yuri yunakov, - new york folklore · 2018-11-14 · crandall (1964–2011) fall–winter 2011...

Yuri Yunakov,National Heritage Fellow

Rhetoric of Italian American Identity

Roman Turovsky-Savchuk and Ukrainian Folk Music

Remembering Jean Crandall(1964–2011)

Fall–Winter 2011Volume 37: 3–4

The Journal ofNew York Folklore

From the EditorThe present issue of Voices reflects in large part upon ethnic iden-tity in New York. In “Ethnicity, Nostalgia, Affirmation: The Rhet-oric of Italian American

Identity,” Michael Buonanno examines, with poetic eloquence, some of the tropes of speech and story which helped to shape what it was, and is, to be Italian American in, and beyond, the community in which he was raised. Mu Li focuses with fascination upon activities Jewish Americans customar-ily engage in upon the Christian holiday of Christmas, especially eating out at Chinese restaurants. Frank Campagna (“Field Note”) remembers a traditional Italian folk story passed down in his family, and what the story offers to an understanding of how best to treat elders in their later, vulnerable years. Pete Rushefsky and Ethel Raim share the story of Bulgarian Romani saxophonist Yuri Yunakov’s career and celebrate his receipt of the NEA National Heritage Fellowship. Ukrainian American lutenist, composer, and painter Roman Turovsky-Savchuk explains the development of his engagement with Ukrainian music and musical genres, in life as well as in cyberspace, in “Dialogues with Time.” We revisit the New York Folklore Society’s Annual 2011 “Legends and Tales” Conference proceedings via a report by Lisa

the varieties of musical expression found along and encouraged by the Erie Canal, both past and present. “Music of the Erie Canal” will offer scholarly presentations as well as the performance and presentation of music. Partnering with the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, the conference will involve multiple venues and diverse op-portunities to present the musical history of the Erie Canal. Please visit our website, www.nyfolklore.org/progs/cfp-eriemusic.html, for the Call for Proposals and for additional information for attendance.

A new program for the Society, the gradu-ate student conferences have been held at New York University (2010) and Bingham-ton University (2011). On February 7, 2013, the Society will hold its third graduate stu-dent conference at the Westchester County Arts Council in White Plains, New York, in collaboration with the Westchester County Arts Council. Please continue to check our website for updates regarding the theme and a call for student work.

Finally, the New York Folklore Society is pleased to announce that it will be convening a statewide youth conference on Latino dance in 2013. Supported by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, this Latino Dance Conference will invite several youth dance troupes and their leaders to two to three days of workshops and performances exploring the connections between Latino dance traditions from several countries. Youth participants will have the opportunity to share their traditional dance styles with other interested youth and will have the opportunity to present their group’s work in a public presentation. Dance leaders will receive professional development training on the organizational aspects of dance troupes. Designed with the goal to provide encouragement for traditional dance in New York State, the weekend should be both fun and informative for the student attendees.

The New York Folklore Society continues its mission of education and encouragement of traditional arts and culture in New York. Please join us in our work!

Ellen McHale, Ph.D., Executive DirectorNew York Folklore Society

[email protected]

VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

As an organization, the New York Folk-lore Society has sup-ported regular oppor-tunities for profes-sional development and convening on specific topics. Since its founding in 1944,

the Society has annually supported at least one conference for the exploration of topics of relevance to the collecting and study of folklore in New York State. In our early years, the Society supported both a fall meeting which was held outside of the New York tri-State region and a spring meeting which was held in New York City. The spring meeting eventually was halted, but the fall meeting has been ongoing since our first fall meeting held in Cooperstown in 1945. In 2010–2011, the Society embarked on two new conference formats: a gradu-ate student conference which showcases student work and the New York State Folk Arts Roundtable, a professional develop-ment opportunity, initiated by the Folk Arts Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, which for several years was organized with the assistance of the Cul-tural Resources Council of Syracuse and Onondaga County. In 2011, the New York Folklore Society became the convening organization for the New York State Folk Arts Roundtable.

Within the next several months, the New York Folklore Society will be offer-ing a variety of new opportunities for the presentation of research and the explora-tion of folklore in New York State. On November 2–3, 2012, in collaboration with the Erie Canal Museum and with support from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the New York Folklore Society will be presenting a symposium about

From the Director

“The absence of models, in literature as in life, to say nothing of painting, is an occupational hazard for the artist, simply because models in art, in behavior, in growth of spirit and

intellect—even if rejected—enrich and enlarge one’s view of existence.”––Alice Walker, In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Womanist Prose (1983), p. 4.

continued on page 2

1Fall–Winter 2011, Volume 37:3–4Fall–Winter 2011, Volume 37: 3–4 1

Features 3 Ethnicity,Nostalgia,Affirmation: TheRhetoricof ItalianAmericanIdentity by Michael Buonanno

11 DialogueswithTime by Roman Turovsky-Savchuk

16 YuriYunakov:2011NationalHeritageFellow by Pete Rushefsky and Ethel Raim

24 FollowSpot:GrowingtheRanks by Kristen Andresen

27 JewishActivitiesonChristmas:AnOnlineCaseStudy by Mu Li

36 EssereVecchiéBrutto by Frank Campagna 38 AReportfromanEmbroiderers’Gathering by Ellen McHale and Lisa Overholser 42 TheNewYorkFolkloreSocietyFeatures “LegendsandTales”atIts2011AnnualConference by Lisa Overholser

Departments and Columns 10 NurorAsian:AsianAmericanArtsinNewYork by Andrea Louie 14 Upstate by Varick A. Chittenden

15 Downstate by Steve Zeitlin 20 InMemoriam:JeanCrandall by Eileen Condon, Elena Martínez, and Hanna Griff-Sleven

23 Play by John Thorn

26 GoodSpirits by Libby Tucker

34 StillGoingStrong by Paul Margolis

35 ViewfromtheWaterfront by Nancy Solomon

41 Songs by Dan Milner

44 Reviews

24

ContentsFall–Winter 2011

Cover: Yuri Yunakov at Lincoln Center. The National Heritage Fellow of 2011 is profiled on p. 16. Photograph by Richard Conde. Courtesy of Center for Traditional Music and Dance Archive.

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2 VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

byAndreaLouie.Inupcomingissues,twowriterswillpenthiscolumninalternation:AndreaLouieandNicoDaswani,bothof NewYork’sAsianAmericanArtsAlliance(www.aaartsalliance.org).Finally,withsorrow,butwithasharedgratitudeforhavingknownher,threeof Poughkeepsie-basedfolkloristJeanD.Crandall’s close friends reflect onJean’s lifeandlegacy infolklore,sinceheruntimelypassinginNovember.

Eileen CondonAcquisitions Editor

New York Folklore [email protected]

Fall–Winter 2011 · Volume 37: 3–4

Acquisitions EditorEileenCondonCopy EditorPatriciaMasonAdministrative Manager LaurieLongfieldDesignMaryBethMalmsheimerPrinterEastwoodLitho

Editorial BoardVarickChittenden,LydiaFish,José Gomez-Davidson,HannaGriff-Sleven,NancyGroce,LeeHaring,BruceJackson,ChristopherMulé,LibbyTucker,KayTurner,DanWard,SteveZeitlin

Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore ispublishedtwiceayearbytheNewYorkFolkloreSociety,Inc.129JayStreetP.O.Box764Schenectady,NY12301

New York Folklore Society, Inc.Executive DirectorEllenMcHaleFolkloristLisaOverholserGallery ManagerLaurieLongfieldWeb AdministratorPattiMasonVoice(518)346-7008Fax (518)346-6617Web Sitewww.nyfolklore.org

Board of DirectorsPresident GabrielleHamiltonVice President ElenaMartínezPast President PaulMercerSecretaryDelcyZiacFoxTreasurer JessicaScheinPaulineAdema,KarylEaglefeathers,EllenFladger,AnnaMulé,ChristopherMulé,ConnieSullivan-Blum,LibbyTucker,KayTurner,ThomasvanBuren

Advertisers:Toinquire,pleasecalltheNYFS(518)346-7008orfax(518)346-6617.

TheNewYorkFolklore Society is committed toproviding serviceswith integrity, in amanner thatconveysrespectforthedignityof theindividualsandcommunities theNYFS serves, aswell as for theircultures,includingethnic,religious,occupational,andregionaltraditions. Theprogramsandactivitiesof theNewYorkFolk-loreSociety,andthepublicationof Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore,aremadepossibleinpartbyfundsfromtheNewYorkStateCouncilontheArts. Voices: The Journal of New York FolkloreisindexedinArts & Humanities Citation IndexandMusic Indexandabstracted inHistorical Abstracts andAmerica: History and Life. Reprintsof articlesanditemsfromVoices: The Journal of New York FolkloreareavailablefromtheNYFS.Call(518)346-7008orfax(518)346-6617.

ISSN0361-204X©2012byTheNewYorkFolkloreSociety, Inc.Allrightsreserved.

VoicesisavailableinBrailleandrecordedversions.CalltheNYFSat(518)346-7008.

From the Editor (continued)

Overholser, andEllenMcHale and LisaOverholser describe the Society’s three-day,two-stateEmbroiderers’GatheringinIthacainNovember2011,thankstoagrantfromtheMidAtlanticFolkArtsOutreachProject.Voices ispleased to reprintanes-peciallynoteworthyarticlefromInside Arts,thepublicationof theAssociationforPer-formingArtsPresenters(APAP):KristenAndresen’saccountof thehistoricfoundingof WOCA—Womenof ColorintheArts,at last year’s APAP conference inNewYorkCity. Voicesalsowelcomesitsnewestcolumn, “NurorAsian: Asian AmericanArts inNewYork,”written for this issue

3Fall–Winter 2011, Volume 37:3–4

T he Italiandiaspora, in all its variousmanifestations, is characterizedby a

profoundsenseof ethnicidentity.Evenforthoseof uswhodon’t speak the language,there is aparticular realitybornof SundaydinnersatGrandmother’s,thesoundof Ital-ian—ormorelikelySicilian,Neapolitan,Cal-abrian,oranotherof theItaliandialects—atthekitchentable,andtheinnumerablestoriesthatweheardthere:storiesof thepeoplebackhomeinItalyandstoriesof thepeoplejustdown the street.Therewas theparticularlygluttonousBenedictineintheoldcountrywhogavegnocchiitsnickname,stranga lu prev(stran-glethepriest),whenhechokedtodeathonit.Andtherewasthewomandownthestreetwho,upsetatherhusband’sextravagance(in-doorplumbing),nicknamedtheunhappymanBagnarol (Bathtub)—onlytodiscoveronedaythatherownnicknamewasMoglie di Bagnarol(Wifeof Bathtub).Therewas themythicalItalianwhocrossedtheDelawarewithGeorgeWashington;uponhearingWashingtonswear,“Che cazzu freddu,”(roughly,“I’mfreezingmynutsoff,”),hejoyfullyexclaimed,“Ma, tu sei italiano!”(“Oh,butyou’reItalian!”).Inmy interviewswithmembers of the

SenecaNation between 2000 and 2003, Isometimesheard the complaint thatwhennon-nativesborrowNativeAmericanreligioustraditions, theyoversimplify them,makingthemseemtrivialorsuperficial.Apersonhastohavegrownupintheculturetounderstandthenuancesof thereligion,someSenecasay,

becausethecultureisthesoilthatnurturesthereligionandmakesitbloom.Theydomakeapoint.Thereisarealitytobeingimmersedinasingularculturalenvironmentthatplacesastamponone’slife.Suchimmersiondoesnotdefineindividualsinallof theircomplex-ity,butbyrefiningtheirsenseof affiliationand the rights, obligations, andmeaningsthatresidethere,itorientsindividualstotheworldatlarge.Thecontinuingrelevanceof thisorienta-

tion,however—particularlyforanimmigrantcommunitythatisnolongerregeneratedbysignificantmovementfromthehomecountryandissubjecttosignificantpressuretoassimi-late—issometimesdifficulttodefine.Aswithallimmigrantcommunities,asharedhistoryinanothercountry,storiesof themigrationitself,andthescrambletomakealivingandbuildcommunitiesinthehostcountrybecamecentralfeaturesof ItalianAmericanidentity,whereverandwhenever itdevelops.Butallof theseelementsof sharedexperiencearesteepedinaprocessof communicationthatrepresentsandre-representstheminarhetoricof identity that hinges upon at least threecrucialconcepts:ethnicity,nostalgia,andaf-firmation.Itisinthisrhetoric,Ibelieve,thatthecontinuingrelevanceof ItalianAmericanidentityissituated.

Rhetorical Theory in Cultural Studies and FolkloreMarcelDanesisuggeststhatmetaphor—

perhaps thecentralfigureof speech in thearsenalof rhetoricalstrategies—isoneplacewhere the Sapir-Whorf hypothesisworks,pointingout that “metaphor shapes realitybecause it springs fromour experienceof reality.”HereDanesi isunderliningamajorfunctionof rhetoric:“Consider theexpres-sion,”hecontinues,“Johnisamonkey.ThetopicinthiscaseisapersonnamedJohnandthevehicle theanimalknownasamonkey.Portraying John as amonkey forces us toimagineahumanperson insimianterms....Like the spell put onpeople by shamans,peoplebecomewhatourmetaphorssaytheyare”(Danesi2004,147). Metaphor,then, isnotsimplyarhetoricalflourish;itisamecha-nismforconstructingreality.Butmetaphorisjustonetinynoduleof rhetoric.Whatof theotherunitsof rhetoricalanalysis?Thereareanynumberof tropesbeyondmetaphor:metonymy, synecdoche, pun, antonomasia,and—oneof my favorites—cryptonymy, afigurewhichseekstorevealthroughconceal-ment(AbrahamandTorok1986,132), justtonamea few.Therearealso innumerablespeechacts:hyperbole,litotes,antinomy.Andthen there are tones—essentially genresof speech—toconsider:sarcasm,irony,consola-tion,threat.Whetherdealingwithtropes,speechacts,

ortones,rhetoricentailsthemobilizationorredeploymentof linguisticformulasinordertoimplysomethingmorethanthemeredeno-tativevalueof anutterance.Phoneticscanbe

BY MICHAEL BUONANNO

Ethnicity, Nostalgia, Affirmation: The Rhetoric of

Italian American Identity


Lucia and Alessandro in their flower garden. All photos courtesy of the author.

usedtosuggestdifferentclassaffiliation:intheearlyhistoryof theMassachusettsBayColony,forinstance,omittingthefinalrinwordstoemulate theprivileged accentof thehomecountry.Theartfuluseof morphemescanoffer anutterancevarious suggestivequali-ties: for instance, themorphological form,-ercanbeaddedto thenameof apoliticalgroupinordertosuggestadegreeof fringeideology(JohnBircher,Birther).Alteringtheintonationpatternof awordcaninsinuateadifferentmeaningof thetermthangenerallyintended;likewise,thegrammaticalenviron-mentof awordcangiveawordaconnotativeratherthandenotativevalue:“Iseethelight,”forinstance,ratherthan“Turnonthelight.”Therecanevenbegesturalcuesorspecificsocialsettingsthatmightalterthenormativeunderstandingof a communication: thinkaboutthesignificanceof thestatement,“Youlookgorgeousinthatoutfit,”if thespeakerrollshisorhereyeswhilesayingit.Within the context of ItalianAmerican

rhetoric, blaséAmerican-style pronuncia-

tionof Italianwordsmayillustratealackof interest inItalianidentity:myauntshockedmeonetimewhenshenonchalantlyutteredanunaccented stess cos (same thing)with ashrugof theshouldersinsteadof theusualstessa cosa.Theartfuluseof metonymy—thesignificationof someonebyanitemcloselyassociatedwithhimorher—allowedbothBagnarolandMoglie di Bagnaroltheirnicknames;infact,itprovidedthenicknamesthatnearlyeveryoneinthecommunitycarried.Animalmetaphors,suchasthosediscussedbyDanesi,werearichsourceof therhetoricalflourishesthatcharacterizedhumorinmycommunity.I—likemanyItalianAmericans—hadinmyyouththetermciuccio (Americanizedaschooch,literallydonkey,butfigurativelystubbornandevendim-witted)hurledatmeliberally.Thetermwas rendereddoublypoignant inmycommunitywhenonewomanwhohadlosttrackof thelengthof herpregnancy,startedtoapproach,byhercalculation,thefourteenthmonth, the gestation period of a donkey,and—as if to confirm the satiricwarnings

of theladiesof thecommunitythatshewasgoing to givebirth to adonkey—shegavebirth,infact,toperhapsthemostinfamousscemu—dunce—theneighborhoodeverknew.Inthecontextof myupbringing,thisanimalmetaphorisevocativenotonlyof obstinateandfoolhardyyouth,butalsoof growingupinacontextsomewhatoutsidethemainstreamof Americansociety.Whenlanguage—andthenonverbalcom-

munication that surrounds it—is exploredrhetorically,analysismovesbeyondthatwhichismerelyinformativetothatwhichiscultur-ally charged.Rhetorical analysis considerslanguagethatservesnotsimplytocommuni-cateculturalrealities,butasDanesisuggests,toconstructsuchrealitiesandindoingso,Iwouldadd,toestablishidentity.Infact,Ithinkdissectingtherhetoricalstructureof culturetochartitseffectonidentityisessential,becausethisanalysisdrawsattentiontothecontestednatureof culture:tothefactthatcultureexistsonly in itsnegotiationandrenegotiationbyactualflesh-and-bloodmembersof asociety.


It is through this contestation that culturalidentity—the actual locus, or place,whereculture is situated—emerges. The reasonthat rhetoric is the crux, even the crucible,of identity is this: identitymustbe learnedand then displayed through communica-tion.Rhetoric—viewed as thedeploymentof verbal, behavioral, and evenmaterialsymbols—becomesthefilterthroughwhichcommunicationrendersidentitylegible.Buthere’stheproblemwithapplyingrhe-

toricaltheorytoculturalanalysesandexplor-ing, inturn,therelationshipof cultureandidentity:rhetoricasadisciplinehashistoricallybeensounwieldy!Whatexactlyarethemeta-phorsorsymbolicequivalenciesthatrhetoricisolates?Andwhere are their definitions?Whatfollows,then,isaselectionof rhetoricaldevicesIhavefoundinmyexaminationof ItalianAmericanculture—partlyasaresultof myownlife’sexperiencesandpartlyasaresultof formalfieldwork—anditssignificanceinestablishing(ornot)anItalianAmericaniden-tity.Ihavenotattemptedtoofferasystematictreatmentof thesedevices,andinfactIamunsurewhetheracompletelysystematictreat-mentiscalledfororevenpossible,butIhaveattemptedtoorganizemyobservationswithrecoursetothreemajorsubsetsof rhetoricaldevicesthatrecurinItalianAmericanculturaltraditionandseemtoeffectthetranslationof asocietalculturetoitsindividualmembers:(1) tropes, inwhichone thing—through anumberof technicaloperations—standsfororsymbolizessomethingelse,(2)speechacts,inwhichthegrammaticalorganizationof anutterance serves to imply somethingmorethan is explicitly stated—DeborahTannendescribesthisasa“metamessage”—and(3)tones,inwhicheverydayspeechpatternsorgenresof speechservetomobilizeanemotiveresponsetoanutterance.Whenviewedthroughthelensof suchrhe-

toricaldevices,cultureworksverymuchlikeawiki:everyoneinthesocietyhasaneditorialrole,anabilitytoparticipateinthedialoguethat is ultimately culture, but the dialogueitself—thecultureproper—residesinnoone.Itexceedstheindividual,butatthesametime,itinformstheindividual,foritgivesvoicetowhatwouldotherwisebeinchoateinforma-

tionandallowsrhetorictoexpressnotsimplyitselfbutalsotheself.

Ethnicity: A Peculiar Antinomy“Why,whatmakesyouthinkthatweknow

anything about that?”Maria askedwhen ItoldherIwasheretotalktoheraboutherexperienceswiththeevileye.Thatwasabitof a shocking response.Here Iwas, dili-gentlybeginningmyfieldworkintheItalianAmerican community, and the friendwhohad broughtme toVincenzo andMaria’shousehadassuredmethatthecouplekneweverythingtherewastoknowabouttheevileye.Now,Iwasnotmorethanfiveminutesintomyproject,andIhadalreadyoffendedmyinformants.Ilookedoveratmyfriend,buthejustglancedabouttheroomabstractedly.ThemomentarydiscomfortthatIfelt,how-

ever,ledmetoanearlyrecognition:someof myinformantswereinthehabitof denyingcertainelementsof theirownculture.Thisrecognition ledme to a strategy—one thatwas,infact,requestedbyafewof myinfor-mants—of maintainingapolicyof anonymity.Ibegantousepseudonymsinmyfieldnotesandthearticlesthatresultedfromthemandtohidethelocations(generallysmalltownsandevensmallerneighborhoods)wheremyinterviewstookplace.Iwasevenreticenttogiveexactdates,asIwasworkinginverysmallcommunitieswherepeople couldbe easilyidentified.Ihavefoundthepolicyof anonym-ityhelpfulinalleviatinganxietyamongsomeItalianAmericanswhoworriedthatprofessingabelief intheevileyecouldopenthemuptoareprimandfromtheparishpriestorridiculefrommembersof thelargersociety.What I learned fromVincenzo andMa-

ria—who,despitetheirinitialdisclaimer,didseemtojustifyallmyfriend’sconfidenceinthem—wasthatthebelief inmalocchio,ortheevileye,quicklyadapteditself toanAmericanlandscape,andwhatwasonceamultifacetedbelief system—withdifferentvariationsforeach of Italy’s disparate regions–becamehomogenized.Thebelief became,inessence,ItalianAmerican and took on a localizedfunction: negotiating Italian Americans’status asoutsider tomainstreamAmericansociety.Overandagain,thedescriptionsof

the cursed—thosewho actually gave theevil eye—seemed to stress theobstacles tosuccessful acculturation: the strega (witch),characteristicallyareclusivewomanwhowasnevergoingtoadjusttoanewsociety,andthejettatore(sorcerer),characteristicallyapowerfulmanwho,oncehegainedhisownpositioninthenewsociety,actedtoguarditjealously.If apersonhadbeenlookeduponwithinvidia(envy)byastregaora jettatore—myinformantsusedbothof thosewords—heorshewouldsicken.Apersistentheadache,anaggingpain,an upset stomach, even impotence—as if fertilityandgenerationweremetaphoricallyevocativeof forwardmomentum—werecon-tinuouslyseenasevidenceof havingattractedtheenviousglanceof thestregaorjettatore.Theentirebelief system,whichthephrase

malocchioconjured,wassteepedinwhatoneof myinformantsjokinglyreferredtoasbecom-ingwhite—thatis,makingitinwhatItaliansalmostimmediatelyrecognizeduponarrivinginAmericaasaraciallychargedsociety.Spe-cifically,heclaimedthatevileyewas“some-thingwebelievedinbeforewewerewhite”(Buonanno1984, 39).Here, a troublesomeaspectof ItalianAmericancultureemerges:thefearof beingincludedintheunderclassof thehost society,catapultingcertainseg-mentsof ItalianAmericansociety(neverthemajority,butnonethelessavisibleminority)to embrace the racism that agitated socialrelationsandpartypoliticsinAmerica.Iwillreturnmomentarilytothisfraughtelementof ItalianAmericanculture,onethatistoooften(likesomeembarrassingrelative)dealtwithbyattemptingtoignoreitsexistence.If asuffererhadbeen“lookedupon”bythe

invidiousgazeof thestregaorjettatore,heorshefirstneededadivinationtoascertainwhetherevileyewas indeedthecauseof hisorherailment,andsecond—if indeedevileyewasthecause—acure.Acomare(godmother)—notaspecificterm,buttheonlyoneIhaveeverencountered—taughtherpatient theartof intercessionthroughakitchenreenactmentof thebaptismalritualthatalmosteveryinfantunderwentwithin the confines of RomanCatholictradition.Duringthecourseof myfieldwork,Lucia(namedforthepatronsaintof eyesight,uponwhosedayshewasborn)


Constructsof ethnicity, such as the sur-reptitiousprofessionof abelief inmalocchio,servedtocenterItalianAmericanidentity,butofteninthenegativecontextof subordina-tiontothedominantsocialorder.Toknowanythingabouttheevileyewas,inessence,toopenoneself totheaccusationof beinganoutsidertoAmericansociety:acafone(peasantorbumpkin)fromtheItalianinteriorandvic-timtoallthesuperstitionsthatreignedthere.Thepersistenceof suchabelief isthereforecontinuouslyalliedtoitsdenial,inagrandactof antinomy:asimultaneousIAm(dependinguponwhoyouare),andIAmNot(dependingonwhoyouarenot).Howlikethepeculiarbrandof racismanditspoliticalconcomitantsthatattimesdevolvesintosomesegmentsof theItalianAmericancommunity;thetroubled“othering”bytheperennialOtherpartakesinthenatureof thisantinomousbelief intheevil eye.Each results inpart fromadesirenottobeincludedinaperceivedunderclass.Certainly,wecanonlyrespondtothedisplayof a brutta figura (unseemlymanner) by ajusticeattheStateof theUnionaddress,theinfamous incidents atHowardBeach andBensonhurst,andtheanti-immigrantdiatribesof agrandsonof Italianimmigrantswithasenseof embarrassment,givenourintimateknowledgeof theoriginandintrinsicunder-standingof therhetoricalsignificanceof suchbehaviors.Isuspectthatsomeof theattribu-tionsof racismthathaveunfortunately(andnotalwaysunfairly)beenleveledattheItalianAmericancommunity—inSpikeLee’sdecid-edlyevenhandedDo the Right Thing (1989),forinstance—resultfromtheambivalenceswithwhichItalianshavefacedthepeculiarlyraciallychargedenvironmentthattheyencounteredintheirhostsociety.

Nostalgia: The MnememeOneday,duringoneof thelastgatheringsat

mygrandmother’shousethatIcanremember,I ran intoMr.Bellotta, a longtime residentof the neighborhood andone of the lastfeworiginalItalians,outonthesidewalk.Hementionedthathissister,whohadoncelivedintheneighborhoodbuthadmovedbacktoItaly,hadreturnedforabrief visit.“Nobodyrememberedher,”headdedbewilderedly.A

toldmehowshewouldintercedewithMary,theBlessedVirgin,onherpatient’sbehalf,bydrippingoliveoilintoabowlof water.If theoilslicked,it indicatedthatevileyewasthecauseof thepatient’sillness,butwhentheoilbeadednormativelyuponthewater’ssurfaceafter the curative ritual, it indicated that acure—byMary’sgrace—hadbeeneffected.TheItalianwordforgodmotherismadrina,

butmyfieldwork indicated that thewordcomare(literally,co-mother)wasusedforthewomanwhostoodupforthechildatbap-tism,sointheItalianAmericancontext,thebettertranslationforcomareseemstometobegodmother.Thistranslationdrawsatten-tiontothefactthatintheItalianAmericancontext,atleast,shewhocurestheevileyemetaphoricallyparticipates inthenatureof thegodmother:justasthegodmothertakesresponsibilityforthespiritualwell-beingof an infant in thebaptismal ritual, the comare takes responsibility for the spiritualwelfareof herentirecommunitythroughherspecialgiftof intercession.Itisherdutytodispeltheilleffectsof envyfromthecommunityandreplace itwithbeneficent grace—andonlyshehastheabilitytodoso,forshepossessesasecretincantationthatbreaksthebackof the evil eye curse. Shehadbeengiven theincantationbyanelderlywoman,whocouldgiveituponlyonceinherlifetimeandthaton

ChristmasEve,andshewouldinturngiveittoayoungerwoman,againonlyonceinherlifetime atChristmasEve,when she couldnolongerbeartheresponsibilityof anentirecommunity’sspiritualwell-being.What is especially interesting is that the

comare’s intercession is the direct spiritualcorollarytothemorepragmaticintercessionof anothercharacteristicpersonageof ItalianAmericanculture: thepadroneorboss,whofoundworkforthemen,butalsothewomenandchildren,of thecommunitythroughhisearly ability tobuildbridgeswith thehostsociety.HisbestassetswereusuallyafacilitywiththeEnglishlanguage,whichallowedhimtoconstructanetworkof potentialemploy-ers, and the resources tobe able to affordtransportforthelaborforcehemaintained.Iwillreturntohimshortly.Fornow,letmesimplypointout thatbelief in evil eyebe-camenotsimplyoneof manyelementsof Italian culture inAmerica: so stronglywasitassociatedwiththeculturethatitbecameover time a fundamental demarcation of ItalianAmericanidentity.Non-Italiansintheknowcouldslylymentionthewordmalocchio toindicatethattheyhadsomeknowledgeof orconnectiontothecommunity,anditdidn’tcarrythestigmaof thescemu—dunce—whowouldinjudiciouslybringupthatotherword,mafia,assoonashelearnedyouwereItalian.

