips

3:15 – 4:30 PM Round Table Discussion – Bruce Whitelaw, Chair WBMNL
Our Accomplishments to Date
What Needs to Be Done

4:30 – 5:30 PM Museum Tour

7:00 – 8:30 PM Conference Dinner – Winterton Recreation Center
Honor our 2nd Honorary Life Membership Recipient – Boat Builder
Honor our 1st Honorary Life Membership Recipient – Model Boat Builder
Special Recognition of Major Sponsors / Donors over past year

8:30 – 12:00 PM KITCHEN PARTY – Volunteer Performers – Melvin Green, Organizer
SUF Hall – CASH BAR

Sunday, October 25

8:00 – 9:00 AM Conference Breakfast – Winterton Recreation Center

9:00 – 11:00 AM Annual General Meeting – Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador

Internship Posting: Collections Researcher

Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Job Opportunity
Canadian Heritage Young Canada Works Internship

Application Deadline: September 30, 2009

Job title: Collections Researcher
Duration: 16 weeks (Full-time, Mon-Fri)
YCW intern start date: October 5, 2009
YCW intern finish date: January 22, 2010

Salary $11.00 hourly (35 Hours per week)
Location: In and around St. John's area with some travel
Language of work: English

The Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANL) is accepting
applicants for the position of Collections Researcher.
The Collections Researcher position will include the following duties under
the direction of the Collections Management Project Coordinator:

.Photograph museum artifacts and compile and digitally format catalogue
records for selected artifacts from museum collections
.Perform onsite visits to project participants
.Liaise with museums staff and volunteers participating in the project
.Liaise with office staff and representatives of the Canadian Heritage
Information Network (CHIN) on project activities
.Other related duties as required
.Applicants must be registered on the CHIN YCW website
http://www.pch.gc.ca/ycw-jct/index-eng.cfm

Qualifications:

The successful candidate should meet the following requirements:

.Strong background in Museum Studies and/or History. The required knowledge
and skills would normally have been acquired through a Bachelor of Arts
degree
.Extensive computer skills and experience in database entry and/or
spreadsheet software
.Experience with digital photography and cameras as well as related digital
imaging software
.Strong research, writing, editing and oral communication skills
.Demonstrated ability to work both independently and in a team environment
.Strong organizational and time management skills
.Experience working with museum collections or cataloguing an asset
.Valid driver's license and access to a vehicle is required
.Travel to the Burin Peninsula and extended work in the region is required
.Access to a computer is required
.Have graduated from a college or university within the last 24 months
.Be between 16-30 years of age at the start of the employment (as per Young
Canada Works guidelines)
.Be legally entitled to work in Canada and be a Canadian Citizen, permanent
resident or have been granted refugee status in Canada
.Have a registered account on the Young Canada Works website

Three reference contacts are required, and should accompany resume

Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit the Young Canada Works
website to determine further eligibility criteria

Send Resume to:

Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
TD Place
140 Water Street, Suite 904
P.O. Box 5785
St.John's NL
A1C 5X3
Fax. 709-722-9035
Email: manl@nf.aibn.com

ICH Update for September 2009

In this month's edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Update, we focus on an oral history project in Ferryland, Newfoundland, look at mummering folklife festival planned for December 2009, learn how 16 hours of audio material from Fogo Island have been archived online, introduce you to one of our folklore interns, Jedediah Baker, and discover what is meant by the word "friar" in a geographic context. Plus, Clary Croft, folklore researcher, is set to visit Newfoundland.

Download the pdf here:
http://www.archive.org/download/IntangibleCulturalHeritageUpdateSeptember2009/ichupdate009small.pdf

Job Posting - Events Coordinator

The Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives (ANLA) is seeking to hire a co-coordinator for a series of public awareness events celebrating the 25th anniversary of ANLA. The co-coordinator position will include the following duties/responsibilities:

. Create exhibit templates, brochures and posters
. Coordinate province-wide archival events
. Compile a special edition of the ANLA Bulletin and relevant articles
. Organize a workshop about photograph interpretation
. Organize a symposium and archives fair
. Creation of material for the web as required
. Liaise with member institutions
. Other duties as required

All aspects of the project are to be completed by March 31, 2010.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will have an undergraduate degree with an interest in heritage, strong writing skills, public relations abilities, experience in event co-ordination, graphic design and website maintenance, and a knowledge of the provincial archival community.

