vodou drums - new york folklorevodou dancing in the city, survey the shape-shifting history of rip...

Vodou Drums

Rip Van Winkle

Marimba House!

9/11 Folklore

Spring–Summer 2010Volume 36: 1–2

The Journal ofNew York Folklore

Big Idea is usually celebrated, folklorists are working hard to recognize communities’ maintenance of cultural traditions. We have allies in new movements that are coming to the forefront in American society, such as the 100-mile diet and buy-local movement, which champion locally harvested foods and locally owned businesses as key to maintain-ing communities’ character.

Folklorists are uniquely positioned to lend an important voice to the debates around immigration and immigration reform. As globalization brings the world together, folk-lore works to draw attention to that which is local, individual, and expressive. Throughout the next decade, it will be important for folklorists to continue to draw attention to the field of folklore through alliances with disciplines and organizations outside of folklore, thus providing a folkloristic perspective on contemporary life. To again quote Louis C. Jones, “We have our part in building this nation’s knowledge of itself, a task which seems to us as important for a whole people as for an individual.”

With this issue, the New York Folklore Society thanks Paul Mercer for his service as board president and welcomes a new president. Gabrielle Hamilton began her term as board president in March 2010; she is joined by new board members Pauline Adema of Poughkeepsie, Karyl Eagle-feathers of Bloomville, Joseph Sciorra of New York City, and Thomas van Buren of Hastings-on-Hudson. I look forward to their future contributions to the New York Folklore Society.

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

[email protected]

This issue of Voices offers readers a cornu-copia of food for deep thoughts on New York. We experience the tran-scendent freedom of Vodou dancing in the

city, survey the shape-shifting history of Rip van Winkle stories, and wend our way through the psychological landscape of a post-9/11 urban legend. We also encounter Afro-Colombian music in Queens and Na-tive New York handcrafts.

In “The Vodou Kase: The Drum Break in New York Temples and Dance Classes,” participant-observer Lois Wilcken examines kase, a drum pattern associated with spirit possession. She compares transcendent experiences in Brooklyn dance classes to possession during the rites of Afro-Haitian Vodou. Wilcken argues that experiences of transcendence or possession related to the kase vary, but they exist along a continuum, whether they occur in dance studios or in temples.

In “Saint Rip,” Voices’ Play columnist and author John Thorn offers an erudite and thought-provoking exploration of the origins and concentric reappearances of the Rip van Winkle story and its key motifs, in New York State and beyond. Gabrielle Hamilton and Naomi Sturm take us into the Queens apartment of marimba maker and player Diego Obregón for a chat with the artist about currulao dancing and drumming and his experiences as a craftsman, instru-mentalist, and composer within this tradition.

In “The Grateful Terrorist: Folklore as Psychological Coping Mechanism,” a group of psychologists and counselors—

VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

I was recent l y asked to name the critical issues facing the field of folklore and the New York Folklore Society to-day. While comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s “I get no respect”

complaint comes immediately to mind, a more thoughtful answer is warranted.

The problem is one of definition. Even in 1945, our then-editor Louis C. Jones lamented, “There is a current notion across the country that we haven’t much folklore in New York State.” Folklore certainly was and continues to be alive and well in the Empire State and has been the subject of more than sixty-five years of publishing by the New York Folklore Society. Folklore and folk arts are pervasive, but are often not recognized until someone points them out as being part of the social fabric of a community. The subject of our work as folklorists is in front of our eyes every day, yet somehow folklore continues to “fly under the radar.”

I recently had a conversation with a state assemblyman, in which I mentioned that at one time the New York Folklore Society was debating whether to change its name, feeling that the word “folklore” conjured up images of a nineteenth-century notion of oral poetry. “‘Folklore’ does not reflect everything the society does,” I said. My comment evoked his impassioned response about the importance of the word “folklore” as a way to draw attention to what is truly local and unique about a community. He understood and embraced folklore’s totality.

Folklore as a discipline stands today at an interesting place. In an era when the next

From the Director

“Once we recognize we can feel deeply, love deeply, can feel joy, then we will demand that all parts of our lives produce that kind of joy. And when they do not, we will ask, ‘Why don’t they?’ And it is the asking that will lead us inevitably toward change.”

–Audre Lorde, Black Women Writers at Work (1983)

From the Editor

continued on page 2

1Spring–Summer 2010, Volume 36: 1–2Spring–Summer 2010, Volume 36: 1–2 1

Features 3 TheVodouKase: TheDrumBreakinNewYorkTemplesandDanceClasses by Lois E. Wilcken

10 SaintRip by John Thorn

18 DiegoObregón: InnovationandTraditionFlowfromColombiatoQueens by Gabrielle Hamilton and Naomi Sturm

23 TheGratefulTerrorist: FolkloreasPsychologicalCopingMechanism by Trisha L. Smith, Grafton Eliason, Jeff L. Samide, Adrian Tomer,

and Mark Lepore

30 NorthbyNortheast: NYFSCelebratesMohawkandTuscaroraTraditions by Lisa Overholser

Departments and Columns 16 Upstate by Varick A. Chittenden

17 Downstate by Steve Zeitlin

22 Songs by Dan Milner 28 StillGoingStrong by Paul Margolis 29 GoodSpirits by Libby Tucker

35 Play by John Thorn

36 InPraiseof Women by Eileen Condon

37 BookstoNote

18

30

ContentsSpring–Summer 2010

Cover: Dancer, choreographer, and teacher Pat Hall performing in Tokyo, July 2007. Photo: Koichiro Saito

3

10

2 VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

Spring–Summer 2010 · Volume 36: 1–2

Acquisitions EditorEileenCondonManaging EditorSherylA.EnglundDesignMaryBethMalmsheimerPrinterEastwoodLitho

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

Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore ispublishedtwiceayearbytheNewYorkFolkloreSociety,Inc.133JayStreetP.O.Box764Schenectady,NY12301

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

Board of DirectorsPresident GabrielleHamiltonVice President ElenaMartínezPast President PaulMercerSecretary-TreasurerDelcyZiacFoxPaulineAdema,JeanCrandall,KarylEaglefeathers,EllenFladger,JanHanvik,AliceLai,JessicaSchein,JosephSciorra,LibbyTucker,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©2010byTheNewYorkFolkloreSociety, Inc.Allrightsreserved.

VoicesisavailableinBrailleandrecordedversions.CalltheNYFSat(518)346-7008.

From the Editor (continued)

TrishaSmith,GraftonEliason,Jeff Samide,AdrianTomer,andMarkLepore—exploreurbanlegendtextsandfolklorescholarshiptooffertheirownthoughtfulmeditationonthepsychologicalfunctionsof alegendthatsurfacedaftertheeventsof September11,2001.Storieslikethisonedepictasuspectedterroristasneitheressentiallyevilnorgood.The terrorist responds to an act of kindtreatmentinagrocerystore,laterprovidinghishelperwithacryptic,protectivewarning,alludingtoterroristactsinthenearfuture.The authors argue that this urban legendandotherstorieslikeitcansimultaneouslyreduce anxiety and stir up fear—whilesustaining belief in a justworld—in theimmediateaftermathof large-scaletrauma.Finally,NewYorkFolkloreSociety’sstaff

folkloristLisaOverholserreportshighlightsfromtheSeptember2009celebratoryopen-ingof NorthbyNortheast,amonthlongex-

hibitionof basketryandbeadworkbyNewYorkAkwesasneMohawk andTuscaroraartists.Theexhibitiontookplace inSche-nectadyandincludedanopeninglecture,afilmscreeningandpaneldiscussion,andaninteractivemusic and dance performanceby theMohawkwomen’s singing group,Kontiwennenhá:wi:Carriersof theWords.As always,Voiceswelcomes readers’ re-

sponses towhatweprint, in the formof articles,photoessays,artistprofiles,regularcolumns,andmore—orshareyourthoughtsina letter to theeditor sent to thee-mailaddress below.We look forward to yourfeedback.

Eileen CondonAcquisitions Editor

New York Folklore [email protected]

The New York Folklore Society will sponsor three gatherings for Latino artists in New York State.

Supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the gatherings will take place at three

locations on three separate dates:

October 24, 2010, at Long Island Traditions, Port Washington

March 19, 2011, at Go Art!, Batavia

May 14, 2011, at Centro Civico, Amsterdam Designed for musicians, dancers, craftspeople, and others who practice a traditional art form with its origin in any of the Spanish-speaking communities of North and South America, the gatherings will assist artists in sharing resources and experiences and provide an opportunity for future collaborations and technical assistance.

For additional information, or to find out how to become a delegate to the gatherings, please contact Lisa Overholser at the New York Folklore Society: [email protected]

3Spring–Summer 2010, Volume 36: 1–2

The Vodou Kase:The Drum Break in New York

Temples and Dance ClassesBY LOIS E. WILCKEN

Editor’s note: Ethnomusicologist Lois Wilcken manages La Troupe Makandal, a Haitian drum and dance troupe, and shares an apartment with drummer Frisner Augustin. For four days after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, she could get no news from Frisner’s family, and her colleagues at City Lore and across the field of folk arts in New York worried with her. When her call finally got through to Haiti, and she heard the voice of her friend Diabolo telling her that they all survived, she said that it sounded just like music. Lois recommends that readers interested in aiding the relief effort in Haiti support Partners in Health (www.standwithhaiti.org). Partners in Health has worked in Haiti for more than twenty years and today is one of the largest nongovernmental health care providers in the country. Those interested in focusing their help on a community in need may make tax-deductible contributions to La Troupe Makandal (www.makandal.org, click on “Earthquake Relief”). Since Janu-ary, La Troupe Makandal has aided a neighborhood organization of women by delivering tents, tarps, light medical supplies, and much-needed financial contributions. Pat Hall dances the kongo at a Makandal performance in Tokyo, July 2007.

Photo: Koichiro Saito


Thisarticledrawsfromexperiencesof thePatHallDanceandMovementClass,whichmeets Saturday afternoons at theMarkMorrisDanceCenterindowntownBrooklynandattractsapproximatelysixtydevotees, both professional dancers andamateurs.InstructorPatHalldescribesherclassesonherwebsiteasan“environmentanddancecommunitythatnurtures,heals,renews, and inspires the body and spiritthroughthejoyof dance.”Shefrequentlyengagestheensembleof masterdrummerFrisnerAugustintoaccompanyclasses. Focusinginquiryonthekase,adrumpat-ternstronglyassociatedwithspiritposses-sion,Icompareepisodesof transcendencethatoccurinHall’sclasswithpossessionsthatoccurduringtheritesof Afro-HaitianVodou, during acoustically similar if notidenticalperformances.Reflectionsderive

fromdocumentationof classes;interviewswith the instructor, lead drummer, andselectedstudents;andmyparticipationinclasses.Iarguethatvariousexperiencesof transcendenceintheclassoccupypointsonacontinuum,thatthesamemaybetrueinthetemple,andthatanareaof overlapmaypertain.Thesestatementschallengethedi-videbetweensacredandprofaneandbringnuancetonotionsof musicandspirituality.

The Vodou Kase Vodou, a sacredpractice that came toHaitithroughtheMiddlePassage,servesvodun(spiritualentitiesinfongbe,alanguageof theGulf of Guinearegion).AsVodouevolvedacrossthegenerationsafterHaitiproclaimed its independence in 1804, itrefinedacosmologythatplacesspiritsononesideof ametaphoricmirrorandthe

The sacred dance yanvalou as interpreted by Pat Hall and Smith Destin, Tokyo, July 2007. Photo: Koichiro Saito

livingonitsotherside.Anaxisintersectsthedivide,sothatspiritsmaycrossoverintotheabodeof theliving.Vèvè(sacreddiagrams)thatfeaturethepointof inter-sectionandthepoto mitan(apostimplantedinthecenterof atemple’ssacredground)consciously represent this structure.Thekase,adistinctandprominentdrummingpattern inHaitianVodou,takes itsnamefromtheFrenchverbcasser(tobreak).Oneimmediately hears the suitability of themetaphor, because the kase dramaticallyrupturestheflowof thedrumensemble’smusic.Vodouists do not call the kase ametaphor for the cosmic axis thatbindsthevisible and invisibleworlds,but theysolidlyassociatethedrumbreakwithpos-session,whichoccurswhenaspiritemergesfromitssideof themirrortocommunicatethroughahumanmedium.


Hall and Destin explore the dimensions of yanvalou at the Tokyo performance, July 2007. Photo: Koichiro Saito

Throughmylongexperienceof Vodoumusicaslistener,performer,andanalyst,Ihavenotatedanumberof kase,andIhaveproposedthataprincipleof contrastoropposition to themainpattern fromwhichthekasedepartsdistinguishesandidentifies it structurally (Wilcken 1992,3–4;Wilcken 2005, 195–6). Inbrief, anensemble—three full-sized drums, oneormoreframedrums,onebellorgong,and one rattle—with each instrumentperformingitsownpatterninincreasingdegreesof ornamentation,produceswhatIamcallingthe“mainpattern.”Theleaddrummer initiates thekase.The secondandthirddrummersfall inas rapidlyaspossiblewith supporting patterns; bellandrattlemaintaintheirpreviouspatterns,and the bass foundation of the framedrumfallssilentforthedurationof thekase.Severaltypesof structuralopposi-

tion serve to distinguish the kase.Onetypethrowsoff thephrasingbybreakinghalfway into themainpattern.Anotherutilizes timbralopposition: forexample,slapsinlieuof opentones.Notleastisthekasethathastheleaddrumemphasizingoffbeats,anditseemsthatbothlistenersandperformersexperiencethistypeasthemostdramatic.

Onehears the kase throughout aVo-doudans(dance),thenightlongritesthatcelebrate the various spiritual nations.Salutations to themost powerful lwa(spirits), conducted by a team of initi-atedpersonnel,includetheorientationof sacredartifacts,pirouettes,genuflections,and the pouringof libations before thedrumensemble,thecenterpost,andthe

The path to transcendence follows a loop created by the interaction between the dancer and the drums. One feeds off the other, and this holds true in both temple and dance class.


Smith Destin and Pat Hall capture the joie de vivre of the dance kongo, Tokyo, July 2007. Photo: Koichiro Saito

altar.Themasterdrummerperformsthekaseduringsalutations,andparticularlythevire(pirouette).AlthoughLaënnecHurbontellsusthatthevirefunctionstoestablishequilibrium (1993, 110), we often seetheonsetof possessioninthatmoment.Whether or not the salutation routinebringsdownaspirit,drummingcontinuesthroughthreesongs,afterwhichthepriestsignals theensemble tostop.Possessionmayoccurduringtheseperiods,aswellasduringsalutations.Themasterdrummerlaunchesthekasewhenhefeelsthespiritorwhenhenotesitssubtlesignsinanother. The drum kase signals servants toperformthedancekase.The latter typi-callybreaksawayfromthecentereddancepattern toward either a pitching fromsidetosideoravire.Duringpossessionperformances, the lwa often submits a

non-possessedperson to the vire in themanner of amale dancer turning hispartner,butwithsuchgreatforcethatthenon-possessedgetsthespirit.