The grandchildren on Lucia’s stoop.


bitlater,Iwasinmygrandmother’skitchen,talking toMaryGenovese,who remainedunmarriedforherentirelifealongwithherbachelorbrotherintheirparents’house,justtwo doors down frommy grandmother’s.“GuesswhoIwasjusttalkingto,”Isaidtoher.“Well,howcanIguess?”sheasked.“Mr.Bellotta,”Isaid.“Oh,youknowhissisterwasjustbackfromItaly,”shesaid,butthenadded,“Shedidn’trememberme.”AsIthinkbackonthatincident,Ican’thelp

butrecalltheclosingsceneof BarryLevin-son’s1999filmongrowingupinBaltimore’sJewish community,Liberty Heights.As thecantoroperaticallyintonestheRoshHasha-nah service, thenarrator’s voiceproclaims:“Ihadarelativewhooncesaid, ‘If Iknewthingswouldnolongerbe,Iwould’vetriedtorememberbetter.’”Ithinkthesamecouldbesaidof manyof thememories—myownandothers’—of mygrandmother’sneighbor-hood.And,itseems,thesamecouldbesaidof thememoriesfrommanyotherneighbor-hoods,communities,andevennations.DanielMartin’snotionof themnememeisadiscursivecue—anaphorism,forexample,oraformalpreamble,suchas“onceuponatime”—thatallowsasigntofunctionmnemonically(Engel1992, 187).Amnememecausesone to re-member,liketheWestAfricansymbolof thesankofa,astylizedbirdthatturnsitsheadbacktowardsitshomelandinordertorememberandtherebyreempoweritself.Itsometimesseemsasif wearewitnessing

thefadingawayof thememory,notjustof acommunity,butof aculture.Still,statisticsargueagainstthisperception:approximately12.5millionAmericansclaimedItalianances-tryinthe1980census,butbytheyear2000the numberwas closer to 15million, andin2008itwasedginguptoward18million(Mormino andPozzetta 1990;U.S.Census2008).If self-identifiedItalianAmericansaregrowinginnumber,despitelowratesof newimmigration,someelementsof ourcultureseemtobesecure.Butstill, it issometimesdifficult to say exactlywhat—beyond theabilitytorecountoralhistoriesandhumorousanecdotes—itmeanstobeItalianAmericaninthetwenty-firstcentury.Acontinuingelementof ItalianAmerican

identity,Ibelieve,isnostalgiaexpressedintheformof memoriesof thehomelandandtheearlydaysof theItalianAmericancommunity.Notsurprisingly,narrativeplaysalargeroleinsuchexpressions.Letmereturntotheper-sonageof thepadronetoexaminetheroleof narrativeintherhetoricof ItalianAmericanidentity.Oneof myfavoritestoriesfromtheneighborhoodwasthatof thedouble-crossingpadroneKingfish.AmongKingfish’smanybusinesseswasapoolhall.Lucia’ssonMiketellshowKingfishkeptapictureof Mussolinihanginginhispoolhall,butonthedaythatItaly declaredwaron theUnited States in1941,Kingfish—worriedthathemightcallthecombinedmightof theAmericanarmedforcesdownabouthisears—hurriedlytookthepicturedown.Ashewalkedbyoneday,Mike,noticingthebrightpatchof greenpaintthathadbeenprotectedbyMussolini’spicturefromthesunshiningthroughthepoolhall’sstorefrontwindow,shoutedintothepoolhall,“Hey,Kingfish,where’sil Duce?”(Il Duce,theduke,wasacommontitleforMussolinibothinItalyandtheUnitedStates.)Ashedasheddownthestreet,fleeingKingfish’sinevitablewrath,Mikeheard thepool stick, launchedlikeajavelinfromKingfish’shand,whiznotmorethantwoinchespasthisear.Despite this run-inwith theboss,Mike

electedtofollowatimehonoredfamilytra-dition:pickingbeansforKingfish.Eachday,hismother,Lucia, andotherwomen fromtheneighborhood,aswellasasmatteringof theneighborhoodkidsandteenagers,wouldclamberintothebackof Kingfish’sbatteredpickup,andKingfishwouldhaulthemouttooneof thefarmsthatlayjustbeyondtown,wheretheywouldspendthedaypicking.King-fishwouldarrangeforworkforthewomenandchildren,manyof whomcouldnotspeakEnglishwellenoughtoobtainworkontheirown,providethewomenandtheirkidswithtransportation to and from the farms, andcollect eachof his laborer’s pay from thefarmerforthem.Hisrewardwasacutof theirearnings,butwhiletheypickedalldayinthesun,Kingfishdrankcoolwater fromapailbeneathahedgeof sumacandwildgrapevine,hispickuptruckalwayscloseathand.LuciahadbeenworkingforKingfishever

sinceshemovedtotheStates,perhapstwentyyearsearlier.Inherfirstyearshere,sheputallhersonsanddaughterstoworkforKingfishaswell,andeachdaytheydutifullyputtheirearnings intoLucia’s hand, not keeping apennybackforthemselves.Itwaswiththatmoney that Lucia one day purchased thehousethatherfamilyhadrented:twothou-sanddollarsworthof beanpicking,Mikesaidwhentalkingaboutthehouse.Each afternoon that summer,Lucia and

Mikeandtheotherswouldgatherupthebush-elsof beanstheyhadpickedtoweighthemonthescaleprovided,of course,byKingfish.Everyonesworethatthescalewasfixed,buttheywereneverabletoproveit.ThebesttheycoulddowasdistractKingfishastheyweighedoutthebushelsandaddalittlepoundagetotheirtallywhilehisattentionwasdiverted.Butoneday,oneof thewomenclaimedshehadweighedherself atthesupermarketthedaybefore,andaseveryoneorganizedtheirbush-elsof beansandwaitedforKingfishtocomeoverfromhisshadyburrow,shebegantostepontoKingfish’sscaletotestthem.Kingfishwasjustcomingaroundfromthefrontof hispickup,andwhenhesawwhatwasgoingon,hestartedrunningtowardher,shoutingatthetopof hislungsthathewouldkillherif shefuckeduphisscale.Mikestoppeddeadinhistracks,terrified,rightinKingfish’spathasherushedheadlongatthewomanonthescale,andratherthangoingaroundhim,Kingfishplowed straight on, so thatMike thoughtKingfishwasgoingtokillhimfirstandthewomannext.Hesaidhisfistjustsprangoutof itsownaccordandhitKingfishsquareonthejaw,butbeforehecouldevenseetheresult,hetookoff runningbacktowardtown.Mikealways avoidedKingfish thereafter, andhethoughtKingfishhatedhim,butafewyearslater,whenitwastimeforhimtogooff tothewar,Kingfishstoppedbyandgavehimagoldwatch—a typical actof beneficencebyapadrone.Later, a femalecompetitor,orpadrona,purchasedatruckandbegantocutinonKingfish’scontractlaboratharvesttime,butIhaveneverbeenabletoascertainif anybitternesseruptedfromthecompetition.Themnememethatarisesfromthisnar-

rative is a rhetorical function not simply


definedbytheactof remembering,butalsobyevincinganemotiveframework,particu-larlyMediterraneanintenor,encapsulatedbytheconstructof patronage—thatis,venera-tionof apatronsaint—whichismetaphori-callyreconfiguredinthepersonagesof thepadroneandthecomare.Bothfigures,byvirtueof their characteristic act of intercession,participateinthenatureof thepatronsaint.Therhetoricalreconfigurationof thepadroneasakindof benevolentdespotisfurtherevi-dencedbyantonomasia,thesignificationof anitemorapersonbyanepithet,forpadrone,if translated literally,meansthepatron; therhetoricalreconfigurationof thecomare asanurturingmothertothecommunityatlargeisfurtherevidencedbyherassociationswiththeroleof thegodmotherof thebaptismalfont.Thecentralityof patronagetothelifeof thecommunityisunderscoredbythefactthatthepatronsaintisthefigurethatservestocommunicatethecommunitytoitself aswellastooutsiders.ThisiswhyItalianAmericancommunities lookupon thedissolutionof patronal festivals—or, perhapsworse, theinundation of community-based patronalfestivalswithoutsiderswhoviewthefestivalasapieceof quaintethniccharm—abitwist-fully,if notwithout-and-outdismay.Althoughthecomareintercedeswithephem-

eralpowers for the spiritualbenefitof herclient, and the padrone intercedeswith thehostsocietyforthemorepragmaticpolitical-economicbenefitof hisclient,ineithercaseapalpablesenseof transitionpermeatestheirefforts.Itisasif everyoneinvolved—patronandclientalike—comprehendsthatthecom-munitythatsurroundsthecomareandpadroneis temporary, or—in thewords of VictorTurner— liminal, a threshold communitymarkedbyalltheambiguitythatcharacterizesacommunitybetweentwoworlds.Perhapsthis iswhyboth the comare andpadrone aresimultaneously feared and respected—andindeed,Mikecutmeoff whenIunwittinglyalmost said something inappropriate aboutKingfishinfrontof thepadrona thatdisplacedhim.Today,withthepassingof thepadroneandcomarefromtheactivelifeof thecom-munity—andthetransformationof patronalfestivalsintoItalianstreetfairs—thenotionof

patronagenolongerexistsasanactivefeatureof ItalianAmericanculture.Rather—again,mnemonically—itexistsasademarcationof theplacefromwhichItalianAmericancultureemerged.Althoughtheartof intercessionisnolongerpracticedasitoncewas,it isstillcomprehendedandremembered,whichbe-cameapparenttomeasMikecutmywordsshortwhenIalmostcrossedalinewiththepadrona.Thereismoretotherhetoricof nostalgia

thanthestoriestoldandtheirevocativepower.I suspect that family photos, scrupulouslycuratedandalmostmagicalintheirabilitytostirfadedmemories,playacentralroleintherhetoricalfunctionof themnememe,asdotheparticulartastes,smells,andsoundsthatmnemonically reconstruct a grandmother’skitchenoragrandfather’sshadygrapearbor.Aslongasmygrandfather’sgardenlasted,Iliked toseekout thestoneuponwhichwewouldsitwithasugarbowlbetweenus,dip-pingfreshstalksfromhispatchof rhubarbandenjoyinga treatwhichmakesmynon-Italianfriendsgrimacepainfully.

Affirmation: ItalianitàAffirmationisabitof anoddityintherhet-

oricof ItalianAmericanidentity.WehearitinconferencepapersthatconcludethatItalianAmericancultureandidentityareverymuchaliveincontemporaryAmericansociety.Butwhenwereturntoourneighborhoods,oftenpaleremnantsof theirformerselves,orworseyet,returntooneof ourfavoriteLittleItalies(asIrecentlydidtoSaintClaireStreetinTo-ronto,afteranabsenceof morethantwentyyears)tofindthatitisalmostnonexistent,itbecomesclearthatItalianAmericanidentityisadifferentsortof animalin2012thanitwas in, say, 1962. Somanyof the featuresthatcharacterizedourcommunitiesinthepastpersisttodayonlyinourmemories.Insomerespects,thisisnatural.OnceItal-

ianAmericansweresufficientlyassimilated,thefunctionof boththecomareandthepadronebecamelessandlessanecessitytothecom-munity,andthesetwolocaldignitariesslowlyfadedfromexistence.Thevenerationof thesaintsandbelief intheefficacyof theirin-tercessionbecamelessapressingconcern,as

well,asthehostsocietycamemoreandmoretotakethepresenceof Italiansforgranted.The evil eyebelief,with less culturalworktoaccomplishfor the immigrant,becameaquaintbitof ItalianAmericanfolklore—ex-pressedperhapsbywearingagoldenItalianhornonachain,oftentoclaimItalianAmeri-can identitywithout even realizing that theItalianhornwasaprotectiveamuletagainsttheevileye.But there is somethingmore.Today, as

Ihavesuggested,professingabelief in themalocchio has become—insteadof anelementof aconflictedacculturativeprocess—astate-mentof ethnicpride: Italianità (Italianicity)castinboldrelief.Itisasif thebelief met-onymicallystandsinforethnicaffiliation.Acolleagueof minementionedsurreptitiouslythat, afterhaving suffered aheadacheoverwhichhermotherpresidedwithasuccessfulevileyecure,shenotonlywasridof hernag-gingheadache,butalsofoundatendollarbillonacampussidewalk.Withawink,sheletmeknowthatsheandIweremembersof aselectclub—thoseintheknow—andwhetherornotourAnglo colleagueswould label itsuperstitionornot,weknewthatanevileyecureexiledbadluckandevenwelcomedgoodluckintoourcharmedcircle.Thiswasafarcryfromaninterchangethatoccurredinoneof thelastdiscussionsIconductedwithLuciaontheevileye.Duringthatchat,Lucia’sdaughterexclaimed:“Ma,youdon’treallybelieveallthatstuff,doyou?”“Non lo so,”Luciasighed,“Idon’tknow.”Andheavingherself backintothethoroughlyAmericaneasychairthathadbecomeherfavoriterestingspot,sheseem-inglylostsightof theroom,thepeopleinit,andtheemergingrealitythatwastheirlife.Today,wefindthatsurreptitiousadmission

of knowledge(ratherthanoutrightbelief)intheevileye,wearingof agoldenhorn,or—asmanyanalystsof theItalianAmericanexperi-encehavedocumented—returningyearafteryeartothehometown’sFestaItalianatoeatagrilledItaliansausagesandwich,affixasmallex-vototothepatronsaint,andperhapsdonared,green,andwhiteberetallservetoaffirmidentity.Itmaybethattheseaffirmations—slylyacknowledged,boldlyvoiced,ordramati-callyenacted—aretodaythecentralrhetorical


mantsdidn’tgenerallyaskmetoavoididentify-ingthem,afew—especiallyolderfolkswhomIinterviewedabouttheevileye—did,andasmostof myfieldworkoccurredinsmalltownsandevensmallercommunities,itseemedfairtoprotecttheiridentities.Attimes,aparishpriestmightdisapproveof myinformants’activity;otherinformantsmaynotwishtoriskbeingthoughtof as “superstitious.”MyfieldworkwaspredominatelycompletedinwesternNewYork.Itbeganin1983andcontinuestothisday.Themajorityof myaccountsarisefromin-terviewnotes,augmentedbyaudiotranscripts.

Abraham,Nicolas andMariaTorok. 1986.TheWolf Man’s Magic Word: A Cryptonymy.TheoryandHistoryof Literature,Volume37.(NicholasRand,Translator).Minneapo-lis:Universityof MinnesotaPress.

Buonanno,Michael. 1984.BecomingWhite:NotesonanItalianAmericanExplanationof EvilEye.New York Folklore10(1–2):39–53.

Danesi,Marcel. 2004.A Basic Course in An-thropological Linguistics. Toronto:CanadianScholars’PressInc.

Engel,WilliamE.1992.Cities and Stones: Mon-taigne’s Patrimony.Montaigne Studies:AnInterdisciplinaryForum (PhilippeDesan,editor).HestiaPress:VolumeIV.180–198.

Joyce,James.1916.APortrait of the Artist as a Young Man.NewYork:B.W.Huebsch.

Mormino,GaryR.,andGeorgeE.Pozzetta.1990.The Immigrant World of Ybor City. Italians and Their Latin Neighbors in Tampa, 1885–1985.Champaign:Universityof IllinoisPress.

USCensusBureau.2008.TheStatisticalAb-stractof theUnitedStates.

Walker,Alice.1982.The Color Purple.NewYork:HarcourtBraceJovanovich.

What It Means to Be Italian American TodayIf ItalianAmericanidentityhasanyendur-

ingvalidity—which,of course, I believe itdoes—ithastobesoughtoutwhereitactu-allyexists,andnotsimplyinthecultivationof nostalgicreminiscencesof whereitoncewas.Whereitexists,itseemstome,isintherhetorical strategies that continue to centerItalianAmericansforthemselves,aswellasforthoseoutsidetheculturalconfinesof theItalianAmericanhousehold,community,ordiasporicenclave.Thefinalchaptersof ItalianAmericanhis-

toryandcultureareyettobewritten.Whatwillhavetobeaddedorperhapsevendeletedisdifficulttopredict.WhatItalianAmericanidentityandindeedethnicidentitymeansinAmerica—giventheelectionof thefirstAfri-canAmericanpresident,anItalianAmericanwomanquite recently twoheartbeats awayfrom that presidency, and a population inwhichformerminoritiesarewellontheirwaytobecomingmajorities—ishardtoimagine.ButIbelieveitwillbetheongoingrhetoricalflourishesof Americansocietythatwillofferasignificantkeytothesequestionsbecause,inthefinalanalysis,whatrhetoricdoesisgivevoicetoinchoateidentityandmakeitsing.It is rhetoric that allowsCelie inAlice

Walker’s1982novelThe Color Purple tostepoutintocreationandproclaim:“I’mpore,I’mblack,Imaybeugly....ButI’mhere”(205).ItisrhetoricthatallowsStephenDedalusinJamesJoyce’sA Portrait of the Artist as a Young Mantoproclaim:“Welcome,Olife!Igotoencounter for themillionth time the realityof experienceandtoforgeinthesmithyof mysoultheuncreatedconscienceof myrace”(1916,299).AnditisrhetoricthatallowstheItalianAmericanbothtoformulateandun-derstandthebeautyof asimplenicknamelike Moglie di Bagnarolortoseethehumor(whenperhapsnobodyoutsidethecommunitydoes)inthesimplephrase“Ma, tu sei italiano!”whenappliedtothefatherof thecountry.

SourcesAuthor’s note:Ihavechangedmostpersonal

namesandomittedplacenames inmyfieldnotesandinthisarticle.Althoughmyinfor-

strategiesforestablishingandcommunicatingItalianAmericanidentity.Today,theprocessof evaluatingtheItalian

American experience—itspast, itspresent,anditsfuture—inessencewhatitmeanstobe Italian inAmerica today and tomorrow,liesaheadof us.Isthatexperience,likethatof otherimmigrantgroups,moreorlessoveroncetheprocessof assimilationisclosetocomplete,andtheLittleItalies(orChinatownsorLittlePersias)areabandoned,ornearlyso,in favorof suburban tracts? Is the subjectmatter for historians alone? Is the ItalianAmerican experience today basedmainlyonnostalgiaforourItaliangrandparentsordwindlingcommunities?OrwillbeingItalianinAmericacontinuetobeasignificantfactorintothefuture?TosuggestthattheoldLittleItaliesareas

vibrantaseverisafallacy.Peopleleftthemindroves,oftenassociatingthemwithawayof lifethatwascharacterizedbyintensefamilyinteraction,butalsoeconomichardshipandalackof upwardmobility.Today,many—if notmost—of us are conversantwith orevenproducts of other communitieswithverydifferent realities than those inwhichwegrewup.Butwestillgetachargeoutof encounteringotherswhohave experiencedwhatwas in our childhood the oddity of ItalianAmerican culture andwhatbecamewithtimeadistinguishingfactorof ourownpersonalhistoryandidentity.Letmereturn foramoment to the joke

aboutGeorgeWashington crossing theDelawareandremarking,“Che cazzu freddu,”andtheguybehindhim—gloomy,shivering,wrappedinhismantleagainsttheblusteringcold—perkinguphis ears and exclaiming,“Ma, tu sei italiano!”Thejokeshouldbethattheiconof Americanexceptionalism,GeorgeWashington, could cut such a brutta figura(poorfigure),butinstead,it’sthatItaliansarealways—incessantly, it sometimes seems—trying todiscover theother Italians in thecrowd.Thus,itseemstome,thisjokeitself participatesintherhetoricof affirmation.It’sawayof assertingthat,yes,wetooparticipateinthepageantof Americanhistory,butinourownparticular,shared,and(fromanoutsider’sperspective)perhapsevenpeculiarway.

Michael Buonanno is professor of English and anthropology at the State College of Florida–Manatee/Sarasota. His fieldwork in Sicily and his own Italian American community in western New York has led to publications in the Journal of American Folklore, New York Folklore, and The World Observed: Reflections on the Fieldwork Process (University of Illinois Press). He team teaches an online course in the Italian American experience with his sister, Laurie Buonanno, at Buffalo State College and is currently coauthoring a text based on that course.


From the Killing Fields: Art and Healing in Asian America BY ANDREA LOUIE

presentation,butit’sjustascriticaltocon-nectwith the local community, especiallyCambodianAmericans,”saidPrim.TheAsianAmericanArtsAlliance(a4),a

nonprofitorganizationthathassupportedAsianAmericanartistsandartsgroupsfor30 years, will connect these newmasterartists fromSoutheastAsiawith the localgrassrootsartscommunity,manyof whomareimmigrantsandrefugeesaswell.LinkingyoungCambodianswithotherswithahis-toryof violentconflict(suchasVietnameseAmericans and the Jewish community) isexcitingandfilledwithpromise.

***Formanyof uswhograduatedfromKent

State,ourcollegeexperienceisinextricablefromtheshootingsof May1970.Today,itisaprivilegetobeamongthosewho,alongwith the Seasonof Cambodia, arework-ingtopromoteunderstandingandhealingthroughthearts.

Andrea Louie is the executive director of the Asian American Arts Alliance (a4) and a writer.

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What I remember mostisthatwhentheredcandlesmeltedintotheasphaltparkinglot,theylookedlikepoolsof blood.Iwas18yearsold—aChinesegirlwho

hadgrownuponthefringesof Amishcoun-tryinOhio—whenIenteredKentStateasafreshmaninjournalism.Ourclassestookplace inTaylorHall, the building aroundwhichananti-Vietnamwarprotesthadtakenplacejustoveradecadebefore.OnMay4,1970,membersof theOhio

NationalGuardfiredintothecrowd,killingfourandwoundingnine,includingstudents,inaparkinglot.Everyyearthelotisclosedforanall-nightcandlelightvigil.Inthemorn-ing,thepooledwaxevokesthekillingthattookplacethereandinAsia,animagethatstillpowerfullyresonatesforme.

***What incited thatprotestwasPresident

Nixon’sApril30announcementof incur-sionsintoCambodia.FormanyAmericans,Cambodiameant only a far away junglewheretoomanysoldiersweredying,aplacewhereweshouldn’thavebeenatall.Cam-bodiawassufferingitsowncivilwarfrom1970–75, andNixon fearedCommunistexpansionthere.From1975–79,thecountrysufferedbrutallyunderthemaniacalPolPotandhisKhmerRougeregime,with“KillingFields”acrossthecountry;asmanyas2.5milliondied.Among the survivorswasArnChorn.

Born intoan illustriousmusical family,hewas ninewhen Pol Pot came to power.Chornandhundredsof otherchildrenweresenttoaBuddhisttemple;amastermusiciantrainedhimandfourotherstoplaythefluteandthekhim,traditionalCambodiandulci-mer.Perversely,thechildrenhadtoperformlullabiesfortheircaptors.Chornsurvivedbyshowingnoemotion

andrepressingthehorrorsthathewitnessed.He eventually escaped through the jungleintoThailand,strickenwithcerebralmalariaandweighingonly60pounds.Inarefugee

camp,ChornmettheRev.PeterPond,whoeventually took him toNewHampshire,adopting him and 15 other Cambodianchildren.Ten years ago, Chorn-Pond founded

CambodiaLivingArts,aPhnomPenh-basednonprofitorganizationdedicatedtorevivingtraditionalartformsandinspiringcontem-poraryartisticexpression.TheorganizationalsosupportsthemusicteacherswhohelpedChorn-Pond survive the horrors of theKhmerRouge,whokilledanestimated90percentof Cambodia’sperformingartists.“It’simportantforustoreviveandpre-

serve the cultural heritage of Cambodia,whichlostsomanyof itsculturalmastersduringtheKillingFieldsandinthedevas-tating economicdecades afterwards,” saidPhloeunPrim,executivedirectorof Cam-bodiaLivingArts.“It’salsoimportantforustohealandtomoveforward,inspiringyoungpeopletomakenewandmodernwork.”Theorganizationisplanningthe“Season

of Cambodia”arts festival inspring2013inNewYork.Partneringwithsuchinstitu-tionsastheBrooklynAcademyof Music,FilmSocietyof LincolnCenter, andAsiaSociety,thefestivalwillfeatureanimpressivespectrumof thetraditionalarts.“It’simportanttohavehigh-levelcultural

Children of Bassac is a performance troupe of teenagers who study folk and classical dance with Master Artist Ieng Sithul, a popular performing artist who survived the genocide. Photo by Long Chean. Courtesy of Season of Cambodia.


Murmur, murmur, murmur in the forest,The fog is covering the fields,The fog is covering the fields, the fields.A mother is sending her son away:Go, my son, go away from me.

Attheageof seventeenIwastransplantedfrommybirthplace of Kyiv,Ukraine, toNewYork.A dreamyEuropean city infront of my eyeswas replaced byNewYork,withallitsseverityof linesandcolors,unforgivingyetintriguing.I’vepaintedsincemychildhood,learningvisualprecisionandhonesty,developingafirmfaithinharmony,beauty,andperfection.Mynewrealitywasroughandfearsome.AndIknewthatIwasbeingtransformed.Mynewrealitybroughtnewsimplicityandroughnessintomywork.Ipaintednudes, craving love,music, andspiritualfulfillment.Allof theseeventuallycame, bearinghappiness for the émigré/exile/refugee, transforming him into anAmerican:

Come back,my son, come back tome,myboy,

SoIwouldwashyourhead.Mother,my head could bewashedbyrains,

Andmyhairshallbecombedbyferalwinds.