Salary: To be discussed.

Closing date for this competition: September 15, 2009
Interested applicants should forward a resume and letter of interest to:

President
Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives
P.O. Box 23155
St. John's, NL A1b 4J9

Origin of strange cautionary tale?

I'm hoping some of you might have heard something similar to this story before.

I was speaking with a woman whose grandmother had told her a cautionary tale as a child, to keep her from slipping out of her sheets in the bed at night. The grandmother told her a story about how every night at midnight, there was an old man and an old woman who would visit the room. The woman would carry a bucket and the man would carry an axe. If they found a child whose feet poked out of the bottom of the bed, the old man would cut off the feet, and then would use the feet to make shoes for poor children.

The woman who told me the story said that her grandmother was from Louisiana originally, and had later lived in Oklahoma, and thought she was of mixed Scottish and Dutch extraction.

I'm curious if anyone recognizes any motifs in this, or has heard a version of this story. It reminds me a little of some of the Der Struwwelpeter stories by Heinrich Hoffmann (1845), and the feet getting cut off sounds a little like H.C. Andersen's Red Shoes (also 1845), but again, isn't a perfect match.

If you have any thoughts, let me know! Is this a folk belief, a literary tale, or a grandmother with a wicked sense of humour?

Email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Billy Crane Moves Away - NFB film from 1967 now online

by Colin Low, 1967, 17 min 48 s

This short documentary features Newfoundland fisherman Billy Crane, who speaks frankly on the state of the inshore fishery and how the lack of government support has contributed to the industry’s downfall. He is being forced to leave home to seek employment in Toronto.

Billy Crane Moves Away is one of 27 films made during the legendary Fogo Island Experiment of the Challenge for Change project in the late ’60s. Fogo is heralded as one of the program’s great successes. In the late ’60’s, the government of Newfoundland had unilaterally decided that the small villagers of remote Fogo should leave the island, but the people didn’t want to go. Talks had broken down, and an NFB Challenge for Change filmmaker, Colin Low, along with an academic from Memorial University, came to the island to use film as an experiment. They would film life on the island, show the footage back to the villagers and then to the government. They also filmed the bureaucrats watching and responding to the films, and then showed that back to the community.

By using film as a way to participate in mediation and dialogue between two groups who were no longer talking face-to-face, the Challenge for Change process was credited with helping all sides come up with a viable solution: the creation of a co-op fishing cannery.

http://www.nfb.ca/film/billy_crane_moves_away/

Snubbies and Salting Fish: Conversations from Fogo Island

Over 16 hours of audio interviews with residents of Fogo Island, collected over the past thirty years, is now available on-line through the Intangible Cultural Heritage Collection on Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative.

The Province’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer, Dale Jarvis says “In the 1980s and 90s, Dr. Gerald Pocius and Mark Ferguson visited different communities in Fogo Island and recorded their conversations with residents of Tilting, Joe Batt's Arm, Little Fogo Island, Barr'd Island, Shoal Bay, Seldom-Come-By, Deep Bay, Island Harbour and the Town of Fogo. They feature topics like the placement of stages, the methods for catching and cleaning fish, the community aspects of fishing, and personal anecdotes.”

“Even by the 1990s, no one had started to document the Newfoundland fish stage--the most important architectural form of our culture. I knew Fogo Island had the largest number of surviving examples, and was the logical choice to begin such a study.” says Dr. Gerald Pocius, University Research Professor, Department of Folklore

These audio interviews are available in full on the Digital Archives Initiative and provide a clear picture of the old and current ways of fisherman on Fogo Island. The materials collected vary across the wide spectrum of intangible cultural heritage. Included in the inventory is fishing premises and practices, berry picking, wedding customs, fiddling, vernacular architecture, cultural landscapes, food preparation, textile traditions, and furniture.

Memorial University’s Digital Archives Initiative can be found at
http://collections.mun.ca/

Interview with Bill Godwin, Barr'd Island - Part 1
http://tinyurl.com/BillGodwin

Bill Godwin describes a "choice fish"
http://tinyurl.com/choicefish

Top 6 Sites With Sample Oral History Interview Questions

A little while ago, I posted my Top 6 Online Guides for Folklife and Oral History Documentation. In preparing for a couple interviews I'm going to be doing, I was looking up some sample questions for basic oral history and folklore interviews, and so I thought I would post my top picks here for people who were looking for similar resources.