The Pat Hall Dance and Movement Class PatHallhasdistinguishedherself bothon theNewYork stage and internation-allysincethe1970s.ShewonaNewYorkFoundation for theArts artist fellowshipandaDanceTheaterWorkshopNationalPerformanceSuitcaseFundAward,whichtook her on dance research expeditionstoHaiti,Martinique, Jamaica,Nigeria,andBenin.HerworkasaperformerhasbroughtherfromstagesinNewYorkCityto festivals acrossbothof theAmericas,Africa, Europe, andAsia, and she haschoreographednewworkfortheSpoleto

FestivalandvenuesinNewYorkCity.Hallhas taught dance at CornellUniversity,BrooklynAcademy of Music, andNewYorkUniversity’sTischSchoolof theArts,but her longest-term andmost devotedstudentfollowingconvergesinthePatHallDanceandMovementClass, launched inManhattanintheearly1980sandcurrentlyheldattheMarkMorrisDanceCenterinBrooklyn. The dance andmovement classmeetsfrom3:00to5:00p.m.onSaturdays inastudio largeenoughtoaccommodate theapproximatelyfiftytosixtypeoplewhoat-tend.Thedrummerssitalongashortsideof the rectangular space.PatHall’s part-ner,musicianandstorytellerPamPatrick,playspercussionandprovidesaconstantpresenceintheensemble.Twodrummersalternately lead the instrumentensemble:


Before an improvised Vodou altar, Pat Hall strikes a kongo pose, Tokyo, July 2007. Photo: Koichiro Saito

“Farmer Taking a Snooze,” by Mary Michael Shelley


James“Tiga”Jean-Baptiste,akeyartistinthe bandof his father,Gaston “Bonga”JeanBaptiste;andFrisnerAugustin,artisticdirectorof LaTroupeMakandal.Bothleaddrummerswere born inHaiti, and bothplay forVodou rituals inNewYork, butgenerationaldifferencesmarktheirstyles,with Jean-Baptiste (the younger)moreprone to fuse foreignmusical elementswithtraditionalHaitiandrumming.Whenheplaysfortheclass,HallteachesAfricanandAfrican-deriveddancesnotfromHaiti;whenAugustinplays,thedancesaretradi-tionalHaitian. Theclasshasatwo-partstructure.Dur-ing its first hour, students face amirroronalongsideof theroom.Hallfacesthestudentsandleadsthemthroughwarm-upexercises.After several opening stretchesshe stops towelcome the students andshareher thoughtsonhowbest toenjoytheclass—forexample,byfocusinglessonperfectbodymovementandmoreonthe

Frisner Augustin drums for a Vodou spirit in a Brooklyn, New York, basement temple, 1998. Photo: Chantal Regnault

drums,lettingthemguideyourfeet.Inthisbrief yetcrucialorientation,sheestablishesfeelingsof communityandmutualnurtur-ing.Thewarm-upresumesandbuilds inintensity until it closes in thefirst drumcircleof theclass,withtheformationof anarcfacingthedrums.Studentssoinspiredtaketheopportunitytosolofreestylebe-forethedrums.Duringthesecondhalf of theclass,studentsmoveacrossthelengthof thespacetowardthedrumsinrowsof four,followingtheleadof Hall,whobeginswithsinglesteps,thendevelopsthemintoroutines.This secondhour of the classculminatesinaseconddrumcircle. Since1981 Ihaveparticipated inHai-tiandanceclasseseitherasinstrumentalistor student dancer, and I havewitnessedcountlessepisodesof transcendence—lossof ego or consciousness—in the drumcircles.Thequestionsthatdrivethispaperhavelivedinthebackof mymindallalong.What elements of Haitian drumming

inspireadancertoletgoinclass?Canthekasepossiblyplayarole?PatHall’sclassisnotablyrichintheseepisodes,soIbegantodanceintheclassinMay2008inordertogaininsightintohowdancers,particu-larlythosewhotranscendconsciousness,experience thedrumming. I’ll sharewithyou the thoughts of three dancerswhoexperiencetranscendenceduringtheclass. SarahDupuywasborninWhitePlains,NewYork, toHaitian parents.Her par-ents separated, and she grew up withherfather,thepublisherof aprogressiveHaitiannewspaper.She traveled toHaitiandexperiencedherfirstritualattheageof nine.Dupuy’smother was amanbo(female priest), but itwas only after hermotherpassedawaythatDupuy“caughtthespirit”—andthatoccurredinPatHall’sclass,whileFrisnerAugustinwasaccom-panying.ShehearsalayeringandtexturinginHaitiandrummingthatleavesroomforspontaneity.“Comeon,”thedrumstellher.


scendentexperiencequestionable.Second,theyassumeadisconnectbetweenmediumandmessage.TheVodoukaseisacue,butitisnotoneof thosesymbolswhosestructureandmeaningarerelatedarbitrarily;ratheritisabreakinthemusicandthereforemove-ment,anddancersbothof andoutsidetheoriginating culture experience it similarly.Finally,scholarshavegivenmuchthoughttowhethermusicfunctionsasaculturaloraphysiologicalstimulus.Letusconsiderthatthesefunctionsarenotmutuallyexclusive. Therealexperiencesof dancersmuddleourcategoriesanddichotomiesandsuggestthatweneednewmodelsforthinkingaboutsuchdynamic and variable phenomena. Iproposesituatingtranscendence’smultipleformsonacontinuum,withpointsof divi-sionbetweentheoldcategoriesnowwideandmobile.Imakethisproposalnotoutof apreoccupationwiththeoryandmethod,butratherinthespiritof theVodoukase,themusicalmomentwhenbodyandmindconverge,transcend,andheal.

ReferencesAnozier,Sheila.September2008.TelephoneinterviewbyLoisWilcken.Transcript.

Augustin,Frisner.October2008.InterviewbyLoisWilcken.Brooklyn,NewYork.Transcript.

Dupuy, Sarah.October 2008.TelephoneinterviewbyLoisWilcken.Transcript.

Hurbon, Laënnec. 1993.Les Mystères du Vaudou.Paris:Gallimard.

Schiøler, Charlotte. September 2008.Telephone interview byLoisWilcken.Transcript.

Wilcken,LoisE.1992.Power,Ambivalence,andtheRemakingof VodounMusicinNewYork.Latin American Music Review13:1–32.

———.2005.TheSacredMusicandDanceof HaitianVodoufromTempletoStageandtheEthicsof Representation.Latin American Perspectives32:193–210.

canspinanewkaseoutof thenuancesof adancer’smoves,particularlythosemovesthat suggest openness.According toAu-gustin,theimportantthingaboutthekaseisthatitisgaye(scatteredoroutof balance,ingoodHaitianCreole).Throughtheleaddrummer’sintensificationof elementsthatopposehis kase to themainpattern, thedrummingbecomesincreasinglygayeasthedanceror theVodou initiatemoves awayfrom everyday consciousness toward thespirit(Augustin2008). Iwouldliketoshareananecdoteof myown.Augustin’sensembledidnotplayfortheclassinAugust2008,butonedayhisthirddrummer,MorganZwerlein,filledinforanabsentdrummerinJean-Baptiste’sensemble.Zwerleintookthewholeroombysurprisewhenhesuddenly launched intoapatternthatthethirddrumplaysinsupportof theleaddrummer’skase.Iwrotethefollowing:

In the space of seconds, a flurry of thoughts swirled throughmymind. Morgan is doing a kase, without the customary lead of the master drum. Look at him. Eyes wide open, lips tensed, body pitched forward as if riding a stallion into battle, his timbale sticks transformed into reins. But isn’t he, the third drummer, stepping out of line? On the contrary, something from beyond is riding him, as if he were the horse, . . . the one possessed. I can feel the hands of Frisner, Morgan’s guru, on the reins, and deeper down, something beyond Frisner. This is indeed the heady mo-ment of kase so cherished in Vodou, because all in the room feel it, not just me. Look at the sensations of surprise, delight, delirium rolling across the faces in the room.

A Musical Moment of Transcendence Skepticsmighteasilydismissthedance-classepisodesthatIamdescribingastheoverlyexcitedreactionstoexoticdrummingof peoplewhofeelstressed,orperhapsevenrepressed, by the pressures and limits of modernlife.Iarguethatweneedtoquestiontheassumptionsunderlyingsuchstatements.First,theyassumeabreakbetweenthesa-credandprofane—thatthedrumensemblepatternperformedinsacredspacebecomesaformalshellwhenperformedinadanceclass,renderingtheauthenticityof thetran-

“You’recomingwithus.”Vodou,Dupuyasserts,isuniversal.Onesimplyhastobeopentocatchthespirit(Dupuy2008). SheilaAnozier,likeDupuy,wasbornintheUnitedStates,butherparentssenthertoHaitishortlyafter,andshelivedwithanAdventistauntuntilshewaseight,atwhichtimeshereturnedtoNewYork.Shebecameinterested inAfrican dance as a collegestudent.Despiteparentaldisapproval,shetraveledtoHaiti,wherefamilyassociatedherwithhergrandmother,amanbo.BackinNewYork,AnozierdiscoveredPatHall’sclass,whichshehastakenforthirteenyears.Theclass,shesays,attractspeoplewhoareyearningtobefree.Shehas“issues”withorganizedreligionandbelieves thatwhatyou’resupposedtofeelinchurchactuallyhappensindanceclass.Of themusic,shenotesthatHaitiandrummingexertsadeepancestralpulllikenoother.Adancerdoesnothavetothinkaboutit,becausesome-thingelsetakesover(Anozier2008). CharlotteSchiølerwasborninDenmarktorigorousatheists.Attheageof seventeenshelefthomeforParis,whereshestudieddrama. Finding academics stifling, shejoined the companyof aKenyandancerand fell in lovewithAfrican dance. ShesettledinNewYorkafterparticipatinginafestivalthere,andshenowdivideshertimebetweenNewYork andGabon,where aPygmyspiritualcommunitywelcomedandinitiatedher.Africandrumming, Schiølersays, travels in the earth and comes intoyourbody.Youmoveasif somethingout-side yourself weremoving you.Freedomtoexpressoneself drawshertoPatHall’sclass, and shefindsAugustin’sdrummingparticularlypowerfulbecauseof hisefforttoworkwiththedancer.Thedancer,inturn,makesanefforttolistenandtorespectthestructureof themusic(Schiøler2008). Forhispart,Augustinconcurs that thepathtotranscendencefollowsaloopcre-atedbytheinteractionbetweenthedancerand thedrums.One feeds off theother,and this holds true in both temple anddance class.While dance studentsmightnotunderstandthekaseasasignalforthespiritthewayVodouinitiatesdo,Augustin

Lois E. Wilcken is executive director of La Troupe Makandal (www.makandal.org), a Haitian drum and dance troupe based in New York City, and accounts manager at City Lore. She holds a Ph.D. in ethnomu-sicology from Columbia University.


P atron saint of theCatskills, RipVanWinkle has belonged to all America,

coasttocoast,almostfromthemomenthewas born, by passage throughWashingtonIrving’spen,in1819.Onlysevenyearslatertherewas aRipVanWinkleHouse alongtheroadfromPalenvilletothenation’sfirstresort hotel, theCatskillMountainHouse;

BY JOHN THORN

in1850 therewasanotherRipVanWinkleHouseonthecornerof PacificWharf andBatteryStreetinSanFrancisco.Rip’sreal-lifepresencewasattestedbynonagenarianswhoclaimedtohaveknownhimandhishectoringdame.OtherHudsonValleydenizensclaimedtohaveheardaschildren,wheneverthunderrumbledinthemountains,thetaleof Henrik

Hudsonandhisgnomishbowlers,asif itwereafolktaleeonsoldratherthanIrving’sinven-tion.TodayRipismoreprevalentandperhapsmorerealthanever,thefigureforwhomeverywritergraspswhentryingtoconveyourera’sdizzyingrateof change. In 1872William Cullen Bryant wroteinPicturesque America:“Asyouclimbupthissteeproad[totheCatskillMountainHouse]...here,bythesideof alittlestream,whichtricklesdownthebroad,flatsurfaceof alargerock,istheshantycalled“RipVanWinkle’sHouse.”InaJune1906issueof 4 Track News,anoverwroughtCharlesB.Wellswrote:“Rip’s‘Villageof FallingWater,’Palenville,liesatthebaseand fromthe summit, looking faroutoverafieldof fleecycloud-tippedpeaks,thegildeddomeof thecapitolatAlbanytossesbackthesparklingsunlightwhichglistensinthesilveryHudsonbelowasthoughseekingto detain it in itsmadonward rush to thepathlesssea.”RufusRockwellWilsonwrotein the 1947 bookNew York in Literature:“Mostof thedwellersinpresent-dayLeedsarepromptintheirdenialsthatsuchamanasRipVanWinkle ever lived in the town,butthereisonewrinkledveteran,farspentin yearswho, if discreetly questioned,willtell you in confidence thatwerehe again alad hewould lead you to the rock, a littleway this sideof Palenville,whereRipusedto camp and sleep on his hunting trips.” The real Rip ismore interesting. Let’shurtle back to the eighteenth century. WashingtonIrvingwasborninNewYorkin1783,theyearinwhichtheAmericanRevolu-tionwaswon.In1800hemadehisfirstvoyageuptheHudson.Writingof itmanyyearslater,hesaid:“TheKaaterskillMountainshadthemostwitchingeffectonmyboyishimagina-tion.AsweslowlyfloatedalongIlayondeck

Saint Rip

Joseph Jefferson (1829–1905) as Rip in an 1869 photograph by Napoleon Sarony. Photo: Library of Congress


Jefferson created a dramatic version of Irving’s story in 1859, and for the next four decades acted the part of Rip. He even played the part in a film from 1896, the year of this photograph by B. J. Falk. Photo: Library of Congress


andwatchedthem,throughalongsummerday,undergoingathousandmutationsunderthemagicaleffectsof atmosphere.”Presum-ablyhegatheredupstoriesonhistravelsinthevalley,ashedidonsubsequentjourneystoCanadaand,in1804–6,Europe.Uponhisreturnheelectednottogointothelaw,eventhoughhehadbeenadmittedtothebar.In-steadhepublished,withhisliterarycohorts,theSalmagundi papers(1807)and,in1809as“DiedrichKnickerbocker,”acomicHistory of New-Yorkthatisfreshandfunnytoday. Flushfromsuccessonbothsidesof theAtlantic,hesufferedablowwiththedeathof hisfiancée,MatildaHoffman;hewasnevertomarry.AmoroseIrvingenteredtheliterarybusiness,wherehiscelebritycouldnotkeephisAnalectic Magazine from failing. InMay1815hewenttoEuropeandtookchargeof thefamilybusinessinLiverpool,butin1818itfailed,too.Henowhadnothingonwhichhemightcapitalizebuthisfame:hehadtowritefora living.Irvingvisitedhisadmirer

WalterScottatAbbotsfordandlearnedfromhimof thewealthof unusedliterarymaterialinScottishandespeciallyGermanfolktales.Irvingfeverishlytaughthimself rudimentaryGermansothathemightread—andborrowfrom—thesetales. Ripmet the lightof day inMay1819asthelastsketchinthefirstinstallmentof The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, publishedinNewYork by, oddly enough,C. S.VanWinkle. Six installments followed, until in1820, the publisher issued them all in onevolume.Todaywemight say thatwithThe Sketch-Book,whichalso included“TheLeg-endof SleepyHollow,”IrvinginventednotonlytheAmericanshortstory,butalsotheCatskills,asasourceof legendandenchant-ment.Yeteveninhisownday,Irving’scriticspointedoutthatsomepassagesin“RipVanWinkle”werenotmereborrowings, but infactdirecttranslationsfromtheGermanof Otmar’sVolksagen, published inBremen in1800.