There has always beenmusic inmyfamily.My father is an artist-painter, buthewasalsoafineclassicalbaritoneinhisyoungerdays.Ourhousewasalwaysfullof interestingguests,of allkindsof arts.Thegrown-upswereinfinitelymoreinterestingthanchildrenof myownage.Theformerwere bearers of the historicalweight of

BY ROMAN TUROVSKY-SAVCHUK

Dialogues with time

theplacewhereIwasgrowingup.Theirsenseof historyintoxicatedme,inexorably,forever,eventhoughIwasunawareof itatthetime.Itmanifesteditself muchlaterinmymusic.Inaturallystudiedpaintingfromanearly

age,anditwouldalwaysremainmymaincalling.Inexplicably,Iremainedindifferenttomusic, despite being surrounded byit,until theageof fourteen,when Ihadan epiphany uponhearing “TrauermusikBeim Tode Siegfrieds” in Wagner’sGötterdämmerung.Itopenedthefloodgateof music.IwentontostudypaintingandmusicaftercomingtoNewYork.IstudiedlutewithPatrickO’Brien,whoalsotaughtmethebasicsof harmonyandcounterpoint.I began composing formyself duringthe 1990s, concentratingon thebaroqueidiom andmy chosen instrument, thebaroque lute. This instrument doesn’ttolerate gratuitous dissonance, andmycompositions naturally tookon the styleandcharacterof thebaroqueera.Descartes once said thatwhenhewas

a seminarian, hewas told by oneof hisprofessors that if one gets a really goodidea,itmustbeimmediatelyascribedtoalongdeadauthority.Mythopoeiaraninmyfamily,soIdecidedonawhimto inventamysterious and previously unknownhistoricalfiguretowhichIwouldascribemy compositions as genuine baroquemusic, andmiraculously, theywere takenas such. In themid-1990s, I wrote outsome pieces in a nice baroque hand,signed them “Sautscheck,” theGermantransmogrification of the second half of my surname, and sent them to some

overseaslutenists—totalstrangersatthat—without a return address or explanation.Themusicwasclearly inabaroquestyle,butnotalwaysincharacter,beinggrimandmoroseaswouldhavebefittedthemusicof anentirelydifferentera.Then I lost track of all this formore

than five years. Eventually the rumorsof mysterious and interesting lutemusictrickled back tome, so armed with aPC and the internet, I produced someparamusicologicalmythology, explainingtherangeof stylesfrom1680to1840withfourgenerationsof purportedcomposers,allfromthesamefamily.Thiscaper laterresulted in a fewmusicological scandals,which gaveme someprofessional reputeas a competent “baroque” composerand amodicumof respect from lutenistcolleagues, while causing considerableirritationforthefewdetractors,whowereoblivioustotheliterarymystification/hoaxcultureprevalentinEuropesincethelateeighteenthcentury.Aftermanyflamewarsandafewop-ed

accusationsof Ossianicimmorality—someaccuserswereobliviousof thequotationsfromBeethoven,Reger,andGiazottothatI’d used in a baroque context—I earnedsomegreatfriendsforwhommusic’squalityisparamounttoitspedigree.Notleastof these areLucaPianca, the founder of IlGiardinoArmonico,who premieredmypiecesinhisconcertsatseveralinternationalfestivals, andAmerican lutenist RobertBarto,who is featured in several of myvideoinstallations.T hen c ame o th e r momen tou s

developments.Onewasthegrowthof the


Roman Turovsky-Savchuk playing his lute. Photo by Luba Roitman.

internet,whichgavemeawaytoconnectwith many colleagues worldwide, andanothermyrenewedinterestinUkrainianmusicalcultureingeneral,anditsbaroqueperiodinparticular.Ukrainianfolkmusicis unique in many respects. The vastmajorityof it is in theminorkeys.Eventhe happymusic ismore often thannotstillminor,onlyatafastertempo.Itisalsoprobablythebestdocumentedof allfolkmusic, withmany compendia collectedsince the eighteenth century.Ukrainianfolkmusichadaperiodof popularity inWesternEuropearound1800, and it leftits mark on some composers, not theleastBeethoven.The literary qualities of its texts are astounding, their imageryprofound.Itstextsareoftenhair-raisinglyviolent, aswell as breathtakingly lyrical.Thismusic is powerful. I didn’t chooseit: it choseme. This reconnectionwith

Ukrainianmusicwasatrueepiphany,fromwhichI—asadisplacedindividual—gaineda sense of total rootedness in thatOldWorld,paradoxicallyinharmonywithmyAmericanidentitybuiltinthetribulationsof immigration.Myfamiliaritywithexistentialangstwas

counterbalancedwith happiness foundin culturalmemory, thememory of oldsongsamidnewforms:bridges,highways,and skyscrapers of theNewWorld. Itlater found expression in several videoinstallations forwhich I also composedand produced the soundtracks. Theseinstallations were built around a clearcentralprinciple,accordingtowhicheachsequencerepresentedanincrementinthevoyage through forbidding space,wheretheonlyavailablemeanstoremainafloatwere certain personal culturalmemories,remnants, or fragments of beauty in the

decidedlyunbeautifuluniverse.Inmycase,thesemeanswere theauditorymemoriesof my early childhood, specifically thememoriesof polyphoniclamentssungbygirlswhilecrossingtheriverintheeveningtomilkthecowsgrazingontheotherside.In 2000, I undertook some research

intothehistoryof Torban,theUkrainianvariety of the lute. The literature forthis instrument did not survive, as itwas largely an oral culture, and so Ibegan to useUkrainianmelodies inmycompositions as reconstructions of thislost musical microcosmos. In time Ibegan to experimentwith progressivelyearliermusical styles—earlyRenaissanceand latemedieval—in combinationwiththoseUkrainian folkmelodies thatwerearchaic in character and could easily bemanipulated using the compositionaltechniquesof thefifteenthandsixteenth


formyownuse.Theyalsoinspiredseveralvariation sets onUkrainianmelodies inbaroqueandearlyclassicalstyles.After the period of fakeloric music

artificiallyimposedonUkraineduringtheSoviet era, there is now a real revival of theepictraditioninUkraine,withkobzarguildsestablishedinKyivandKharkivandmanytalentedyoungmusiciansstudyingnotonlyperformance,butalsolutherie.Thereisalsoarevivalafootof thetraditionalfolkpolyphony,andthereareseveralexcellentchoirs specializing in that repertoire—notably Bozhychi,Hurtopravtsi,Drevo,Strila,andKorali—aswellasensemblesthatspecializeinUkrainianearlymusic.Allof thesegroupsfacemanydifficulties intheculturalwarsstemmingfromthreecenturiesof forcedRussificationof Ukraine,aswellas hostility from the commercialmediaandmusic establishments and the largeRussianminority,whichstillharborsanti-Ukrainiansentiments.Butthegroupsactiveinauthenticfolkmusicaremultiplying,andthere are grounds for cautious optimismthatthismusicwillliveon.

centuries. Themilkmaids’ choirs of myearlymemorieswere a perfectmatch todiminutions and variation cycles for lutein the style of Joan AmbrosioDalza,Francesco daMilano, or JohnDowland.Thisprojecthasbeennearlytenyearsinthemakingandnownumbersmorethanfivehundredpieces.Iinitiallycalledthesepieces“CantionesSarmaticae,”whichwerelateraugmentedwith “CantionesRuthenicae”and“CantionesSarmatoruthenicae,”“BalliRuteni”and“BalliSarmatici,”inanodtoSarmatism, a culturalmovement in thePolish-LithuanianCommonwealth in thesixteenthtonineteenthcenturies.Eachof thesecycleswasprogressively

more adventurous and complex, so Ilater gave them the collective title of “Mikrokosmos,” in an insolent lutenisticchallengetoBélaBartók’s homonymouskeyboard cycle. In the process of composition,Idiscoverednotonlymultiplestructural similarities betweenUkrainiandancemelodies andRenaissance dancesfromWesternEurope, but also evidencethat some late Renaissance melodiessurvived inUkrainian folkmusic. Iwasalsostruckwiththemedievalsoundof thefolkpolyphonyof thePolissyaregionof Ukraine,fromwhichmyfamilycame.Theseobservationsbecameinspirations,andthemusic flowed—in strict style, but withunusualcadencesandforbiddenintervalsof theland.SuchweremyDialogueswithTime.Thismusichasgraduallyearnedrespect

fromluteplayers,andmanycolleagueswhoweretotalstrangerstome,connectedonlyby the internet, began to perform thesepieces, record them, and eventually filmthemforYouTube.AmongthesemusiciansI shouldmention Robert Barto, LucaPianca,RobMacKillop,ChristopherWilke,ErnstStolz,DanielShoskes,StuartWalsh,JindřichMacek, and Trond Bengtson.Mostof themIhavenotmetinpersontodate.IhavealsohadseveralcollaborativeelectroacousticprojectswithDutchavant-garde composer, lutenist, and carillonistHans Kockelmans, who has written anumber of contreparties tomy scores.

Themost rewarding aspect of it all hasbeen the totally unexpected appreciationof UkrainianmusicbymusicianswhohadnofamiliaritywithUkrainianculture.Iwasequally surprised by the sensitivitywithwhichtheyinterpretedthismaterial.All of these projects remainworks in

progress,andinthemeantime,Ihaveputallof mymusiconline for lutenists’ freeuse. The projects involving UkrainianRenaissance lutemaybefoundathttp://www.torban.org/mikrokosmos.html and thebaroque lute project at http://www.torban.org/torban4c.html.In 2003, I made the acquaintance

of JulianKytasty, the finest traditionalUkrainianepicsingerandkobzar-banduristintheWest.Webecamegoodfriends,andhelaterbecamemyteacher.Heeventuallyaskedmetoaccompanyhiminhisprojectscentered on the baroque period andoccasionallytosinginthem.Wehavehadunusualconceptsforourconcertprograms,drawing frommaterial rarely touchednowadays, suchaspenitential chants andpsalmsandsongsaboutviolenthistoricalevents,evilandtreachery,maritalanderoticmayhem,andthemiseriesof warinalandthatwassplitbetweentwoempires(RussianandAustro-Hungarian),whoseinhabitantswereforcedtokilleachothersenselesslybycallowforeignroyalty.Julian and I received a folk ar ts

apprenticeship grant in 2008 from theNewYorkStateCouncilontheArts,whichenabledustoworktogetherfortwoyearsonthetraditionalepicstyleandrepertoire,whichbythenhadbecomeoneof mymaininterests.ThroughJulian,IalsometNinaMatvienko andMariana Sadovska, twogreatUkrainianfolksingersof our time.Ialsobeganmanyvirtualfriendshipswithgreat folk singers, notablywithNatalyaPolovinka andVolodymyrKushpet. Inthespringof 2009,IundertookajourneytoKyiv,afterathirty-yearabsence.ThereI had good fortune of meeting TarasKompanichenko andEduardDrach, thefinest carriers of the epic singer-kobzartraditioninUkraine,andwasabletoadaptsomeof theirrepertoiretothebaroquelute

Roman Turovsky-Savchuk is an American lutenist, composer, and painter. Born in Ukraine, he has lived in New York City since 1979. His work is informed by both the American reality and Ukrainian cul-tural memory. He is currently completing a series of video installations, as well as radio broadcasts of his music for Dutch radio. Examples of his work can be seen on his web site, http://turovsky.org.

Ukrainian Ethnomusicological Online Resources

http://torban.org/pisni/

http://gomin.uazone.net/

http://proridne.com/

http://pisni.org.ua/

http://www.youtube.com/user/kkceh

http://www.youtube.com/user/mitka48


Why I Love the PO! BY VARICK A. CHITTENDEN

notonlymaketripstothepostofficemoreinconvenientbutmoreunlikely.Gathering at thepostofficewaswhat I

wouldnowcall “social networking.”And,itwas face-to-face andnearly instant.Youcould learn aboutwhosebarnhadburnedorthetwinsborntoaneighbor’sdaughterinthenightbefore,aboutwhoneededhelpwiththeirhayingorwheretogotobuyseedpotatoes.Youcouldplanforachurchsupperorstartaflowerfundforadeceasedfriend.If theseinstitutionsgo,thatkindof intimateexchangewillbemissed.Finally,thelossof apostofficewillbeone

moreblowtosmalltowners’prideof place.Aspopulationshavedwindled, the vitalityof these townshas suffered.Schoolshavecentralizedandclosed;churcheshavemergedandclosed;retailshopsandtradesmenhavegivenupandclosed.MainStreetsareboardedup,andpeopletravelgreatdistancestoworkandshop.Withallthesechangeshascomealossof identity.Zipcodes,areacodes,usernames,andpasswordssupplantourconnec-tionstorealplaces.Withoutapostofficeandapostmark,wearelikeeverybodyelse.Myhometownpostofficeclosedin1989,

wellbeforethecurrentroundinplay.Whenitdid,myfeistymotherandsomeof herneigh-bors refused to submit so easily.RealizingthatthePostalServicereliedmostlyonzipcodesfordeliveringthemail—theirshadbeen12940—theycontinuedtowrite“Hopkinton,NY,”nowwith“12965”ontheirletters.That’sbecausetheirmailnowcametothepostof-ficeafewmilesawayandwouldbedeliveredbyarurallettercarrieranyway.Asmallactof rebellionisgoodforthesoul.That’swhatwemayhavetoresorttonow.

Varick A. Chittenden is professor emeritus of humanities at the State University of New York in Canton and the TAUNY Center project director for Traditional Arts in Upstate New York. Photo: Martha Cooper

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When I was a boyof 10orsointhe1950s,adailytriptoourlittlepostofficewaspartof manytownspeople’sroutine.Themailwouldcomeinaround9:30inthemorning,soonschoolvacationsorSaturdays,I’dtrytogetthereearly, incasesomethingreallyspecialwould come.Maybe itwas a letter fromcousinsinIowa,aseedcataloginFebruary,oracopyof Boy’s Life...tome! ButIwasnotalone.By the time the letters,magazines,newspapers,andadsweresortedintothe50orsoboxes,theremightbeadozenpeoplehuddled together in the “lobby.”Actually,that’sastretch.Ourpostofficeinthosedayswasaroomattheeastendof NonaWeller’shouse.Nonawaspostmistressfornearly20years. In thosedays, another loadof mailwouldarrivearound2:00p.m.,andthescenewouldberepeated.TheUSPostOffice is an independent

agencyof thefederalgovernmentresponsibleforprovidingpostal service in theUnitedStates.Itisoneof thefewgovernmentagen-ciesexplicitlyauthorizedbytheUSConstitu-tion.NowknownastheUSPostalService,ittracesitsrootsto1775duringtheSecondContinentalCongress,whenBenjaminFrank-linwasappointedthefirstpostmastergeneral.Since then, nearly every community—andurbanneighborhood—in the country hashadapostofficetoservelocalbusinessesandhouseholds.ThePostalServicereportsthatthereareabout34,000suchbrick-and-mortarofficesnationwide.Forme, stories of theHopkintonpost

office are still vivid.Thefirst postmasterintownwasThaddeusLaughlin,apioneertavernkeeperwhobeganhisdutiesin1808,onlysixyearsafter the townwasfounded.From1821to1975,myforebearsranagen-eralstorethatincludedthepostofficeinaseparateroom.Mygreat-greatgrandfather,great-grandfather, andgreatunclewere allpostmasters;mygrandfather,J.H.Chitten-den,waspostmaster from1898 to1930. Iremembertalesaboutmenwhowouldwalktwoorthreemilestotowninsubzeroweatherto pick up their veteran’s pension checks

orof housewivescomingtomailletterstodaughterswhohadmovedawaywith theiryoungfamilies.Afavoritestoryamongtheloungersinthestorewasof onemanwhowouldsendanorderoutinthemorningmailonlytocomebackthatafternoontoseeif hisorderhadarrived.Thentherewasastorecustomerwho,thinkinghewouldsavelotsof money,ordered25poundsof oleomargarinefromamail-orderhouse.Whenitcame,hewastooembarrassedtocomepickitup,anditmeltedinthepostoffice,revealinghissecret.Sinceitsfirstyears,formany,thepostoffice

hasbeenmuchmorethanaplacetopurchasestampsormoneyordersorsendapackage.It’sbeenagatheringplaceandasocialcenterin lots of communities, especially in ruralAmerica.That’swhythere’sbeensuchhueandcry in recentmonthsabout thePostalService’s cost-cutting decision to close asmanyas2,000postoffices,withthousandsof othersunderreviewfortheirviability.Smalltownnewspaperseverywhere—andeventheNew York Times andWall Street Journal—havebeenfollowingthestoryclosely.Infact,giventhecurrenteconomicclimate,wecanunder-standthePostalService’sdilemma:costshaveskyrocketed,andincomehastanked.We’retoldthatthere’sbeena20percentdecreaseinfirst classmail volume alone in the lastfiveyears.Tosolvetheirproblem,theyalsoproposetofireemployees,eliminateservices,andraiserates.Forruralcommunitiesalloverthecountry,

however,thelossof theirpostofficewouldbe significant. It’snot just aboutnostalgia.Whileruralhouseholdshavelonghadmaildelivery—RFD(RuralFreeDelivery)beganin someplaces as early as 1896—thepostofficestillprovidessomenecessaryservicesnotmetelsewhere.It’struethatmorepeopletodayrelyonFedExandUPSforpackagesandusee-mail formessages.But therearevastpartsof Americawherecourierserviceandbroadbanddon’t,andmostlikelywon’t,exist.Inaddition,forthedisproportionatelyagingpopulation in ruralcommunities, thecostsandconditionsof travelingfartherwill


Poetry on the Porch BY STEVE ZEITLIN

forinstance,Amanda’ssisterSarahreads“TheMinuet”byMaryMapesDodgeinhonorof hermother:“Grandmatoldmeallaboutit/ToldmesoIcouldn’tdoubtit/Howshedanced/myGrandmadanced/Longago.”Shereadsthatpoemeveryyear,becauseitremindsusallof astorythatFrances,now94,lovestotellof howshe once jumped up on a table at theJuniorSeniorballanddancedtoCabCal-loway’s1931hit“MinnietheMoocher.”We could have guessed what poem

wouldcomenext.Lucas, a forester andenvironmentalist,nevermissesachanceto read Shelley’s “The Cloud”: “I amthedaughterof EarthandWater,/Andthenurslingof the Sky; I pass throughthepores,of theoceanandshores;/ Ichange,butIcannotdie. . .” Thenheaddseachyear,“Ijustthinkit’samazingthatapoetcouldcapturethehydrologiccyclesowell.”ThenmynephewPattonAdams,who

lived andworked inBeijing and speaksChinese,recitesapoembyLiPo,“QuietNightThoughts,”amongthemostquotedpoemsof theTangdynasty.

BeforemybedthereisbrightmoonlightSothatitseemsLikefrostontheground:

LiftingmyheadIwatchthebrightmoon,LoweringmyheadIdreamthatI’mhome.

“Ithoughtitwouldbeappropriateforpoetry night at the beach,”Patton laterexplainedinane-mail,“becausethemoonwasshiningonthewater;becauseof theextremecontrastbetweenafrostytundraandGardenCityinAugust;andbecausebeing at the beach in the summerwith

my grandparents is one of mymodelsfor‘home.’”InThe Second Life of Art, Italian poet

EugenioMontalewrites about how thejourneyof artisan“obscurepilgrimagethroughtheconscienceandmemoryof men…”Hesuggeststhatmusic,painting,andpoetryexercisetheirpowersoutsidethemomentof creation,whentheyfreethemselvesfrom“thatparticularsituationof lifewhichmadethempossible.”Itisin precisely thosemoments when thepoem is appreciated in situations, andforreasonsthepoetcouldnotevenhaveimagined,thatthe“circleof understand-ing”closesand“artbecome[s]onewithlife….”The poems on the porchwere com-

posedatdifferentpointsinhumanhistory,butaspartof their“obscurepilgrimage,”theysojournedforafewmomentsonaporchinGardenCity.Heretheybecamepart of theway familymembers sharewhattheylovewithoneanother,and,inthe process, share something of them-selves(since,insomesense,youarewhatyoulove).The evening wouldn’t be complete

withoutmydaughterElizarecitingJohnMasefield’s “Sea Fever” frommemory:“AndallIaskisamerryyarnfromalaugh-ingfellow-rover,/Andquietsleepandasweetdreamwhenthelongtrick’sover.”“OhmyGod—lookatthatbeautiful

sky,”Amanda says.We look up to seethemoon casting its reflection on thewater.ThenAmanda’ssistertellsusthatsupperisonthetable,andthepoetryisputtobed.

Steve Zeitlin is founding director of City Lore. Thanks to Amanda Dargan for her help with this essay.

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My family and I loveAugust inNewYork.Parkingiseasy,andweevengetaseat on the subways.But thefirstweekof August every summer,we, too, fleethe sirens and horns, abandoning thecacophonousclatterof CityLore’sFirstStreetandFirstAvenueofficesforaweekatthebeachinGardenCity,SouthCaro-lina.MywifeandfellowfolkloristAmandaDargan’sparentsrentthehouse,andallof hersistersandourniecesandnephewspilein,spendingafternoonsandeveningsonthescreened-inporchoverlookingthesanddunes,thebeach,andsea.Among our traditions is an evening

spent reading poems on the porch, atradition LucasDargan,Amanda’s dad,eagerlyanticipates,withhisat-the-ready101 Favorite Poems,publishedin1929.Butwe all bring a few poems down to thebeachtoread,andAidanPowers,now10yearsold,comesequippedwithafullsetof ShelSilverstein’singeniouspoemsfrombookslikeFalling Up.(Oneof theSilver-steinlinesdeliveredonpoetrynighthasevenbecomeakindof familyexpression:“Wecanbefriendsforever,”IjokewithAidan.“There’sreallynothingtoit.Itellyouwhattodo,andyoudoit!”)Masterpieces andditties are read side

byside.PoemsfromtheEnglishRoman-ticslikeShelley,Keats,Wordsworth,andByronarereadsidebysidewithcowboypoetryandnonsenseverses.OnefamilystoryremindedLucasof anoldlimerickthathemostlyrecalled:“Awonderfulbirdisthepelican/Hisbillholdsmorethanhisbellycan….”ThenLucasforgotaline,whichwewereabletorecapturethankstotheinternet,availableevenatthebeachinrecentyears.“Ah,that’sit!‘Hecantakeinhisbeak/Foodenoughforaweek/ButI’mdamnedif Iseehowthehelican.’”Butthepoemsthatwaftontothesea

airthateveningcarrywiththemnotonlythefinelywroughtwordsof theircreators,butthefamilystoriesandpersonalitiesandethosof thefamilygathering.Eachyear,

line, which we were able to recapture thanks to the internet, available even at the beach in recent

years. “Ah, that’s it! ‘He can take in his beak / Food enough for a week / But I’m damned if I see

how the helican.’”

But the poems that waft onto the sea air that evening carry with them not only the finely

wrought words of their creators, but the family stories and personalities and ethos of the family

gathering. Each year, for instance, Amanda’s sister Sarah reads “The Minuet” by Mary Mapes

Dodge in honor of her mother: “Grandma told me all about it / Told me so I couldn't doubt it /

How she danced / my Grandma danced / Long ago.” She reads that poem every year, because it

reminds us all of a story that Frances, now 94, loves to tell of how she once jumped up on a table

at the Junior Senior ball and danced to Cab Calloway’s 1931 hit “Minnie the Moocher.”

We could have guessed what poem would come next. Lucas, a forester and

environmentalist, never misses a chance to read Shelley’s “The Cloud”: “I am the daughter of

Earth and Water, / And the nursling of the Sky; I pass through the pores, of the ocean and shores;

/ I change, but I cannot die. . .” Then he adds each year, “I just think it’s amazing that a poet

could capture the hydrologic cycle so well.”

Then my nephew Patton Adams, who lived and worked in Beijing and speaks Chinese,

recites a poem by Li Po, “Quiet Night Thoughts,” among the most quoted poems of the Tang

dynasty.

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T heCenterforTraditionalMusicandDance(CTMD)hasbeenpleasedto

workcloselyformanyyearswithpioneer-ing Bulgarian Romani saxophonist YuriYunakov.YuriisafeaturedperformerinourTouringArtistsprogramandamajorinnova-tor,whosemusicisrootedinthetraditionsof thecosmopolitanThracianhinterlandsof Istanbul.InJune2011,theNationalEn-dowmentfortheArtsbestoweduponYurithe prestigiousNationalHeritageFellow-ship,thenation’shighesthonorforlifetimeachievementinfolkandtraditionalarts. Inthespringof 2009,wesatdownwithYuritolearnmoreabouthismusicalheritageandcentralroleinthedevelopmentof theelectrifyinggenreknownasBulgarianwed-dingmusic.Thisprofileof Yuriisbasedonwhatwasshared in thatexchange.Specialthanks toCathie Springer for translatingduringourmeeting.

A Musical Dynasty in Thrace Of TurkishRoma(Gypsy)descent,YuriwasbornwiththenameHusseinYunakovin1958inHaskovo,acityintheThracianregionof southeasternBulgaria.Forcentu-riesThracehasbeenarichmeltingpotof culture—acosmopolitanborderlandfilledwithTurks,Bulgars,Macedonians,Greeks,Roma, Sephardic Jews,Armenians,Alba-niansandothers. Cigarette production remains amajorindustryof Haskovo,withthegovernment-

ownedcompanyHaskovo-BTalargepro-cessor and exporterof tobacco and ciga-rettes.Tobaccofactorieswereanimportantemployerof theresidentsof theHaskovomahala, or Romani quarter.Most of themusicians of Haskovowere employedbythetobaccofactoryandsupplementedtheirincomesthroughweddingperformancesontheweekends. The Yunakov family is well knownthroughtheregionfor theirmusicianship.Yuri’sgrandfather,“Kemence”AliYunakov,was a renownedviolinist and singer fromSliven,Bulgaria.(InTurkishtradition,mas-termusiciansaregivenanhonorificnamereferringtotheir instrument—inthiscasekemence,theTurkishwordforviolin.)Yuri’spaternalgrandmotherAishewasfromtheborderregionof GreeceandBulgaria. Born in the greatMediterranean portcity of Izmir, known as Smyrna prior totheGreco-Turkish population exchangeof 1922,Yuri’smaternalgrandfatherIsmailwas akasap (butcher), quite a respectablelivelihoodinHaskovo.Yurinotedthathisgrandfatherpurchasedtheanimalshebutch-eredandthensoldthem,distinguishinghimfromlessprosperouskasapswhowerepaidtoslaughterbutneverprofitedfrombuyingandsellingtheanimals.Ismail’swife,Yuri’sgrandmother,diedratherearly. In his popular ensemble,KemenceAliwas backed by Yuri’s father, “Dancho”(whosenamewasalsoHussein),onaB-flat

Albert-systemclarinet,andYuri’sunclesonaccordion and duvale, large double-headeddrums (knownas tapans inotherpartsof theBalkans).Dependingontheoccasion,theensemblemightalsofeaturebrassinstru-mentssuchastrumpetsandtrombones.ThegroupwasaugmentedfromtimetotimebyArmenianandJewishmusicians:inparticu-lar,YuriremembersArmenianoudplayers.Theensembleperformedamixof RomaandTurkishrepertoire,mainlyatRomawed-dings—theywererarelyhiredforBulgarianaffairs—andmadeoccasionalappearancesonTurkish-languageradio. Traditionally,aRomaweddinginThracespannedmuchof aweek.Theeventsstartedon theTuesday before the nuptials,withthebrideperforminga“show-and-tell”of thedowryherbridegroomwastoreceive.Thenextday,thewomenwouldgatherforaritualbathof thebrideatalocalhamam(Turkishbath).Twobandswouldbehiredbythebride’sfatherontheSaturdayof thewedding—onewouldplayforthewomen,theotherformen(larger,enterprisingen-semblescouldprovidemusiciansforbothparties).Therewasalsoaplace formusicprovided by zurna (a double-reed windinstrument)accompaniedbyduval, usedtocommemorate the bride’s departure fromherfamily’shousehold.OntheMondayafterthenuptials,thewomenwouldgatheratthehouseof thebridetodrink,talk,andsing. Menandwomenwoulddanceseparately.

2011 National Heritage Fellow

Yuri Yunakov:BY PETE RUSHEFSKY AND ETHEL RAIM


Avarietyof danceswereperformed: linechoreographiessuchaspravo horo,kasapiko horo (butcher’s dance), elenino horo (Greekdance),paidushko, andwhatYuricalledthe“Gypsy 9/8” slowdance, aswell as cocek circledances.Musicianswouldalsobeex-pectedtoprovidemusictoentertainguestsatthebanquettable,drawingonarepertoirethatincludedTurkishclassicalforms,suchaspeşrev and,lessfrequently,saz semai. Overtime,Danchotookcommandof hisfather’s ensemble and introduced changesin instrumentation and repertoire. Brassinstrumentswereeliminated,andadrumkitandelectricbasswereintroduced.(Despiteincreasinguseof akitdrum,youngYurigothisstartplayingtapanintheensemble.)Elec-tronicamplificationwasanotherinnovation.Weddingsbecametwo-dayaffairs,andtheweddingpartyamixedgroup,withmenand

womendining anddancing together.Thevariety of dances performed diminished,aswell:amonglinedances,onlypravo horo andkasapiko horo werenowcommonlyper-formedatweddings.