1. The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide
http://www.folklife.si.edu/education_exhibits/resources/guide/introduction.aspx
This is sort of cheating, because I included it in my earlier post, but it still remains an excellent resource, complete with sample questions.

2. Fifty Questions for Family History Interviews
http://genealogy.about.com/cs/oralhistory/a/interview.htm
Subtitled "What to Ask the Relative" this is a good starting list for anyone doing research on family stories, genealogy, or family traditions.

3. Oral History Questions
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson805/questions.pdf
Also a good list for people doing family oral histories, this collection of questions was compiled specifically for youth researchers.

4. Sample Interview Questions For Veterans
http://www.loc.gov/vets/questions.html
Prepared by the Library of Congress for its Veterans History Project, this is a good list of questions for people doing interviews with members and former members of the armed forces during World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars.

5. Family History Sample Outline and Questions
http://oralhistory.library.ucla.edu/familyHistory.html
This outline can be used to structure a family oral history interview and contains examples of specific questions.

6. Oral History Interview, Questions and Topics
http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/Quest.html
A list of questions that may be used when interviewing an older member of the family, prepared by the Museum of Jewish Heritage


UPDATE 19 Oct 2016 - I've added a new #6, as the Draft Oral History Interview Questions for the Fairfax County Asian American Historical Project seem to have vanished. But you can still check out their project here.

Oral History Association Launches Online Resource on Digital Technologies

The Oral History Association's website is hosting a new resource, "Oral History and Digital Technologies," http://www.oralhistory.org/technology, which provides useful information on technologies associated with the practice and preservation of oral history interviews. The resource includes detailed information and user friendly tutorials on rapidly changing technologies. Over the next few months it will grow to include information on preservation and video-recording, in addition to the digital audio information currently online.

Suggestions for specific topics and resources should be sent to Doug Boyd, Director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky Libraries: doug.boyd@uky.edu.

Dale Jarvis on the Voices of the Past Podcast

According to its website, "The purpose of the Voices of the Past netcast, podcast and accompanying website is to help inspire the advancement of heritage values in our society using the new form of communication called social media."

Director Jeff Guin writes: "With Voices of the Past, you will find a new type of journalism using the heritage preservation community as its focus. It retains the news gathering techniques and production values of traditional media as familiarized by six o’clock television news programs across the country. But it also integrates social media tools to help viewers understand how to communicate heritage values in the new Web 2.0 world."

This week, your friendly neighbourhood folklorist, Dale Jarvis, is the featured guest on the podcast, talking about how he uses social media for intangible culture heritage work and for storytelling.

Read the transcript at:
http://www.preservationtoday.com/2009/08/10/podcast-dale-jarvis-on-the-art-of-storytelling-on-the-world-wide-web/

or go directly to the MP3 at:
http://tinyurl.com/DaleJarvisVOP

Short Summer ICH Update!

The Summer 2009 edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update is now out. It is a short one, and we'll be back in September with a longer edition. In this edition:

HFNL undertakes an survey of folklore and oral history recordings in the province

SmartLabrador continues its oral history research on the Labrador Straits

Remembering Violetta Halpert

Download the pdf version of the newsletter at:
http://www.archive.org/download/IchUpdateSummer2009/ichupdate008small.pdf

Inventory of sound and video recordings in Newfoundland and Labrador repositories

Are you part of a local archive or museum that has a box of old tape recordings of community stories hidden away under someone’s desk? If you do, we want to know about it!

As a part of this year's work plan, the documentation and inventory committee of the Heritage Foundation's Intangible Cultural Heritage division is trying to find out what sound and video materials are out in the community. We are attempting to discover the extent of existing sound and video collections in Newfoundland and Labrador related to oral history, folklore and intangible cultural heritage.

HFNL is beginning with collections of recordings held by heritage organizations. Information collected in this survey will be used to help determine the scope and condition of sound and video holdings in Newfoundland and Labrador archives, museums and community collections.