Inanoteappendedtothelegend,DiedrichKnickerbocker—amongwhoseposthumouswritings the talewassupposedly locatedbyeditorGeoffreyCrayon(alsoIrving’screation,of course)—informsusthathehimself hastalkedwithRipVanWinkle and that “thestory,therefore,isbeyondthepossibilityof doubt.”Crayonintroducesthisnotebysayingthat,withoutit,onewouldsuspectthatthetalehadbeen“suggestedbyalittleGermansuperstitionabouttheEmperorFrederickderRothbartandtheKyffhauserMountain.”Thisfalseclueledagenerationof scholarsoff onaBarbarossansnipehunt,asRipVanWinkleisnotbasedonthelegendof theMountainKingwhowouldrisewithhisentombedarmytodefendhis nation (Folkmotif D1960.2,Kyffhaueser,King asleep inmountain,willawakeonedaytosuccorhispeople;BolteandPolivka3:460;Feilberg,DanskeStudier,1920:97ff;andothermotif citationstooplentifulforageneralreadership). Irving’slocationwasindeedtheKyffhauserMountain,buthismodelwasplainlyOtmar’sPeterKlaus,describedbyBayardTaylorinBy-ways of Europe(1869): PeterKlaus,ashepherdof Sittendorf,pastured his herd on theKyffhauser,andwas in thehabit of collecting theanimalsatthefootof anoldruinedwall.Henoticedthatoneof hisgoatsregu-larlydisappearedforsomehourseveryday;and,findingthatshewentintoanopeningbetweentwoof thestones,hefollowedher.She ledhimintoavault,where shebeganeatinggrainsof oatswhich fell from the ceiling.Over hisheadheheardthestampingandneighingof horses.Presentlyasquireinancientarmorappeared,andbeckonedtohimwithoutspeaking.Hewasledupstairs,across a court-yard, and into an openspace in themountain, sunken deepbetweenrockywalls,whereacompanyof knights,sternandsilentwereplayingat bowls. PeterKlauswas directed bygesturestosetupthepins,whichhedidinmortalfear,untilthequalityof acanof wine,placedathiselbow,stimulatedhiscourage. Finally, after long service andmanydeeppotations,heslept.Whenheawoke,hefoundhimself lyingamongtallweeds,atthefootof theruinedwall.Herdand

This “oldest frame house standing in the Catskills,” dating from 1787, was one of sev-eral structures in Greene County, New York, promoted as the “Rip Van Winkle House.” Photo: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey


A Blanche McManus poster executed for Dodd Mead, publishers of Jefferson’s book (1895–6). Photo: New York Public Library

doghaddisappeared;hisclotheswereintatters, anda longbeardhunguponhisbreast.Hewanderedbacktothevillage,seekinghisgoats,andmarvelingthathesawnonebut strange faces.Thepeoplegathered aroundhim, and answeredhisquestions,buteachnamehenamedwasthatuponastoneinthechurch-yard.Fi-nally,awomanwhoseemedtobehiswifepressedthroughthecrowd,leadingawild-lookingboy,andwithababyinherarms. “What is your name?” he asked. “Maria.” “Andyourfather?” “HewasPeterKlaus,Godresthissoul!whowentuptheKyffhauserwithhisherd,twentyyearsago,andhasneverbeenseensince.”

Soundfamiliar?Iwon’tburdenyouwithside-by-sideGermanandEnglish,buttrustme,thecongruencyisshocking.Whenconfrontedbyhiscritics,Irvingseemedconfused,respondingthatlegendswereforalltouse,aswritersof thepasthaddone.Eventuallyheissuedasortof apology:

Inanotewhichfollowsthattale[“RipVanWinkle”],Ialludedtothesuperstitiononwhichitisfounded,andIthoughtamereal-lusionwassufficient,asthetraditionwassonotoriousastobeinsertedinalmosteverycollectionof Germanlegends.Ihadseenitmyself inthree.Icouldhardlyhavehoped,therefore, inthepresentage,wheneveryghostandgoblinstoryisransacked,thattheoriginof thetalewouldescapediscovery.InfactIhadconsideredpopulartraditionsof thekindasfairfoundationsforauthorsof fictiontobuildupon,andmadeuseof theoneinquestionaccordingly.

Irving lived long enough to see his owninvented and adapted legends become inturnthelegendswhichothersusedfortheirtalesandstories.Andtobefair,surelyunbe-knownst to Irving, sleeper taleswent backfarearlierandwiderthanthatof PeterKlaus,to Scandinavia’s “Girl at theTrollDance,”to Ireland’s “CloughnaCuddy,” to Japan’s“UrashimaTaro,” andmore (FolkmotifsD1364,Magic sleep;F564.3.1,Long sleep,longwaking).InanancientGreektale,Epi-menides,ashepherd,wenttothemountainsinsearchof straysheep,fellasleepinacave,andwokeupfifty-seven years later tofindhimself unrecognizedbyall,untilhisyoung-

estbrother,nowanoldman,finallyknewhim.AndthereisUlysses,of course,whoreturnedhome after twenty years to berecognizedonlybyhisfaithfuldogArgus.AndWoodyAllen’sSleeper.All,nomatterhowdimly,echothegreatestResurrectionstory,whichitself istheproductof legendandfablefrompriormillennia. ButthemotherlodefortheChristianera appears to be the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus,saintswhosefeastdayisJuly27.During the persecutions of the RomanemperorDecius, circa 250 C.E., seven

EphesianChristiansweregivenachancetorecanttheirfaith.Theyinsteadgavetheirpos-sessionstothepoorandretiredtoamountaincavetopray,andthere,astheysleptthenight,Rome’ssoldierswalledthemouthof thecavewithstones.Morethanacenturylater,duringthereignof ChristianemperorTheodosiusI (379–95C.E.) or II (408–21C.E.)—oneoughtnotpresstoohardforthefactualbaseof thistale,especiallyasAristotlehadwrit-tenof the“Sleepersof Sardes”somesevencenturiesearlier—thecavewasunsealed,andthemasonsfoundsevenEphesiansawakening


“Rip Van Winkle House in Sleepy Hollow,” reads the identification on this stereoscopic photograph by E. & H. T. Anthony of New York, ca. 1880. Photo: New York Public Library

fromwhattheybelievedtobeasinglenight’sslumber(FolkmotifsD2011,Yearsthoughtdays;D1960.1, Seven sleepers, orRipVanWinkle.Magic sleep extending overmanyyears.HuberDieWanderlegende von denSiebenschlaefern;andmore,fromIrelandtoSwedentoNativeAmerica). One of these seven sleepers,Malchus,walked into town andwas startled by thecrosses atop severalbuildings.LikeRip,hehad slept through a revolution.The SevenSleepersof Ephesus—Malchus, alongwithMaximian, Martinian, Dionysius, John,Serapion, andConstantine—were honoredassaintsforcenturies.DuringtheCrusades,their remainswere removed to theChurchof SainteVictoire inMarseilles,where pil-grimsflocked. In 1927–8 an excavation atEphesus,underneaththeruinsof achurch,revealedseveralhundredgravesfromthefifthand sixth centuries, somewith inscriptionsreferringtotheSevenSleepers.Thisgrottoremains a tourist destination today, eventhoughthesleepers’feastdayof July27wassuppressedasmythical(of paganorigin,that

is)withthereformof theRomanCatholicliturgyin1969. Luckily, thatwas the year of theWood-stockMusicFestival, theheight (or shouldwe sayHaight) of all hippiedom.Andourbeset and bedraggledCatskillian herowas

readytobecomeitspatronsaint,evenif thisripenessisevidentonlyinretrospect.Ripwasthequintessentialhippie,theonewhomadeasuccessof failurebytuningin,turningon,anddroppingout. Irving’sgeniushadlainnotinhisstealthyadoptionof thenondescriptPeterKlausashisarchetype,butincreatingRipwithatwist,asanapoliticalantihero,ahenpeckedlaggard,attheverymomentinhistorywhenAmericawasmostinsufferablyvainglorious.BymakingRip literallyagood-for-nothing,Irvingcre-atedarolemodelnotonlyforadistantcoun-terculture,butalsoforart—which,likeplay,musthavenopurposebutitself,oritbecomesno longer itself. In the years after Irving’sdeath,Americabecameevermorepractical,pragmatic, and utilitarian, reinventing itself witheverygeneration,relentlesslyconflatingchangewithprogress.Theseemingidler—thewriter,thepainter,thephilosopher—prizedinpasttimesforperforminghisworkfarfromthemaddingcrowd,increasinglywastermedtheuselessman.Fortheartist,themanout-side,Ripprovidedtheperfectsymbol. Mindyou,Irvingdidnotintendhisherothisway.Itwasforthenextgenerationof writ-erslikeWhitman,Hawthorne,andMelvilletoseeintheirowncommercialstruggles,theirown ineffectuality, the specter of Rip. ForMelvilleinparticular,Rippossesseduntappedallegorical,evenspiritualpossibilities.Hisstar

The Catskill Mountain House was the nation’s first resort hotel, founded in Haines Falls in 1823. This view by Thomas Nast is from “Sketches among the Catskill Mountains” in Harper’s Weekly, July 21, 1866. Author’s private collection.


dreamsof thyyouth.”Andthepoemcon-cludes:

See,wheremanfindsinmannouse,BoonNaturefindsone—Heavenbeblest!

R.I.P.,Rip.

Author’s note on references: All references to folkmotifsarecitedusingtheAarne-Thompsonclas-sificationsystem,withvolumeandpagenumbersfor themotifs listedparenthetically. SeeStithThompson,Motif-Index of Folk-Literature,6vols.(Bloomington:IndianaUniversityPress,1955–8).

Washington Irving in a daguerreotype by John Plumbe, ca. 1856, produced by Mathew Brady Studio. Photo: Library of Congress

John Thorn is the author and editor of many books, including New York 400 (Philadelphia: Running Press, 2009). He lives in Saugerties, New York. With each passing year he identifies more with ol’ Rip. Copyright © John Thorn.

hadfallenfromthefirmamentof AmericanauthorsafterTypee(morethan16,320copiessoldinhislifetime,onbothsidesof theAt-lantic)andOmoo(13,335copies).Hismaster-work,Moby-Dick,publishedin1851,soldonly3,715copies.Hislastattemptatfiction,The Confidence Man,soldevenmorepoorly,andhis1866volumeof poetry,Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War,soldapathetic471copies,compel-ling the author to reimburse the publisherforitsproductioncosts.Inthatsameyearhegaveoverallhopeof makinga livingfromhiswritingandacceptedajobasacustomsinspector,apostheheldfornineteenyears. Melville’sdeathin1891passedalmostunno-ticed.Butin1919itemergedthathehadnevertrulystoppedwriting.Hehadleftbehindworkthatfuturegenerationswouldcherish:theno-vellaBilly Budd,todayperhapshismostwidelyreadbook,andavolumeof poemstitledWeeds and Wildings with a Rose or Two. Oneof thesec-tionsinthisastoundingvolumeiscalled“RipVanWinkle’sLilac,”anexperimentalcombina-tionof proseandpoetrythattransformsandelevatesRip tonothingshortof sainthood. Melvilleintroducesanewcharacter,a“cer-tainmeditativevagabondo”whocomesuponRip’svacantbutpicturesqueabodesomeyearsbefore thehero’s awakening. “And thegrayweather-stain not only gave the house theaspectof age,”Melvillewrote,“butworse;forinassociationwithpalpableevidencesof itsrecentnessasanerection,itimpartedalookforlornlyhuman,eventhelookof onegrownoldbeforehis time.”Yet thevagabondo isdrawntotheramshackleruinof fallenwillow,roof-shinglemosses,andLilac(Melvillealwayscapitalizes theword) gaily sprouting fromRip’splantingonthedayhelastsawhome.Exhorted by a passing stranger—“gaunt,hatchet-faced, stony-eyed”—topaint a trimwhitechurchinthedistanceratherthantheshamblesbeforehim,hedemurs,onlytohavethestrangerpresson:

“Youwillsticktothiswretchedoldruin,then,willyou?” “Yes,andtheLilac.” “TheLilac?Andblackwhat-do-ye-call-it—lichen,onthetrunk,sooldisit.Itishalf-rotten,anditsflowersspringfromtherottennessunderit,justasthe

mossonthoseeavesdoesfromtherot-tingshingles.” “Yes,decayisoftenagardener.”

WhenRipreturnstohisbroken-downhomesomeyearshence,herecallshavingsetaLilaconthedayof hisdepartureforthehills:

ThatLilacwasalittleslip,AndyonderLilacisatree!

Many years afterRipwas “remanded intonight,”theLilaccontinuedtobloom:

EachJunetheownerjoyancefoundInoneprizedtreethathelditsground,Onetenantoldwhereallwasnew,—Rip’sLilactoitsyouthstilltrue.

To the end of his life,Melville had keptonhisdeskthismotto:“Keeptruetothe


North Country on the Rocks! BY VARICK A. CHITTENDEN

theclothweren’tawelcomedistractioninthelumberwoods.AmoremoderninterpretationwasrelatedbyAllanPosposilina1968 New York Timespiece:

Whenpeople from the valley passed[Sunday Rock] on their way to themountains,theyfeltasenseof arrival,of havingcrossedadividinglinewherethewoodsandmountainsnowrepresentedfreedom,sport,sanctuary,exploration,health,exhilaration.

Whatevertheversion,itnowappearsthattheoraltraditionssurroundingthislandmarkarenotsofrivolousasyoumightthink.EarlythispastDecember,localfolkslearnedthatSundayRockhasbeendesignatedanofficialhistoricsiteonthestateregister.AcceptanceontheNationalRegisterof HistoricPlacesmaynotbe farbehind.What a great idea!Imposingbuthardly unique as a roadsidefeature,recognitionat lastforthevalueof legendsthatmakethisrockspecialtolocalpeopleiswelldeserved.

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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North Country on the Rocks!Thatsoundslikeatabloidheadlineforsomekindof disas-tersettobefallus.Notthistime.Thistimeit’sreallyaboutrocks—outcroppings,roadcuts,boulders—thatareasignificantpartof thelocallandscapenorthof Albany.FieldguidestellusthattheoldestbedrockformationsinupstateNewYorkarefromthePrecambrianage—asoldas3,800millionyears—butitmaycomeasarelief tosomethatmostof thestateisblanketedwithIceAgesedimentsthatareamerefewthousandyearsold. ForthosewhohaveinhabitedtheNorthCountryinthelasttwocenturies,rocksandmineralshavebeenvaluableresources.Likethevirgintimberthatprovidedeasilyacces-siblebuildingmaterials for settlers’ simplecottagesandbarns,nativestonewashereinrichvariety,aswell.TherewerequarriesforsandstoneinPotsdamandBurke,limestoneinJeffersonCountyandtheChamplainVal-ley,LakePlacidgranite,Gouverneurmarble,andGranvilleslate.MenwithexperienceincuttingandbuildingwithstonecamefromplaceslikeScotland,Italy,Poland,andWalestoliveandwork. AftertheCivilWar,grandbuildingssud-denlyappearedinmanyof oursmalltownsandvillages—churches,townhalls,factories,collegedormitories,andelegantmansions—inaplethoraof Victorianarchitecturalstyles.Madeof softgraylimestone,subtleyelloworpinkorbrilliantredsandstone,redorgreenslate,whiteordarkgraymarble,orcreativecombinations,theywerebuilttolastandtoassert that theNorthCountryhadarrived.FolkloristBruceBuckleyoncedeclaredthatthereisahigherpercentageof stonestruc-turesinupstateNewYorkthananywhereelseinAmerica. I’ve always been fascinated by anotherNorthCountryphenomenon: the roadsideboulder.Thereareplentyof themandmost,I’velearned,arebelovedandthesubjectof lotsof localstories.Foralongtime,thelocalshave ignored geologists’ nomenclature infavorof populartalk.Mostaregivennamesthat simplydescribe—BattleshipRock,El-

ephantRock,PigRock,HaystackRock,PulpitRock—andallhavecolorfulstoriesthatmakethemspecialtothepeoplewhoknowthem. Myfavoriteof allthesecreationsisSundayRock, outsideof SouthColton.Over theyears,itsurviveddemolitioninroad-wideningprojectsbecauselocalcitizensroseinprotest.It’sbeenthesourceof locallegendsforgen-erations, lent itsname to local restaurants,inspiredamusicalplay,beenwrittenaboutinmagazinesandnewspapers,andevenfeaturedinRipley’sBelieve it or Not.WhennominatedfortheNationalRegisterof HistoricPlacesrecently,itwasdescribedthisway:

SundayRockisa64,000pound,11-foottall,oblong,glacialerratic....Originallydepositedbyarecedingglacier,themam-mothboulderwassetonitsendatopalargelyflatandopenareainthefoothillsof thenorthernAdirondacksandinthemiddleof whatwas tobecomeamaintransportationcorridorinandoutof theAdirondacksfromtheSt.LawrenceValley.