Yuri’s Musical Development WhenYuriwas eight, he joined a bitovensemblebeingorganizedatthelocalzariya (culturalcenter)byMitkoAngelov.Bitovmu-sicwasremovedfromthetypicalmusicof Thrace,whereitwasraretoseeinstrumentssuchasgadulka(lapfiddle),gaida(bagpipe),tambura (lute),andkaval(end-blownflute). Whiletheseinstrumentsweretraditionallyplayedbysoloinstrumentalists,inthe1940s,mixed-instrument bitov ensembles beganperforming frequently onBulgarian radioand recordings, employing standardizedpitchandvirtuosicperformancestyles.As

wascommonthroughoutEasternEurope,largernationalandregionalfolkorchestraswerelaterassembledacrossBulgaria(includ-ingPhilipKoutev’sStateEnsembleforFolkSongsandDances)thatemployedWesternarrangementsof folkmusic. YurirecallsAngelovasamusicalvisionarywhoattractedmanyyoungpeopletoBulgar-ianfolkmusic.HecametoYuri’sschoolandwent from class to class recruiting youngmusicians.WhenYuriexpressedinterestinkaval,Angelovprovidedone thereon thespot,andwithintwohours,Yuriwasabletoplaymusic(hehadalreadylearnedsomeBulgarianmusicfromhisfatheronclarinet).Yuriwas theonlyRoma in theensemble;aside from a couple of young Turkishcolleagues, thegroupwasallof Bulgarianethnicity.Over onehundred youth joinedtheensemble,whichalsofeaturedadance

Bulgarian Romani saxophonist Yuri Yunakov, performing at Lincoln Center. Photograph by Richard Conde. Courtesy of Center for Traditional Music and Dance Archive.


groupandperformedthroughoutHaskovo.Performingwiththezariya ensembleduringtheweek,Yuricontinuedtoplayweddingswithhisfather’sensembleontheweekends.Heremainedwiththezariya ensembleforfour or five years.During this time,Yurialso initiated a short but successful forayintoprofessionalboxingthatbroughthimseveralnationaltitles. Eventually,Yuri’s older brotherAhmedtook over leadership of the ensemble.WithDanchomovingover tosaxophone,the newband—namedAida after a largelocalhotel—featuredAhmedandYurionBoehm-systemclarinets,aswellaselectricguitar,bassguitar,twoaccordions,drums,andtwomalesingers.Aidaperformedamixof Bulgarian,Greek,Turkish,andRomamu-sic.Althoughhewashappytoberelievedof theresponsibilityof managingtheensemble,

Danchodiedprematurely,whenYuriwasonlyseventeen. Through hisworkwithAhmed,Yuri’sreputation soon grew among leadingRomanimusicians working to create anewstyle that theUniversityof Oregon’sCarol Silvermandescribes as emphasizing“virtuoso technique, improvisation, fastspeeds, daring key changes, and eclecticmusicalsourcessuchasjazz,rock,Turkish,andIndianmusics,aswellasBalkanvillagemusic.”Yuriattractedtheattentionof accor-dionvirtuosoIvanMilevfromthetownof Mladost.MilevconvincedYuriandAhmedtojoinhisband.TheyplayedwithMilevforanumberof yearsbeforereturningtotheirownfamilyensemble.LikeYuri,MilevhassinceimmigratedtotheUnitedStatesandisveryactiveinNewYork’sBalkanmusicscene.

Yuri’stimewithMilevhadabig impactonhiscareer.MilevencouragedYuritofo-cusonsaxophone,ratherthanclarinet,andYuriworkedwithMilevtocreateanuancedandvirtuosictechniqueforthesaxophonethatcomplementedtheothermajormelodyinstruments, clarinet and accordion.YuricreditsaccordionistNeshkoNeshev’sfatherasthefirstweddingmusicsaxophonistheknewof,butaccordingtoSilverman,itwasYurihimself who“createdthesaxophone’sroleinthisstyle.” While formany years,Bulgaria’sCom-munist government tried to suppress thegrowing popularity of Roma weddingmusic,thegovernmenteventuallyrelentedand sanctioned a festival dedicated to thegenreinStambolova.EvenasitrecognizedanationalcrazethathaditsrootsinTurkishandRomaweddingmusic, the totalitarian

Yuri Yunakov at Lincoln Center. Photograph by Richard Conde. Courtesy of Center for Traditional Music and Dance Archive.


government simultaneously actively cen-soredunsanctionedformsof themusic.

Trakija and Beyond AfterastrongshowinginhisfirstStam-bolova festival, Yuri was approached byclarinetist Ivo Papasov, the leadingwed-dingmusician in the country, to join hisbandTrakija.He agreed only reluctantly,ashefearedupsettinghisrelationshipwithAhmed.Through his performanceswithTrakija, beginning in 1983,Yuri becamefamous throughoutBulgaria, performingfrequentlyon radioandTVand forwed-dingsattractingthousandsof attendees.AsSilvermanputsit,“Inthe1980s,YunakovandhisbandTrakijawerehouseholdnamesinBulgaria,andpeoplewouldwaitmonthsorevenyearstoengagethemforweddings,concerts,andotherevents.Theyweretheequivalentof rockstars in theWest,withmany bookings and thousands of fans.”Thepopularityfrequentlycreatedbacklashwith the government, as somuchof theweddingmusic sceneoperatedoutsideof theauthoritariangovernment’scontrol.YuriandPapasovweretwiceimprisonedfortheirmusicalactivities. In 1989,with the help of JoeBoyd, arenownedAmericanrecordproducerbased

inEngland, Papasov’s bandwas broughtto theUnited States for the first time toperformfortheQueensEthnicMusicandDanceFestivalorganizedbytheCenterforTraditionalMusicandDance(thenknownastheEthnicFolkArtsCenter)atBohemianHallinQueens.Thiswasonlytheensemble’ssecondperformance outside of Bulgaria,following a concert in London.DuringtheAmericanvisit, thePapasovensembleperformedonDavidSanborn’snationalTVprogram,Night Music.Aleadingjazzsaxo-phonisthimself,SanbornwassostruckbyYuri’splayingandhorrifiedbytheconditionof his instrument that he presentedYuriwithanewsaxophone. SinceimmigratingtotheUnitedStatesin1994,Yurihasbeeningreatdemandonbothcoastsasamusicianof unstoppableenergyandpower.WhileplayingforweddingsandfamilygatheringsintheBulgarian,Turkish,andMacedonianRomanicommunities,hecontinues to perform around theworldfrontinghisownensemble,aswellasreunit-ingwithPaposovfromtimetotimefortoursandrecordings. DespitehisrenownonworldmusicstagesacrosstheworldandthegreatdemandforhismusicwithintheRomacommunity,Yurihas had tofindother entrepreneurial ap-

proachestosupporthisfamily.HerecentlyopenedupaliverycompanyinNewJersey.He also participates inCTMD’sTouringArtistsprogram,whichcreatesperformanceopportunitiesforleadingNewYork-basedtraditionalartistsatmajorvenuesacrossthecountry.

DiscographyRecordings with Ivo PapasovOrpheus Ascending (Hannibal/Rykodisc)Balkanology (Hannibal/Rykodisc)Together Again: Legends of Bulgarian Wedding

Music (TraditionalCrossroads)

Recordings by the Yuri Yunakov EnsembleNew Colors in Bulgarian Wedding Music (Tradi-tionalCrossroads)

Balada-Bulgarian Wedding Music (TraditionalCrossroads)

Roma Variations (TraditionalCrossroads)

Pete Rushefsky is executive director of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance. Ethel Raim cofounded the Balkan Arts Center, now the Center for Tradi-tional Music and Dance, and continues to serve as CTMD’s artistic director.

To continue to receive Voicesand enjoy the full range of

New York Folklore Society programs, become a member!

For more information turn to page 48 or visit our web site:

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Remembering Jean (1964–2011) Reflections by “Las Mujeres” (The Folklore Girls) BY EILEEN CONDON, ELENA MARTíNEZ, AND HANNA GRIFF-SLEVEN

folkartists,immigrants,andarts.Mexicanholidaycustomsandfoods,altars,papel pic-ado,piñatas,rock-starmuertos,mirrors,mats,palmminiatures,paintedanimalcarvings,handmadeNativitysets,filigreedearrings,embroideredtapestries,handmadepaperhangings, pop-art magnets, wrestlingmasks,beadedringsandbracelets—yourfolkartsprograms,yourhouse,andlater,yourstore,werechockfullof theartandthe soulof Mexico.At47, in themidstof being so fully alive, you had a heartattack—whilebusilypackingupyourcartobereadytoleaveforanupstatemigrantaffairsconferencethenextday.Youhadrecently returnedhome fromabirthdaypartythatdearoneshadthrownforyouin Oaxaca. You had dropped off theankle-bitingblackkitten,Spock,thatverymorningatthevet,forneutering.(Dayof theDead,theperfectdayforthisproce-dure,aswehadbothnoted!)YouadoptedSpockbecausenooneelsecouldhandlehim.Andyoucursedtheday,fromtimetotime,threateningtoreturnhim,whichIhalf dreadedandhalf hopedfor.Ihadbottle-fedandraisedSpockasafoundling,butafourthcatinastudioapartmentis,let’sfaceit,wacko.NooneelsecouldmakeroomforSpock,soyoudid.Yourefusedatfirst(therationalimpulse),thencalledbacklatertosay,okay,youwouldgiveitatry. Adopting Spock and his older felinebrotherLokiwasarehearsalforthenextphase, after all: adopting aMexicanboyorgirl.Alltheprospectiveadoptiveauntsandunclesandcousinswerewaitingex-citedlyalongwithyouforthatbigday.SothereSpockwas,probablyjustblinkinghiswayoutof heavyanesthesiaatDutchessCountySPCA,gonad-free,unbeknownstto himself, when in between phonecalls and text messages and the freak

(savethatforthetraditionalartists!),we’renevertheless taking our collective recentloss as somethingof a“Yes,way,” afterthe fact, not becausewe’re finewith it,but because it’s customary. Folkloristsknow about the importance of customandritual,torememberandshowrespect.So,incomprehensibleasyourpassingstillseemstousall—toyourclosefriends,toyourclosefamilyof brothersandsistersandniecesandnephewsandgrand-nieces,to themany artists and studentswhoselivesyoutouched,toyourcolleaguesinthefield—it’syourturntogetpraiseslavishedupon you, despite your previous objec-tions.Giventhecircumstances,though,Iimagineyoumightunderstand,andcutusalittleslack. Thetimingwasbad.November1stwasel Día de los Muertos,theDayof theDead.Youhaddevotedsomuchof yourlifetosupporting and advocating forMexican

IN M

EMO

RIA

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What follows is a series of remembrances by Eileen Condon, Elena Martínez, and Hanna Griff-Sleven, three of folklorist Jean Crandall’s many friends and colleagues in the field of folk arts in New York State. Special thanks to Jean’s brothers and sisters—Beth, Rob, Trafton, and Sarah —for their permission to incorporate the obituary they wrote for their sister just after her untimely death in November 2011, in the section which concludes this piece.

From Eileen:DearJean, First, I have to apologize.At variouspastmeetingsinrestaurantsof “LasMu-jeresdeFolklore,”HannaandElenaandIalltriedcajolingyouintobeingthenextMujertobeprofiledinmy“InPraiseof Women” column inVoices. “NoWAY!”was the usual reply. And although youmeantit,becauseyouweretoomodesttobecomfortableinanyextendedspotlight

Jean Crandall with Kuchipudi-style Indian classical dancer Kantham Chatlapalli, and Kantham’s students, at Spirit of Beacon Day celebrations, Beacon, NY, September 2011. Photo by Sandesh Viswanathan.


pastfewyears:LaMulaChulainRhine-beck (fieldwork+fair trade, yes!), gettingagardenputintoyourbackyard(thanks,Maura!),field tripsandvisits toMexico,waitingfornewlifetocomeintoyourlife,andintoeveryoneelse’s,viatheadoptionprocess,working through all the paper-worktomakethathappen.Youcontinuetoinspireme.Yourlifeproclaimedtoallof usallthetime—live!Liveitup,laugh,keeploving,nomatterwhathappens.

—Eileen

P.S.Attheendof November,ItalkedtoElena,askingherwhatshewouldwanttosayaboutyouinthispieceweweregoingtoputtogether.Thisiswhatshesharedaswereflectedoverthephone.

From Elena: When Ifirst cameback toNewYorkafter Oregon, at that first folk artsRoundtablethatIattended,everyonegotintroduced.Thatwas14yearsago—ImetHannaandJeanforthefirsttime,andwereallyconnected. IworkedforJeaninthePoughkeepsieandRocklandfolkfestivals,andthenthefolkloreworldgotawayfromtheproduc-tionof festivals.There arenot asmanyfestivals going on now; everyone hasmovedon.WithJean,itwasn’tjustafriendrelationship, it wasworking together. Icouldworkwithherwellbecauseshewascynicalaboutthefolklorestructure,aboutpeoplewhotookthemselvestooseriously.Wecouldkidaroundonthesamewave-lengthinthatway. We were friends who also workedtogether. All of us FolkloreGirls havethis,anditstrengthenedallof us.EileenandJeanhadtheDutchessCountylink,adoublerelationshipof workingandhang-ingout. Jean lived inPoughkeepsie, andmyfamily inWappingersalsosawher.Iwenttoalotof concertswithher.Shewasgoodatpushingmetoseemore:LucindaWilliams,LosLobos,RichardThompson.LevonHelmattheBeaconTheater—thebest concert I ever saw inmy life. Shewasalwaysgettingtickets,forallkindsof

Halloween snowstorm’s knocking thepowerandtreesandwiresdownatyourhouse,callingtheelectriccompany,send-ing funny text jokes and photos aboutthe whole situation, somewhere in themidstof allthatordinaryliving,youhadaheartattack,andwelostyou.Andhereweremain,struckbylightning,thepowertomakemuchsenseof thisknockedoutof usall. Peoplespendyearscultivatingbelief inwhatwecan’tbesureabout,afterdeath.Odd, how hard it can be, to cultivatebelief in what we already know to betrue intellectually, andby evidence—thegatheringatyoursister’sinHastings,yourbeautifulmemorialinPoughkeepsie,andyourongoingphysicalabsence.Itremindsmeof myfavoritelinefrommyfolklorestudents’papers:“Thefactthatitwasthetruthmadeitallthemorebelievable.”Factsdon’tworkthatway.YoumustjustbeinOaxaca,really,ordowninHastingsforawhile,orinTarrytown,orCambridge,ordown south, or inVermont, just a littlelongerthanusual.Wehaven’tseenyouforawhile.Iwouldsayyouareinallof thoseplaces,especiallyPoughkeepsie. I’mgladyouhadbeenrealizingabunchof dreams in fairly shortorderover the

Jean Crandall in her fair-trade Mexican folk arts store, La Mula Chula, in Rhine-beck, New York, July 2010. Photo by Rob Crandall.

shows, concerts, events at theBardavonOperaHouse inPoughkeepsie. Jeanwasthecatalyst. Jeantookhertrainingasafolkloristre-allyseriously;itwasabigethicalpointforher,alongwiththewayshepresentedart-ists,andlater,presentedtheminherstore.Shewasverymuchintoworkingdirectlywith artists.Howmany times did artistsactuallystaywithher!If shewasgoingtodothis—thiswashowitwasgoingtobedone. We attended a bunch of Clearwaterfestivals.We could laugh at the sillinessandcorninessof A Mighty Wind.Wesawthat together in Rhinebeck.Maybe thatsummedupalotforher.Shehadtheabil-itytolaughatthescenelikethat.Amazing,how close shewas to all her nieces andnephews.Despitetheirallbeingsodiffer-ent,andinsomecases,uninterestedinfolkstuff.Jeanwassoplayfulandfunthatshebridgedsuchgapseasily. Wesharedaloveof chocolate—wewenttotheexhibitonchocolateattheMuseumof NaturalHistory. Likemost fancy ex-hibitions, not so good, all on form, nosubstance, great video and technical andinteractivestuff,butnotmuchsubstance.We bought chocolate, went out on thefront steps, and just ate chocolate.Ourunderlying themes: chocolate andmusic.Jeanpushedpeopletogoplaces.Jeanwasgenerous.Shehadareallyscathingsenseof humor.EileenandJeanplayingverybadcongasatourhouseintheBronx—thatgotusintroublewiththeneighbors. When you’re close friends you get toknowyourfriends’quirks.Jeanwasalwaysrunninglate,alwaysgettinglost,evenwithaGPS—thatwaspartof her.Shewouldjusttakeawrongturn.Always.Withher,it sort of got to a point that you knewwhereveryouwent,thatwouldhappen.

From Hanna: Last night I was cooking dinner andreachedforajarof orangeblossomhoneytoaddtothesweetpotatoesIwasmaking.Jeanhadgivenmethejarformybirthdaylastwinter.Iopenedthejarandinhaledthis


mostfragrantstuff andgotsuchanintensememoryof myfriendJean.Ibrokedownandcriedforabit,mourningmyfriend. IknewJeanfor14yearsasacolleagueand great friend.We firstmet when IwasaprogramassistantintheFolkArtsProgramattheNewYorkStateCouncilontheArts (NYSCA);herorganization,theDutchessCountyArtsCouncil,wasanapplicantandIhadtoevaluateJean’sprograms;observingherworkwasaplea-sure. Shewas organized, informed butmost importantly, so engagedwith herwork.Ilovedseeingherworkwithallherconstituents;shehadawaywithconnect-ingwithpeopleof allbackgrounds. When I leftmy job atNYSCA, andtook the position as director of PublicPrograms at theMuseum at EldridgeStreet, itwasJeanwhomIhiredtohelpmecoordinatetheannualEggRollsandEggCreamsfestival.Shewasterrific:forg-ingcollaborationswiththelocalChineseandOrthodoxJewishcommunity.BeingneitherChinesenorJewishneverdauntedJean;shefoundacommonlanguageandhelpedmakeourfestivalmostsuccessful.Shechosewonderfulartiststorepresenttheeclecticcultureof theLowerEastSide. I loved working with Jean somuchthatwhenIgotagranttotakea13-pieceklezmerbandupstateona10-daytourinfallof 2007,IhiredJeantohelpmeonceagain.Jeanprovedtobetherightchoice.Shedroveoneof thevans,helpedmewithallthelogisticsof thedrive,theconcerts,thefeeding,andtendingtoourwonder-fulmusicians.Itwasawonderfulweekof musicandbonding. Inadditiontoheroutstandingskillsandabilities,Jeanwasanexceptionallylovelypersonandagoodfriend;andherabilitytonurturecloseandcaringrelationshipssetherapart.Shehadawickedsenseof humorandadventurousmusicalandfoodtastes.One of my favorite things to dowithherwascheckoutnewandoldmusic(webothadoredRichardThompsonandgottoseehimafewtimestogether).WegottoseeBobDylanplayatalittleleagueparkinPoughkeepsie,heardgreatjazzat

the BardavonOperaHouse in Pough-keepsie, and in theCity. I depended onher to keepme uponwhowas puttingoutanewalbumwhen.Wealsohadgreatfoodieadventures.Webothlikedtocookandlikedtocheckoutfoodinunexpectedplaces.MyhusbandandshebondedoveraSriLankandinnerthatprovedtoospicyforPaul,buthesweated (literally) itoutjusttohangoutandgettoknowJeanandElenaMartínezwho had joined us thatevening.Jean,Elena,EileenCondon,andItriedveryhardtomeetfordinneranddrinkseverysixweeks(wishedsomuchitcouldhavebeenmore).Infact,wehadonescheduledfortheSundayafterJeanpassedaway(abelatedbirthdaytoastforher). Moreover, I always appreciated Jean’sbalancedapproachtoherjob,keepingitinperspectivewhilecultivatingtheseotheraspects of her life.Her opening of LaMulaChula,herbeautifulMexicanimportshopinRhinebeck,NY,wasawayforhertomakealivingfromknowingandbond-ingwiththeamazingfolkartistsshemetinMexico.Herkindness,enthusiasm,andgenerositywereinfectious,andshewillbemissedbythemanypeoplewhoselivesshetouched,andselfishly,byme.

Portrait of Jean Crandall in Briarcliff, NY, 2004. Photo by Rob Crandall.

POUGHKEEPSIE— JeanDeGraceCrandall,47,diedonNovember1,2011,atherhomeinPoughkeepsie,NewYork,whereshewasalongtimeresident.BorninWhite Plains,NY, onOctober 10,1964,shewasthedaughterof the lateRobertWilsonCrandall andThereseDeGraceCrandall. She is survivedbyhersistersElizabethCrandallBarnesandSarahCrandallKnoxandbrothersTraf-tonMilfordCrandallandRobertWilsonCrandall,Jr.,andherbelovedniecesandnephewsMelissa,Alice,Carolyn,Grace,Douglas,Katherine,Bennett, Joseph,Rory, and James and two great-niecesLucyandClara. Jean grew up in Briarcliff Manor,NY.ShegraduatedfromBriarcliff HighSchoolin1982andearnedaBAfromtheUniversityof Vermontin1986.ShealsoearnedaMasters inFolkStudies fromWesternKentuckyUniversity in 1995,and anMS inEducation (ESL) fromSUNYNewPaltz,NY,in2008. JeanworkedastheFolkloristfortheDutchessCountyArtsCouncilandasaconsultingfolkloristfortheWestchesterArtsCouncil andother localorganiza-tions.Shewasaboardmemberof theNewYorkFolkloreSociety.MostrecentlysheworkedasaTutorAdvocatefortheMid-HudsonMigrantEducationOut-reachProgram inNewPaltz. Jeanwasalso the owner/operator of LaMulaChulainRhinebeck,NY,astorefeaturingfair-tradeMexicanfolkart,whichsheim-portedherself.JeanwasfluentinSpanishandtravelledfrequentlytoMexico,whereshehaddevelopedpersonalrelationshipswiththeartistswhoseworksshesold. Jeanwasatruecommunityactivistandphilanthropist. Jeanwaswarmheartedandaltruisticinnatureandhadaspecialcommitmenttotheimmigrantcommu-nityof the greaterPoughkeepsie area.Shewillbegreatlymissedbymany. Withinthenextyear,theCrandallfam-ilyplanstocreateafoundationinJean’snametosustainMexicanfolkartsandthesocialjusticecausesdeartoJean’sheart.For further information,[email protected].


Lost Treasures BY JOHN THORN

To give an idea of howlargeastoryasmallartifactmaytell,andhowrichinassociationitmayprove,allowmetopresentabaseballpinnolargerthanadime,alongwithacommonnurserytale.“Threewisemenof Go-

thamwenttoseainabowl,”went theMotherGooserhyme; “and if the bowlhadbeenstronger,thenmyrhymehadbeenlonger.”

Mother Goose’s Histories or Tales of Passed TimeswasfirstpublishedinLondonabout1775,baseduponEnglish andFrench sources.Not a propitious beginning for a baseballstory, but look at the accompanyingpho-tograph,of apinwornbymembersof theGothamBaseBallClubof NewYorkinthe1850s.Let’strackthestorybackto1460,whenthe“Folesof Gotham”werefirstmentionedintheTowneley Mysteries,andacenturylater,whentheabsurddoingsof thevillage’speople(sevenmilesfromNottingham,England)werecollected in abook,Merrie Tales of the Mad Men of Gotham.Thesimplicityof theinhabitantswasleg-

endary.Oneabsurdityattributedtothemwasthebuildingof athornbushroundthecuckootosecureeternalspring;anotherwasanat-tempttoridthemselvesof aneelbydrowningit.Butthearchetypaltaleof Gothamitebehav-iorwaswhenKingJohnintendedtoestablishahuntinglodgenearby.Thevillagers,fearfulof thecostof supportingthecourt,feignedimbecilitywhentheroyalmessengersarrived.Wherevertheking’smenwent,theysawthefoolsof Gothamengaged in some lunaticendeavor.WhenKingJohnselectedanotherspotforhislodgeelsewhere,the“wisemen”boasted,“WeweentherearemorefoolspassthroughGothamthanremaininit.”Howdidthistalecometoresonatewiththe

GothamBaseBallClub,formedin1837,asperhapsthegame’sfirstorganizedclub,eightyearsbeforetheself-proclaimedpioneers,theKnickerbockers?Whydidtheynamethem-selvesaftertheproverbialwisefools?Gotham,

understoodtodayasBatman’shometown,isalsoacommonsynonymforNewYorksinceourEnglishcousinsbegantorefertothose

“fools”who sailed from themothercountry(threemeninatub)tomake their fortunes inNewYork as residents of the“NewGotham.”Themostrichly evocativeof all thecity’snicknames,itwas,likeYankeeDoodle, originallyintendedbyitsEnglishcoin-

ersasaninsult.WashingtonIrvingalsoapplied

the name of Gotham toNewYork in1807,insomeof hisSalmagundilettersfromMustapha-Rub-a-DubKeliKhan. (“Rub-a-dub-dub, threemen in a tub...” is thewayanothervariantgoes.)AndinthesubsequentcrazeforallthingsIrving,Gothamwasseizeduponasabadgeof honorforNewYorkersandarebuketoJohnBull.Proper businessmen scorned the young

menwhoplayedbaseball in theNewYorkareaaround1850foractinglikefools,tryingtoextendtheiryouthbeyondthetimewhenmenshouldgiveoverchildishthings.SotheGo-thams,indefianceagainsttheBritish,cricket,andtheirelders’puritanicalattitudestowardplay,namedthemselvesforthelegendaryfoolsof themothercountryandmadeupthislittlebadgeof honorforitsmembers.ThispinwasissuedtoHenryMortimerPlattanddonatedtotheBaseballHallof Famein1939byhisdaughter.Forme,thiswasthemostsplendidpieceintheHall.InrenovationstotheHallbefore its 1993 enlargement, thispin, longondisplay,waslost—andthereinliesanotherarranttale.Inthe1980stheNationalBaseballLibrary

wascrampedforspaceandpressedforcata-logingservices.Somelargeboxeswerefilledwithunrelateditemsof mixedprovenanceandscantdocumentation.Inonesuchbox,packedlooselyamongsometrulynotablecurios (IrecallCyYoung’srookiecontractfrom1890)wasathinwoodenstick,withirregularhand-hewnnotchesalongpartof itsperhaps10-

inchlength.Withunquestioningconfidencethatonlycomeswithignorance,Isnortedatfindingthisinsignificantpieceof kindling,inaplasticbagwithoutanytagindicatingthatithadeverbeenaccessioned.“Iknowyou’lltakeanythinghere,”Ilaughinglyannouncedtosomelibrarystaffers,“butIthoughtatleastithadtohavesomethingtodowithbaseball!”Allof uswerepuzzledbythestick;none

of usknewhowithadenteredintothecollec-tionsorwhyitwasbeingretained.Ichalkedthisuptothedemocratic,if notoverlydis-criminating, collectionspolicyof the earlyHallof Fame.Thisendearingcommitment,asbaseball’sattic,toaccepteventhehumblestofferingsfromfansisthemagicthatbringsthemultitudes toCooperstown. I thoughtnomoreaboutthestickforfiveyears,untilIwasreadingthroughHenryChadwick’sscrap-books,attheNewYorkPublicLibrary—andthen the stickbecameTheStick.There, inVolume20,dominatedby cricket stories, Ifoundthefollowinginnocuousnote:

Previousto1746,thescorewaskeptbynotchesonashortlath:hencethetermnotches for runs.The notching-knifegraduallygavewaytothepen,andthethinsticktoasheetof foolscap.

Thefool’scapbelongedonmyhead.Ihaddismissedasinconsequentialwhatwassurelyascorer’sstickfromanexceedinglyearlygameof baseball,anartifactearlierthanDoubledayorCartwrightoranyoneyoumightname.Thisstick,perhapsthemostresonantof allitemsrelatingtothegame’sprehistory,isnowlost,too—inpartbecauseIfailedtohearitsstoryatatimewhenitmighthavebeenrecognizedasatreasure,andsaved.

John Thorn is the au-thor and editor of many books, including Base-ball in the Garden of Eden (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2011). He lives in Catskill, New York. Copyright © John Thorn.

plAY


WOCA, which convened at APAP|NYC 2011, has more than 100 members. Photos by Jacob Belcher /Association of Performing Arts Presenters.

S everalyearsago,KaishaJohnsonwasdoingwhat arts administrators do:

attending regional conferences, engagingindialoguewithcolleagues, taking innewwork.Butshenoticedsomethingwasmiss-ing:Peoplelikeher.“Iwassurveyingthefield,andIwasseeing

a lackof diversityamongadministrators,”recallsJohnson,directorof touringartistsattheCenterforTraditionalMusicandDance.“Onourstages,certainlythere’sadiversityof work, butwhatwas being presentedonstagewasnotreflectingwhatwasgoingonbehindthescenes.Iwantedtoreachouttowomenwhofeltliketheywereworkingalone and formalize a networkwherewecouldsupportoneanother’swork.”

BY KRISTEN ANDRESEN

She turned toAlisonMcNeil,whowasworkingwithArtsPresenters at the time,andtogethertheyformedWomenof ColorintheArts.Thegrouphasgrowntoincludemorethan100memberswhorepresentallsegmentsof thefield—presenters,manag-ers,agents,artseducators,fundraisersanddevelopment professionals—and it nowincludesrepresentationfromTheNether-lands,Colombia,BrazilandtheU.S.VirginIslands.“Thesewomenarefeelingisolatedintheir

work,too,”McNeilsays.Because of WOCA, they aren’t alone.