Local organizations can take the survey online, using SurveyMonkey, an easy-to-use online questionnaire. You can find the survey at:

http://tinyurl.com/ICHrecordings


If you are working for an archive in the province that is a member of the Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives, you may soon get a phone call from someone who will ask you some questions about your holdings along these lines. Once we know what's out there, we can explore further actions towards preserving it and making it accessible!

For more information, contact Dale Jarvis at:
1-888-739-1892 ext 2
ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Dr. Elizabeth (Russell) Miller, Professor Emeritus, Memorial University in Bay Roberts August 16

Bay Roberts NL, July 23, 2009 – Clarence G. Mercer, Chair, Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation Inc. is pleased to announce that Dr. Elizabeth (Russell) Miller, Professor Emeritus, Memorial University, will be presenting "Uncle Mose: The Life and Times of Ted Russell" on Sunday, August 16th at 2:30 pm, in the Holdin' Ground Room, Bay Roberts Visitors’ Pavilion, Veterans' Memorial Highway near the Bay Roberts exit.

Mercer says, "The Foundation is extremely pleased that Dr. Miller, an avid supporter of our cultural project, has agreed to share her thoughts on her father’s life and literary works. Both bring us to outport Newfoundland as it existed about 60 years ago. Her presentation will be a highlight, building on this summer's Holdin' Ground Festival (www.bayrobertsevents.com)."

”The Holdin' Ground Room, surrounded with items of interest from my father's life, is the ideal setting for my presentation,” says Dr Miller. "The Room has a permanent display of Ted Russell memorabilia that was donated by our family; a display of sketches by Newfoundland artist, Sylvia Ficken, that is based on "Tales from Pigeon Inlet"; a large-size cut out of my father, when he left Coley's Point at sixteen to teach in Pass Island; a portrait of my father by Newfoundland artist, Gerry Squires; as well as a large storyboard devoted to my father's unique life story which is so tied to the history of outport Newfoundland in the pre- Confederation, Confederation, and immediate post- Confederation era."

Both Dr. Miller and her brother, Kelly Russell, have been instrumental in preserving outport Newfoundland's cultural traditions. Dr. Miller has encapsulated her father's life, times, and works in her biography, Uncle Mose: The Life of Ted Russell, and her edited collection of her father's works: The Chronicles of Uncle Mose, both published by Flanker Press. Kelly Russell is a highly respected performing traditional musician and award winning story teller. In addition, with his Pigeon Inlet Productions (www.pigeoninlet.com), he has produced a three volume CD collection for the 50th anniversary of Uncle Mose, entitled "Tales from Pigeon Inlet," as well as the works of Newfoundland traditional musicians such as Rufus Guinchard and Emile Benoit.

The Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation is devoted to the preservation of the values and traditions that make Newfoundland a holdin' ground, as depicted in Ted Russell's play of the same name. This summer, the town, with the assistance of Heritage Canada, has been sponsoring a "Holdin' Ground" Festival (www.bayrobertsevents.com) with "A Time in Pigeon Inlet," a dinner theatre (www.pigoeninlet.ca), featuring Kelly Russell, Ted's son, and the Pigeon Inlet Players, which is continuing every Saturday night until August 29th.

Mercer goes on to say, "Part of our mandate is to develop events promoting the cultural history of our municipality, region and province. Because of the great interest, more events and presentations are being planned for the future.”

For further information contact:

Clarence G. Mercer, Chair
Sandra Roach, General Manager
Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation, Inc.
Town of Bay Roberts NL A0A 1G0
Telephone: 709-683-1195
Email: sroach@pigeoninlet.ca
www.pigeoninlet.ca

Call For Proposals: July 2010 Storytelling Conference

Call for Proposals
International Perspectives on the Art and Tradition of Storytelling
Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada National Conference and AGM
Wednesday, July 28 to Sunday, August 1, 2010
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Join the Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada for a 5 day conference as part of the 400th anniversary of English settlement on the much-storied island of Newfoundland, with workshops, professional development, concerts, tours, story slam, and international symposium.
The 2010 Conference Planning Committee invites you to submit proposals for consideration in the following two categories:
1. Professional Development Workshop
2. Panel Discussion Participants

1. Professional Development Workshops (90 minutes)
Attendees at the 2009 SCCC conference listed workshops on Collecting Oral History, Newfoundland and Labrador Ballads, Stories behind the Storyteller (life stories and practical experiences of storytellers), Vocal Warmups, Storytelling and the Internet, and Storytelling in Education as their top choices for workshops for 2010. Other topics identified included Mask and/or Clown, Storytelling Techniques, Grant Writing, Press Release Writing, Stories with Music, Critiquing, Researching Stories, and Body/Movement workshops. The committee will be looking for innovative approaches, hands-on practical workshops for storytellers at different levels of their careers and workshops that will help tellers with the business of storytelling: addressing marketing, technology, and other tools for working storytellers.