Sowhatmadeit“Sunday”Rock?Likemostlegends,itdependsonwhomyoutalkto.Bythe1920s,mostlocalaccountssuggestedthatitmarkedthepointwherethelawandorderof civilizedcommunitiestothenorthof itstopped,andtherewasnoSunday,becauselumbercamplifeintheAdirondackswasthesameeverydayof theweek.Otherversionssuggest that religious services andmenof


Dreams and Money BY STEVE ZEITLIN

Ametaphor.Let’ssayyoufindyourself onawideopenplainandhaveavisionof gettingtothemountain.Thepeakisinsight,not that faraway.Yourhorsecanmake itthere inno time.Buthere’s the rub:yourhorseneedstobefed.Thebarnswiththenecessaryhayarenot inastraight line,soyouneed tozigzag, sometimes faroutof yourway,togetthere.Yetthedetourswetaketofundaprojectaremoreoutof theway thanbarns,and theybecomepartof

the journey. So a project that begins as adocumentaryfilmabouttheErieCanalleadstoaseriesof oralhistorymodulesfortheweb,ateachers’instituteaboutthecanal,anewsletterforteachersaboutthecanal—allof whicharepartof amultifacetedinitiativeindifferentmediathatcomplementonean-other,enablingustoconductthenecessaryresearchinsteps,reachwideraudiences,andultimatelyrealizeouroriginalvision. Iwasanundergraduateat theWhartonSchoolof FinanceandCommercebeforeIstudiedliteratureandthenfolklore,butIoftenthinkthatIlearnedmoreaboutrun-ninganonprofitfrommyworkwithJewishstoriesthaninmyWhartondays.IremembertalkingwithMoisheSacks,thelastunofficialrabbi of the last Jewish synagogue in theSouthBronx,whoexplainedhisapproachtoraisingfundsfromJewishphilanthropiesforhismotleycongregation.“Iamnotask-ingforyourmoney,”hewouldtellthem.“Iampresentingyouwiththeopportunitytoexpressyourgenerosity.” Toconveythedream,astoryisrequired.TheJewishstorytellerPeninnahSchramtellsof astudentwalkingwiththeDubnerMagid,a legendary traveling storyteller from the

1700s.Thestudentaskshisteacher,“Howisityoualwayshavetheperfectstorytofitthesubjectunderdiscussion?” “I’llanswerthatquestionwithastory,”theMagid says. “A nobleman returningfromyearsinthemilitaryacademyisridingthrough a small village, his chest coveredwithmedals.Helooksupandseesonthesideof abarnahundredcirclesdrawninchalk,and inthecenterof eachof thosecircles, abullethole.This lieutenanthaltsandcriesout,“Whoisthisamazingmarks-manwho could shoot a hundredperfectbull’s-eyes?Imustmeethim!” Justthenachildwalkingacrosstheroadlooks up and him and says, “Oh, that’sSchlomo,thetownfool.” “Idon’tcarewhoheis,”saysthelieuten-ant. “Anybodywho can shoot a hundredperfectbull’s-eyesmusthavewoneverygoldmedalintheworld.EvenIcan’tdothat.” “No, you don’t understand,” says thechild.“Schlomodoesn’tdrawthecirclefirst.Firstheshoots,andthenhedrawsthecircle.” “Andthat’sthewayitiswithme,”saidtheDubnerMagid.“Idon’tjusthappentohavetheperfectstorytofitthesubjectunderdis-cussion.First,Ireadalotof stories.Ilistentoalotof stories.Ikeepthosestoriesinmyhead,andwhenIfindastoryIespeciallylikeandneedtotell,thenIintroducethesubjectforwhichIhavetheperfectstory!” Funny—that’smyapproachtofundrais-ingaswell.Idreamupanarrayof projectsthatCityLorewould love to implement,andthenwhenIfindafunderinterestedinaparticularsubject,IsuggestwhatIhopeistheperfectproject.Itstartswithadreamand a story.Keep themountain inmind.Andthecup.

Steve Zeitlin is the founding director of City Lore in New York City.

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You are in the woodsandstumbleuponakeyandacup,thenrunupagainstawall.Whatdothekeyandthecuplooklike?Howhighisthewall?BackwhenIwasaroundfourteen,Iwasfondof askingthegirlstotakethistraditional“test.”Forreasonshid-deninthemysteriouscollectiveunconsciousof American teenagers, the key signifiedknowledge,thecupmarriage.Theheightof thewall indicatedhowwellyouovercameobstacles. Formyownpart, the key I envisionedwas quite plain, not ornate, suggestingknowledgeforitsownsake—asimplekeythatwouldopendoors.Ialwayspicturedthewallaslowandeasytojumpover.Perhapsbothhavehelpedmeinmyyearsasapublicfolkloristwho seeks to put knowledge topracticalusesandasanoptimisticfundraiserwhobelieves hewill get all the grants heapplies for, at least during that one glori-ousmomentwhentheapplicationisfinallysubmitted. NomatterwhereyoustartoutinAmeri-canculture,youalwaysendupinsales.Infact,friendsoftensay,“Steve,inyourjobasdirectorof CityLoreyoumusthavetospenda lotof time fundraising.” Ido—about athirdof mytime—butthat’spartlybecauseIspendsomuchtimedreaming.Proposalsarerealizabledreams. Ifindmyself dreamingupnotonlyproj-ects andpossible funders, but alsometa-phorsandstoriestocapturetheprocess,todepictthenatureof thishumaninterchangewe call fundraising.Holly Sidford, for in-stance,who directed philanthropy at theWallaceFund,describedherroleasakintotheacupuncturistwhomustdecidewheretoputtheneedleformaximumefficacy.Fund-raisingisaboutindividualsandgroupswithdifferent resourcescollaboratingaroundavisionshared:agoodandworkablemarriage,like thesimple tincupI imaginedpickingupintheforest.Fundersarecollaborators.AsBobDylanputit,“I’llletyoubeinmydreams,if Icanbeinyours.”

“I am not asking for your money,” he would tell them. “I am presenting you with the opportunity to express your generosity.”


I twas another dogday inAugust 2009whenwejoinedDiegoObregónforan

interviewathisWoodhaven,Queens,apart-ment.DiegokindlyagreedtomeetusathishomesothathecouldplayafewtunesfromhisnativeColombia,alongwithhisvocalistJohannaCasteñeda.Thereinthebasement,over the humof the air conditioner, thesoundsfromhismarimba(woodxylophone)weremagical—all at once playful and ef-fervescent—andwith Johanna singing thetraditional tune “MiCanoita,” the soundsfromColombia’s Pacific coast spilled outoverhotpavement. Thejoyfulnessof Diego’smarimbaper-formancebelieshisimmigrantexperienceinNewYorkandtheeconomicchallengesheleftbehindinColombia.Borninthetownof Guapiin1971,Diegogrewupinafamilyof tenchildren.Guapi is located inCaucastateonthePacificcoast,withinColombia’svastrain-forestregion.Caucaresidentsarethedescendantsof enslavedAfricans,kid-nappedbytheSpanishfromthemodern-daycountries of GuineaBissau, SierraLeone,andCongo.From1580to1810,theSpanishimprisonedthousandsof Africans,bringingthemtoCartagena,Colombia,whichservedastheprimarydisembarkingpointinSouthAmerica. Hundredsof riversrunthroughthisarea,providingthisAfro-Colombiancommunitywiththemeanstotravel,fish,andfarmtheterritorybetweenthePacificcoastandtheAndes.Notonlydoeswaterplayacentralrole in the community’s ability to subsist,

itisalsoof greatinfluenceinlocalculture.According toDiego,many of theAfro-Colombian folktales and songs from thisregiondealwithwatertransitandthemanygiftsthatriversprovide.

Currulao One of themost important pastimesinCauca is the currulao, a community get-together that involvesplayinganddancingtomarimbamusicatthe“marimbahouse,”wheremasterartistsstoretheirinstruments.WhileDiegogrewuplisteningtocurrulaomusic,heistheonlymemberof hisfamilytopursueaprofessionalcareerintraditionalmusic. Several of his brothers play guitarandpercussionrecreationally,butDiegode-scribeshimself astheonlysiblingtopursuetheartsinearnest. Asayoungster,Diegoalsoplayedguitar,buthedescribesbeingdrawntothemarimbapor casualidad,bychance.Whilehangingoutwithhisbuddiesoneday,allof themintheirlateteensandmakingplanstopickupsomegirlsatschool,heheardthesoundof thema-rimbacomingfromaclassroom.AworkshopwasbeingtaughtthatdaybymaestroSilvinoMina, andDiegowas immediately drawnin.AfterDiegosatinraptattentionfortheentireworkshop,theinstructoraskedhimif hewasinterestedinjoiningthem.Minawasarenownedmarimbaplayerintheregionwhowasinterestedinpassingthetraditionontotheyoungergeneration.UnderMina’smen-torship,Diegosoonpickedupthecununo,awoodendrumshapedlikeaconga,butmore

conicalandclosedonthebottom.Inshortorder,Diegomastered the other percus-sive instruments associatedwith currulaomarimbamusicandjoinedhismentor’sfolkgroupfromGuapi.

Becoming a Marimba Maker Diego’s fascinationwith themarimbacontinuedforyearsasamemberof Mina’sgroup.Hedidnot,however,havethemoneytopurchaseaninstrumentof hisown.Sincehewasthoroughlyfamiliarwithhisteacher’sinstrumentandhisfatherwasacarpenter,Diegodecidedthathehadtheskillstotrytobuildamarimbahimself.Hewaslivinginthetownof LaTola,Nariño,whenhebeganexperimenting.His neighbors thought hewascrazyashechoppeddownthepalmheneededtocarvethemarimbakeys. There are different species of palm.Themarimbarequiresthethornytrunkof thechonta duro, orhardpalm,whichisalsoknownforitsexoticfruit.Asanexperiencedguitarist,Diego transferredhis knowledgeof sound into creating amarimba, pains-takinglyshavingthewooddowntoanap-propriate thickness to create an accuratetuningthatmirroredthesoundof hisguitar.Aftertwelvelonghoursof carving,hehadmade only eight of the twenty-four keysheneeded.Tomaketheresonators,Diegocarvedthesamebamboousedtomakeguasá(bambooshakersfilledwithseeds),adjustingeachaccording to the sizeof thekey.Hiscraftsmanshipwasguidedbyhisexperiencesperformingandlisteningtocurrulaomusic.

Diego Obregón: Innovation and Tradition Flow from

Colombia to QueensBY GABRIELLE HAMILTON AND NAOMI STURM


Diego assembling his marimba’s resonators. Photo: Gabrielle Hamilton

OnceDiegohadbuilthisfirstmarimba,hebeganteachinghimself toplay! To graspDiego’s genius fully,we needto know a littlemore about Colombia’smarimba tradition. Themarimba of Co-lombiaandnorthwestEcuadorhasitsrootsinAfrica,but isuniquetoSouthAmerica.Diegoprimarilybuildsdiatonicmarimbas:single-rowkeyboardinstrumentswithkeysrepresenting thewhite keys on the piano,although they are not tuned to aWesternscale.Chromaticmarimbashavedouble-rowkeyboards,whichprovidethetonesof theblackaswellaswhitepianokeys. While themarimberos (marimba players)drivethemelodyincurrulaomusic,theyareaccompaniedbyfourdrummers,aleadsing-

er,andachorusof femalesingerswhoplaytheguasásimultaneously.Togetherthegroupplayshighlysyncopatedrhythmsastheleadsingercallsandthechorusresponds.Largebassdrumscalledbombos andthecununosareplayedinpairs.Thebombo arrullador (singingbombo)markstherhythm,whilethebombo golpeador(strikingbombo)improvises.Simi-larly,acununo macho(malecununo)playsoff andoverthecununo hembra(femalecununo),which holds the base rhythm. Typicallythreecantadoras(singers)harmonizeastheyplaytheguasá,whichprovidesanadditionalcounterpointtotheotherinstruments.Thesingerswilleitheraccompanythemarimbaorholdthemelody,dependingonthestyleof music.

Setting Up Shop After a year in LaTola,DiegomovedtoCali,Colombia,where he drewonhisgrowingmusical expertise to set up shopas amarimbamaker.Experimentingwithvarioustuningtechniques,hemademarim-bastoorder,takingtimetodesignuniqueinstrumentstosuitthetalentsandexpertiseof individualartists.Today,heisoneof thebestknownmarimbamakersinColombia.Manyof hisclientswerefellowmusicianswhoplayedthemusicof thePacificcoast,but as his reputation grew, people camefrom as far as Spain to buy his instru-ments.Dependingonthesizeof marimba,the price could be asmuch as $500U.S.dollars.


Diego Obregón performing. Photo: Gabrielle Hamilton

thefield forcedDiego to emigrate to theUnited States in 2004.The following yearherecordedtheSmithsonianFolkwaysCD¡Arriba Suena Marimba!withGrupoNaidy. In2006,DiegofoundedGrupoChonta,namedafterthefamouspalmusedtomakehismarimbas.Diegoreadilyadmitstobeingaperfectionist,asheiscomposer,arranger,marimbero,andoccasionalvocalistforthegroup.Nonetheless, themusical traditiongiveshimthesupportof JohannaCasteñeda,whoprovidesleadandbackupvocalswhilesheplaystheguasá.LilianaCountandEl-eonoraBianchiniroundoutthecantadoras,andSergioBorreroandCamiloRodriguezprovidepercussion.

Diegobroughttheuniqueregionalsoundsof Guapi toCali andwas one of the firstmarimberostosettlethere.Before1998,fewpeoplehadseenorheardcurrulaomusicout-sideof theisolatedAfro-ColombianPacificcoastcommunities.DiegorecalledperformingatthefirstFestivaldelaMarimbainCali in1998,whenheplayedachromaticmarimba—somethingparticularlyunusual.Thechromaticmarimbaallowedhimtoplaywithoutswitch-ingkeys,whereaswiththediatonicmarimba,theplayermustliterallychangethewoodkeystochangethekeyof theinstrumentoruseasecondmarimbathatistunedtoanotherkey. Diegoalsoperformedatthe1999festival.Inthepastdecade,theFestivaldelaMarimba

hasgrownintoathree-dayevent,withmorethantwentygroupsperforminginvariousagerangesandmultiplecategoriesforeverythingfrom“bestunpublishedsong”to“marimbaking.”Diegoisthrilledtohavewatchedboththefestivalandthetraditionof currulaomusicgrowandthrive.

Moving Abroad WhilestillinCali,DiegoperformedwithsuchgroupsasRaícesNegras,LosBogasdelPacifico,andGrupoColombiaViva,whichallowedDiegototravel toHolland,wherehe lived for over a year.Althoughhis lifeas amusician inColombiawas rewardingemotionally, the economic limitations of


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Folklorist Gabrielle Hamilton is project director for CTMD’s newest Commu-nity Cultural Initiative in the Colombian community. Naomi Sturm is a graduate student in ethnomusicology at Columbia University and an intern at CTMD. The Center for Traditional Music and Dance welcomes Colombian artists and cultural activists, as well as interns, to join its new program. For more information, please contact Gabrielle at (212) 571-1555 ext. 27 or [email protected].