Itsmembers are engaged in everythingfromcasualnetworkingandidea-sharingtomore formalizedmentorship and profes-

sionaldevelopmentprograms.JohnsonandMcNeilareintheprocessof establishingapilotprogram to introduceyoungwomenin theWashington,D.C., area—rangingfromjuniorhighschooltocollege—totheideaof artsadministrationasacareer.Itistheirhopethatthiswill“helpdiversifythepipeline.”They’vealsocreatedabrown-baglunch

series,ledbymemberswhoareexpertsinareas of importance toWOCA, such asbuildingstrategicpartnerships.IthasbeensopopularintheWashingtonareathatthey’replanningasimilarseriesinNewYork.“We’vehad some ‘ahamoments,’”Mc-

Neilsays.“Beingabletocometogethertomeet andnetwork andbeing able tohear

Follow Spot: Growing the Ranks


lessonslearnedfromthehostandthefea-turedspeakersallowsustogobacktoourorganizations and approach things a littledifferentlythanwewould’vebefore.”Awebsitethatservesasanonlineforum

formembers to discuss issues and helpone anotherwith career networking is intheworks, andWOCA’s firstmeeting atAPAP|NYC2011wasaresoundingsuccess.

ThoughWOCAhaswell-defined coreobjectives(seesidebar),McNeilandJohnsonpredictthatthegroupanditsprogrammingwill continuallyevolveasmembers’needschangeandtheranksgrow. “This is all about enhancing contribu-

tionstotheperformingartsfieldthatcouldultimatelymakeitmorediverseinalotof ways,”Johnsonsays.

Voices extends its thanks to Alicia Anstead, editor-in-chief of Inside Arts, the magazine of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (www.APAP365.org) for permitting a direct reprint of this article from the Spring 2011 issue. For more on WOCA’s continuing development and programs, visit their website at http://www.womenofcolorinthearts.org.

WOCA’s Objectives:• Creating an online network to

discuss issues in the field, specifically affecting women of color

• Creating a community to share information about career opportunities

• Organizing annual interest group sessions to fellowship and create agendas at the regional booking con-ferences (WAA, Arts Midwest and PAE) and at the national Arts Presenters conference

• Facilitating panel discussions at conferences, specifically targeted to encouraging diversity in the field and addressing the necessary sensitivity needed for implementing more diver-sity on stage

• Providing mentorship opportunities for new and midlevel administrators


Down to the Depths BY LIBBY TUCKER

Libby Tucker teaches folklore at Bingham-ton University. Her book Haunted Halls: Ghostlore of American College Campuses (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2007) investigates col-lege ghost stories. Her most recent book is Children’s Folklore: A Handbook (West-port: Greenwood, 2008).

During the 2011 hurricane season,NewYorkershavegone throughanun-usual amount of stress.Many people’sbasementshaveflooded,andtownssuchasMargaretville and Burtonsville havesuffered severe damage.With our gov-ernor’snew“LaborforYourNeighbor”program,moreof uscantraveltoflood-soakedpartsof ourstatetolendahand.Manyof uswhohavebailedoutourownflooded basementswouldwelcome thechance tohelpour fellowNewYorkers,andsomeof ushavefoundbasementstobe interestingplacestovisit.Afteryearsof teaching at BinghamtonUniversity(BU),Ihavelearnedthatbasementsseemtoprovideahomeformysterious,elusivecampusghosts.Manyof mystudentsatBUhaveloved

totellandhearghoststories,andthebestof thosestorieshavecomefrompersonalexperience.Basements—dark,chilly,silentspaces—have furnished especially goodlocations for students’ encounterswithghosts.Ihaveheardmanystudentsexpressdismayabouthearingspectralsoundsandseeingstrangesightswhiledoinglaundryin their residence halls’ basements lateat night.When they are all alone closetomidnight,andeerie thumpingsoundscomefromthedryer,uncannyexperiencessometimesfollow.One of the spookiest places down in

the depths of BinghamtonUniversity’scampus has been the sub-basement of O’ConnorHall, whereAlice, a friendlymember of the custodial staff, oncefaintedandfelloff aladderwhilecleaninga lightfixture.After shewokeup,Aliceclaimed that the spirit of a youngmannamedMichael had passed through herbody.Studentshavevisitedthespotwhereshefelloff theladder,notingitslocationnext to a signproclaiming, “DANGER.NOADMITTANCE.FOLLOWCON-FINEDSPACEENTRYPROCEDUREBEFOREENTERING.”Theyhavealsonotedthatacoldbreezeblowsoutthrough

this firmly locked door.Why would abreezeblowoutof aconfinedspace?In-quiringyoungmindswanttoknow!Of course,anylockeddoorwitha“NO

ADMITTANCE” signoffers a folkloricchallenge.JustasPandoracouldnotresistopening her box, and Bluebeard’s wifecouldnotresistopeningthedoorof thelockedroomwhereherfellowwives’bod-ieslay,somestudentshavenotbeenabletoresisttryingtoopenthelockeddoorinthebasementof O’Connor.Findingthatthelockdidnotyieldtopushingandproddingafewyearsago,twostudentsaskedmeif Icouldgetpermissiontoopenthedoor.Itriedbutdidnotsucceed,sothespacebehindthedoorremainedamystery.Ididlearn,however,thatthisspacebelongedtoourcampus’sundergroundtunnelsystem.Knowingthatitwaspartof atunnelmadethatpartof thesub-basementevenmoreattractive tothestudentswho longedtovisitit.Finally,lastspringagroupof students

inmy“GhostsinAmericanCulture”classobtainedpermissiontoentertheforbid-den space inO’Connor’s sub-basement.Theheadof ourphysicalfacilitiesdepart-ment kindly offered to take them on atour:notjustatourof thelowerregionsof O’Connor,butonethatencompassedallof themostinterestinghidden,deep-down spaces of the campus. This tourwasveryhelpfultothestudents,becauseitgavethemachancetoprepareanoralpresentationwith a setof slides that allof theotherstudentsandIwereeagertosee.Wearinghardhats,carryingcameras,and clutching notebooks and pens, thestudentssetoutwiththeirtourguidelateonecoldspringevening.What they found—not surprisingly—

was water, lots of water. Deep downbeneath the basements of some build-ings,rainwaterhadformeddark,Stygianpools.Becausethebuildingshadbeenwellplanned,withplentyof roomforrunoff,thiswater did no damage. Intrigued by

thesedarkpoolsbeneath their campus’sdrybuildings,thestudentstookmanypic-tures.Later,theynoticedthatsomeof thepicturescontainedsmall,glowingspheresof light, which ghost-hunters call orbs.Didtheseorbsshowthatghostshauntedthebasement,orweretheyjustoffshootsof digital photography? This questionprovidedagoodsubjectfordiscussioninclasslateron.Whiletheundergroundpoolsandorbs

wereexciting,thebestpartof mystudents’tourwas their entry into the forbiddenroom of O’Connor’s sub-basement.Atlast, a look at the room that had beenlockedforsolong!Thestudentsdiscov-ered that the roomwasdark,dusty, andfullof calcified spiders.On itsfloor laycountlessburnt-outlightbulbs,andnearthe room’s entrancewas an old, brokenchair.CouldtheselightbulbsandthechairhavearelationshiptowhathappenedtoAliceyearsago?Whenshehadherghostlyexperience,shewasreachinguptocleanalightfixture.Awareof thisconnectiontoanimportantcampuslegend,thestudentstookphotosof thechairandlightbulbs.Besides photographing the forbidden

room,thestudentspickedupasouvenir:one of the light bulbs that had lain ontheroom’sfloorforsomanyyears.Theypresentedthelightbulbtomeasagiftonthelastdayof class.Icherishthisgiftandwouldbegladtoshowittoanyonewhocan come in to visitmy office.Duringfloodsandothertimesof stress,weneedgoodspirits.

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BY MU LI

I miss New York City at Christmastime. It’s not the tree in Rockefeller Center or the ice skaters, the gray snow or the windows at Lord and Taylor’s. It’s eating Chinese food and going to a movie on Christmas Day, a New York Jew’s ritual.

—MollyJackel,2005

I n theminds of many people aroundtheworld—bothChristians andnon-

Christians—Christmasmeans Santa, ex-changing giftswith familymembers andfriends,afamilydinnerof turkey,carols,andadecoratedChristmastree.Nomatterhowsecular elements inAmerican society andpopular culture havewhittled away at thereligiousmeaningsof Christmas—andevenmanyChristians now considerChristmasanAmericanholiday, a secularholiday,oraculturalholiday—myonlineobservationsuggeststhatmostJewishpeople,especiallyOrthodoxJews,stillconsideritanimportantChristianholiday,if notthemostimportantone. The religious nature of Christmasleavesmanypeopleof otherreligionsout-sidethenationwidecelebration.Jewsconstituteoneof the largestnon-

ChristiangroupsintheUnitedStates,andtheyhavegenerallynotacculturatedtomain-streamChristmas traditions. For reasonsboth religious andhistorical,most Jewishpeoplemaintain their traditional holidayobservations, such asHanukkah, theFes-tivalof Lights,whichisdeterminedbytheHebrewcalendarbutfallsinlateNovemberorDecember.As JonathonAmentwritesin“AmericanJewishReligiousDenomina-

tions,” a report based on the 2000–2001NationalJewishPopulationSurvey(NJPS)fortheUnitedJewishCommunities,“MostAmerican Jews identifyas Jews throughadenominationalprism,unliketheexperienceinotherlargeJewishpopulationcenterssuchasIsraelortheformerSovietUnion(FSU).ThedemographiccharacteristicsandJewishconnectionsof thosewhoidentifyandaf-filiatewithJewishreligiousdenominationsthereforetakeonspecialimportanceintheAmericansetting”(2005,3).TheNationalJewishPopulationSurveyis

anationallyrepresentativesurveyof theJew-ishpopulationlivingintheUnitedStates—more than4.3million—administered to agroupof approximately4,500respondents.InterviewingforNJPStookplacefromAu-gust21,2000,toAugust30,2001,andwasconducted by telephone, using a randomsample of telephone numbers in all fiftystatesandtheDistrictof Columbia.Amongallrespondents,34percentcalledthemselvesReformJews;26percentself-identifiedasConservative; 13percent described them-selves asOrthodox; 2 percent consideredthemselvesReconstructionist;andtheother25percentwere “just Jewish.”Therefore,nearly75percentof theseAmericanJewsprefertoidentifythemselvesasJewsthroughparticularJewishdenominations.Nomatterwhichformof Judaismisclaimed,religionclearlyplaysanimportantroleintheevery-daylivesof manyAmericanJews.Theabovedataaccordwiththe1990Na-

tionalJewishPopulationSurvey.Accordingto the 1990 survey, 82 percent of Jewish

householdsneverhaveaChristmastree,andlessthan3percentof familieswherebothspouses are Jewish have aChristmas tree(Kosmin1991).Accordingtooneblogger,TraceyR.Rich,andseveralof herfriends,many Jewish familieswith small childrenhaveChristmastreestokeeptheirchildrenfrom feeling deprived or left out of theaggressivelymarketedChristmas season(2007).The surveyfindings seem to indi-cate thatsomenumberof JewishfamilieschoosetodenyordownplaytheChristmastreestheyhad.Duringmy online research on Jewish

Christmastraditions,Ialsoconductedasimi-larinvestigationof Chineseobservationsof theholiday.LikeJews,mostChinesepeoplefollow the lunar calendar and celebrateChineseNewYear (Spring Festival).Myonlineandface-to-faceChineseinterview-ees—around150,representingmanyprofes-sions and different ages and immigrationstatuses—regardtheChristmascelebrationas entertainment only.Nevertheless, sur-roundedbyalargepopulationof ChristiansandwidespreadChristmascelebrationsandworkholidays,bothof theseoutsidergroupshave gradually invented new customs tobuildtheirownChristmas.According toAment’s analysis of the

2000–2001NJPSdata,thepopulationsof bothReformand“justJewish”groups,whoare thought to bemuchmore flexible ininterpretingandenacting Jewish tradition,areexperiencingarapidincrease,whilethoseof theOrthodoxandConservativegroupsare consequently declining (2005). In this

Jewish Activities on Christmas:

An Online Case Study


article,IprimarilydiscussJewswhoiden-tifythemselvesasReformor“justJewish.”Tomanyof theseNorthAmericanJewishfamilies (whichmay include non-Jewishmembers)—especiallythoselivinginNewYorkCity—Christmasmeans going to amovietheaterandenjoyingdinnerattheirfavoriteChineserestaurant.Thisemergingcustom is depicted inBrandonWalker’s2007videoChinese Food on Christmas,whichhasbeenseenbymorethan1,780,000view-ersonYouTube alone.Thevideo spoofsBrandonWalker’s dull life at Christmas,whenbecauseof hisJewishidentity,theonlythingshecandoaregotoamovietheaterandeatChinesefoodlikeotherJews.If forcedtochooseeitherthemovieor

theChinesefood,theChinesedinnerseemstobemoresignificant.Jewsmaynotalwaysgotofilms,butChinesefoodisindispens-ableonthisspecialvacationday.AsFerrircommentedonline,“Wecomehere[toeatChinesefood]everyChristmas.It’smytreattomyfamily”(Poole2005).Meanwhile,B-SidewroteonhisblogthatheandhisfriendJashspentmorethanthreehourslookingforanopenChineserestaurantintheLosAngelesarea,andatlasttheyhadtoordertake-outChinesefood.B-Sidecomplainedof the closed restaurants, “Point is, noChineserestaurantwith‘Cohen’initsnamecan be closed onChristmas in a Jewishneighborhoodof astereotypicallyJewishycity.IT’SJUSTNOTALLOWED”(2007).Insomecases,whenthoseJewishpeoplemoveoutof theUnitedStates,orevenNewYorkCity,thedifferencebetweenthelocalChinesefoodandthatof theirhometownwillmakethemhomesick.Mooseletcom-plainedonlineof theChinese restaurantsinAustralia, as shemissed theflavorsof NewYork,whereshegrewup(2008).Tomany Jewish peoplewho do not strictlykeeptraditionalkosherfoodways,Chinesefoodhasbecomeaninseparablepartof aJewishChristmas.ButwhyisChinesefoodinvolvedinthis

new—distinctlyunorthodox—Jewishtradi-tion,ratherthansomeotherethnicfood—andwhyisChristmasdifferentfromotherChristianholidays?Besidesthesimplefact

thatChineserestaurantsareseeminglyopenallthetime,somepromisingexplanationsare certain features of Chinese food andJewish people’s concerns, including Jew-ishidentity,acculturation,andcommunitysolidarity.

Connections between Jewish and Chinese FoodAlthoughChinesefoodisacentralpart

of theChristmas tradition formany lessconservativeJews,especiallythoseinNewYorkCity,thetiebetweentheseAmericanJewishpeopleandChinesefoodcontinuespastChristmas.ChinesefoodandChineserestaurantshavebecomeapartof theirev-erydaylifeinmanypartsof NorthAmerica.AsKimVoreportedonMercury NewsonChristmasEve 2006: “‘When Jews are 3yearsold—fromthetimethey’rereadytoeatrealfood—theygotoChineserestau-rants,’declaredAlanSataloff,CEOof theAlbertL.SchultzJewishCommunityCenterinPaloAlto.‘It’seithermatzoballsouporwontonsoup.’”JessicaCarewKraftclaimsthatmanyJewshaveeffectivelyritualizedtheChinesemealandmadeitanintegralpartof modernJewishlifeinAmerica.Indeed,shenoted,“ManyJewssaytheymasteredchopsticksbeforetheylearnedtheHebrewalphabet” (Kraft 2002). In a culinary artsforum,Mizduckycommentedthatherpar-entstookhertothelocalChineserestaurantforthefirsttimein1958,whenshewastwoyearsold(2008).WhydotheseJewishpeoplelikeChinese

food?TwoJewishsociologists,GayeTuch-manandHarryLevine,notesomepossiblereasons,althoughtheydonotdifferentiategroups of Jews by their denominationalaffiliations.Oneexplanationisthespecificways thatChinese food is prepared andserved,whichhelpJewsandtheirchildrentofindChinese foodmore attractive andlessthreateningthanothertreif(non-kosher)foods.Chineserestaurantsalsorelyonsomeingredients,suchasgarlicandchicken,thatarefamiliartoEasternEuropeanJews,andChinese cuisine does notmixmilk andmeat.Inaddition,thesimilarinjusticesof anti-SemitismandracismagainstChinese,

andtheformerlylowpositionof ChinesepeopleinAmericansociety,madeJewsfeelsafeandcomfortableinChineserestaurants(TuchmanandLevine1993,388–92).Moreover, according toTuchman and

Levine, Jews in the twentieth centuryunderstood Chinese restaurant food asa cosmopolitan and urbane symbol. Formany Jews inNewYorkCity, eating inChineserestaurantssignifiedthattheywerenotprovincialorparochialEasternEuro-peanJews,not“greenhorns”orhicks,butAmerican—morespecifically,open-minded,modernNewYorkers(TuchmanandLevine1993,392–4).What ismore,asTuchmanandLevinenote,manysecond-andthird-generation Jewish immigrants identifythemselves asmodernAmerican Jews,orNewYorkJews,bygettingtogethertoeatChinesefoodtoreminisceaboutthe“softandgentleflavorsof thepast,”since“eatingChinese”becameanestablishedNewYorkJewishcustom,apartof dailylifeandiden-tityformillionsof Jews(1993,394–402).Inasimilarvein,DonaldSiegelexplores

theJewish-ChineseculinaryconnectionandthereasonswhymanyJewsareinterestedineatingChinesefood.Hisfindingsaresimilartothoseof TuchmanandLevine,butSiegelparticularlyfocusesonsimilaritiesbetweenkreplachandwontonsandemphasizestheproximityof JewishandChineseimmigrantcommunities inNewYorkCity between1880 and 1920.He argues that sharedneighborhoodsmayhaveresultedinsharedculinaryexperiencesandthetransmissionof recipes (Siegel 2005). Siegel also cre-ativelyattributesJews’culinaryadaptationsto ancient Jewish communities of China,particularly theKaifeng Jews inHenanprovince,China.Hedescribesastudentof hisfromChina,whomhesuspectsmaybeadescendentof theKaifengJewishcom-munitybecausehissurnameisLee(LeeandJinarethoughttobesurnamesthatreplacedoriginalJewishnames).Thestudentgrewupwithouteatingporkorshellfish,andonspe-cialoccasions,hisfamilycookedlambstewwithonionsandpeppers,adishthoughttobeatraditionalSephardicmealwithoriginsontheIberianPeninsula(Siegel2005).


Jewish Christmas and Chinese FoodAlthoughtheabovereasonsareconvinc-

ing explanations forwhyChinese food ispopularlyacceptedbymanyJewishpeople,theystillfailtoanswermyearlierquestions:whyisChinesefoodinvolvedinthisJewishtradition, rather than some other ethnicfood,andwhyisChristmasunique?Inotherwords,whydoanincreasingnumberof JewsrecognizeChinese food onChristmas astheirowntradition—andwhydosomeJew-ishpeopleevenprotestoutsiders’invasionof thistradition?AsAdamGerardremarkedonline,hehasseenmanynon-Jews(primar-ilyChristians) at themovies andChineserestaurantsonChristmas,whichmakeshimandhisJewishfriendsangryatthe“greed”of Christianswho are not satisfiedwiththeirowntradition.Theseinterloperscausetheaterstobepackedandrestaurantwaitslonger,whichruinstheJewishtraditionand“holiday.”TohisChristianfriends,Gerardsuggested,“Yousticktoyourpresents,andwe’llsticktoourChinesefoodandamovie.Everyonewillbehappy.Please?”(2004)TuchmanandLevinewouldarguethatthe

underlyingreasonthatJews“eatChinese”istocreateanewJewishidentityintheNewWorld,anidentitythatcannotbeconfusedbymainstreamAmericans,evenif thereli-gioustieislooseintheseJews’dailylives.LiaLehrer,ayoungJewishwriterandblogger,actuallydefinedAmericanJudaismspecifi-callyintermsof Chinesefoodandamovie:“Asminyansandminyansof JewsgatherinlocalChineserestaurantsandcelebratethedaywitheggdropsoupandmooshutofuandrentV for Vendetta,they’llbepracticingthe newest branchof Judaism:AmericanJudaism.” Lehrer juxtaposed ChristmaswithHanukkahandother traditional Jew-ish holidays, concluding that the holidayChinesedinnerfunctionsasacentralAmeri-canJewishtradition:“WehavesedarimonPassover,weeatlatkesonHanukkah,and,mostimportantly,weeatChinesefoodonChristmas” (2007).Nonetheless, a JewishChristmas—relatedtoChinesecuisine—isclearly different from theChristmas cel-ebratedbyChristians,andalsodistinctfrom

the deliberate non-celebration of thoseOrthodoxorConservativeJewswhodonotrecognizeChristmasatall.Sowhy do less conservativeAmerican

JewscelebrateChristmas inthisparticularway—andwhydo theycontinuecelebrat-inginthisway?Theanswermaylieinthedilemma some Jews face:whether to ac-culturate to theAmericanmainstreamormaintaintheirdistinctethnicandreligiousidentity. InChristmas at Shalom Hunan, aneight-minuteinterviewvideoshotin2004,manyinterviewees(allareJewishexceptone)reportedthattheylikeChristmas,andsomesaidthattheyexchangeChristmasgiftswiththeirChristian friends (Padmewan 2007).An elderly Jewishwomanpointed to thechange in attitudes toward theChristmastree fromhergeneration toher children’sandgrandchildren’sgenerations.DecoratingaChristmastreeinherchildhoodbroughtscolding from her rabbi father, but herchildrenandgrandchildren, although theymaintain their Jewish identities, celebrateChristmas aswell asHanukkah andhavetheirownChristmastrees.Astimepasses,moreJewishpeoplemayacculturateintotheAmericanmainstreamof Christmasholidaycelebration.Nevertheless,many Jews also express

explicit hesitation to this acculturatingprocess, and some intend to deny thisprocess.TomanyAmerican Jewish fami-lies,withfar-flungadultchildrenlivingfarfromtheirparents,theChristmasvacationisaconvenienttimetogetthewholefam-ily together.SchedulingafamilygatheringduringChristmas, however,makes someJewish families—particularly thosewithstrictreligiousbeliefs—feel“avaguesenseof guilt,” since they are afraid of beingrecognizedas celebratingChristmas (Rich2007).To release this tension, these Jew-ishfamilies“oftenrepeatedlyremindeachotherthat‘we’renotcelebratingChristmas,it’sjustaconvenienttimetohaveafamilyget-together’”(Rich2007).ThishesitationmayevenexplainwhyJewishpeoplechooseto useChinese chopstickswhen they areeatingChinesefood,ratherthanaskingforforksandknivesinChineserestaurantsas

manyotherAmericansdo,especiallyinthewesternUnitedStates(Li2002,339–343):theyactuallyintendtodisplaytheirreligiousand ethnic difference frommainstreamAmericans,primarilyChristians.Thisdilemmaof acculturationisalsoil-

lustratedbyJews’choiceof Chinesefood.AsTuchman and Levine argue, Chinesefood in the past acted as a tool to assistthemtobecomeAmericansorNewYork-ers—but this effect can be extended toothercuisines,if thosefoodsareviewedassimilarlycosmopolitan.ManyJewishpeoplementionintheirblogsoronlinecommentsthat they eat orwill eatVietnamese foodonChristmas,insteadof Chinesefood(forexample,Andrea2008,L.2007,ModernGirl2008).Thisflexibilityindicatesanevolvingsenseof whatitmeanstobeacosmopolitanAmerican. Some scholars, such as StevenM.CohenandSamuelHeilman,regardthisdeveloping but continuous cosmopolitanidealasanintegralpartof Jewishidentity.TheycontendthatJewishpeople,especiallythoseafterthefirstorsecondgenerationinthiscountry,areapeoplewithoutanationalhome,sinceIsraelwasfoundedin1948,de-cadesaftermanyEuropeanJewshadarrivedin theUnitedStates.ThesecontemporaryAmericanJewsconsidertheirmoderniden-titycosmopolitan,identifyingthemselvesas“worldcitizens”(Cohen1984).

Foodways and American Jewish IdentityFoodways always display and create

identity,inbothpastandmodernsocieties.MichaelOwen Jones asserts that “eatingpractices reproduce aswell as constructidentity,”suggestingthatbyeatingChinesefood, Jewish people not only representthemselvesasJewsandcosmopolitans,butalsoareshapedbyChinesefood(2007,130).AsImentionedabove,Siegelpointsoutthesimilarity between kreplach andwontons.TuchmanandLevinealsoobservesimilari-tiesbetweentraditionalkoshercuisineandChinesefood.ThesesimilaritiesmakeChi-nesefoodacceptabletomostJewishpeople,butatthesametime,byeatingChinesefoodonChristmasDay,Jewsbecomeoutsiders


tomainstreamAmericanculture.Paradoxi-cally,eatingChinesefoodonChristmasbothidentifies Jews asAmerican andpreventsthem from completely acculturating. Afewcharacteristicsof theAmericanJewishpractice of celebratingChristmaswith aChinesemealmark Jews’ dual identity assimultaneously exotic and acculturated toAmericansociety.Boththecelebrationandtheidentityithelpstobuildare1)nontra-ditionalorexotic,2)enactedinpublic,and3)explicitlysecular.The traditional main course inmost

American familiesonChristmas is turkey,whichisnotapartof Chinesecuisine.InBobClark’s1983comedyA Christmas Story,aChristianfamilyordersduckataChineserestaurantafteraneighbor’sdogsstealtheirChristmas turkey. InClark’smovie, eatingChinese foodonChristmas is funny andridiculous,anditonlyhappens inextraor-dinary circumstances. Indeed, Chineserestaurants are still exotic—especially onthecozilydomesticChristmasholiday—intheminds of manyAmerican people.Acommenter on IanMcNulty’s blog article“Traditional?”abouttheJewishChristmastraditionwrylyremarked:“Ithinkthiswasactually popularizedmorewhenA Christ-mas Story cameout—Dinner eatenby thedogs?HeadforaChineserestaurant!—andhasbeentransformedintoaJewishthing”(Liprap2008).Formany Jewish people, however, the

Chineserestaurantisalsoasymbolof accul-turatingtotheAmericanethnicmainstream:goingtoaChineserestaurantmakesJewishAmericans feel not Jewish, butwhite. InPhilipRoth’s1969novelPortnoy’s Complaint,AlexPortnoy remarks on the relation of Jewish andChinese: “To them [Chinesepeople]we are not Jews, butwhite—andmaybeevenAngloSaxon.Nowondertheycan’tintimidateus.Tothem,we’rejustsomebig-nosedvarietyof WASP”(90).Moreover,theChinesearetheonlyethnicgroupwish-ingmanyAmericanJews“MerryChristmas,”whichreminds themof theiracculturatedAmerican identities. Aaron regards thisformalityasamemorablepartof celebratingtheholidayataChineserestaurant:

Thebestpartof myfamily’sChinese-food-on-Xmas tradition is that everyyear as we’re exiting the restaurantfilledwith outwardly Jewish-lookingJews(usuallyfeaturingarabbiortwo,aswell),therestaurantstaff neverfailtowishusallaMerryChristmas.Ilookforwardtoiteachyear.TheprobablyBuddhistChineseserverswishingtherabbisandcongregantsaMerryChrist-mas.It’sAmerican;it’sbrilliant(2009).