Who May Apply:
We welcome proposal submissions from anyone. Presenter does not need to be a member of Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada(SC-CC). Non-members are strongly encouraged to join SC-CC if their proposal is accepted. Workshops will be funded to a total of $300 per workshop, and presenters are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and conference registration costs.

2. Panel participants - International Perspectives on the Art and Tradition of Storytelling
As part of the 2010 Conference, one day will be devoted to panel presentations on international perspectives on the art and tradition of storytelling. The morning will focus on the oral tradition of storytelling, while the afternoon will focus on contemporary performance, art and use. We are seeking representatives of national, regional, state, or provincial storytelling organizations and academic programs who would be willing to address issues of current focus or concern to their organizations or areas.

Who May Apply:
We welcome proposal submissions from anyone, though official representatives of established groups are preferred. Presenter does not need to be a member of Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada(SC-CC). Non-members are strongly encouraged to join SC-CC if their proposal is accepted. Panel participants will be given an honorarium of $50, and participants are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and conference registration costs.

Please include • a one-two paragraph description of your proposal
• a copy of your recent CV or artists profile
• complete mail, telephone and email contact information

Send to:
SCCC2010proposals@gmail.com
Deadline for submissions is September 30, 2009. Only successful applicants will be contacted, by mid November.

New on DAI: Pouch Cove Oral History

One of the recent additions to Memorial Library's Digital Archive Initiative (DAI) is the scan of the Number 17, May 2003 edition of "Regional Language Studies." The scanned journal includes a preliminary report by folklorist Elke Dettmer on the Pouch Cove Oral History Project, focussing on the Shoe Cove area. As Dettmer describes it:

"This project is an attempt to preserve a sense of the traditional life of Shoe Cove, which existed as a farming and fishing community before the Second World War. It complements the efforts of the Pouch Cove Environmental Committee over the past few years to clean up and reconstruct Shoe Cove Valley. I have specifically concentrated on the period of the 1920s and 1930s, as described to me by those people who kindly shared their memories during the Christmas Season of 1990-1991."

The full scan is available on the DAI at:
http://tinyurl.com/l28unh

The full pdf of the journal is available for download at:
http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/rlsn/RLS_V17.pdf

St. Swithin's Day Weather Lore

Happy, glorious bright sunny St. Swithin's Day (at least in St. John's).

"July 15th of each year was St. Swithin's Day and always acknowledged throughout Newfoundland," writes Newfoundland author Jack Fitzgerald in his book Ghosts and Oddities. The following weather-forecasting rhyme was often recited on the day:

St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair (or "no more" in some variants)

For details on the tradition, see the Catholic Encyclopedia at:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14357c.htm

and for a fabulous scanned text of the full St. Swithin legend, see
http://www.archive.org/details/legendofsaintswi00davi

Newfoundland also has its own St. Swithin's church, in Seal Cove, recorded on the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador's website at:
http://tinyurl.com/stswithins

Position available: Conference and Festival Planner

Employer: St. John’s Storytelling Festival Inc.

Duties:

Meet with individuals and groups to promote and discuss National Storyteller’s Conference for July 2010 and Provincial Storyteller’s Festival Fall 2010

Meet with sponsors and organizing committees to plan scope and format of events, to establish and monitor budgets and to review administrative procedures and progress of events

Co-ordinate services for events, such as accommodation and transportation for participants, conference and other facilities, catering, signage, displays, translation, special needs requirements, audio-visual equipment, printing and security

Organize registration of participants, prepare programs and promotional material, and publicize events

Plan entertainment and social gatherings for participants

Train and supervise volunteers required for the events.

Educational Requirements
A university degree or college diploma in business, tourism or hospitality administration would be an asset.

Several years of experience in hospitality or tourism administration or in public relations would be an asset.