Diego occasionally experimentswith amoreorchestratedsound,bringinginAlbertLeusinkontrumpet,JulioBottiandXavierPerezonsaxophone,AndresRotmistrovskyonbass,andFrancoPinnaondrumstocre-ateafullersound.DiegoandJohannalovetherichnessof thelargerensemble,butfindithardertogetgigswithaneleven-persongroup. It is also challenging to gather thelargegrouptoworkontheirCD.ButDiegocreativelyworkedaroundthat issue,build-ingastudio inhisapartmentandteachinghimself theaudioprocessingplatformProTools.Heoftensetsuptherecordingboard,runsinthestudiotoplayhispart,andrunsoutagaintocheckthetrack. Diego’s compositions are rooted in thesound of traditional currulaomusic, buthisneedtoinnovateandpresentsomethinguniquelyhisowndriveshiswork.Whenper-formingtraditionaltunesheoftenchanges

the lyrics to something fresh that speakstohimat themoment.HedoesnotwantGrupoChontatosoundlikeothergroupsandnoteswithpridethattheirrepertoireisrichwithhisoriginalmusic.Drawingonthegreatstorytellingtraditionof hishometown,Diegoweavesanarrativeabouthispersonalexperiencesorphilosophyof lifethatdrawsthelistenerin.Astheleadsingerinhisgroup,JohannarecalledhearingDiego’staleof hisreal-lifeencounterwithaghost.Sheandtheotherlistenerswerecompletelyengrossedinhisstory. Whenhe isnotperformingorworking,DiegohasafewstudentshereinNewYork.Hecontinuesmakingmarimbas,relyingonfriendstobringthechontafromColombia.Withhishomestudioinplace,DiegokeepsintouchwithhiswifeandthreechildrenbySkype.Theyoftenleavetheirhomecomputeronallday,sowhenDiegoarriveshomefrom

hisjobatalocalcemetery,hecanconnectagainwithhisfamily,atleastvirtually.Heistheonlymemberof hisfamilyinNewYork,andheturnstohismusictofillthelonelinessandlossthathefeels.YetlisteningtoDiego’smarimba,youcanhearhisoptimism. Diego Obregón and Grupo Chontaperformmost Saturdays at theTerraza 7TrainCafé inElmhurst,Queens.To listentoDiego’smusicorformoreinformation,visitwww.myspace.com/diegoobregon.


Get Ready for the Civil War BY DAN MILNER

Dan Milner comes from a long line of traditional Irish singers. A cultural geographer, he is a Ph.D. candidate at the Univer-sity of Birmingham in England and a former ranger in the National Park Service. His most recent recording is Irish Pirate Ballads (Smithsonian Folkways, 2009).

The United States Civil War beganonApril12, 1861,with the bombardment of FortSumter.Thoseof uswhorememberthe100thanniversaryof the“WarBetweentheStates”finditshockingtorealizenearlyahalf centuryhaspassedsincenewsmediaandclassroomsalikewerefilledwithrich,detailedaccountsof whatenduresasthemostdevastatingandul-timatelyupliftingeventinournation’shistory.Thewarlastedfouryears,nearlytotheday,andtookthelivesof 620,000Americans.Itsgreatesttriumphsprovedelusive:theUnion,although preserved, is still beset by deepsectionaldivides,andAfricanAmericans,al-thoughemancipated,havesincefoughtmanyhardbattlestoachievemeaningfulequality. Theupcoming150thanniversaryprovidesanincentiveforthoseof uswhosing,teach,orwritetoconductsomeresearchintoCivilWarsongs.BecausetheCivilWaryearsco-incidewith the riseof theAmerican songpublishing industry, there is a large vaultthroughwhichtosort.SongartifactsrelatingtoNewYorkareparticularlyeasytofind,inlargepartbecausethenationalbroadsidebal-ladpresswascenteredclosetoNewYork’sCityHallandwasatitszenithbetween1861and1865.Thesetext-onlysongsheetsweresoldondowntown street corners, typicallytocustomersbornintotheworkingclass.Aheartymailorderbusinessdistributedfarandwidesheetmusic,songsheets,andbooklet-sizedsongsterspublishedinNewYork. Nowadays, CivilWarmaterial is easilyaccessible on the Internet.TheAmericanMemoryonlinecollectionattheLibraryof Congressisagreatplacetolooknotonlyforsongs,butalsoforimagesandnarratives.Asimplesearchfor“CivilWar”amongAmeri-canMemory’snineteenth-centurysongsheetsreturned970 songs.Oneof them is “OurGermanVolunteers,”whichsalutestheNewYorkteacher,musician,journalist,politician,andCivilWarmajorgeneralFranzSigel:

Thereisageneralinthewestwhosedeedshavecometofame

Heisagallantsoldierandinmove-mentsheisgame;

Thenletusraiseourvoiceshighandgivethreeheartycheers

ForSiegal(sic)heroof theWestandhisGermanvolunteers.

Nineteenth-century song sheets, thoughnever profane,were frequentlywritten incolorful language thatwouldbeviewed asscandalous today.Ethnic humorwas verymuchinvogueandGermans,whoprovidedmorecombatantsthananyothernon-nativegroup,werejokinglycharacterizedinprintaswellasonthevarietyhallstage.JohnF.Poole,the Irish-born author of “TimFinigan’sWake” and“No IrishNeedApply,”wrote“I’mGoingtoFightmitSigel,”whichbecamewildlypopularwhensungbyTonyPastor,anItalianAmericanraisedinGreenwichVillage:

DemDeutshenmens,mitSigel’sband,Atfightinghavenorival;UnvenCheff Davis’menswemeet,VeSCHLAUCH’emlikedetuyvil;Dere’sonlyvontingvotIfear,VenpattlingfordeEagle:Ivontgetnotnolagerbier,VenIgoestofightmitSigel.

Itgoeswithoutsayingthatcamaraderiewashighlyvaluedinthemilitary.Inruralplaces,villagemen sometimes enlisted enmasse.Ethnic solidaritywas common in urbancenters,whereimmigrantscomposedsignifi-cantsegmentsof thepopulation.NewYork(Manhattan)wasthethirdlargestcityintheworldin1860,withapopulationof 813,669,of whom383,717were foreignborn.Of those,203,740—orverynearlyaquarter—were from Ireland.There aremany songscelebratingIrishunits,includingthefamous69thRegimentof theNewYorkStateMilitia,Meagher’sIrishBrigade,andCorcoran’sIrishLegion.The69thwasoneof veryfewUnionunitstocomportitself admirablyattheBattleof BullRun.Inthe1940s,AnneandFrankWarner collected this fragment from JohnGalushaof Minerva,NewYork:

ThisdaywillberememberedbyAmer-ica’snoblesons!

If it hadn’t been for Irishmen,whatwouldourUniondone?

Itwashand-to-handwefought’em,allinthebroilingsun.

StrippedtothepantswedidadvanceintheBattleof BullRun.

Atthesametime,abroadsidepublishedinNewYorkCityupbraidedthe“silkstocking”7thRegiment for their lackluster showing:“Foolish Seventh, foolish Seventh, yourdeedscannotbepraised,/Bythosewhohavehomesinthelandof theBrave.” Broadsideswereequivalenttosingles,whilesongstersof twenty-fourtofortypageswerethealbumsof theirday.Theyweretypicallypersonality-based,with titles such asWatty Morgan’s Don’t Keep the Working Man Down Song Book.Tony Pastor’s Union Songster containstitlessuchas“TheMonitorandMerrimac”and“TheUnionVolunteers.”Joe English’s Irish and Comic SongsterisanothergoodsourceforCivilWarsongs. Here are a fewmore resources. FrankMoore’sbook,The Civil War in Song and Story(1865),containsatreasuretroveof lyricsandintriguinganecdotes.Itcannowbeviewedfreeonlineusing theGoogleBookSearchtool.TheDonaldG.ButcherLibraryatMor-risvilleStateCollegemaintainsaworthwhile“NewYorkState and theCivilWar” webpage.The Civil War and New York City(1990),a313-pagehistorybyErnestA.McKay,isafineaid forunderstanding thecomplicatedissuesaffectinglifeinthecountry’sforemostmetropolisduringtheCivilWaryears.

Son

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BY TRISHA L. SMITH, GRAFTON ELIASON, JEFF L. SAMIDE, ADRIAN TOMER, AND MARK LEPORE

The GraTeful TerrorisT: Folklore as Psychological

Coping Mechanism

A friend of a friend was shopping in a popular grocery store, and in front of him/her was a Middle-Eastern—possibly Iraqi —man who did not have enough money to pay for his groceries. He refused to replace any of his groceries and was holding up the line. The friend offered a few extra dollars for his order to the stranger, who then left the store with his groceries. When the friend left the store, he/she found that the Middle-Eastern stranger was waiting outside. The man thanked the friend for the money and warned him/her not to drink Coca-Cola products after a specific date.—Legendof theGratefulTerrorist

(2005)

The folktale of the grateful deadwasoncewidelyknownandpassedonthroughbothreligiousandseculartraditions.Todaymost peoplewould conjure an image of the popular rock band,which is said tohave found its name from this story, aswell (Cohen2000).Thestoryhasevolvedthroughouthistoryinresponsetosociety’spsychological coping needs during timesof crisis.Thismythicthemehasresurfacedfrom the earliest Judaic scriptures tocontemporaryurbanlegends.According to LindaDégh, “Brief and

‘factual’statementsabouthorriblecriminalacts,devastatingnaturalcatastrophes,alieninvasions, life-threatening conspiraciesagainstcommonpeoplebypowerfulinterestgroups or governments . . . have spread

likewildfire because theymesh perfectlywiththeanxietiesof ordinarypeople,whoarealienatedbythesoberandbanalrealityof everyday existence in a technologicalage” (2001, 126). Such anxieties of dailylivingcallout forcomforting.Thosewholived through the angst of monumentaleventssuchasPearlHarbor,theKennedyassassinations, and September 11, 2001,carrywith them an indelible imprint of theevents.The“IrememberwhereIwaswhen”statementsthatarisewhenindividualsurvivors congregate point to the long-lasting significance of the event and the“flash-bulbmemory” effect. Storytellingandsharingof legendsbyandaboutthosewho lived through such events throughluck,serendipity,orthekindnessof othersprovideacontextinwhichotherswhopassonthelegendscometogripswiththesharedtraumathathasbefallenthem.Theprocesscanbeapositivecatharticeventandinstillasenseof gratitudethatthosewhotellthetale—likethosethe legenddescribes—arealsosurvivors(Dégh2001).Itwasdifficultforindividualsexperiencing

symptoms of post-traumatic stress toescape constant reminders of September11, 2001. Every television station airedcoverage of the attack.Rumors began tosurface, spreading through e-mail, websites,themedia,andwordof mouth.TheseurbanlegendsincludedanunburnedBiblefound in thewreckage, taxis avoiding the

World TradeCenter on themorning of 9/11, terrorists planning to poison candyandattackmallsonHalloween,RyderandU-Haultrucksstolenbyterrorists,apictureof atouristontheroof of thetowerwithaplaneinthebackground,anddemonicfacesseen in the smoke fromtheTwinTowers(Heimbaugh 2001). Perhaps one of themostpopularstorieswasthelegendof thegrateful terrorist, quoted at thebeginningof thisarticle.Thegrateful terrorist rumorbecameso

prevalent following 9/11 thatCoca-Colaposted a response on the company’swebsitein2002:

Theserumorsareabsolutelyfalseandarecausingneedlessworry.TheCoca-ColaCompanyhasanuncompromisingcommitmenttoproductsafety,andourproductsareproducedanddistributedthrough secure facilities.We use anumber of processes to assure thesafety and quality of thewater andingredientsusedtomakeproductsof theCoca-ColaCompany. To ensurethe effectiveness of our safeguards,wedonotdiscussthedetailsof theseprocesses.

The product changes and can includeanypopularsoftdrink.Thelocationof theincidentchangesaswell:agrocerystore,agasstation,orarestaurant.Adateisalwaysset, such as July 4.After the date passes,a new date emerges to keep the rumor


current. Sometimes the friend is aman,other times awoman—but the friend isneveravailabletobequestionedabouttheevent.Thisarticlewillexplorethisnarrative’sthematicattributes,thepsychologicalcopingmechanismthatperpetuatesthetale,andthelegend’shistoricalevolution.

Thematic Attributes of the NarrativeTheuniqueaspectof thisurbanlegend

anditshistoricalpredecessorsisthatspecificthemesarisethroughthenarrative.Differingfromother urban legends, theyprovide apositiveoutcomefortheprimarycharactersandparticipants:1. A stranger is in a state of need or

helplessness.2. Afavorisprovidedbyafriendof a

friend,aGoodSamaritan.3. Thestrangerunexpectedlyrepaysthe

GoodSamaritanbyprovidinginformation,warnings,propheticpredictions,orwisdom.

Themostprominentthemeseeninthisurban legend is that actsof kindnessandgood deeds are rewarded in unexpectedways.Eventhoughthereisahintof threatin thewarning itself, this is one of fewurban legends that provides a positiveoutcomeregardingthegooddeedandtheadvice.Otherlegendstendtocreateanxietythroughfearfulscenarioswheresomeoneisofteninjuredorescapesfromharminthenickof time.

Thepositiveoutcomealsooffersamoralfor thenarrative:“Dountoothersasyouwouldhaveothersdountoyou.”Asaresult,the storymodels altruistic behavior forthosewhohearit,whileprovidingacopingmechanismforthosewhowanttobelieve.

Psychological Coping MechanismsWhenthenarrativeisviewedasacoping

mechanism,peoplereactandparticipate inthe story to different degrees.Takingpartin thepsycho-narrative throughbelief andsharingof thestorywithotherscanresultin comfort, hope, or a lowering of theindividual’s death anxiety. Participation inthe narrative experience provides a senseof ownership for the individual, withoutactuallyexperiencingtheevent.Onepersonmight believe that the scenario actuallyoccurred, passing the story on to otherswholeheartedly.Anothermayseethelegendasmereentertainment.Othersmay simply

passonthelegendwithoutanyinvestmentinthestory,emotionalorotherwise(Dégh2001).Responses can be seen as healthy or

unhealthy.Thecopingmechanismbecomespositive when an individual’s anxiety islowered. It may be unhealthy, however,for someone to place toomuch faith in anarrativethatisuntrue.Identifyingwiththegreatermoralthemeof doinggoodforothersmayincreasepositiveinteractionwithothers.

Unfortunately,thefavorablethememaybeignored,andlistenersmayfocusonlyonthenegativewarning,“DonotdrinkCoca-Colaafter....”Thismayraisetheiranxietyandrefocus attention on the troubling socialcontextandpersonalconcerns.

Belief in a Just World AccordingtoJeanPiaget(1932),thede-

velopingchildgoesthroughastageof moralautonomycharacterizedbyastrongbelief in “immanent justice.” In this stage, theworldisperceivedasaplacewhere“good”isrewardedand“bad”ispunished.Perhapsin a roundabout andmysteriousway, thisurban legend reflects immanent justice atwork.Thereisexperimentalevidencethatmostpeoplemaintainadegreeof belief ina justuniverse.Thebelief in a justworldallowsustoself-servinglyinterpretnegativeevents(Lerner1980).If badthingshappentopeople,inshort,it’sbecausetheydeserveit.Theprotectiveroleof thebelief inajustworldisclear:“SinceIamagoodperson,Iamnotindanger.”Tragedieslikesomebody’sarbitrarydeathinanaccidentoranactof terrorismmay have particularly negativeeffectsonapersonwhoisastrongbelieverinajustworld.Chasteen andMadey (2003) found that

participantswithahighbelief inajustworldviewedarbitrarydeathof victimsasmoretragicandunjustthanthosewithalowbelief.Eventswiththemagnitudeof theSeptember11attackcanhaveadevastatingeffectonthebelief inajustworld.Individualsmaythink,“Peoplewerekilledfornoreason.Itcouldhavebeenme,andmayhappentomeinthefuture.”Normally,individualsareprotectedby their self-esteem against awareness of theirmortality(Greenbergetal.1992).Self-esteem is obtained via identificationwithone’sculturalvaluesandtheperformanceof gooddeeds.Doinggoodisrewardedbytheculturalsystem.Forthisbuffermechanismtowork,basicbeliefs—suchasthebelief inajustworld—arenecessary.