BeingaJewandbeinganAmericanarecompatibleinthemindsof manyJews,andthecompatibilityisdisplayedandfulfilledinChineserestaurants.A second characteristic that confirms

AmericanJewishdualidentityisthepubliclocationof theChristmascelebration.Eat-ingataChineserestaurantandwatchingamovie ina theaterarebothnon-domesticactivities,whilemostAmericanChristianfamiliespreferaprivatefamilycelebrationathome.Pleckconsidersthefamily-basedtradition as America’s way to integratenewcomers(aswellastheruralpoor)andsocializethemasAmericancitizens,whichultimately promotednational unity (2004,46).Nonetheless,thepublicnatureof JewishChristmaspracticesareprivateandfamily-oriented in some senses. Since amajorityof ChristianscelebrateathomeduringtheChristmasseason,formerlypublicplaces—suchasstreets,restaurants(especiallythoseownedbynon-Christians),andmoviethe-aters—becomeatemporary“private”area.AsbloggerBillSobelnoted,eventheusuallynoisyandcrowdedcasinosinAtlanticCityarepracticallyemptyonChristmas,exceptforJews,Indians,andAsians(2006).ChineserestaurantsinmanyregionshaveonlyJew-ishcustomersonChristmas,whichcreatesa temporary Jewish space (Walker 2007).Inaddition,eatingataChineserestaurantonChristmasDayisnotapersonalactivity,somuchasafamilyorethnicbehavior:anethniccustomorritualimplyingJewishac-ceptanceof theAmericanfamily-basedidea.The third characteristic—an explic-

itly secular, “everyday” approach to theholiday—marksthecontradictionbetweenJewishChristmasandtraditionalAmericanChristmasobservances.EatingChinesefood

isnotaneventlimitedtoChristmasformostJews,butratheracommon,ordinaryfeatureof everyday life.A Jewish intervieweeof mine,whodescribesherself asnotreligious,tellsmethatherfamilyinNewYorkgoestoChineserestaurantseverySunday.Theyeatchowmein,wontonsoup,eggrolls,friedrice, sweet-and-sour chicken, and kungpao chicken everyweekend—and alsoonChristmas.ButmostAmericanChristianseatChristmasdinnersthataredistinctfromtheir everyday dishes.Turkeywith all thetrimmings is definitely not typical for anordinarymeal,butpreparedforChristmas(andThanksgiving)only(Schlechter2007).Jewish people do not typically elevate

Christmas aboveother ordinary days, butconversely, a dietary style that regularlyembracesChinesefoodreducestheimpor-tance of one JewishNewYear tradition.Tuchman,Levine,andespeciallySiegelhaveemphasized that thewonton is similar tothe traditional treat kreplach.Kreplach isusuallyservedwithaholidaymeal,whereaswontons—servingmanyAmericanJewsasasubstituteforkreplach—isalwaysavailableinChineserestaurants.Hence,thesymbolicand ritualistic significance of kreplach inJewish culture is unexpectedlyweakenedby the secular and regular availability of wontons.

A Chinese Christmas—with Jewish CustomersThe interaction between Jewish and

ChinesepeoplenotonlyconstructsaNewWorldChristmastraditionforsomeJewishgroups,butalsoshapestheholidaycustomsof ChineseAmericansorChineselivingintheUnited States, especially owners andemployees of Chinese restaurants.WhileJewishChristmaspracticesboostthebusi-nessof Chineserestaurantsandservetode-marcateownersandworkersasidentifiably“Chinese,” the interaction between thesetwoethnicgroupsalsoreshapestheidentityof ChinesepeopleintheNewWorldinto“AmericanChinese” or “ChineseAmeri-can.”Due to theirmarked racial featuresand skin color, Chinese acculturation inNorthAmericahasbeenalonganddifficult


odyssey,evenmorethanforJewishpeople.In addition to racial differences, religiousbeliefs havemotivated exclusion and dis-criminationagainstChinesepeople.ChinesepeoplewhoconvertedtoChristianityhavehistoricallyenjoyedmoreacceptancefromAmericansociety(CarnesandYang2004).FormanyChineserestaurantownersand

theiremployees,however,theJewishChrist-mastraditionunintentionallypostponesorhamperstheirreligiouspractice.TocatertotheseJewishcustomers,Chineserestaurantsnear large Jewish communities regularlykeepopenduringthewholeChristmassea-son, unlikemany other local restaurants,especiallythoseinthesuburbs,whichclosefortheholiday.AsAndyWong,ownerof aChineserestaurant inSeattlenamedSeaGarden, remarked,“Wewant tokeepourcustomershappy,wedon’twanttomissthisday”(Wong2006).SimonZeng,anotherres-taurantowner,mentionedthathisrestaurantstaysopenuntil3a.m.tocatertomorecus-tomersonChristmasDay(Wong2006).Theownersandstaff—manyChristian—keepingtheseChineserestaurantsrunningonChrist-masareunabletocelebratethisholidaylikemostof theAmericanpublic andare leftoutsideof thenationwidecelebration.WhilethisgrowingJewishtraditionham-

pers the religious acculturation of someChinese,itdoesservetopromoteaChineseelementwithin theChristmas celebration.TheKung PaoKosher Comedy is oneof thebestexamples:“KungPaoKosherComedystarteditallinSanFrancisco,mix-ingcomicsandChinesefoodforanannualDecembereventthathasgrownfromonestand-upcomedyshowcasetoeight.ThenChopshticksfollowedsuitinPaloAlto.NowMeshugenahChristmasismakingitsdebut”(Vo2006).Thistypeof comedyevent,heldinChineserestaurantssuchastheMingandNewAsiarestaurantsinSanFranciscoandalsoinNewYorkCity,actuallycombinesthetwofeaturesof aJewishChristmas:Chinesefoodanda light entertainment (similar toamovie).Since the show isperformed inthe restaurant, the newly emergedKungPaoKosherComedymakes theChineserestaurantamultiethnicandcosmopolitan

place,wheretheprovincialChinese—boththe people and culture—disappear. Bysharing the comedy, theChinese owners,workers, and anyChinese customers alsobecomepartof a joint, secularAmericanChristmascelebration.CosmopolitanJew-ish identity therefore promotes the birthof a cosmopolitanChinese andChineserestaurantculture.Inadditiontothecomedyshows,some

ChineserestaurantownershaveintroducedtraditionalChinese liondance troupes onChristmas, even though the lion dance istypically performed during the ChineseNewYearcelebrationinJanuaryorFebru-ary (Wong 2006).This innovation bringstraditionalChineseculturalmeaningsintoafundamentallyWesterntradition,butitalsoindicatesthatsomeChineseinAmericamayhaveaccordedChristmasthesameculturalconnotationasChineseNewYearor thatthey are gradually regardingChristmas ascontainingthesamemeaning.Finally,Jewishdietarypreferences—par-

ticularlyonChristmas—havegreatlyinflu-encedthemenuof ChineserestaurantsinNorthAmerica. Jewish people, especiallyseniorsandmiddle-agedpeople,preferCan-tonesedishestootherregionalcuisinesof China,suchasthespicyfoodof SzechuanandHunan(Mortart2006).AlthoughsomeChinese restaurants frequently introducenew dishes, many Jewish people, evenyoungpeople,sticktotheirpreferenceforCantonesefood(whichalsohappenstobemorekosher)andrefusethesuggestionsof waiters(Padmewan2007).Theseentrencheddietaryhabitsactuallynarrowtherangeof Chinese regional cuisines available to theJewishcommunityandencouragerestaurantownerstoadaptanddevelopmore“Ameri-canChinese”dishes,ratherthanbringinginmoretypicallyChinesefoodways.Asmany researchers have noted, food

plays a central role in Chinese life andculture, and theChinese restaurant is thesymbolof ChinaandChinatowntomanyforeigners and to Chinese themselves(Simoons1991).Hence, this acculturatingprocessof Chineserestaurantsimpliestheemergence of a newChinese diaspora in

contemporaryNorthAmerica, promotingthetransformationof ChinesepeopleintoChineseAmericans.Throughtheinteractionbetween some subgroupsof Chinese andJewish people, cosmopolitan Jews triggerthecosmopolitanfeelingsof Chineseandstimulate them to identity themselves asinsidersintheiradoptedcountry.

Communication between Ethnic CulturesGeneralizingabouttheChristmasactivi-

tiesof eitherJewishorChineseAmericanremains premature,with further researchneeded.NotallJewsgotoChineserestau-rantsonChristmas;someprefertostayathomewith their families or keep strictlykosher at home or in Jewish restaurants,ratherthansubstitutingChinesefood.Itisalsopossiblethatthesimpleavailabilityof Chineserestaurantsistheonlyreasonthatnon-Christians like Jews chooseChinesefood onChristmas; if therewere otherethnic restaurants available around Jew-ish neighborhoods, Jewish peoplemightswitchfromChinesetootherethnicfood.Butaccordingtomyreviewof blogentries,comments,andonlinearticles,Ibelievethatlonger hours of operation couldnot givebirth to a tradition, let alonekeep it aliveover a considerably long period. Peopleneedmore reasons andpassion to createandmaintainatradition.Thesheerquantityof articlesandcom-

mentsaboutJewishactivitiesonChristmasindicates that the tradition of ChinesefoodonChristmashasexistedhistorically,contemporarily,andfunctionally.AsNoyesnotes,thereare“threetraditions”:traditionasacommunicativetransaction,traditionasatemporaryideology,andtraditionascom-munalproperty(2009).Whentraditionsarecreatedbymorethanoneculturalgrouporexpandbeyondanationalborder,theinter-actionbetweentwogroupsorcultureswillnotbesimpleorsuperficial,butcomplicatedordeep.Inthecasediscussedinthisarticle,Iwould like to consider the communica-tionbetweenJewishandChinesegroupsinabroad,comprehensive,andculturalway,ratherthanattheindividualandeconomic


level—evenif Iamtakingariskindoingso.Itisclearthatthedevelopingtraditionof

ChinesefoodonChristmas issharedbyasmall groupof people—less conservativeJewsandworkersinChineserestaurants—ratherthenembracedasanacceptedcustombyeitherallJewsorallChineseintheUnitedStates. In contemporaryNorthAmerica,interethnic and interracial acculturation issignificantandsensitiveissue.A.L.Kroe-ber provides an insightful definition of acculturation:

Acculturation comprises thosechangesproduced inacultureby theinfluence of another culture, whichresult in an increased similarity of the two. The resultant assimilationmayproceed so far as the extinctionof one culture by absorption in theother,orother factorsmay intervenetocounterbalancetheassimilationandkeep the cultures separate.Whenweconsidertwoculturesbombardingeachotherwithhundredsorthousandsof diffusingtraitsandappraisetheresultsof suchinteraction,wecommonlycallitacculturation(1923,425).

Thecaseof ChinesefoodonChristmaspresentsanexampleillustratinghowculturalassimilation or ethnic acculturation is ac-complishedbytheeffortsof activepeopleof smallgroupsrepresentingdifferenteth-nic and cultural backgrounds.Theprocessis communicative, ideological, artistic, andunique.AsZillaJaneGoodman,aprofessorof religiousstudiesattheUniversityof Colo-rado,remarkedinanonlinearticle,aChineserepastonChristmaswasnotsomethingshe“practicedgrowingupJewishinSouthAfrica.ThetrendappearstobeauniquelyAmericanphenomenon”(Morgan2007).

ReferencesBlogs and Other Online SourcesAaron.January19,2009.CommentonFromFlankentoFortuneCookies:JewsandChi-nese Food onChristmas. http://jwablog.jwa.org/jews-and-chinese-food-on-christmas(accessedMarch2,2009).

Ament, Jonathon. February 2005.AmericanJewishReligiousDenominations. 2000–1

National Jewish Population Report Se-ries,NorthAmerican JewishData Bank.http://www.jewishdatabank.org/Archive/NJPS2000_American_Jewish_Religious_De-nominations.pdf (accessedJanuary22,2011).

Andrea,Cousin.December 25, 2008.Com-ment onChristmasMeansChineseFood.http://gitell.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/christmas-means-chinese-food/ (accessedMarch2,2009).

B-Side.December 25, 2007. L.A. ChineseDiningonChristmas:AModernTravesty.http://www.bsideblog.com/2007/12/la-chinese-dining-on-christmas.php (accessedMarch2,2009).

Gerard,Adam.December 28, 2004.ChineseFood and aMovie: The Jewish Christ-mas. http://www.voteprime.com/ar-chive/2004_12_01_bloggerArchive.html(accessedMarch2,2009).

Jackel,Molly.December 21, 2005.WontonChristmas. http://www.metroactive.com/bohemian/12.21.05/dining-0551.html (ac-cessedMarch2,2009).

Kraft, Jessica Carew.May 19, 2002.Don’tAsk, JustEat. http://www.newvoices.org/features/dont-ask-just-eat.html (accessedMarch2,2009).

Lehrer,Lia.June15,2007.Seinfeld,Jdate,andChineseFood:NewDefinitionsof Ameri-can Judaism. http://www.uscj.org/Koach/koc_5767_tamuz_llehrer.htm (accessedMarch2,2009).

Liprap.December24,2008.CommentonIanMcNulty,Traditional?http://blogofnewor-leans.com/blog/2008/12/24/traditional/(accessedMarch2,2009).

Mizducky.March 14, 2008.Why Jews LikeChinese Food. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=113757 (accessedApril2,2009).

ModernGirl.December 5, 2008.Commenton The Jewish Love Affair with Chi-nese Food. http://octogenarian.blogspot.com/2006/08/jewish-love-affair-with-chinese-food.html(accessedMarch2,2009).

Mooselet.December29, 2008.CommentonChristmasMeans Chinese Food. http://gitell.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/christ-mas-means-chinese-food/(accessedMarch2,2009).

Morgan,Ryan.December 17, 2007.HolidayTraditions:ALoMeinChristmas. http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2007/dec/17/a-lo-mein-christmas/ (accessedMarch 2,2009).

Mortart.August29,2006.TheJewishLoveAf-fairwithChineseFood.http://octogenarian.blogspot.com/2006/08/jewish-love-affair-with-chinese-food.html (accessedMarch2,2009).

Padmewan.December 17, 2007.Christmas at Shalom Hunan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ApHwQqLycg (accessedMarch2,2009).

Poole, Lisa. December 25, 2005. ChineseFoodisaPopularChoiceof HolidayDin-ner. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-12-25-chinese-food_x.htm,(accessedMarch2,2009).

Rich,TraceyR. 2007.WhatDo JewsDoonChristmas? http://www.jewfaq.org/xmas.htm.(accessedApril3,2009).

Sobel,Bill.December25,2006.WhatDoJewsDoonChristmas?http://nymieg.blogspot.com/2006/12/what-do-jews-do-on-christ-mas.html(accessedMarch2,2009).

Vo,Kim.December24,2006.Oy,ChristmasTree!ChineseFood,JokesaRespiteforJews.http://www.mercurynews.com/religion/ci_4896334(accessedMarch2,2009).

Walker, Brandon Harris. December 1,2007.Chinese Food on Christmas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1uZ_W7atDE&feature=related (accessedApril4,2009).

Wong,Brad.December23,2006.AGrowingChristmasTradition—ChineseFood.http://www.seattlepi.com/local/297050_restau-rant23.html(accessedMarch2,2009).

Published SourcesCarnes,Tony, andFenggangYang, ed. 2004.

Asian American Religions: The Making and Re-making of Borders and Boundaries.NewYork:NewYorkUniversityPress.

Cohen,S.M.1984.American Modernity and Jewish Identity.NewYork:Tavistock.

Heilman, S., and S.M.Cohen. 1989.Cosmo-politans and Parochials: Modern Orthodox Jews in America.Chicago:Universityof ChicagoPress.


Mu Li is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. His research centers on ethnicity, diaspora, and online community, with a current focus on Chinese in Newfoundland.

Jones,MichaelOwen.2007.FoodChoice,Sym-bolism,andIdentity:Bread-and-ButterIssuesforFolkloristicsandNutritionStudies.Journal of American Folklore 120:129–77.

Kosmin,B.A.,SidneyGoldstein,J.Waksberg,N.Lerer,A.Keysar,andJ.Scheckner.1991.Highlights of the CJF National Jewish Popula-tion Survey.NewYork:Council of JewishFoundations.

Kroeber,A.L.1923.Anthropology.NewYork:Harcourt.

Li,Li.2002.Cultural andInterculturalFunc-tionsof ChineseRestaurantintheMountainWest:AnInsider’sPerspective.Western Folk-lore61(3–4):329–46.

Noyes, Dorothy. 2009. Tradition: ThreeTraditions. Journal of Folklore Research 46(3):233–68.

Pleck,ElizabethH. 2004.WhoAreWe andWhenDoWeComeFrom?InWe Are What We Celebrate: Understanding Holidays and Rituals,43–60.Ed.AmitaiEtzchiandJarelBloom.NewYork:NewYorkUniversityPress.

Roth, Philip. 1969.Portnoy’s Complaint.NewYork:RandomHouse.

Schlechter,Aaron. 2007.The Great American Christmas Book.NewYork:OverlookPress.

Siegel,Donald.2005.From Lokshen to Lo Mein: The Jewish Love Affair with Chinese Food.Lyn-brook,NY:GefenBooks.

Simoons,FrederickJ.1991.Food in China: A Cultural and Historical Inquiry.BocaRaton,FL:CRCPress.

Tuchman,Gaye, andHarryGene Levine.1993.NewYorkJewsandChineseFood:The Social Construction of an EthnicPattern.Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 22(3):382–407.


unchangedforthebetterpartof acentury,alongwith“palms”—leatherstrapsthatgoaroundthehandandhavesteel-reinforcedsections forpushingneedles throughsail-cloth—arestillpartof thesailloft’sequip-ment.Sectionsof treetrunksarestillusedto receive the pounding of themale andfemalepartsof agrommet, theeyelets insailsandcanvas.“Sails,”saidButch,“dothesamethingas

always;theyjustdoitbetter,sincerigsandboatsarefarmoresophisticatednow.”Eventhoughtoday’ssailsaremadeof high-techmaterials,theystillservethesamepurposeastheyalwayshave:tocatchthewindandpropelsailingvessels.

floorfull-scale,anditwascuttoconformtothedesignthathadbeenhand-drawntotheshapeandsize.“Today,that’salldonebycomputer.”Materials have changeddra-

matically over the past sev-eraldecades:“Sailsaremadeof Kevlar—thematerial of bul-letproof vests—andotherhigh-techmaterials.They aremoreinelasticthancanvasorDacronsailsof 30yearsago.Sometimestherewillbesomehandfinish-ing,butmostlyit’sacomputer-ized process,” saidButch.Heshowedme a rigid piece of asailthatwasasemi-transparent,high-techfabricwithameshof carbonfibers running throughaMylar “sandwich.”Thenew,high-techsailsaremadeinonepiece and “cooked” in a heatchambersothatallof thema-terialsbondtogether.Butch doesn’t consider himself a sail-

maker in the strictest sense of theword.“I’masailmakerinthatI’mconversantinthewaysthatsailsaredesignedandmade.”So,whathasremainedthesame,oratleast

somewhatrecognizable,fromtheolddays?It isstillpossibletohavesailsmadefromDacron; there are even polyester fabricsdyedtolooklikecanvassails,madeforclas-sicsailboatsthathavenoneedforthelatesthigh-techproducts.Whilethosesailsarealsocomputer-designed, they are still sewnbyhand-operatedmachines,andthefinishingisdoneonthemwithwaxedthreadpushedthroughthestiff fabricbyhand.ButchshowedmeaDacronsail,laidout

onthefloorof theloft,thatwasbeingsewntogetheronasewingmachinelocatedinapitthatallowedtheoperatortositatfloorlevelandmovethefabricalongundertheneedleof themachine.Thatwascertainlyhandwork,evenif itwasdonewithanelec-trically-poweredsewingmachine.Thesewingmachines,whichhavebeen

Sailmaker BY PAUL MARGOLIS

Paul Margolis is a pho-tographer, writer, and educator who lives in New York City. Examples of his work can be seen on his web site, www.paulmargolis.com.

Long before engine-powered vesselscameonthescene,thewindprovidedpro-pulsionforboatsandshipsof allsizes,andsailmakers designed and stitched togetherfabricstocatchthewind.Theartandcraft—andnowthescience—of sailmakingdatebackthousandsof years.TheChinesewereprobablytheearliestsailmakers;theirslattedbamboosaildesignsdatebackto3000BC.Around2000BC,Arabsailingvesselsusedsails as they traded between ports in thePersianGulf.InEurope,Greeksailmakersprovided the square sales for trading andmilitaryvesselsthatpliedtheMediterraneanaround 1200BC. Sails, aswe know themtoday,startedtoappeararound1600,whenshipsbecamelargerandseaworthyenoughtoexploretheasyetunchartedpartsof theworld.Charles“Butch”Ulmer,thePresidentof

UK-HalseySailmakers,isthesecondgenera-tionof Ulmersinthesail-makingbusiness.Hisfather,Charles,Sr.,foundedthebusinessin 1946, after havingworked for anotherCityIslandloft.Butchwenttoworkforhisfatherin1965,afterhegotoutof theNavy.Fortyyearsago,therewereahalf dozen

placesonCityIslandthatmadeorrepairedsailsanddidcanvaswork.Today,UK-Halseyisoneof tworemainingsailmakers.TheirfacilityonCityIsland,atthenorthernendof the Bronx on Long Island Sound, isacrossthestreetfromthesiteof aformerboat yard that turned outAmerica’sCupcontenders andbuiltwoodenminesweep-ersandothersmallvesselsfortheNavyinthetwoworldwars.Butch’sbusinessispartof an international grouphas sail lofts inHongKong,SouthAmerica,Europe,andtheMiddleEast. “As an industry, sailmaking has gone

throughatotalchange,”Butchsaid,reflect-ingonthefourandahalf decadesthathe’sbeeninthesail-makingbusiness.“WhenIwasakid,sailsweremadeoutof cotton,andtheworkwasdonebyeyeandhand.Theywereweakmaterials, given to rotting andrippingunderhighwindloads.”Inthesailloft,theentiresailwaslaidoutontheloft

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Butch Ulmer, president of UK-Halsey Sailmakers, in his City Island sail loft. Photo by Paul Margolis.


Fishing Partners: Remembering Cory Weyant BY NANCY SOLOMON

Nancy Solomon is executive direc-tor of Long Island Traditions, located in Port Washington, New York. She can be reached at (516) 767-8803 or [email protected].

One of the reasonsthatfolkloristslikemechoosetobringlocalfishermenandbaymento schools is becausewe believe that thebesteducationcomesfrominteractingwithrich knowledgeable traditionbearerswhocan teach us about their tradition. I firstbeganworkingwithbaymanCoryWeyantof Freeport,NewYork,in1987,firstasanethnographerandthenasapartnerwiththeFreeportschooldistrict.Cory,whopassedawayinMarch2011,wasanaturalbornsto-rytellerandeducator,regalinganyaudience,youngandold,withstoriesaboutcrabbing,eeling,clamming,andtrawling—traditionalactivitieshelearnedasaboygrowinguponthe “NauticalMile” of Freeport.After ayearof learningaboutthebay,wedecideditmightbeagoodideatoteachthechildrenof Freeport how baymen continued thetraditionsof theirwaterfrontcommunity.Corymastered theartof presenting to

schoolchildren and began photographingmoreactivitiesof hisfellowfishermenandbaymen.Fromthispartnershipwhichlasted

over20years,I,too,learnedmanythings.Corywouldaskforthingshefeltwouldhelphim tell his story, such as a chartof fishcaughtinlocalwaters,orsomeclamshellsfromdifferenttypesof clammers(wehavefive types of clams onLong Island).Healsoknewwhathe expected the studentsto knowbefore his visit, sowe prepareda studentmaritimemagazine with glos-sary terms, storieswehadcollected fromotherfishers,andwordgamestohelpthemremember terms Cory would use in hispresentation.Wealsolearnedhowmuchmoremean-

ingful the science curriculum became tostudents.Oftentheteacherswouldsaythattheyhadlittleunderstandingof thefishingseasonsandmigratorypatternsof wildlifeandfishbeforeCorycameintotheirclass-room.Theyalsosaidtheprogramsopenedstudents’minds to thenaturalworld in away that the students could connect to.Theyalsocommentedthatsometimesashyboyorgirlwouldexpressthemselvesduring

andafterCory’svisits,astheyrelatedtohisadventuresonthewater.Eventuallytheschoolprogramsbecame

Cory’sprograms.Howeverourworkcon-tinued, as regulations began to affect theability of fishers and baymen tomake aliving year round.We advocated on hisandotherbaymen’sbehalf,especiallywhenpublichearingswereheldduringthetimewhenfishermenwereonthebayworking.WhentheVillageof Freeporttriedtomovethetraditionaldockingareatoanotherpartof town,Iwasable togatheragroupof workingandretiredfishermentoprotestattheVillageHallmeetingandalsotocontactlocalandregionalnewspapers.Eventuallytheplanwasdefeated.WhentheTownof Hempsteadplannedtoremovetheremain-ing bay houseswhere baymen like Corystoredtheirtrapsandgear,itwasthroughresearchonthehouse’sculturalsignificance,andmedia and advocacy that the houseswerepreserved.With thesecontinuedef-forts,ourworkasfolkloristsbecomesmorethanjustschool-based“showandtell”andleadstolong-lastingcommitmentbycom-munitiestopreservingtradition.Sadly,mypartnershipwithCoryendedin

March,whenhediedinatragicboatingac-cident.Inreflectingonourworktogether,Iamremindedthatthebestpartnershipsare thosewhere both parties learn fromeachotherandgrowintheirappreciationof eachother.Wealsoaskyou toget toknow your local fishermen and becometheiradvocate.

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Bayman Cory Weyant on his garvey with his eel traps. Weyant died in a tragic boating ac-cident on March 2, 2011. Photo by Nancy Solomon, 2003. Courtesy of Long Island Traditions.