Salary
This is a full time position.
APPLICANTS MUST BE E.I. ELIGIBLE, OR MUST HAVE BEEN IN RECEIPT OF EI WITHIN THE PAST THREE YEARS, OR HAVE RECEIVED MATERNITY BENEFITS WITHIN THE PAST FIVE YEARS, AS STATED IN THE REQUIREMENTS FOR JCP FUNDING.

***********THIS POSITION IS PENDING JCP FUNDING APPROVAL***************

Deadline: July 22th, 2009
Position Duration: Approximately one year, from October 2009-October 2010

How to apply:

Send cover letter and resume to
Mary Fearon
41 New Cove Road
St. John’s, NL
A1A 2B9

Top 6 Online Guides for Folklife and Oral History Documentation

I've had a few requests lately for guidebooks or information on running folklore, folklife, and oral history field documentation projects. Here are my top six picks of the week:

1. FOLKLIFE AND FIELDWORK: A Layman's Introduction to Field Techniques
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/fieldwork/
Available online, broken down into chapters, or also as a full pdf you can download and print

2. Oral History Centre Tutorials
http://oralhistorycentre.ca/tutorials
A collection of informative articles and instructional tutorials containing resources such as software and hardware training, oral history guidelines and best practices.

3. Step-by-Step Guide to Oral History
http://dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/oralHistory.html

4. The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide
http://www.folklife.si.edu/education_exhibits/resources/guide/introduction.aspx
Excellent resource, complete with sample questions

5. New Zealand Guide to Recording Oral History
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/handsonhistory/oral-history

6. Style Guide for Transcribing Oral History
http://www.baylor.edu/oralhistory/index.php?id=931752

photo: Ronald White spins a yarn, Stephenville, 2016. photo by Dale Jarvis

The Queen of Paradise's Garden

"The Queen of Paradise's Garden captures Newfoundland's rich storytelling tradition with perfect pitch. Darka Erdelji's quirky illustrations hint at the European origins of these tales, while Andy Jones' comic narrative is steeped in the music of Newfoundland English." --Janet McNaughton, author of The Raintree rebellion and An Earthly Knight

Published by Running the Goat Books & Broadsides
Designed by Veselina Tomova

For more information visit www.andyjonesproductions.com OR www.runningthegoat.com

Camera provided by The Women's Film Festival
www.womensfilmfestival.com

Building a Rodney Workshops

Master Boat Builder, Jerome Canning, will be offering one day workshops at
the Wooden Boat Museum in Winterton:

Workshop #1 The Backbone
Workshop #2 The Backbone
Workshop #3 Setup and Frames
Workshop #4 Setup and Frames
Workshop #5 Setup and Frames
Workshop #6 Planking
Workshop #7 Planking
Workshop #8 Fitting out the Hull

Workshop #1 will be begin on Saturday, July 11, 2009, and run each Saturday
until August 29, 2009. Cost per workshop is $60.00. Members receive a 10%
discount.

For further information or to register, please call 709-583-2070 or email
bkingheritage@gmail.com.

Demonstrations will be held each Friday at the Museum from 2:00 - 5:00 pm. Topics to include Three Piece Mold Demonstration, Half Model Demonstration, Steaming Timber, Corking and many more. For more information call the Museum at (709) 583-2044

Metis artisan Albert Biles

Metis artisan Albert Biles will be the artist-in-residence at the Labrador Gallery in Wild Things for the summer and fall of 2009.

Albert is renowned for his work in whale bone and antler, and almost every major gallery and collection in Newfoundland and Labrador includes some of his work. Albert will be hosting a small exhibition featuring some of his latest and most innovative pieces at a reception at Wild Things on June 25 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Following the reception, Albert will be taking up the position of Artist-in-Residence at the Labrador Gallery in Wild Things. On select days during the summer and fall, folks will be able to meet Albert as he works on ivory, baleen, whale bone, soapstone, antler, and other natural media of Newfoundland and Labrador.

For a cultural adventure celebrating ancient art and form in the 21st century visit Albert at The Labrador Gallery in Wild Things, 124 Water Street (709) 722-3123. Better yet, meet Albert at our reception (June 25 from 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) and have a glass of wine and sample some pitsik from Northern Labrador.