Terror Management Theory Theurban legendsoriginatingfromthe

September 11 attack can be understood

Even though there is a hint of threat in the warning itself, this is one of few urban legends that provides a positive outcome....The story models altruistic behavior for those who hear it, while providing a coping mechanism for those who want to believe.


throughthepsychologicalcontextof terrormanagementtheory.Thistheoryoriginatedfromstudiesof emotionalresponseswhenpeople are facedwith theknowledge thattheywilldie.Theawarenessof one’sownmortalitycausespsychologicalterror,lead-ing the individual toparticipate in“terrormanagement”behaviors.These behaviorsactasabuffer to thisexistentialangst. Inan attempt toprotect the self, individualsconstruct belief in a cultural system andworldview.Theythenmeasuretheirsenseof worthbyhowwelltheyarelivinguptotheexpectationsof theirculturalbeliefs.Peoplewith higher self-esteemhave lower deathanxiety,accordingtothistheory.The 9/11 stories convey a need for an

explanation, express emotions about per-petratorsorvictims,andofferinformationabout futureevents.Asanattemptat ter-rormanagement, thesemythictalestrytoreestablish a senseof control and restorebelief inanimmanent,universaljustice.Thelegend of the grateful terrorist describesa future terrorist event,manifesting andexpressingfear.Rumorscirculatedregard-ingan impendingattackplannedtooccurnearHalloween (Pyszczynski, Solomon,andGreenberg2003),expressingthesamefear and anxiety as the grateful terroristlegend.Suchstoriesalsoprovideinforma-tion that transmutes free-floating anxietyaboutpotentialterribleeventsintoafearof aconcreteeventoverwhichonehassomecontrol. The informative and emotionalfunctionarecomplementary,actingtogethertorestoreasenseof control(Heath,Bell,and Sternberg 2001). It is significant thattheGood Samaritan’s act of kindness isrewardedwith information. It symbolizesavictoryof goodoverevil,thusrestoringbelief intheculturalsystemandprotectingagainstfearandanxiety.Rumorsandurbanlegendsaresometimes

producedtoenhancenegativestereotypes.Allport(1954)emphasizedtheroleof rumorinenhancingprejudiceandhostility,result-inginthetriggeringof violence.Negativereactionstoward“out-groupmembers”con-stituteoneof thebasicpredictionsof terrormanagementtheory(Greenbergetal.1990;

Nelsonetal.1997).Inthegratefulterroristurbanlegend,apersonof Middle-Easterndescentisplanning,oratleastknowsabout,theCoca-Colapoisoning.Theterroristinthestoryisnotdepictedascompletelyevil,norishe impervioustoactsof kindness.Theurbanlegendnotonlyevokesfearorpanic(Pyszczynski, Solomon, andGreenberg2003, 136), but also restores basic hopethattheprinciplesof goodandimmanentjusticeareatwork.Thealtruisticgestureof thepersonwhooffersthestrangermoneydemonstratesthetendencyof helpingbe-haviorstoincreaseaftercatastrophessuchasSeptember11.Altruisticactionincreasesself-worthandactsintheserviceof terrormanagement,reducingdeathanxiety.

Narratives and Constructive MeaningFacing the fear, anxiety, and chaos that

profoundlossortraumabrings,anindividualcreatesapersonalnarrative.Thisreplacesastate of shock andmeaninglessness.Nie-meyerstatedthatapersonmustmovefromtheabsenceof meaningtothemeaningof absence, acknowledging the loss and as-signingtothelossameaningthattheycanincorporateintotheirlives.Whenconfront-ingdifficultevents,peopleattempttoweaveanaccountof theeventsinordertomakesenseof them.Following the California wildfires of

October2007,MarkLeporewasamemberof amentalhealthteamintheLosAngelesCounty area that accompanied residentsbacktotheneighborhoodsaffectedbythefires.Manyof theresidentshadbegunas-signingmeaningtothelossof theirhomesandpossessions.Onevictimstatedthathehadlostmuchof hisantiquebusinessthathehadworkedatsincehewassixteenyearsold.Heexplainedthatthismusthavehap-penedforareason.Forthepasttenyears,hehadvowedtoscaledownhisworkbutdidnot.Nowhewouldhavetimetospendwithhischildrenandgrandchildren.Anotherpersonwasspared,buthisfriends’andfam-ily’shomesontheblockweredestroyed.Heownedaconstructionbusinessandplannedtoworktorepaythemfortheiryearsof sup-

port.He looked at this event as an op-portunity tohelpothers.Peoplewhohadpreviouslyexperiencedsignificantlossknewthattheirreactiontotheeventwaspivotal,nowandinthefuture.Onlyinhindsight,astheeffectsof theeventareprocessed,willthe traumacarrymeaning.The lifenarra-tive, the self, and theworld thenbecomecomprehensibleagain.Stories constructed by survivors as

copingmechanismsvary.Theactualeventand observable behaviors that followare less important than the underlyingpsychologicaldimensions.Creatingstoriesor narratives is amethod people use toexpressthepsychologicalprocessingof anoverwhelmingevent.Heroicappraisalsof events act as a protective factor to someindividuals, providing a sense of purposeandasymbolicwaytotranscendthehorrificexperience.Suchisthecasewithsurvivorsof September11.Insomecases,individualscreate healthy narratives based in reality;in other cases, people incorporate urbanlegend and folklore in creation in theirreconstructednarratives.Theuniquethemesof thegratefulterrorist

narrative can be tracedhistorically acrosstwothousandyears.GordonGerouldandNormCohen (1908/2000) haveprovidedextensiveresearchonthistopic.Thethemesremainconsistent,butthenames,context,andstorylinehaveevolved.Duringtimesof stressandanxiety,therumorsandthemesresurface.

The Vanishing HitchhikerThe tale of the vanishing hitchhiker is

oneof thebestknownurbanlegends.Thetimeisalwaysevening.Adriverseesamanorwomanstandingonthesideof theroad.Thedriverstopsandinvitesthehitchhikerintothecar.Thepassengeralwayssitsinthebackandgivesthedriverastrangemessage.When the driver turns around to ask thepassengeraboutthestatement,thepersonhasvanishedfromthebackseat.Sometimesthehitchhikerhasleftasweaterbehind,ortheseatbeltisstillfastenedwherethepersonhadbeensitting(Jacobson1948;Brunvand1981and2001).


Thelegendhasmanydifferentvariations,yetallsharecommoncharacteristics.AftertheattackonPearlHarborandthroughoutWorldWarII,thisurbanlegendbegantoflourish.Talesspreadof peoplepickinguphitchhikerswhogavepropheticwarningsabout how long thewarwould last, andthen vanished. Sometimes the passengerwasanun;othertimesitwasanelderlymanwithnomoney.Ineachcase,thestrangerthankedthedriverfortherideandofferedinformationasrepayment.Jacobson(1948)noted that this theme “had appeared ineverymilitaryconflictsincetheNapoleonicWars,”andvariationsmaystembacktotheMiddleAges.Inotherversions,thehitchhikerisper-

forming an act of kindness by saving aperson’s lifeor leadingadoctor toasickrelative.One common theme is that theaudience never fully discoverswho—orwhat—the hitchhikerwas. It is impliedthat the figurewas a ghost of someonedeceasedoranangel that returned todoanactof kindness.Thisisrevealedbytherecognitionof thefigure throughphoto-graphs;laterthedriverstumblesuponthestranger’sheadstoneinacemeteryoristoldthatthepersonpassedawayonthatsamedatemanyyearsago.Theanniversarydateplaysanimportantrole.Thefigureusuallydiedoneyearagoonthatdate,oritwashisorherbirthday.Eachdetailaddsdepthanddramatothestory,holdingtheaudiences’attentionandassuringitwillbebelievedandpassedonagain(Jacobson1948;Brunvand1981and2001).

The Story of TobitThestoryof Tobitispartof Hebrewapoc-

ryphalliteraturewrittenbetween200and100B.C.E.GordonGerould(1908/2000)notedthatthisstorycombinestwoseparatefolk-lores:thetaleof thepoisonmaidenandthetaleof thegratefuldead.WhentheJewishpeoplewerepersecuted

inNineveh,arighteousmannamedTobitburiedthebodiesof theexecuted.Despitehis good deed,Tobitwas arrested, laterbecomingblindandlosinghiswealth.Hesenthisson,Tobias,tocollectanunpaid

debtfromhisrelativeGabael.Ontheway,Tobiaswasjoinedbyastranger(disguisedasAzarias, another of Tobit’s relatives),wholaterrevealshimself tobetheangelRaphael. The angel encouraged him todotwothings.First,Tobiascaughtafish,preservingitsheart,liver,andgall.Second,heaskedforthehandof Gabael’sdaughter,Sara, inwedlock. Sevenprevious suitorshadbeenkilledattemptingtoconsummatetheirmarriageswithSara.Usingtheheartand liverof thefish,Tobias exorcized ademon,Asmodeus,whichhadpossessedSara.He then used the gall of the fishto cure his father’s blindness (Gerould1908/2000).

The Story of the Grateful DeadGerouldwasoneof thefirstscholarsto

identifythethemeof thegratefuldeadinearly literatureand folktales.Thefirstof twoprimarycharactersisusuallyadestitutepersonwhohasdiedwithoutanypersonalresources or onewho has committed asinandwascondemnedbycontemporarysociety.Forthesereasons,thepersonwasleft unburied.The second character is akindandaltruisticpersonwhodonateshislastbitof moneysothatthebodycanbeburied.Asthecharitablepersoncontinuesonhis journey, hemeets a strangerwhoofferstohelpinanywayhecan.Later,itisdiscoveredthatthestrangerisactuallytheghostof thedeceasedpersonhehadhelpedtobury—hence the titleof the“gratefuldead”(Gerould1908/2000).This story evolved across history,

incorporating new culturalmotifswhilemaintainingthecorethemeof akindacttoastrangerandrepaymentforthegooddeed in anunexpectedway.The gratefuldead theme also incorporates tales of a grateful stranger, asGerould noted.Anotherearlydepictionof thisthemeisthetaleof SimonidesinCicero’sDe Divinatione.Simonidesburiedanexposedcorpseandwaswarnedbythedeceasedinadreamnottoboardaspecificshipforhisownsafety.Allwhosailedontheshipwere lost inashipwreck(Gerould1908/2000).

Gerouldalsonotedthreeadditionalearlyvariationsonthetheme:Jewish,Annamite,andSurvianVI.TheJewishthemeisquitesimilar to the story of Simonides.Afterhis father’s death, a youngman fromJerusalemwastravelingandfoundaJewishcorpse hanging in chains. Theman hadbeensuspectedof stealingmoney,andhisbodywouldnot beburied until his debtwasrepaid.Theyoungmanpaidthedebtandburied the body.Hewas later savedduringastormatseabyamagicalrockthatcarriedhimbacktoland,andthencarriedbyaneaglebacktoJerusalem.Theghostof thedeceasedmanappearedtohimandexplainedthatitwashewhowasboththerockandeagleandthathewouldcontinuetorewardtheyoungmaninthefutureforhiskindness.Theothervariantsfollowthethememoreloosely.Eachtaleincorporatesthe burial of a corpse by an individualwhoisafaithfulfriendoracompassionatestranger.Ultimately,theprimarycharacterisrewardedforhisaltruisticactions(Gerould1908/2000).

Similarities among Narratives and Psychological ImplicationsSomemay argue that this common

themeoccursineverycultureasaresultof the human condition and societalmilieu.A Jungian psychological view attributesrecurring themes to humanity’s collectiveunconscious, in an archetypal sense, orto the common human experience. Anarchetype is a primordial image or formof universalthoughtthatrespondstotheworld.AccordingtoJung,“Thearchetypeisakindof readinesstoproduceoverandoveragain the sameor similarmythical ideas.Henceitseemsasthoughwhatisimpressedupon the unconscious were exclusivelythe subjective fantasy—ideas aroused bythe physical process.Wemay thereforeassume that the archetypes are recurrentimpressionsmadeby subjective reasons”(Jung1953,87).Arecurringarchetypemayappearindreams,myths,ritual,orartandbeprojectedintoculturalfolklore.Whetherthe tale is passed from one culture to


another,evolvingovertime,orisarecurringarchetypeoriginatingfromsocietalcontextsorthecollectiveunconscious,theuniversalthemeremainsfascinating.There are some obvious differences

among the grateful terrorist story, thevanishinghitchhiker,andtheolderstoriesof thegratefuldead.Inallof thestories,however, gratitude is expressed in a life-and-death context during a period of socialanxiety.Thiscontextconstitutesthegeneralbackdropforthestory:September11, thePearlHarborattack,or thedeathof anindividualwhoiseventuallyburied.Thesymbolicnatureof theburial,asanactthatrestoresdignityandperhapspreventsastateof noreposeforthedead(Gerould1908/2000),parallelsthealtruistickindnesstotheMiddle-Easternmaninthemodernurban legendof thegrateful terrorist. Inbothcases,symbolicorpurelyaltruisticactshavethepsychologicaleffectof restoringa sense of justice, fulfilling a protectivefunction,oractingasacopingmechanismagainstdeathanxiety.Folklore has acted as ameans to ease

this anxiety for as long as humans haveexisted.Belief inanurbanlegendcanbeahealthy—orunhealthy—wayforpeopletoparticipateinterrormanagement.Mortalityassuresthatwewillcontinuetoexperiencedisruptions to our belief in immanentjustice,guaranteeingthatthelegendof thegratefuldeadwillcontinuetoevolve.Whatformwillittakenext?

ReferencesAllport,G.W. 1954/1979.The Nature of

Prejudice.NewYork:Addison-Wesley.Brunvand, J. H. 1981. The Vanishing

Hitchhiker : American Urban Legends and Their Meanings.NewYork:W.W.Norton.

———. 2001.The Encyclopedia of Urban Legends.SantaBarbara,CA:ABC-Clio.

Chasteen,A.L.,andS.F.Madey.2003.Belief inaJustWorldandthePerceivedInjusticeof DyingYoungorOld.Omega 47:313–26.

Coca-ColaCompany. 2002.MiddleEastRumors. http://www2.coca-cola.com/contactus/myths_rumors/middle_east_grocery.html(accessedJuly22,2003).

Trisha L. Smith holds a master’s degree from the Department of Counseling Psychology at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. She currently works as a family therapist and is researching the relationship between psychology and folklore.

Grafton Eliason is an associate pro-fessor in the School of Education’s Department of Counseling at California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pennsylvania. He is a Licensed Profes-sional Counselor (LPC) and an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Jeff L. Samide is associate professor of counselor education at California University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches school and community counsel-ing. He is a LPC with a private practice in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Adrian Tomer teaches in the Depart-ment of Psychology at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsyl-vania. He has conducted research and published on topics related to death anxiety.

Mark Lepore, LPC, holds a clinical social work license and serves as director of counseling services at Clarion Univer-sity of Pennsylvania. A supervisor for American Red Cross national disaster response, he volunteered for assign-ment after the terrorist attacks of Sep-tember 11.

The authors would like to thank Amanda Cisler, a graduate of California Univer-sity of Pennsylvania and currently a school counselor, for her help in editing this article.

Cohen,N. 2000. Introduction. InG.H.Gerould,The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk Story,vii–xxv.Chicago:Universityof IllinoisPress.

Dégh,L.2001.Legend and Belief.Bloomingtonand Indianapolis: Indiana UniversityPress.

Gerould,G.H. 1908/2000.The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk Story.Chicago:Universityof IllinoisPress.

Greenberg,J.,T.Pyszczynski,S.Solomon,A.Rosenblatt,M.Veeder, S.Kirkland,andD.Lyon.1990.EvidenceforTerrorManagementTheoryII:TheEffectsof MortalitySalienceonReactionstoThoseWhoThreaten orBolster theCulturalWorldview.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 58:308–18.

Greenberg,J.,S.Solomon,T.Pyszczynski,A.Rosenblatt, J.Burling,D.Lyon, andL. Simon. 1992.WhyDoPeopleNeedSelf-Esteem?ConvergingEvidence of anAnxiety-BufferingFunction.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 63:913–22.

Heath,C.,C.Bell,andE.Sternberg.2001.EmotionalSelectioninMemes:TheCaseof UrbanLegends.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 81:1028–41.

Heimbaugh, J. R. 2001. Urban LegendZeitgeist. http://www.tafkac.org/ulz(accessedApril13,2003).