IwasborninEastHarlem—thenItal-ianHarlem,nowSpanishHarlem—in

1937. Iwent toCatholic school inEastHarlem.WelivedthereuntilIwasfourteenyearsold,andthenmyparentssoldtheirtenementhouse,andwemovedtoSomers,NewYork, in northeasternWestchesterCounty.Manyof myfather’sstoriesthatIrecallweretoldwhilewelivedinNewYorkCity,becausemymarriedsiblingslivedinornearourtenementhouseand,bytradition,alwayscameforSundaydinner.Whenwemovedtothecountry,itwasadistancetotravel,andmyoldersiblingscametodinneronSundayfarlessoften.MyfatherwasbornonNovember30,

1894, in Corleone, Sicily. He came toAmericain1899,whenhewasfouryearsold.Hewent to school here inAmericaonlytothefourthgrade,orsohesaid—thatmeans he startedwork at ten yearsold,andnotat fourteen, the legalageatthattime.Accordingtothe1910census,hewas a full-fledgedmechanic repairingsewingmachines,withtoolanddiemakingexperience,byagesixteen.In1916,hestartedhisownbusinesspro-

ducingmacaronionamassscaleandmadeagooddealof money.Hesoldthebusinessandwentintorealestatein1923.The1929stockmarketcrashtookitstoll,andaftertrying several business ventureswithoutsuccess,hedroveaprivate limousineforBainbridgeColby,whohadservedassec-retaryof stateunderWoodrowWilson.Myfatherreturnedtotoolanddiemakingin1940,workinginadefenseplant.Myfatherlovedreadingnewspapers.Hewasadistrictleader of theDemocratic Party inNewYorkCity, but turned to theRepublicanPartywhenwemovedtoSomers.Myfatherbelievedinthecandidateovertheparty.He

Essere Vecchi é BruttoBY FRANK CAMPAGNA

wasalwaysuponpolitics,especiallylocalpoliticsandpoliticians.My father, “Papa,” as we affection-

ately called him, was bornDomenicoCampagna.Despitehavingonlyafourthgrade education, hewas able topass onto his children sound advice and a clearunderstandingof life:itsjoysandrespon-sibilities. As the youngest of his elevenchildren, I lived alonewithmy parentsafterthelastof mysiblingsmarried,andIbecamemoreattentivetothemastheywere approaching old age. Lifewas noteasy formy father ashebegan to age. Ican remember, as a teenager,my fatherrising from his chair andmuttering inSicilian,“Essere vecchi é brutto”(“Beingoldis ugly”).He often used this expressionwhenmaneuveringgavehimdifficultyorpain.Itwasaclearremindertomeof hisaging.Hisfearof agingandpossiblybeingaburdentohischildrenweighedheavilyonhismind.When I visitedmy parents’ homeland

inSicily in2008,Iwas impressedbythefact that old age had its place. Familieswevisitedeagerlysharedtheirhomesandhospitality with their grandparents andotheragedrelatives.WhathashappenedtoourculturehereinAmerica?Oftenlookeduponasaburden,seniorcitizensaremanytimesignoredanddistancedfromfamily—filling our nursing homes, assisted livingquarters,andadultdaycarecenters—whentheycouldbeasourceof comfort,bringingtheirsupportandexperiencetofamilylife.Itconcernsandsaddensme. It is thememoryof my father at the

dinnertablecommentingonlife’slessons,often punctuated and embellishedwithfolktales,thatmakesmelongforhiswis-domandcompany.TheAmericanwriter

FlanneryO’Connor spoke a simple butprofoundtruthwhenshesaid,“Astoryisawaytosaysomethingthatcan’tbesaidanyotherway....Youtellastorybecausea statementwould be inadequate.”Onefolktale thatmy father often told at thedinnertableremainswithmetothisday.Itisthestoryof anaging,widowerfarmer:

As the aging farmer grew older, hecould no longer handle the choresof thefarm,soheaskedhissonanddaughter-in-lawtomoveinwithhimto help care for the farm. The oldfarmer lived at the house, and overtime,becamewhatthedaughter-in-lawperceivedtobeaburdenandattimesanuisance.Sheoftencomplainedtoherhusbandaboutherfather-in-law’sinterferencewithherhousework.Thesonanddaughter-in-lawagreed

to send the oldman to a conventwhere thenunswouldcare forhim.Thesonexplainedtohisfathertheirdecision and soon afterwardsmadeplanstotakehisfathertothenearbyconvent.With nomeans of trans-portation and his father too old towalkthedistance,thesoncarriedhisfather on his back.Halfway on thejourney,thesondecidedtorestbyalargerock.Heplacedhisfatherontherockandonceagainbegantoexplainthereasonforbothhisandhiswife’sdecisionto leavetheoldman inthecareof thenuns.Theoldfarmer’sonlyreplywas,“I

willmissmyhome,butIunderstand.”Theold farmer remainedquiet for

therestof thejourneyandlivedouthisdaysintheconvent.Yearspassedandtheson,nowinhistwilightyears,facedthe same situation as his father—be-ingawidower,toofeebletotakecareof thefarm.He,too,hadhissonanddaughter-in-lawmove inwith him tohelpcareforthefarm.He,too,contin-uedtoliveatthehouse,andovertime,


Papa at the head of the table with his family, circa 1948, in his home at 165 East 107th Street, in the neighborhood now known as Spanish Harlem. Photo courtesy of the author.

he,too,becameaburdenandanuisancetohisdaughter-in-law.Hisson, facedwiththesameproblemashisfatherhadfacedwithhisgrandfather,decidedtotakehisfathertothesameconventtolivetheremainderof hislife.Midwaythere,bythesamerockhis

fatherhadrestedatonhisjourney,thesonbegantoexplainagainhisdecisiontohavehisfatherleavehishomeandliveinthecareof thenuns.Thefatherinterrupted his son and explained,“Restingonthissamerock,onasimi-larjourney,Ispokethesamewordstomyfather,soexplainnomore.”The son thought about what his

fathertoldhim,andrealizinghe,too,hadayoungsonandthatsomedayhemaybefacedwiththesamesituation,carriedhisfatherbacktothefarmandneveragainspokeof havinghisfatherleavethefarm.

InFilipino Popular Tales (1921),DeanS. Fansler noted similar tales with the

theme of respecting old age.AccordingtoFansler,myfather’sstorymayhavehaditsrootsinthethirteenth-centuryFrenchfabliau “LaHousse Partie,”with a vari-ant given byOrtensio Lando, an Italiannovelistof thesixteenthcentury.Onecanextractmanyargumentsforandagainstthemoralof thisfolktaleandevensay itnolongerhasanymeaningintoday’ssociety.But tome, it brings tomindmy fatherrisingfromhiscomfortablechairandla-menting,“Essere vecchi é brutto.”Beingoldisunpleasant—andoftentimesfilledwithdifficultdecisions.When Papa became a widower, he

decided to livewithmy sister, with thepromiseof hercare.Althoughshefulfilledherpromise,Papafelt lonelyandmissedhis home in the country and its familiarsurroundings.Not long after that, Papametaladyfriendand,afterashortcourt-ship,askedhertomarryhim.Mysisterand

othersinthefamilywereconcernedwithPapa’s impulsive decision. Papawantedmy thoughts onhis decision tomarry. Ididhavesomereservations,butIdecidedtosupporthim.I’msurePapa’sstoryof thewidower farmer played a role inmydecision. Papamarried his lady friend,my stepmother, and lived out his life inhiscountryhome.IwillalwaysrememberPapa—especiallyhisabilitytoexpresshisthoughtswithasimplefolktaletobringmetoaplaceof understanding.

Frank Campagna retired in 1987 from IBM, where he worked as an advisory process engineer, and became a consultant to his family’s marketing and publishing services business, Tri-State Associated Services in Kingston, New York. He has devoted his retirement years to genealogy, self-publishing three books on his family’s history. He is an avid woodworker and member of the Friends of the Red Hook Public Library in Red Hook, New York, where he has lived for thirty-five years.


T heNewYorkFolklore Society,withthe support of aMidAtlantic Folk

ArtsOutreach Project grant, successfullyorganized anEmbroiderers’Gathering inIthaca,NewYork,onNovember28–30,2011,attheHistoryCenterof TompkinsCounty.Over this three-day period, theNewYorkFolkloreSocietyhostedvisiting textileartistVeraNakonechny,aswellasvisitingfolklor-istAmySkillman, inanexchangewithlocalartistEniköFarkasandhostfolkloristsEllenMcHale andLisaOverholser.PaulKawam,Micro-EnterpriseCoordinatorattheMohawkValleyResourceCenterforRefugeesinnearbyUtica,aswellasfourweaversfromtheKarenrefugeecommunity,werealsopresentaspartof theGathering.TheMidAtlanticArtsFoundation’sFolk

ArtsOutreachProgram is an initiative de-signed to strengthen the region’s folk and

traditionalartsinfrastructure,andtomakealong-term artistic contribution through theexchangeof practice and ideasby travelingfolkloristsandtraditionalartistsfromhomelocations tohost sites inother statesor ju-risdictionswithin themid-Atlantic region.ThisFolkArtsOutreachProgramexchangearrangedbytheNewYorkFolkloreSocietywasbetweentwomasterembroiderersfromtheMid-AtlanticRegionwhowerebothborninEasternEurope.Itwasdesignedtoencour-ageconversationsaboutembroideryskillsandstylesfromtwocountries,toshareexperiencesand techniques for preserving embroiderytraditions,andtoexploreoutreachpossibilitiesforanextgenerationof artists.BothVeraandEniköhavedevotedyearstoresearchingandpreservingthedifferingtechniques,clothingstyles,andregionalvariantswithintheirrespec-tiveEasternEuropeanneedleworktraditions.

Itwasanticipatedthatanexchangebetweenthesetwomasterartists,whohadbeenwork-inginsimilarwayswithintheirowncommuni-ties,wouldencouragethemintheirownworkandmightsparkinspirationfornewventures.Themes which ran through the entire

exchangeincludedthefollowing:preservingthehistoryandvariationof textilearts,issuesof collectingandpreservingtextiles,exhibit-ingwork,andtheimpactof displacementof culturalgroups.Of particularvaluewasthediscoveryof thecommonalitiesof experiencebetweenVeraNakonechnyandEniköFarkasaspost-WorldWar II refugees fromSovietBloccountries,andwiththerecentrefugeeex-periencesof theKaren.Friendshipsandlink-agesweremadebetweenallof theindividualsinvolved,andplansweremadeforcontinuedcontactintheupcomingyear.Besidesbeingabletofocusonanimportantpartof women’sfolklore, theoutreachprovidedopportuni-ties toplan for a statewide textileprogramwhichcanreachacrossethnicandgeographicboundaries.TheNewYorkFolkloreSociety,as a statewide service organization, foundtwoof itsmandatestobeaddressedinthisexchange:theworkof NYFSasastatewideagentdrawinglinkagesfromthroughoutthestate, and themissionof theSociety tobea serviceorganizationproviding support toartists.Thisoutreachprojectprovidedanim-portantprofessionaldevelopmentopportunityandanopportunityfortheSocietytoreachoutsideitsgeographicborderstolinktogetherlike-mindedindividuals.

Benefits of the Two-State ExchangeThefirstdayof theprojectwasdevotedto

adirectconversationbetweenEniköFarkasEnikö Farkas demonstrating an embroidery stitch for Vera Nakonechny. Photo by Sally van de Water. Courtesy of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

BY ELLEN McHALE AND LISA OVERHOLSER

A Report from an Embroiderers’ Gathering


andVeraNakonechny.EniköandVerawereabletoshoweachothersomeof theirworkanddiscusscommontechniques,motifs,andissues.Theimportanceof regionaldifferentia-tionandidentitywasalsodiscussed,andbothartistsacknowledgedthenecessityof identi-fying regionalmotifswithin their respectivenationaltraditions.Discussions in thisfirstafternoonof ex-

change also focusedon archival techniquesandpreservation strategies.Vera,with thehelpof herhusbandGeorge,hadcreatedawonderfulcatalogof heritems,compiledinabinderwith samplesof stiches, diagramscompletedwithspecializedgraphpaper,andstep-by-step instructionswith illustrationsforspecificstitches.ItwasclearthatVerahadthoughtlongandhardabouthowhertraditionwouldbepassedoninherabsence,andthatshehaddevisedamethodof preservingwhatshesawasthetradition,whichwasverymuchfocusedontheitemsandstitchesthemselves.Shehadalsoclearlymarkedeachstitchwitharegionalidentification.Otherpointsof discus-sioncenteredontheuseof acid-freematerialsinstorageandwaystopublicizetheirwork,particularlyintheirrespectivehomelands.AswitheveryArtistOutreachProject,part

of theexchangewasdesignedtobeopentoapublicaudience.Thepublicaspectof theout-reachprogramwasanexhibitionof textilesandareceptionontheseconddayof theexchange.Held at theHistoryCenter of TompkinsCounty,thetwoembroideryartistsmountedanexhibitionof theirworkanddevelopedaparticipatoryaspecttotheexhibitionbyoffer-inghands-onopportunitiestotryone’sskillataparticularembroiderystitchortotryUkrainianweavingonVera’s eight-harness loom.Out-reachtothepublicwasmadebytheHistoryCenterof TompkinsCounty throughpressreleasestolocalmedia,andEniköinvitedhercolleagueswithintheembroiderycommunity,aswellasherembroiderystudentsenrolledinherclassatthelocalcommunitycenter.Atten-dancefortheafternoonworkshopsnumberedatleast40persons.Thispublicprogrampro-videdanopportunityforinterestedindividualstolearntechniquesof embroideryandweavingfromtheartists,andseveralindividualstooktheopportunitytodoso.

ThroughaspecialinitiativebytheNewYorkFolkloreSociety,agroupof weaversfromtheKarencommunityinUticahadbeeninvitedtoparticipateintheexchange.Thisgroupof weaversfromMyanmar(formerlyBurma)issponsoredbytheMohawkValleyCenterforRefugees’micro-enterprise program and isworkingtodevelopaweavingcooperativeinUtica.AttendingtheworkshopwereMasterweaverAhMu, her daughterTaBeThan,andtwootherweavers,WahMuandPaerayHtoo.Upontheirarrival,theysetupatradi-

tionalback-straploomwhichisworkedinaseatedposition,andbothdemonstratedandofferedtheopportunitytootherstotrytheirtraditionalweaving.TheUtica-basedweaversalsobroughtsamplesof theirworkwhichtheyaddedtotheexhibitionof textiles.As theafternoonprogressed, thenumer-

ousneedleartistsandthegeneralpublichadmany opportunities to interact on severallevels:forexample,Verademonstratedweav-ingtechniquesonhereight-harnessloomandworkedwiththeKarenweaverstoshowthem

Enikö Farkas and Vera Nakonechny study Vera’s notebook of embroidery patterns, with folklorists Amy Skillman and Lisa Overholser. Photo by Sally van de Water. Courtesy of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

Sharing textiles. Vera Nakonechny and Enikö Farkas. Photo by Sally van de Water. Courtesy of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.


techniquesof workingonthistypeof loom;ayoungwomantriedonclothingdesignedbytheKarenwomenandmodeledthemforherfriends;andEnikoconductedanembroiderylessonwithahalf dozenparticipantsof allages. The atmospherewas congenial andcelebratoryasfriends,family,andcolleaguesstayedforanextendedperiodof time.

Benefit to All PartnersThis outreachprojectwas successful on

several levels.VeraNakonechny andEniköFarkas,twoseniormasterartistswereabletoconnectandsharelikeexperiences.Thetwowomensoonalsofoundcommonalitieswithintheir personal experiences, exploring theseexperiences informally over several sharedmealsduringthetwo-dayexchange.Thesetwoaccomplishedneedleartistshavetakentheirpassiontoahigherleveltobecomecollectorsof historictextilesandtechniques.Bothhavereturned to their countriesof birth to seekoutpatterns, clothingvariations, and textiletechniques.Thattheywereabletoconnecton

thelevelof bothartistandcollectorwasanimportantaspecttothisexchange.TheKarenweavers benefited through

finding commongroundwithother textileartists and especiallywithVera andEnikö,whohadalsoexperiencedrefugeestatus.Asnewly arrived residentsof Utica, theywerepleasedtolearnof AmericaninterestintheirKarenculturaltraditions,andVeraandEniköclearlyexpressedtothemtheimportanceof preservingandmaintainingtraditionalartsandcultureevenwhenfacedwiththedifficulttaskof adjustingtolifeinAmerica.Asspokesper-son for the group,PaulKawamexpressedthatthefourKarenweaverswerethrilledtoparticipateandexperiencedrenewedpurposetowardstheirownmicro-enterpriseendeavor.TheKarensoldseveralof theirwovenitemsduringthepublicpresentationportionof theexchange,providinganopportunityforthemtoseethattheirweavingmightbeattractivetoanAmericanmarket.TheNewYorkFolklore Society learned

of strategies and programming directions

andaboutotherstatewideprograms.NYFShasbeenplanning for increasedworkwithrefugeepopulations,andthisexchangepro-videdbothmodelsforfutureprogramsandanopportunitytoreachouttotheMohawkValleyResourceCenterforRefugees.Inthefinalsession,folkloristAmySkillman’sdescrip-tionof herworkonstatewideexhibitionsinPennsylvaniaprovided an importantmodelforsimilarworkinNewYork.Basedontheirexperiencesatthegathering,allof theartistswereabletoengageinplanningforfuturecol-laborationsof aregionalorstatewidenature.Thisexchangereinforcedtheknowledgeof

theimportanceof artist-to-artistmentoringasaprofessionaldevelopmentopportunity.Dur-ingthisoutreachprogram,thepowerof thesharedartisticexperiencebecameperceptibleandtransformative.

Group photo from the Embroiderers’ Exchange. Pictured here are Ta Be Than, Enikö Farkas, Paeray Htoo, Micro-Enterprise Coordinator Paul Kawam, Ah Mu, Vera Nakonechny, and Wah Mu. Photo by Sally van de Water. Courtesy of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

Ellen McHale is the executive director of the New York Folklore Society. Lisa Over-holser is the New York Folklore Society’s staff folklorist.


New York and the Sea BY DAN MILNER

Dan Milner teaches Storytelling in Song at NYU and Landscapes of New York City at St. John’s University. A cultural geographer and former ranger in the National Park Service, he recorded “Larry Maher’s Big 5-Gallon Jar” for the Smithsonian Folkways CD, Irish Pirate Ballads in 2009.

Theretreatof thecontinentalicesheetthatoncelay1000feetthickuponManhattanre-sultedinthedepositionof aterminalmoraineandtheformationof theoutwashplainbelowit,creatingthelandmassthatwouldeventuallybecomethevastbulkof Brooklyn,Queens,and parts of Staten Island.This new landformedabarrierthatcansapthestrengthof wildoceanwaves,shelteringshipsfromAtlan-ticgales.Indoingso,itvastlyincreasedthesizeof theNewYorkshorelineandcreatedoneof theworld’sgreatestnaturalharbors.Burrows andWallace estimate in their

PulitzerPrize-winninghistory,Gotham, that“by the secondor thirddecadeof the18thcentury…perhapsoneoutof every fourorfiveadultmaleresidentsof NewYorkearnedhislivelihoodasamariner.”Shortlyafterthedawnof the18thcentury,NewYorksurpassedPhiladelphiabothinpopulationandshipping.In1818,theBlackBallLinecommencedsailingbetweenNewYorkandLiverpoolonaspecificschedulethroughouttheyear,thefirstshippingcompanycommittedtopredictabledepartures.

TheBlackBallshipsaregoodandtrueTo me way-aye-aye, hurrah!TheyaretheshipsformeandyouHurrah for the Black Ball Line!

JusttakeatriptoLiverpool,ToLiverpool,thatYankeeschool.

TheYankeesailorsyou’llseethere,Withred-topbootsandshort-cuthair.

Evenatthatpoint,PhiladelphiacouldhavecaughtNewYorkbuttheopeningof theErieCanalin1825meantthattheCityof BrotherlyLovewouldforeverbeinManhattan’swake.Oneof themostendearingof allNewYorksailor songs appeared shortly afterwards, asWilliamMainDoerflingernotes inSongs of the Sailor and Lumberman,“thenewdance,thepolka,cameoutof Bohemiaandbecamethecraze.”

Shipmates,if you’lllistentome,I’lltellyouinmysongOf thethingsthathappenedtomeWhenIcamehomefromHongKong.To me way, you Santy, my dear honey!

Oh, you New York gals, can’t they dance the polka!

As Iwalked down throughChathamStreet

AfairmaidIdidmeet,Whokindlyaskedmetosee‘erhome,ShelivedonBleekerStreet.

SaysI,“Mydearyounglady,I’mastrangerhereintown!IleftmyshipjustyesterdayAndforBostonIambound.”

“Now,if you’llonlycomewithme,Youcanhaveatreat,Youcanhaveaglassof brandy,dear,Andsomethingnicetoeat.”

WhenwegotinsidethehouseThedrinkswerepassedaround.TheliquorwassoawfulstrongMyheadwentroundandround!

WhenIwokeupnextmorningIhadanachinghead.TherewasI,Jack,allalone,Starknakedonthebed.

Withaflourbarrelforasuit,Iwanderedmostforlorn.TillMartinChurchilltookmeinAndsentmeroundCapeHorn.

“LarryMaher’sBig 5-Gallon Jar,” a songabout anotherManhattan trickster becamepopularduringtheCivilWareraafterChathamStreet printers published it on song sheets.Larry,accordingtoalyricfromthepenof G.W.Watson,wasaninnkeeperwhosidelinedasasortof personnelrecruiterandtravelagent.

Come,allyoujollysailorsbold,thatlivesbothnearandfar;

I’llsingyouashortdittyconcerningLarryMaher:

Hekeepsaslop-upboardinghouse,andsellsrot-guttotars,

Andthescourgeof New-YorkCityishisbigfive-gallonjar.

So, if you want chain-lightning, step into Larry Maher’s,

And he’ll serve you with abundance from his big five-gallon jar.

WhenfirstIcametoNewYork,Icamehereonaspree,

Andhearingtellof Larry’splace,Iwentthesightstosee:

Somedrunkenshellsinthecorner,moreswillingatthebar,

AndLarrywassupplyingthemfromhisbigfive-gallonjar.

Nowoneglassof Larry’sbeveragewillmakeyourhearttoache,

Andwhenyougetkeeledoveryourcashhe’llsurelytake;

Butwhenyouwakenextmorning,you’llbefaroutsidethebar,

Removed away toLiverpool by gallusLarryMaher.

Youmay talk about Jamaica rum, andMonongahelatoo,

Or all the poteenwhiskeymade fromCorktoKillaloo:

For, it’s amere cypher, and far belowthepar;

For, it can’t comeup toLarry andhisbig-five-gallonjar.

Nowthisjarisinexhaustible;for,whenitisalldone,

Larry can replenish it, in the snappingof agun;

Some camphene and laudanum, alum-waterandcoal-tar,

Composesthisgoodbeverageof,gallus,LarryMaher!

Itookoneglassof Larry’sstuff,andmyheartwasupforfight,

When anM.P. took a run atme andknockedmehigherthanakite;

He slipped thedarbiesonme, and theTombsnotbeingfar:

IbidfarewelltoLarryandhisbigfive-gallonjar.

Mahermayhavebeenanactualshanghaieror,perhaps,awell-likedlocalpublican—andthesongjustajoke.Ineithercase,hewasacertainlyaknowncharacterinoldNewYork.Don’tgolookingforhistavern,though.ItrestsverydeepunderneaththeManhattananchorof theBrooklynBridge!

SON

gS


Jaimee Wriston Colbert reading from her work, Shark Girls. Photo by Ellen McHale.

OnSaturday,November12,2011,theNewYorkFolkloreSocietyhosteditsAnnualCon-ferencearoundthethemeof “LegendsandTales.”TheconferencewasheldatBingham-tonUniversityandincludedgraduatestudentpresentations,apublicsectorfolklorepanel,storytelling,readings,andgreatdiscussions.Themorningbeganwithtwograduatestu-

dentpanels,“TheFabledandtheFabulous,”and“LegendaryTransformations.”Thepa-perspresentedwerethoughtfulexplorationsinto a rangeof topics, including folkloricperspectivesonShakespeare,theblues,filmnarratives, and legends,bothhistorical andurban.Eachpapersessionwasfollowedbyalivelyquestion-and-answerperiod.Thekeynotefortheconferencewaspre-

sentedbyDr.ElizabethTucker,folkloristandprofessorof EnglishatBinghamtonUniversity.“HauntedHalls,Mansions,andRiverbanks:Legendsof theSouthernTier”drewuponTucker’swealthof researchintothefolkloreof theSouthernTier,andshesharedmany local hauntings, sightings,

and legends that she had collected overtheyears.Next, novelist JaimeeWristonColbert,

alsoonthefacultyatBinghamtonUniversityasprofessorof Englishandcreativewriting,readfromherwork,Shark Girls.Thenovel,setinHawaiiwhereColbertgrewup,weavesbitsof localfolkloreintoastoryaboutagirlattackedbyashark.Wewerepleased to invite twoesteemed

panelists,Dr.KayTurnerandDr.ConstanceSullivan-Blum, to contribute to thepublicsectorfolklorepanel“CollectingNarrativesafterDisasterStrikes.”Since9/11,Dr.KayTurnerhasbeendocumentingthespontane-ousmemorialswhichhavedottedNewYork’surban landscape.Herongoingdocumenta-tionhasresultedinhermostrecentprogramon the 10th anniversary of the attack onNewYork’sTwinTowers.Dr.Constance

The New York Folklore Society Features “Legends and Tales” at Its 2011 Annual Conference

BY LISA OVERHOLSER

Publish in Voices!See page 43 for

submission guidelines.


Sullivan-Blumhas been documenting theSouthernTier’sFloodof 1972,whenHur-ricaneAgnes causedwidespreadflooding.“Transformation fromTragedy: SurvivorsRemember theFloodof 1972” is a localhistoryprojectcapturingthestoriesof thefloodandwillresultinadocumentaryfilmin2012.Bothpanelistsdiscussedtheirworkas public folklorists in documenting suchpivotal events andcollecting thenarrativesassociatedwiththem.Following an informal reception, the

conference concludedwith anoutstandingperformancebyinternationallyknownstory-tellerMilbreBurch.“ChangingSkins:Folk-talesaboutGender,Identity,andHumanity”highlighted thewealth andpersistence of gender-bendingfolktalesandculturalexpres-sions around theworld.Her engaging andenergeticperformancepiecewasprovocativeandunderscoredthepowerinherentinthetellingof tales.

Kay Turner, folklorist at the Brooklyn Arts Council, speaking about her work collecting narratives of 9/11. Photo by Ellen McHale.

Submission Guidelines forVoices: The Journal of New York FolkloreVoices: The Journal of New York Folklore is a membership magazine of the New York Folklore Society(www.nyfolklore.org). TheNewYorkFolkloreSocietyisanonprofit,statewide organization dedicated to furtheringcultural equity and cross-cultural understandingthroughprogramsthatnurturefolkculturalexpres-sionswithin communitieswhere they originate,share these traditions across cultural boundaries,andenhancetheunderstandingandappreciationof folkculture.ThroughVoicesthesocietycommuni-cateswithprofessionalfolkloristsandmembersof relatedfields,traditionalartists,andageneralpublicinterestedinfolklore. Voicesisdedicatedtopublishingthecontentof folkloreinthewordsandimagesof itscreatorsandpractitioners.Thejournalpublishesresearch-basedarticles,written in an accessible style, on topicsrelated to traditional art and life. It also featuresstories,interviews,reminiscences,essays,folkpoetryandmusic,photographs,andartworkdrawnfrompeople in all parts of NewYork State.Columnsonsubjectssuchasphotography,soundandvideorecording,legalandethicalissues,andthenatureof traditionalartandlifeappearineachissue.

Editorial Policy Feature articles.Articles published inVoicesrepresentoriginalcontributionstofolklorestudies.AlthoughVoices emphasizes the folkloreof NewYorkState,theeditorwelcomesarticlesbasedonthefolkloreof anyareaof theworld.Articlesonthetheory,methodology,andgeographyof folklorearealsowelcome,asarepurelydescriptivearticlesintheethnographyof folklore.Inaddition,Voicesprovidesahomefor“orphan”tales,narratives,andsongs,whose contributors are urged to providecontextualinformation. Authorsareencouragedtoincludeshortpersonalreminiscences,anecdotes,isolatedtales,narratives,songs, andothermaterial that relates to and en-hancestheirmainarticle. Typically feature articles range from 1,000 to4,000wordsandupto6,000wordsattheeditor’sdiscretion. Reviews and review essays.Books,recordings,films,videos,exhibitions,concerts,andthelikeareselectedforreviewinVoicesfortheirrelevancetofolklorestudiesorthefolkloreof NewYorkStateandtheirpotentialinteresttoawideaudience.Per-sonswishingtoreviewrecentlypublishedmaterialshouldcontacttheeditor.Unsolicitedreviewsandproposalsforreviewswillbeevaluatedbytheeditorandbyoutsiderefereeswhereappropriate.Followthebibliographicstyleinacurrentissueof Voices. Reviewsshouldnotexceed750words. Correspondence and commentary.Shortbutsubstantivereactionstoorelaborationsuponmate-rialappearinginVoiceswithinthepreviousyeararewelcomed.Theeditormayinvitetheauthorof thematerialsbeingaddressedtorespond;bothpiecesmay be published together.Any subjectmay beaddressedorrebuttedoncebyanycorrespondent.Theprincipalcriteriaforpublicationarewhether,intheopinionof theeditorortheeditorialboard,thecommentconstitutesasubstantivecontributiontofolklorestudies,andwhetheritwillinterestourgeneralreaders. Lettersshouldnotexceed500words.

StyleThe journal followsThe Chicago Manual of Style.ConsultWebster’s Third International Dictionary forquestionsof spelling,meaning,andusage,andavoidgender-specificterminology. Footnotes.Endnotesandfootnotesshouldbeavoided;incorporatesuchinformationintothetext.Ancillaryinformationmaybesubmittedasasidebar. Bibliographic citations.Forcitationsof textfrom outside sources, use the author-date styledescribedinThe Chicago Manual of Style. Language.Allmaterialmust be submitted inEnglish. Foreign-language terms (transliterated,whereappropriate,intotheRomanalphabet)shouldbeitalicizedandfollowedbyaconciseparentheticalEnglishgloss;theauthorbearsresponsibilityforthecorrectspellingandorthographicsof non-Englishwords.BritishspellingsshouldbeAmericanized.