Hobby Horses

We are working on some updates to the new Memorial Intangible Cultural Heritage website (http://www.mun.ca/ich/home/) and we've borrowed a vintage hobby horse from Chris Brookes to photograph.

See some of the photos of the said horse on Flickr at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalejarvis/sets/72157619739633905

Heather Patey snapped this photo of the Hobby Horse in the wild (at the NL Folk Festival in Bannerman Park) at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hpatey/2376120352/in/pool-969809@N21

What is a Hobby Horse, you ask? This from the Dictionary of Newfoundland English:
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/dictionary/

hobby horse n also hobby horse and bull. Cp OED ~ 2 'in the morris-dance, and on the stage ... a figure of a horse ... fastened about the waist of one of the performers' (1557-1821); EDD ~ 1: 'a hobby-horse is carried through the streets [of Padstow]' Co. See also HORSY-HOPS. A figure of a horse carried by mummers during Christmas festivities. [1583 (1940) Gilbert's Voyages and Enterprises ii, 396 Besides for solace of our people, and allurement of the Savages, we were provided of Musike in good variety: not omitting the least toyes, as Morris dancers, Hobby horsse, and Maylike conceits to delight the Savage people.] 1893 Christmas Greetings 19 There were hobby horses, men, women, and I don't know what else, with the most outrageous masks and costumes I have ever seen. 1895 PROWSE 402 Each company [of fools or mummers] had one or more hobby-horses, with gaping jaws to snap at people. [1917] 1969 Christmas Mumming in Nfld 175 A weird figure bearing the head of a horse, nodding and gesticulating wildly to his companions ... paraded Water Street ... the oddly garbed figures meanwhile capering in amusing fashion around the hobby-horse—as I found the centre figure was called. M 65-5 In St Philips people sometimes dress up as a hobby-horse, one in front and one in the back. The one in front puts on a horse's head and the one behind has a blanket. The head is carved out of wood and the jaws work on strings. These hobby-horses chase everyone who is not a janny and are considered to be a nuisance. They frighten children and if you let them in the house they would turn the place upside down, turning over chairs, etc. These hobby-horses were ugly creatures and they had horns on their heads to make them look like the devil. When they had horns they were called hobbyhorse-and-bull. T 265-662 Hobby horse they used to call it. There'd be two people stoop down, and they put a big blanket over them, and they'd be walking off like an animal. C 71-116 The jannies make what they call a 'hobby horse.' They have the head of a horse, cow, or moose with a piece of canvas attached to it. About six men get under the canvas. They put nails or something like that in the mouth to make a clacking noise. They put sticks or something in the head so that they can turn it and open and close the mouth. Then this fierce looking thing goes around to the different houses.

Arnold's Cove Jack Boat

Last week, I went out with Bruce Whitelaw of the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador to the town of Arnold's Cove to look at a boat they are hoping to save. The Winnie and Eric, a jack boat with a long history with the area, has been donated to the Town. Bruce had a preliminary look at the vessel, and we are planning on heading back to Arnold's Cove to do detailed measurements, and some oral history interviews on the history of the boat.

If you know anything about the boat, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Set of Jack boat pictures on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalejarvis/sets/72157619822996254/

More on the boat museum:
http://tinyurl.com/nbmn5u

Downtown Story Map Launches

Hear about Here: [HERE]SAY Water Street Project launches June 19th

St. John's is a landscape not only of streets and buildings, but of human experience -- this is what makes up the unique character of our city. The place is full of stories, but they’re usually kept inside the heads of those of us who live here. That is about to change.

Most city maps provide a satellite view or a graphic layout of the street grid. [HERE]SAY is something new: a story map.
It features personal stories set in specific locations in the Downtown.

As of June 19th, strollers on Water Street will find [HERE]SAY signs on 26 light poles. Each sign will display a phone number and a 3-digit code. Pedestrians will be able to dial the number on their mobile phone, punch in the code, and hear a story about the very spot where they are standing. St. John’s residents have contributed more than forty personal Water Street memories.

The map may also be accessed online at www.heresay.ca

The unusual project is created by Chris Brookes and Dale Jarvis with designer Mike Mouland, and is affiliated with the Toronto-based oral history project [murmur].

The project will be officially launched at Bianca’s Lounge, 171 Water Street on June 19th between 5-7 pm.
The public is invited.