Jacobson,D. J. 1948.The Affairs of Dame Rumor.NewYork:Rinehart.

Jung, C. 1953/1991.Qtd. in B. Engler,Personality Theories: An Introduction.Boston:HoughtonMifflinCompany.

Lerner,M.J.1980.The Belief in a Just World: A Fundamentalist Decision. NewYork:Plenum.

Nelson,L.J.,D.L.Moore,J.Olivetti,andT. Scott. 1997.General and PersonalMortalitySalienceandNationalisticBias.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 23:884–92.

Piaget,J.1932.The Moral Judgment of the Child. London:RoutledgeandKeganPaul.

Pyszczynski, T., S. Solomon, and J.Greenberg. 2003. In the Wake of 9/11: The Psychology of Terror.Washington,DC:AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.

Publish in Voices!See page 40 for

submission guidelines.


Brewmaster 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.

Beer is probably theoldestalcoholicbever-ageknowntoman.Evidenceof beerbrewinggoesbacktothedawnof recordedhistory:theSumerianswroteaboutbeeronstonetabletsintheirearlyalphabet,andtherearereferencestothetechnicalaspectsof brewingbeerdatingfromEgyptiantimes. GarrettOliver,47,isthebrewmasterfortheBrooklynBrewery,aregionalbreweryintheWilliamsburgsectionof Brooklynthatturnsout310,000gallonsof beerannually.Anativeof Queens,Garrettbecameinterestedinthefinerpointsof beer consumptionwhenhelivedinLondonintheearly1980s.Therehediscoveredpub-brewedbeersthatwereverydifferent from the “industrial-style” brewsthathe’dknownintheUnitedStates.BackintheStates,hestartedbrewinghisownbeerathome,thenwentontoapprenticeatthenow-defunctManhattanBrewery.Garrettworkedhiswayuptoheadbrewer,thenbeganwork-ingat theBrooklynBrewery.TheBrooklynBrewerybeganitson-sitebrewingoperationsin1996,producingdraftbeermade“thewaybeerusedtobebrewed:intheoldstyle,usingtraditionalingredients,”saidGarrett. GarrettexplainedthatBrooklynwasoncea city of breweries: in 1900, the boroughboasted48breweries,and10percentof allthebeerbrewedintheU.S.camefromBrooklyn.Atonepoint in theearly twentiethcentury,Garrett said,BrooklynproducedmorebeerthanMilwaukee.Bythe1970s,however,therewasonlyonebreweryremaininginBrooklyn:Schaeffer,whichshutdownin1976. Asbrewmaster,Garrettisthe“chef ”of thebrewery.Hesupervisestheentirebeer-brewingprocess,makessurethattheproperingredientsareusedandthattheflavorandqualityareuptostandards,andsupervisesthestaff thatrunthebrewery.Heisresponsibleforoverseeingalltherecipes,procedures,andtechniquesthatgo into thebrewingof BrooklynBrewery’sproducts. While the facility inBrooklyn brews thecraftbeersandales—thespecialtyandseasonalbrews—thelarge-scalebeerproductionisdoneatMattBrewingCompanyinUtica,NewYork.BrooklynBrewerysuppliesitsownmalt,hops,

andyeast, and theupstatebrewery turnsoutbeer toGarrett’s specifications.According toGarrett, itwouldn’t be cost-effective for theBrooklynfacilitytoproduceallof thebeersandalesthatmakeuptheBrooklynBrewery’sline. Garretttookmeonatourof roomswithstainless steel vats, then across the street tooneroomwherebeerisagedinwhiskeycasksandtoanotherwherebottlesof asmall-runspecialty ale are kept for severalweeks in atemperature-controlledenvironmentuntiltheyhavematuredenoughtobereadyforsale.In

thebarrelroom,thebeergetsflavorfromthewood,aswellasoxygenthatcomesthroughthewood. Justbeforetheygotomarket,labelsareputonthesebottles,whichhaveaEuropean-stylecork-and-bailclosure.TheBrooklynBrewerylabelfeaturesastylizedcapital“B”thatevokesanotherera.ItwasdesignedbyMiltonGlaser,whoisknownforthefamous“ILoveNewYork”logo.Thelogo,whichsuggeststhestyleof thelong-vanishedBrooklynDodgersbase-ballteam,“evokesalostpast,”saidGarrett. TheBrooklynBreweryfacilities,asprawl-ingcomplexof nineteenth-centuryindustrialbuildings,originallyhoused theHecla Iron-works.Later,itbecameamatzohbakery.WhentheBrooklynBrewerytookoverthebuildings,thefloorof thebrewhousewascoveredwithlayersof hard,compactedmatzohdoughthathadtobepainstakinglyremoved.

Garrettissomethingof abeerscholar,andheisdoinghisbittomakesurethattheoldtechniques are available tonew and futuregenerationsof brewers.He is theeditor-in-chief of theOxford Companion to Beer,andallof therecipesandtechniquesthatareusedintheBrooklynBreweryarecarefullyrecorded,sothatnothingwillbelosttoposterity. Attheturnof thelastcentury,therewere4,000breweries in theUnited States.Cur-rently, there are 1,500,manyof which aresmall-productionfacilities.Atthelowpoint,in

1974,therewereonlyfortybreweriesinopera-tion,andtheproductionof beerhadlargelybecomeahigh-volumeindustrializedprocess.“Thebrewery is actually goingbackwards,”saidGarrett.“It’snowmoreartisanalthanitwasevenfiveyearsago.Wearerecreatingoldflavorsandrevivingoldtechniquesthathadlargelydisappearedfromindustrialbrewing.” TheBrooklynBrewery,anditsbrewmasterGarrettOliver, are themodern-day custo-diansof a craft that goesback to time im-memorial.

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Orbs and Avatars 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).

Most January daysinupstateNewYorkdonotbringbeautifulweather. Snowcrunchesunderfoot;weatherforecasterswarnusabout“patchy frozen drizzle.”Molly,my goldenretriever,whines at thedoor, begging for awalk.“Where’syourleash?”Iask,takingherouttotheparkattheendof ourstreet.Hersensitivenosefindseachspotof yellowsnowexciting;shesniffsecstatically.ButI,withmyhumannose,cannotsmellwhatMollysmells.Tome,thefrozenlandscapeoutsideourdoorseemsslipperyanduninviting,althoughithasitsownstarkwhite-and-blackbeauty. On cold January nights,movie theatersofferawelcomechangeof pace.OnerecenteveningIsawthenewmovieAvatar, alreadyabiggerhitthanTitanic. OntheplanetPandora,avatarsof astronautsfromEarthmaketheirwaythroughadenseforestof bright-coloredtreesandflowersinwhichdinosaurlikecrea-turesthreatenEarthlings’survival. Avatar’s3-Dimagesof delicatewhiteseeds,redsparks,andsharpspearsseemtomoveamongaudiencemembers, provoking squeals of shock andamazement. RecentlyI learnedthatsomeyoungview-ersof Avatar had expressed adesire tokillthemselvesafterthemovieended.Why?Be-causeourownworld,comparedtotheplanetPandora,seemedcolorless,corrupt,andunin-spiring.Theten-foot-tallblueNa’viandtheiranimals andplants seemedmorewondrousthananythingthatexistedonourownfamiliarplanet.Justassomereadersof Tolkien’sLord of the RingswantedtogotoMiddle-earth inthe1960s,thesemoviewatcherswishedtheycouldfindanewhomeinathrilling,aestheti-callypleasingenvironment. LikeAvatar, folkloreof the supernaturalinspireswonder.Thiskindof folkloreseemstoleadusintoanotherworldwhereastonishingthingscanhappen.Since“seeingisbelieving”inourculture,visualevidenceof asupernaturalpresenceseemsespeciallycompelling.Ghostsinphotographsandonvideosgetmoreatten-tionthanghoststhatwhisperinthenight. Itshouldnotsurpriseus,then,thatorbs—bright spheres of light in photographs—

fascinatemanypeoplelately.WhenIhavetoldghoststoriesduringthepasttenyears,Ihaveusuallyreceivedaquestionortwoaboutorbs.Whilemostquestionershavebeenrespectful,afewquestionshavebeendownrighthostile.Inthemiddleof aradiointerviewaboutmybookHaunted Halls,amantelephonedtoaskmetoexplainorbs. “I’m sorry,” I replied. “I’veworkedwithwords,notphotos.” “Howcan you study ghosts if youdon’tknowaboutorbs?”themanshouted,thenhehungupthephone. Somepeople believe that orbs representghosts; othersbelieve thatorbs come fromglitches in thephotographic process. Sinceorbscanappearinbothdigitalandfilmpho-tos,itdoesn’tseemthatoneof thoseformsof photography explains their appearance.Mostof thepeoplewhohaveaskedmeaboutorbswanttoconfirmsupernaturalcausation.Excitedandeagertolearnmore,theyscrutinizetheirphotosandlookforarticlesaboutorbsontheInternet. Recently Ihad theopportunity to see anintriguing photograph taken bymy friendStephanie.WhenshetraveledtotheDelawareAqueductwithherhusbandCarl, Stephaniehadadmiredtheaqueduct’sbeauty.Sinceshelikedtheaqueductsomuch,sheaskedCarltotakesomephotos.Oncetheygothomeandputthephotosontheircomputer,theyfoundalargeorbhoveringoverthesignattheen-trancetotheparkwheretheaqueductstood.Surprisedtoseethisbrightsphere,theyusedthecomputer’szoomtooltoexaminetheorbmoreclosely.Theclosertheylooked,themoredetailstheyfound. KnowingthatIhadaninterestinfolkloreof thesupernatural,Stephanieput theirorbphotoonadiskforme.“You’lllikethis,”shetoldme.“There’sonemanstandingtowardtherightandanotherontheleft.” Excitedtohearthesedetails,Ihurriedovertomyoffice andpopped the disk intomycomputer.Neglectingmy ungradedpapersandunanswerede-mails,Ispentanenjoyablehalf-hourzoominginontheorbinthephoto.

ThecloserIzoomedin,thebetterIcouldseetheorb’slovelycolors:lilac,blue-green,gray,andgold.Wasamanstandingtotheleftof thesphere?Wasanothermanleaningtowardtheright? Unfortunately,Icouldnotseeanyof thedetailsthatStephanieandCarlhaddescribed.Icould,however,doa little researchontheDelawareAqueduct.BuiltbyJohnA.Roebling(designerof theBrooklynBridge)in1847,thisaqueductstandsatthesiteof theRevolution-aryWarBattleof Minisink.Resulting inthedeath of at least forty-fivemilitiamen andseveralMohawksandBritishloyalists,thisJuly1779battlehorrifiedtheresidentsof nearbyvillages.Forsometimeafterwards,bodiesof menkilled in thebattle remainedunburied.Althoughthebattlefieldbecameaparkwherevisitors enjoyed thebeautiful view,OrangeCountycitizensrememberedthelivesthathadbeenlostthere.Inparticular,thememoryof unburiedbodiessaddenedlocalresidents.Inanumberof Americanghoststories,thespiritsof peoplewhosebodieshavenotbeentreatedproperlycontinuetohaunttheplaceswheretheydied. SinceIworkwithwordsratherthanpho-tos, I understand verbalmemories betterthanmemories enclosed in spheres. I do,however, respect the perception of thosewhoseethought-provokingimagesinsideanorb’sglowingsurface.Likethegorgeous3-Dprojectionsof Avatar, theseimagesconveyasenseof wonderandbeauty.Withoutwon-derandbeauty,howcouldwelivefromonedaytoanother?ItisgoodtoknowthatorbshaveplayedanimportantpartinbuildingthesupernaturallorethatweenjoyinNewYorkState.

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T heHudsonValleyQuadricenten-nial in 2009 spurred all kinds of

special celebrations in cities along theHudsonRiver, fromflotilla parades andfestivalstoartfairs,musicperformances,andexhibitions.Thecentralfocusof theQuadricentennial wasHenryHudson’svoyage four hundred years ago up theriver that nowbears his name.Hudson,anEnglishexplorerundercontractwiththeDutchEast IndiaCompany to findaquickertradingroutetotheNearEast,setsailwithacrewof DutchandEnglishsailorsinhopesof findingthatpath.Hemaynothave realized it then,butHud-son’sexplorationsontheDutchboattheHalf Moon would significantly alter thesocial, cultural, and economic fabric of thenortheasternUnitedStates. An important part of the story is hisparty’s contactwith indigenous peoples.AmongtheNativeAmericantribesintheNortheastatthetimewerealooseconfed-erationof Haudenosaunee(Iroquoisisthemorecommonnon-nativeterm)tribesof NewYorkStateandCanada,aswellastheWabanakitribesof NewEnglandandtheCanadianmaritimeprovinces.Culturaltra-ditionslikebasketmakingandbeadworkservednotonlyfunctionalpurposes,butalsostrengthenedfamilialandtribalcon-nections and demonstrated the integralconnectionbetweentheenvironmentandtheartists’heritage. ForitspartintheQuadricentennialcel-ebrations,theNewYorkFolkloreSociety

North by Northeast:

commemoratedthesestill-thrivingculturaltraditionswith“NorthbyNortheast:Bas-ketsandBeadworkfromtheAkwesasneMohawkandTuscarora.”Atthecoreof NorthbyNortheastwasanexhibitionheldfromSeptember25toOctober24,2009,onthefirstfloorof thehistoric,sixteen-sidedNottMemorialatUnionCollegeinSchenectady,NewYork. The exhibitiondisplayedtheworkof Haudenosauneeart-istsfromNewYorkfeaturedinthelargertraveling exhibition, “North byNorth-east:Wabanaki,AkwesasneMohawk,and

Tuscarora TraditionalArts,” curated byfolkloristKathleenMundell, directorof CulturalResourcesinRockport,Maine. HelpingusopenthereceptiononFridayevening,October2,wasKathleenMun-dell, the curator of the larger travelingexhibition.After speaking briefly aboutthetravelingexhibition,Mundellgaveanoverviewof basketmakingandbeadworkpractices amongNativeAmerican tribesin theNortheasternU.S. and explainedhow those traditionshave changedoverthe years.Anotherhighlightof the eve-

BY LISA OVERHOLSER

NYFS Celebrates Mohawk and Tuscarora Traditions

Basket by Sheila Ransom, Mohawk basket maker. Photo: Peggy McKenna


ningwas theblessing givenbyMohawkspokespersonTomPorter,whoworksasaNativeAmericanspiritualcounselorintheNewYork prison system.Althoughwehad toclose theevening indarknessdue to electrical problems affecting theentire university, the opening receptionwas nonetheless a warm, enthusiasticcommencementtoourmonthof events. Among theSchenectadyGreenmarketvendors on Sunday,October 11, werefourHaudenosauneewhomadethelongdrivetoSchenectadytoparticipateinthemarket.ArtistsincludedMaryClause(Tus-carorabeadworker),JudyCole(Mohawkbasketmaker),andCarrieHill (Mohawkbasketmaker).CuratorSueEllenHernebroughtafewitemsfromtheAkwesasneMuseumtosell.Despitethecold,breezyweather,Greenmarketvisitorswelcomed

theopportunitytoseethebeautifulitemsattheirtablesandspeakwiththeartists. Laterthatday,asapartof theNewYorkFolkloreSociety’sannualFieldTrip,Hernegaveathought-provokingtalkon“CultureandCommerce”attheOldChapelbuildingon theUnionCollege campus.She spokeeloquentlyaboutherownexperiencesnavi-gatingthetrickylinebetweenbasketmakingasaculturaltraditionandthecommodifica-tionof thattradition.Shecamearmedwithsome surprising facts and statistics.Oneparticularlystartlingfactwashercalculationthat, by the timebasketmakers take intoaccount thenumberof hours they spendpreparing a basket andwhat they receiveat a typicalmarket, basket artisansmakeonlyabout$5.10anhour.Statisticslikethishighlightsomeof thedifficultchoicesthatmustbemadebytraditionalartists.