Publication ProcessUnless indicated, theNewYorkFolklore SocietyholdscopyrighttoallmaterialpublishedinVoices: The Journal of New York Folklore.Withthesubmissionof materialtotheeditor,theauthoracknowledgesthatheorshegivesVoicessolerightstoitspublica-tion, and that permission topublish it elsewheremustbesecuredinwritingfromtheeditor. Fortheinitialsubmission,sendane-mailattach-mentorCD(preferablypreparedinMicrosoftWordandsavedasRichTextFormat). Copymustbedoublespaced,withallpagesnum-beredconsecutively.Tofacilitateanonymousreviewof featurearticles,theauthor’snameandbiographyshouldappearonlyonaseparatetitlepage. Tables, charts,maps, illustrations,photographs,captions,andcreditsshouldfollowthemaintextandbenumberedconsecutively.Allillustrationsshouldbeclean,sharp,andcamera-ready.Photographsshouldbeprintsorduplicateslides(notoriginals)orscannedathighresolution(300+dpi)ande-mailedtotheedi-torasjpgortiff files.Captionsandcreditsmustbeincluded.Writtenpermissiontopublisheachimagemust beobtainedby authors from the copyrightholderspriortosubmissionof manuscripts,andthewrittenpermissionsmustaccompanythemanuscript(authorsshouldkeepcopies). Materials are acknowledgedupon receipt.Theeditorand twoanonymous readers reviewmanu-scripts submitted as articles.The reviewprocesstakesseveralweeks. Authorsreceivetwocomplimentarycopiesof theissueinwhichtheircontributionappearsandmaypurchaseadditionalcopiesatadiscount.Authorsof feature articlesmay purchase offprints; priceinformationisavailableuponpublication.

Submission Deadlines

Spring–Summerissue November1Fall–Winterissue May1

SendsubmissionsasWordfilestoEileenCondon,VoicesEditor(e-mailpreferred):

[email protected] or

NewYorkFolkloreSocietyP.O.Box764

Schenectady,NY12031

Lisa Overholser is staff folklorist at the New York Folklore Society, where she manages the mentoring and profes-sional development program and contributes to many other projects and initiatives. She holds a PhD in folklore and ethnomusicology from the Univer-sity of Indiana.


From Girl to Goddess: The Hero-ine’s Journey through Myth and Legend byValerieEstelleFrankel.Jef-ferson,NC:McFarland&Company,Inc.,2010. 366 pages, introduction, appendix,notes,bibliography,index,$35.00,paper.

ValerieEstelleFrankelbeginstheintro-duction of From Girl to Goddess: Heroine’s Journey through Myth and Legend with herownjourneyof howshecametowritethisbook.Thisjourneybeginslikemanyof thetalesshepresents,withachildof wonder,whosetsoutonanadventuretolearnmoreaboutthestoriesshelovesandeventuallygainsthewisdomof understandingthem.InspiredbyJoseph’sCampbell’stheoryof the hero’s journey, Frankel assigns her-self the taskof exploring thesimilaritiesand differences between the hero’s andheroine’s journeysandchallengesherself toprove that theheroine’s journey isnolessimportantthatthatof thehero.ThoseunfamiliarwithorrustyregardingJosephCampbell’stheoryneednotworry,Frankelprovidessummariesof histheoriesastheyapplyorcontrasttotheheroine’sjourney.Thebookisdividedintotwomainsec-

tions:“Stepsof theJourney”and“Arche-types.”Thesetwosectionsareinturnbro-kendownintosub-sections,chapters,andsub-chapters.Eachchapterbeginswiththetellingof atalethroughthecombinationof quotesandtheauthor’sowninterpretation.Frankelanalyzesthemyths,folktales,andlegendsastheyrelatetotheparticularstepof the heroine’s journey by utilizing theworkof JosephCampbellandotherschol-ars including: folklorists, psychologists,symbolicists(author’sterm),andfeminists.Aseachanalysisisdeveloped,variantsof tales and additional tales relevant to thatstep of the journey are introduced.His-toricalandcontemporarycontextsarepro-videdtoshowhowthetalesreflectthelivesof womeninthepastandpresent.Forthesecond section on “Archetypes,” Frankelproffersherownlistof femalearchetypesexpandingonthepopular triple-goddess:maiden-mother-crone,andtheless-knownarchetypesof AntoniaWolf.

Frankel’suseof talesisnotexhaustive.Taleswere chosen for their relevance tothestepof thejourney.Theauthorreturnstoaprevioustaleseveraltimesif itisthebestexampletoillustrateherpoint,ratherthanattemptingtohighlightasmanytalesaspossible.Frankeldidmakeanefforttoincludeadiversityof talesfromthroughouthistory including: ancientmyths, biblicaltales, and stories fromaround the globe.Literarytalesof singularauthorshipwereincluded alongwith traditional tales of culturalgenesis.This book is a fantastic resource for

anyone interested in folktale scholarship,regardless of a desire to learn about theheroine’s journey. Those new to folktalescholarship will gain an understandingof thehistoryof thisfield,while trainedfolkloristswillfindthisworktobeawon-derful refresher. Frankel demonstrateshowtoproperlyrecognizebothtaletypesandmotifs and includes an appendix of Aarne-Thompson’s Folktale Types andselectedmotifs for thoseunfamiliarwiththeseworks.Butthisbookgoesfarbeyondmotif spottingtosuccessfullycombinetheworkof manyscholarstoshowhowmyths,folk tales, and legends could and shouldbeanalyzed.Yet,thisbookismorethanausefultext

forcollegestudents,oramateurandpro-fessional folklorists. It is an empoweringbookforwomenof allages.Ihadprevi-ousexperiencewiththemanymythsandfolktalescontainedinthistext,alongwithmost of the scholarship used byValerieFrankel.Therewaslittleinthisbookthatsurprisedme.Whatdidsurprisemewasthesenseof camaraderieIfeltwiththefeaturedheroines.Like thewomenwhohave toldthesemythsandfolktalesthroughoutthecenturiesandacrosstheworld,Irecognizedmyself withinthem.Thisbook isamustreadforallwomenandshouldbegiventoallyoungmaidensastheybegintheirownheroine’sjourneythroughlife.

—ClaireAubreyIndependentfolklorist

Oral History, Oral Culture, and Italian Americans, edited by LuisaDelGiudice.NewYork:PalgraveMacmil-lan,2009.288pages, introductionby theeditor, bibliographical information aftereachchapter,appendix,$89.00,hardcover.

Therearemanywaystotellastory,andaseditor,LuisaDelGiudicelooksatoralhis-toryasanangleof convergenceinhercol-lectionof essays,Oral History, Oral Culture, and Italian Americans.” Selected from the2005AnnualConferenceof theAmericanItalianHistoricalAssociation(AIHA),theessaysinthebookconveyItalianAmericanstories from both historical and culturalperspectives.Thevolumeisprefacedwithgraciousthankstoits15contributorsandpresentsanoverviewof theirexperiencesin academia, community, and the publicsectorandtheirpursuitstowardagreaterunderstanding of Italian American his-tory, ethnography, and folk tradition. Itcontinues with 251 pages of essays byartists,musicians,culturalanthropologists,andscholarsof historyandliterature.Thevariedstoriescometogetherinafascinat-ingpictureof theculturalpracticesof thisunique,yetvaried,ethnicgroupasItalianshavemigratedtoliveintheUnitedStates.Extensivebibliographiesattheendof eachessayarehelpfulforthosewhowouldliketodigmoredeeplyorfolloweachauthor’strajectoryof research.A thorough indexalsomakesthismorepossible.Forscholarsand laypeople interested inpursuing therootsof a culture thathas, for themostpart, beenmodernized, the book is ac-cessibleandauthentic.Mostof theessaysmaintain the storytelling voice that theypresent in their subjects, and some aresopersonal anddirect that, to an ItalianAmerican,theymayseemlikeavisitwithfamily.Tothoseinthefield,theessaysmayseemlikeavisitwithafamilyof folklorists.Manyof theauthorswillbefamiliarnamestothosewhoknowtoday’sstandard-bearersof ItalianAmericanfolkloreandtradition.The collectionof essays is divided into

three sections, beginningwith the intro-duction, byDelGiudice, an independent

REV

IEW

S


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folkloristandfounder-directorof theItalianOralHistory Institute, a California non-profiteducationalorganization,whichwasestablished in1994anddissolved in2007.DelGiudicedefendsoral culture andoralhistory,inrecognitionthatthemajorityof immigrantsduringthemassmigrationfromthelatenineteenthcenturytotheimmediatepost-WorldWar II periodswere illiterate.Peasants and laborerswho brought theirreligious and folk traditions to theUnitedStates settled in tightly knit communitieswhere they re-created the culture of theirlivesbackhome.Evenastheruralvillagesof theirhomelandemptiedoutasaresultof thisemigration,Italianimmigrantsencapsu-latedtheirregionalculturesanddialects inthe neighborhoods theymade inAmericain an effort to create a home away fromhome.Thiscollection representsa fewof theremainingstoriesof thosewhoremem-berwhat lifewas like fornew immigrantsandforthosewhoremainedinItalybeforeandduringWorldWarII.Italsoaddresses

thesynthesisof culturethatoccurred,postmigration.PartIIof thebookdealswithoralhis-

tory.ItincludesfivearticlesbyAlessandroPortelli,ErnestoR.Milani,Marie Sacco-mandoCoppola, Sefano Luconi, andB.Amore.Portelli,Milani,andSaccomandofocuscloselyon theway themediumre-flects themessage.Using the voice of astoryteller,Portellirecountstheconflictingaccounts gathered fromsurvivorsof themassacreattheFosseArdeatineinRome.Theauthorarguesthat,unlikewrittenhis-tories,whicharestatic,oralhistoriesmaychange as people are influenced by thepopularpressandotherpeople’stellingof an event. Through dramatic and rivetingexamples, he shows how “mis-memory,”or remembering a story as itwas heard,whetherthetellingof itwastrueornot,becomes fact, or at least the dominantnarrative.Inasimilarlydramaticvoice,“Breaking

theCodeof SilenceWomantoWoman,”

Marie Saccomando Coppola tells herown personal story of the reception of herworkas a folklorist—by its subjects.Heruseof thefirstpersonnarrativeisadeliberatenodtothefeministideathatthepersonalispolitical;butinCoppola’scase,the form had unforeseen consequences.“Asastudentof oralhistory,Iinnocentlybelieved Iwas ennobling her life story,”shesaysof theaunt inSicilywho is thesubjectof herstudyandPhDthesis.“She[heraunt],ontheotherhand,believedIhad betrayed her and the entire family,”saysCoppola.Afteremployingthefeministtraditionof TillieOlsen,AdrienneRich,andotherswhotellthedarkstoriesof awoman’ssuffering,Coppolarecountsthestingingbackfireof thosewhose secretsshetold.Ratherthanbeingdestroyedbyit,Coppolaworkswiththisaccusationof betrayalandarguesthatsecrecyisanotherlayerof theculturalnarrativeof Sicilianwomen. She does so in a powerful andrivetingstory.


Essays by Ernesto R.Milani and B.Amoreparallel theothers in this chapterastheylookatthewaythemediumaffectsthemessage.Milani looksat“IlCorrieredel Pomeriggio,” the newsletter of theGruppoLontaneseof SanRafael,MarinCounty,California, andoffers insights tohow,for20years,ithasbeenaclarionforthepeopleof Lontanowhoremaininter-estedintheirregionaltraditions.Itoffersagoodexampleof howlocaleffortswithvery low production valuemay providetheculturalmarkersthatscholarsneedtostudytheeverydaylivesof ordinarypeople.Amore,likeSaccomando,personalizesherstudy, “Twice-Told Tales: Art andOralHistoriesfromtheTenementMuseumandEllisIsland.”Sheincorporatesstoriesanddescriptionsfromwhatshefoundatbothmuseums and in their archives. She alsooffersdescriptionsof herownartprojectthatincorporatedwhatshelearnedabouttheimmigrationexperienceintocollageandinstallationsthatwerelaterdisplayedattheTenementMuseuminNewYorkCityandataSoHogallery.HowtheartconnectstotheoverallItalianexperienceissubjective,butthepresentationof herresearchatthemuseumandEllisIslandisagoodentréetowhatonemightfindinthoseplaces.Luconi’sessay,“OralHistoriesof Italian

Americans in theGreatDepression:ThePolitics and Economics of the Crisis,”while equally fascinating, stands alone inthis section in itsmoreobjective style asthe author connects economic pressures

tothevotingpatternsof ItalianAmericansduringthetwodecadesfrom1932–1952.Today’spoliticalanalystsmightdowelltotakenoteof someof Luconi’spoints,astheyfacethesameissuesof votingpatternsinapooreconomyandahighjoblessrate.PartIIIof DelGiudice’scollectionputs

eightessaysintothecategoryof “OralCul-ture.”“Cantastorie:EthnographyasStorys-inging,”byChristineF.Zinni,examinestheeffectsof recordingmethodsonthestoriesbeingtold.Asinthearticlesof theprevi-oussections,thefocusisonmethodology.However,thesubjectistheculturalfigure,MariaMichelaTenebruso,ratherthanahis-toricaleventasthosestudiedintheprevioussection.Zinniengagesthereaderinalivelynarrativethat,ironically,capturestheveryin-flection,performance,andemphasisthatheressayargues,isoftenlostinthewrittenword.Her essay, combinedwith the films andinterviews she describes, provides strongadvocacyfororalhistoriesandrecordingasamodeof transmissionof culture,andsheemploysthevoiceof thepersonalnarrativetoaddfueltoherargument.JoannaClappsHermanalsousespersonal

references,whatshecallsstoriesfromher“family’smythcycle,”inanattempttodrawparallels toHomer’sOdyssey.Whilemanyexamplesof storiesof herfamilyarecross-referencedwithmomentsintheepicpoem,her essay lacks in allusion to a broader,sharedexperience,amongItalianAmericansbothwithinthebodyof theessayandinitsbibliography.

JohnT.LaBarbera,speaksof hislife’sworkasacollectorandapresenterof tra-ditionalItalianmusic.Histestimonyoffersafascinatingperspectiveonthemulticul-turalinfluencesof hisupbringinginNewYorkCityduringthe1950s.Memoriesof hisItaliangrandfatherplayingmusicinhisshoeshopontheLowerEastSideevokedsomethingdifferentfromwhatpeoplesawintheItalianpopsingerslikeLouiePrimaandhiscohort.HedescribesSicilianPuppetTheaterandthedisplaysof cultureduringfeastsandprocessionsthatwerecommoninNewYorkatthetimeandattemptstoputalltheseinfluencestogetherwithlaterexperiencesinItaly,wherehejoinednativeItalianpuppeteersandmusicians.Theessay,called“That’sNotItalianMusic,”capturesthatelusiveperiodwhenwhatwasconsid-ered tobe Italian transformed, as ItalianAmericans and Italians in Italy as well,adopted themusical and entertainmentstylesthatwerefoundintheUnitedStates.RobertoCatalano andEnzo Fina also

address the commercialization of tradi-tionalmusicand thedifficulty in relatingthemusictheyplayedduring11yearsof performinginItalyandtheUnitedStates.Their essay, “Simple Does NotMeanEasy:OralTraditionalValues,MusicandtheMusicanticaExperience” brings alivedirect experiences likemaking a clarinetoutof astemof wildoat,pointingouthowthecommonunderstandingof traditionalItalianmusicdoesnotpayhomagetothat.References to theorists likeGramsci and


OrianaFallaci,aswellasnumerousotherscholarswhohavegrappledwiththephe-nomenonof globalizedculture,groundtheauthor’spersonalstoryinacademia.Other essayists in this section also

employ the first person but make thepersonal connection to their argumentless significant than it is for Zinni andHerman.DiVirgilio’s“TheAlms-SeekingTraditionof Sant’AntonioAbatein1920’sWesternPennsylvania,”offersapoignantdescription of an agricultural traditionthat disappeared in Italy as townswereabandonedbytheirresidentsforAmerica,andtraditionvanished,evenintheUnitedStates as industrialization ensued. Therespectiveworksof AugustonFerraiuoloandSabinaMaglioccoarefurtherabstrac-tions of the cultures they describe, buttheirsaregroundedinscholarlyresearch.Ferraiuolo’s focuson thechanginggeog-raphy of Boston’sNorthEndwould beusefultothoseinurbanstudies,aswellastheethnographerinterestedintheeffectsthatachanginglandscapehasonculture.Itgivesafascinatingaccountof howtheNorthEndwas alternately connected toandisolatedfromBostonproperatdiffer-entpointsinhistoryandmakestheeffectsof landfillprojectsandhighwayconstruc-tionpalpable.Maguocco’sdocumentationof the roots of stregheria, or witchcraft,among ItalianAmericans is an invitationtothoseinterestedinNewWorldandNewAgeritualsamongItalianAmericansandtheoriginsof these“vernacularmagicore-ligiouspractices”inOldWorldsociety.Theessay’sapproachissimilartoFerraiuolo’s,inthatextensiveresearch,ratherthanhisown personal narrative, givesway to theauthor’stheoriesaboutculture.Thefinalpieceinthebook,“Alessandra

Belloni:InHerOwnWords,”isaninter-viewwith the artist and folkpractitionerwhowasaninspirationandmentortotheeditorDelGiudice.DelGiudiceprovidesBelloni’s original responses to questionsinItalianandtranslatesthemintoEnglishaswell.The interview is a sprawlinganddramatic piece,which reflects the natureof Belloni, whowas a former artist-in-

Send Your Story to Voices!

DidyouknowthatVoicespub-lishes creativewriting, includingcreative fiction (such as shortstories),creativenonfiction(suchasmemoirsandlife/workstories),andpoetry?Wealsopublishar-tistic and ethnographic photog-raphyandartwork,inadditiontoresearch-based articles onNewYork State folk arts and artists.If you are one of NewYork’straditionalartistsorworkinginatraditionaloccupation—includingfishing,boatbuilding,traditionalhealing,instrumentmaking,fire-fighting, or nursing, to name afew—please consider sharingwithour readers. Formore in-formation, see our SubmissionsGuidelines on p. 43 or contacttheAcquisitionsEditorat [email protected].

residence at Cathedral of St. John theDivine inNew York City. Belloni alsobecamefamousforhermoderninterpre-tationof thespiritof Tarantellaindanceand performance and for her revival of the spiritual connectionwith TheBlackMadonnaandItalianwomen,bothhereintheUnitedStatesandinhernativesouth-ernItaly.Belloniwaswinnerof the2005ItalianOralHistoryInstituteAward,alongwithJohnLaBarbera,(alsofeaturedinthisvolume),andfounderwithLaBarbera,of IGiullaridiPiazza,“theonlyfullyprofes-sional U.S.-based folk music ensembledevotedexclusivelytopresentingtheoraltraditionsof southernItaly,”accordingtotheauthor.DelGiudicegottoknowBel-loni’s interpretations of these traditionsasshefeaturedtheartist’sworksinaliveperformance series at UCLA, and latertraveledwithBelloni to Italy,whereDelGiudicewasaparticipantinthetroupe.Theoriginalinterviewwasrecordedonaudio-tapein1998,andtranscribedatthecloseof 2006.Of thetranscriptionprocess,DelGiudicesays,“Listeningatsuchadistancein time, to recover the actualwords andintonation, inferable gestures, and othermodalities, required themost acute sortof attention—andsometimesconjecture.”Thishonestassessmentof theprocessof collecting and interpreting oral histories,alongwithDelGiudice’s intimateknowl-edgeof hersubject,heraccomplishmentsasascholar,andherexcellenteditingof thisvolumeareevidencethatthepresentationinthisbookrepresentsthetruth,beyondreasonabledoubt.Itisalsoenjoyableread-ing,asisthebookasawhole,foranyoneinterested in ItalianAmerican culture ortheprocessof preservingthestoriesthathavebeentoldforgenerationsinthepastandwhocareaboutthembeingtold, forgenerationstocome.

—AnnvanBuren,MA,MLISFreelancewriterandteacherinNew

York’sHudsonValley


Join theNew York Folklore Society andbecomepartof acommunitythatwilldeepenyour involvementwith folklore, folklife, thetraditionalarts,andcontemporaryculture.Asamember,you’llhaveearlynoticeof keyevents.

Annual Conference.Peopletravelfromallovertomeetinadifferentpartof thestateeachyearfortheNYFSConferenceandAnnualMeeting.Professionalsinfolkloreandrelatedfieldsjoinwitheducatorsandpractitionerstoexplorethecultureandtraditionsof thearea.Lecturesanddiscussionsarebalancedwithconcerts,dancing,andtoursof culturalsites.

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Thank You, New York Folklore Society Supporters!The New York Folkore Society thanks the people and organizations that supported our programs and publications in 2011. Your help is essential to our work. If your local library is not listed among the institutional subscribers below, please urge it to join.

Alderman Library, American University, Antioch College, Arizona State University, Arkansas State University, Bibliotheque Universite Laval, Bloomsburg Univer-sity, Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, Brown University, Buffalo Public Library, C. W. Post Center, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Cardiff University, Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University, Ca-yuga County Community College, Cleve-land Public Library, Clinton Community College, COAHSI, College of St. Rose, College of William and Mary, Colorado College, Columbia University, Cornell University Library, Crandall Public Library, Cumbia Spirit School of Dance, Dowling College, Duanesburg Jr./Sr. High School, Duke University, East Carolina University, East Meadow Public Library, East Ten-nessee State University, Elmira College, Elsevier Science Bibliographic Databases, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, Georg August Universitaet, George Mason University, Hartwick College, Harvard College, Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection, Hofstra University, Hudson Area Library, Huntington Library, Indiana University, Iowa State University, Jefferson Community College, Library of Congress, Long Island Traditions, Long Island Uni-versity, Louisiana State University, Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Bibliotheque, Marshall University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Mercy College, Miami University, Michigan State University, Mid County Public Library, Middlebury College, Monroe Community College, New York State Library, New York University, Newber-ry Library, North Country Community Col-lege, NYSHA Library, Ohio State University, Ohio University, Onondaga County Public Library, Paul Smiths College, Penn State, Plattsburgh Public Library, Port Washington Public Library, Queens Library, Rochester Public Library, Skidmore College, St. Bo-naventure University, St. Johns University, St. Lawrence University, Stanford Uni-versity, State University College – Oneonta, State University Collgege – Plattsburgh, Steele Memorial Library, SUNY - Adiron-dack, SUNY - Albany, SUNY - Geneseo, SUNY - Stony Brook, Syracuse Univer-sity, Tel Aviv University, Temple University, Texas A&M University, Traditional Arts

in Upstate New York, UCLA YRL Serials, Ulster County Community College, UNC Chapel Hill, Union College, United States Military Academy, Universite de Paris (1894), Universitetsbiblioteket I Bergen, University of British Columbia, University of Califor-nia, University of Chicago, University of Colorado, University of Delaware, Univer-sity of Houston, University of Minnesota, University of New Hampshire, University of Oregon, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rochester, University of Southern Califor-nia, University of Texas at Austin, University of Toronto, University of Vermont, Utah State University, Utica College Library, Vassar College Library, Western Kentucky University, WHPR, Winterthur Museum, Yale University Library,

Supporting Members:Karen Canning, Eniko Farkas, David Smin-gler, George Ward

Harold Thompson Members:The late Jean Crandall, Joseph Alden Doo-little, Ellen Fladger, Gabrielle Hamilton, Karen Johnson, Alice Lai, Ellen McHale and John McKeeby, Geoffrey Miller, Jessica Schein, Elizabeth Tucker, Daniel Franklin Ward

Individual Members:Pauline Adema, Said Al Siyabi, Beatriz Albuquerque, Ladan Alomar, Catherine L Angell, Robert Baron, Raymond A. Baum-ler, Dan Berggren, Gabrielle Berlinger, Robert D. Bethke, Lucey Bowen, John Brigham, Warren F. Broderick, Simon J. Bronner, Candace S. Broughton, Joseph and Carol Bruchac, Edward H. Bruhn, Beverly J. Butcher, Leslie J. Butcher, Rose Caccamise, Helen L. Cackener, Karen Park Canning, Varick A. Chittenden, William M Clements, Francis Cleveland, Kathleen Condon, Jean Crandall, Elizabeth Disaviano and A. J. Bodner, Leila Durkin, Lynn Case Ekfelt, Enikö Farkas, Jack Finkenberg, Mary Ann Fitzgerald, Ellen H. Fladger, Sean Galvin, Roger Geaniton, Robert Godfried, Paul Groff, Eric J. Hamilton, Gabrielle Hamilton, Lee Haring, Susan I. Hengelsberg, Joseph C. Hickerson, Amy Hillick, Robert J. Hoffnung, Muriel Horowitz, Karen B. Johnson, Robert

J. Kent, James Kimball, Melissa Ladenheim, Alice Lai and Eric Ball, Michael D. Leach, James P. Leary, Roselyn Leibowitz, Laura Lee Linder, Marsha MacDowell, Nicole Macot-sis, Penelope Maguffin, Ruby L. Marcotte, Elena Martinez, John J. McEneny, Edward McGraw, Ellen McHale, Felicia McMahon, Phyllis S. McNeill, Geoffrey Miller, Col-leen O’Connor, Patricia H. Park, Preston E. Pierce, Stanley and Christina Ransom, Paul Rosenberg, Dave Ruch, Dawn Saliba, Suzanne Samelson, Jessica Schein, Anthony Seeger, Jeff Shelby, Roberta L. Singer, Cindy and Robert Skala, David B. Smingler, Diane Hale Smith, Mary Struthers, Dare and Doug Thompson, John Thorn, Elizabeth Tucker, Gaetano Vaccaro, Tom van Buren, Gordon VanDeBogart, Brenda Verardi, George Ward, Daniel Franklin Ward, Lois Wilcken, Lynne Williamson, Robert Wright, Steve Zeitlin, Melanie Zimmer

Community Partners:American Folklore Society, Binghamton University, Castellani Art Museum of Niaga-ra University, Centro Civico of Amsterdam, Crandall Public Library, Glens Falls Genesee Orleans Arts Council (Go Art!), Long Island Traditions, New York Foundation for the Arts, Schenectady Arts and Entertainment District Schoharie River Center, The History Center of Tompkins County, Traditional Arts of Upstate New York, Union College

Corporate Supporters:Good Search, Inc., National Grid, Stewart’s Corporation, IBM Corporation

Foundation Support:Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Paul and Anne van Buren Fund of the Maine Com-munity Foundation, Rotary Foundation of Schenectady

Government Support:National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Schenectady County Initiative Program (SCIP)

Individual Donors:Elizabeth DiSavino, Susan Hengelsberg, Muriel Horowitz, Michael Leach, Cindy Skala

P.O. Box 764, Schenectady, NY 12301(518) 346-7008 • www.nyfolklore.org

Nonprofit Org.

US Postage

PAIDAlbany, NY

Permit #751

“Music of the Erie Canal”A Public Symposium hosted by the New York Folklore Society and the Erie Canal Museum

November 2-3, 2012 • Erie Canal Museum • Syracuse, NY

Call for ProposalsThe Erie Canal was a magnificent feat of engineering and transportation in the history of the United States, but it also left a significant cultural legacy that was integral in shaping the American soundscape. New musical communities and institutions were developed as a result of new migration patterns, and thanks to the ease of mobility and communication that the canal fostered, it was also a prime catalyst in cultural transmission. Indeed, the Erie Canal not only created a whole new body of distinctly American musical forms, but it was also a prime example of the folkloric process in action.

The New York Folklore Society, in conjunction with the Erie Canal Museum, will be hosting a public symposium about the Music of the Erie Canal on November 2 and 3, 2012. We invite presentations, papers, and demonstrations on the Music of the Erie Canal. Possible themes include songs and the folk process; the creation of community; archives and collections; popular music of the Canal; and the Erie Canal as presented in music education, but we are open to other potential themes as well. Papers and presentations should be no more than 20 minutes in length; performances, demonstrations or lecture-demonstrations should be no more than 30 minutes in length. Poster presentations and other presentation formats will also be considered.

Individuals and groups are encouraged to apply; interested presenters and participants should complete the attached form.

Questions? Please contact Lisa Overholser ([email protected], 518-346-7008) for more information.

Download Submission Form at www.nyfolklore.org/progs/cfp-eriemusic.html

This symposium is made possible in part thanks to a grant from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, and general operational support from the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York Council for the Humanities.

Deadlines and Important Dates Proposals Due The final deadline for submission of proposals is June 29, 2012

Notification of Acceptance By September 14, 2012

Symposium date November 2-3, 2012

yuri yunakov, - new york folklore · 2018-11-14 · crandall (1964–2011) fall–winter 2011...

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