For further information contact
Dale Jarvis: storytelling@nf.sympatico.ca
or Chris Brookes: 709-576-0359

Facebook event listing at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109677097929&ref=nf

The Best Small-Boat Seamen in the Navy

In concert with Dr. David Parsons, Admiralty House Museum is hosting the book launch of The Best Small-Boat Seamen in the Navy, written by W. David Parsons and Ean J. Parsons and published by DRC Publishers. The book chronicles the Newfoundland Division of the Royal Naval Reserve between 1900 and 1922.

This event will be held Thursday June 11 between 5:00-7:00pm. There will be no charge for admission.

http://www.admiraltymuseum.ca/

CRANKY - Film Release

The World Premiere of the new film CRANKY is on Tuesday June 9th at 6 pm EST / 7:30 pm NL time and 7 pm PT on the CBC documentary Channel. CRANKY is part of documentary's Freeview offerings; if you have a digital box or satellite you can see documentary without having to subscribe.

CRANKY is an endearing story of three teams competing to be local champions in an open sea race like no other in North America. The Great Fogo Island Punt Race to There and Back is not a challenge for the faint of heart. Success is as much personal endurance as it is ocean-savvy strategy. But the wild card this year might be a new punt built by one of the team members especially for the race. It's a little tippy - or "cranky" as the locals call it - and just might give the boys from Change Islands the advantage. But then again - it is never just a punt that wins a race.

Shot against the dramatic and beautiful backdrop of Fogo Island and Change Islands off Newfoundland and Labrador, the film is also a poignant look at an island way of life and a seafaring culture that has changed little over the centuries.

See the trailer at www.CrankyTheFilm.ca

Doctoral Research on Coming Out Stories

A PhD student in the Memorial Folklore Department is looking for people to interview as part of her dissertation work. See below:

Hello!
My name is Sarah Moore and I am pursuing a doctoral degree in Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland. My thesis focuses on the stories that LGBT persons tell about their experiences in coming out and how coming out stories may change at various times in their life. I am looking to collect these stories in order to better understand narrative and the telling of coming out stories by Newfoundlanders. Are you interested in talking to me? Interviews will be audio recorded, but may be anonymous if you wish. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,
Sarah Moore

Email: sarahmoore1@hotmail.com

Phone: 743-5889

Mi'kmaw Oral History Project Underway

The Federation of Newfoundland Indians has teamed up with Memorial University this summer to index and digitize oral history interviews on traditional land use conducted by FNI a decade ago. Two Mi'kmaw students - Christopher Crocker and Tyler Duhart - have been hired and trained by Janice Esther Tulk of the Mi'kmaq College Institute (Cape Breton University) to catalogue these interviews in a comprehensive database, making this important body of traditional knowledge searchable for future FNI, community, educational, and research purposes. Once the database is complete, Christopher and Tyler will begin digitizing some 682 90-minute cassette tapes to preserve the data contained on them for the future.

The many ways in which this material might be used in the future is not yet fully known; however, it is anticipated they will be of great interest to the Mi'kmaw community given their information on medicines and traditional remedies, best hunting and berry-picking grounds, harvesting practices for various seafood, Mi'kmaw placenames, and the location of burial and other sacred grounds. The information contained in these interviews may also be of use in genealogical studies and the compilation of family histories. But most importantly, the voices of Elders now passed away and the voices of community leaders of the future have been captured for the years to come.

Anyone interested in learning more about this initiative is invited to contact Janice Esther Tulk at janice_tulk@cbu.ca.

ICH Update for June 2009

In this month's edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update, ethnomusicologist Dr. Beverley Diamond wins the prestigious Trudeau Fellowship, Diana Quinton helps communities tell their local stories, the Town of Placentia salutes one of its living treasures (and my favourite eel trapper) Mr Freeman Upshall, an 18-year-old Labrador student wins a Women's Institute scholarship with an essay on local heritage, notes on a meal of fish from the Great Northern Peninsula, and those fences keep on wrigglin'!

The monthly intangible cultural heritage newsletter of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador can be downloaded from:

http://tinyurl.com/mkapp6

Looking for information on Luke Gaulton

Recorded at the Arts and Culture Centre, St. John's, Newfoundland, circa 1991. If anyone has any information on this man, or where he is from, please let me know.