ContinuingtheFieldTrip,LynneWil-liamson,folkartsdirectorof InterculturalResourcesinHartford,Connecticut,gaveaguidedtourof theexhibittoNewYorkFolklore Societymembers.Williamson,a contributor to the original travelingexhibitioncatalog,wasabletoprovideamorein-depthlookatsomeof theobjectson display, pointing out aesthetic fea-turesandprovidingculturalbackground. On Saturday,October 17, filmmakerCourtneyHuntcametotheReamerCam-pusCenterAuditoriumatUnionCollegetospeakaboutthemakingof heraward-winning filmFrozen River, Grand JuryPrize–winneratthe2008SundanceFilmFestival.Audiencemembers viewed theprovocativefilmandwereabletoengageindirectconversationwiththefilmmaker.This was a rare opportunity to hear a

Lynne Williamson discussing some of the baskets in the North by Northeast exhibition at the New York Folklore Society’s Field Trip. Photo: Lisa Overholser


Members of the Mohawk women’s singing group Kontiwennenhá:wi: Carriers of the Words. Photo: Lisa Overholser

noteddirectortalkaboutfilmtechnique,thetechnicalandconceptualissuessheconfronted in the process of filming,herwritingprocess, andmore. JoiningHuntinthepaneldiscussionwasAndreaForoughi,associateprofessorof historyatUnionCollege.Expandingtheconver-sation,Foroughiputthefilmintoawidersociocultural context and pointed outsome statistical facts relevant to issuesbroughtforthinthefilm,particularlyre-gardingthedifficultiesfacinghouseholdsledbysinglewomenthroughouthistoryandsomeof theculturaldifferencesbe-tweenMohawksocietyandmainstreamAmericansociety. TheMohawkwomen’ssinginggroupKontiwennenhá:wi : Carriers of theWords, recently nominated for a pres-tigiousNativeAmericanMusicAward,cametohelpusclosetheexhibitiononSaturday,October24.Theygaveabeau-tifulperformance,filledwithmusicand

Audience members examining sweetgrass at Sue Ellen Herne’s Field Trip talk. Photo: Lynne Williamson


Sue Ellen Herne next to items displayed in the North by Northeast exhibition. Photo: Lynne Williamson


dance,andevenhadaudiencemembersupontheirfeetinaninteractivedemonstra-tionof Mohawksocialdances.Thegroupsang in bothMohawk andEnglish, andmanyof themembers, includingTeresaBearFoxandMaxineCole,spokeof theimportanceof preservingthesetraditionsfor themselves and their communities.Cole,alanguageinstructoratAkwesasne,spokeaboutlanguageinstructionandtheimportanceof languagetoculturaliden-tity. Formore informationabouttheexhi-bition, includingmorephotographs andvideo clips, visit www.nyfolklore.org/about/baskets.html.

Lisa Overholser is staff folklorist at the New York Folklore Society, where she manages the mentoring and professional development program and contributes to many other projects and initiatives. She holds a Ph.D. in folklore and ethnomu-sicology from the University of Indiana. She thanks Rachel Seligman, director of the Mandeville Gallery, for her assistance in organizing the North by Northeast exhibition.

To continue to receive Voicesand enjoy the full range of

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See inside back cover for more information.

Sue Ellen Herne speaks about culture and commerce during the New York Folklore Society’s Field Trip. Photo: Lisa Overholser


The Last Resort BY JOHN THORN

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Y

Fleischmanns, New York,isanappealinglyforlornspotthirtyminutesfromWoodstockandfifty,if notonehundredyears,fromtherestof America.Itsold-fashionedCatskillssummers—freshair,coolmountainnights,porch sitting, ball playing, swimming, anddozing off in lawn chairs—have beenswallowedupinthiscountry’sblackholeof visceraldiversion,cheaptransport,andfestivebio-domes in steamy localesuninhabitablebeforetheadventof contrivedcoldair.Herethe eerie remainsof grandhotels and theburnt offerings of desperate arsons formthespurtomemory.Theseattesttoaoncevibrant Fleischmanns,whose permanentpopulation circa 1940 reached500 (in thelastcensusitwas351);butbytheFourthof Julyback then, itwas said therewouldbe10,000folksintown.Whilerecentsummershavebroughtnotrainloadsof tourists,thereis something romantic about this remotevillage—theechoof thewayweonceplayedandrelaxedandwere. I lovedFleischmannswhen Iwas five,vacationingatalocalbungalowcolonywithmyextendedfamily,andIlovedittwodecadeslater,whenitwastimeformetoleaveNewYorkCitywithmywifeandfour-month-oldson and look for a newhome in the oldCatskills.Theswarmsof touristsweregone,butIfiguredthemountainswerestillthere,sowastheair,andonecouldmakeoutprettywellonasmallpurse.WhileIlivetherenolonger,theplacestilltugsatmewheneverIvisit.Foryearstheonsetof spring—whichinourhouseholdmeantthechancetoplay,watch,andchatteraboutbaseball—wasnotassured untilmy sons and I drove up toFleischmanns (gloves, bat, andball in thetrunk)tocavortonthebaseballfieldalongWagnerAvenue,wherewe knewHonusWagner,TyCobb,andothermajorleaguershadonceplayed,eitherasautumnhuntingguests of theFleischmannbrothers or asringersbroughtinforthesemiproteamtheysponsored. JuliusandMaxFleischmanncametothiscommunitytoescapetheheatof Cincinnati

summers around1883,when itwas calledGriffinCorners.The villagewas renamedFleischmanns in 1913, following their do-nationof theballfield.Theirfather,Charles,whohadfoundedtheFleischmannsdistillingandyeastcompanies,had justbought landwest of the village near theUlster andDelawarerailroadstation.TheFleischmannsandtheirfriendssoonbuiltsummerhomesthatwerethestuff of fantasy,withporches,turrets,terraces,andcostlyinteriortrappings;theFleischmanns’grounds includedadeerpark, a riding stable, a heated pool filledwithspringwater,andatroutpond.Jewishfamilies—notwelcomeinmanyrespectablehotelsof theregion,despitetheirwealthandstature inNewYorkCity—flocked to thenewhotelsthatalsosprangupintheregion.EntertainmentwasprovidedbyBroadwayandoperaticstarsof thefirstrank,furloughedforpartof thesummerbecauseof thecity’sheat.Some,likeJuliaMarloweandAmelitaGalli-Curci,builtfinesummerhomesinthehills. Juliusjoinedhisfather’sfirmoutof prepschoolandbyagetwenty-eight,in1900,hewaselectedmayorof Cincinnati;hispopular-itywonhimasecondtermaswell.HeandolderbrotherMaxbecameprincipalownersof theCincinnatiRedsin1902.ButtheFleis-chmannbrothers,foralltheirsuccessbackinCincinnati,wereactivesportsmenfirstandforemost—poloplayers,yachtsmen,hunters,autoracers,andwould-bebaseballplayers.Inthesummer,awayfromtheirhometown,theyhadnowaytoseeorplaytheirbelovedgame.So, anticipating themovieField of Dreams, theybuiltafineballgroundsthatcouldac-commodate5,000spectators,andstartedupateam.Asif itwerejustanothertroutpond,theystockedtheMountainAthleticClub—alsoknownastheMountainTourists—withthebestplayerstheycouldbuy,generallypro-fessionalsorhigh-calibercollegianswillingtoplayunderpseudonymsthatwouldsafeguardtheiramateureligibility.ThebignamesplayedalongsideMaxFleischmann,whodidthebesthecouldintheoutfield.

OnAugust10,1903,theMountainTouristsplayed athomeagainst the famousCubanGiants,whofeaturedBillGallowayatsecondbase.Hewas the lastAfricanAmerican toplayinanintegratedorganizedbaseballleagueuntilJackieRobinson.TheCubanswereheldto one run by theFleischmanns’ pitcher,Goldburg.JewssummeredinFleischmannsbecausetheywereexcludedfromother,tonierresorts;blackshadtoplayonteamsof theirownbecausetheywereexcludedfromboththemajor andminor leagues.Thiswas anoddlyemblematiccontest. Although theCatskills regionmayhaveexhibitedmoretolerancethanotherlocales,itsappetitefordiversitywasnogreater.ThereweretheJewishCatskills(andamongthese,pocketsdevotedtospecificnationalclientele:Romanian Jews,Hungarian,Austrian,Ger-man,andsoon).TherewereIrishCatskills.Therewere ItalianCatskills.Oh, there stillaresuchinformallydesignatedareas,butthenationalpursuitof homogenizationandstan-dardizationhasseepedinevenhere,robbingthemof theirdistinctiveflavor. Apilgrimagetothesiteof theTakanasseeHotelinFleischmannsanditsOlympic-sizedswimmingpool,scorchedortorchedin1971,reveals a fantastic remnant.Twomassivestonepillars along the roadside invite thepilgrim to abroadvistaof parched earth,bulldozedupthehilltowherethehoteloncestood.Wheretheclearingeffortsappeartohaveceased,naturehasbeguntoreclaimherancient rightof way.Walk a little into theovergrowth,pasttheincongruousconcreteslabandthere!—inthesacredwood—liesavastreservoir,filledtotherim,withfatfishswimming lazily amid thewrecked lumbertossedinlongago.

John Thorn is the au-thor and editor of many books, including New York 400 (Philadelphia: Running Press, 2009). He lives in Saugerties, New York. Copyright © John Thorn.


SoMariacountersthepressurewithhumor.Garbed inhwarot, shehasboldlyproposedtoand“married”numerousmenandafewwomen,variousanimals(aKentuckyracehorseandablackAngusbull),andplants.Shehasvisited theLibertyBell inPhilly, aVodoutemple inLouisiana,Elvis’sWhiteWeddingChapelinNevada,Confederatemonumentsinthesouth,cornfieldsinIowa,andretirementcommunitiesinFlorida. IinquiredwhetherMaria’smockmarriageshavemadehermoreorlessinterestedinget-tinglegallymarriedsomewhere,tosomeone,someday. “Well, I still get the jittersbeforegettingmarried,eveninamockceremony.Idon’treallyknowwhatthismeans.Maybeit’sSTILLnotmytimeyet.” Maria had as of thiswriting only a fewmore states to go—Montana, Idaho, SouthandNorthDakota,andWyoming.Staytunedatwww.mariathekoreanbride.com.SheplansagrandfinaleinNewYorkCityinDecember2010,alongwithascreeningof thedocumen-tary. Everyoneisinvited.

Maria Yoon BY EILEEN CONDON

Rites of passage—whethercoming-of-ageceremonies,marriages,birthdaycelebrations,orwakes—markchangesinstatus.Liketheso-cialcategoriestheyreinforce,ritesof passagereduceculturalanxietiesandmaintainorder.Whenpeopledon’tseemtobemovingfromoneof thesestatesintothenext,tensionscanerupt.Peoplemayfeelfearorsadness,angerorguilt.Neighborsmaywhisper.Parentsmayfretatthedinnertable.Childrenmaycomplyorrebel.Korean-born,NewYorkCity–basededucatorandperformanceartistMariaYoonhasbeenmarriedforty-fourtimesnow,andshe’sonly inhermid-thirties.Gettingmar-ried—in every state of the union—is herprimaryfocusatpresent,butnotinthewayherparentsmighthaveanticipated. WithaB.F.A.fromCooperUnion,Mariaserves as a teaching artist forNewYorkCitymuseums.Since2001shehasalsobeenworkingonamultimediaperformanceseriesentitled“MariatheKoreanBride”(MTKB).MTKBwill soon be a documentary film,designed tobring attention to and explorethesocialpressuresMariaexperiencesasanunmarriedfirst-generationKoreanAmericanwoman. “Maria theKoreanBride” is hap-peningontheroadallovertheUnitedStates,whereMariahasmet,interviewed,andmarriednumerousAmericansinaseriesof realisticandsurrealisticceremonialweddingperformances,suchas the2009Alaskanweddingpicturedhere (photo: IvanBacon).TheparticipantslearnabouttraditionalKoreanbridalcostume(hwarot) andwedding customs, andMarialearnsaboutmarriageasitisenactedacrosstheUnitedStates.Maria says theproject isabout resisting social pressure, but it’s alsoaboutcelebratingandexploringmanyformsof marriage. IaskedMariawherethe ideacamefrom.“Myownparentsinspiredme,especiallywhenwewouldargueatthedinnertable,especiallyduringmajorholidays.Theywouldalwaysaskme,‘Whyaren’tyoumarried?!Whathavewedonewrongthatyouarestillnotmarried?’”“Ihearthesedays,KoreansinKoreagetdi-vorcedandthinktwiceabouthavingchildren,”

Mariaadds.“However,forfirst-andsecond-generationKoreanAmericans,wefacebiggerpressure,becauseourparentshavelefttheirnative land andoftentimes they cling verytightlytothosecustomsleftbehind.” Shehopesher projectwill assist anyonecontemplatingmarriage.“Somemightarguemarriageisanoutdatedsubject.IntheAsiancommunitymarriageisveryoftendiscussed,andyoungAsianwomenheareverydayfromtheirparents andcommunity that it is veryserious social institution and obligation.”Nevertheless,marriage isnot for everyone,shebelieves. Whiletheprojecthasattractedhundredsof supportersandparticipants—t-shirtsareforsaleonMaria’swebsitethatsay,“IMarriedMariatheKoreanBride”—Mariasaysshedoesgetflakforquestioningtheinstitutionof marriage:

InNewHampshire,areverendwrotemeexpressinghisinterestinparticipating.Heaskedmetomeetwithhimathischurchuponmyarrival.WhenIarrived,hewasbusy lecturing about howwhat Iwasdoingwaswrong...marriageisasacredthing.Anotherwas inVermont,whereIhadaskedmaplefarmownerstopar-ticipateasImarriedoneof theirmapletrees.Theywereallthrilledandhappytohelp,untiltheyrealizedhowacceptingIamof civilunionsandsame-sexmarriage.Theyaskedmetonotincludetheminmyfootageformyfinalfeaturedocumentary.

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Eileen Condon is project director at the Center for Traditional Music and Dance in New York City. To nominate a col-league for “In Praise of Women,” contact her at [email protected].


Garlic Capital of the World: Gil-roy, Garlic, and the Making of a Festive Foodscape,byPaulineAdema.Jackson:UniversityPressof Mississippi.192pages, illustrations andmaps, appendices,notes,bibliography,index,$25.00paper.

PaulineAdemadrawsusintoherworldof culinarysuperlatives,localism,andcelebra-tions.Inthefinalchapterof Garlic Capital of the World: Gilroy, Garlic, and the Making of a Festive Foodscape, she defines the book’ssignificance: “Looking throughmultiplecomplementarylenses,andbyfocusingonfood-themedplacebrandingandaggrandize-ment,myworkcontributesfood-centered,geographically oriented thick descriptiontodiscoursesof foodsymbolization,place,andidentity.”Intheprefaceandintheinitialandfinal chapters, shepresents intellectu-allyengagingessaysthatareasynthesisof interdisciplinarythinkingonthemeaningof place,collectiveidentity,communitybuildingthroughfestivals,andlabortheoryof land-scapeproduction.Readersaretreatedtoadiscussionof mediatedidentitythatcanbedevelopedthroughfestivalization.Socialscientists,publicfolklorists,andhis-

torianswillappreciatetheuseof scholarshipfromsemioticstosocialtheory,coupledwithprofessional perspectives from landscapearchitecture to economic development.Bymeansof a comprehensive case studyof Gilroy,California—theself-proclaimedgarliccapitalof theworld—theauthorskill-fullyguidesthereadertoconsiderationof competing perspectives: resident/tourist,exotic/classic, commodification/produc-tion,personal/communal,global/local,dy-namic/stable,self/other,everyday/special,contemporary/traditional.Thesevenchapterintroductionsarelikea

cleansingof thepalateandasensoryinvita-

tiontothenexttopic.Theauthorshareshermeticulous explorationof topics that shecallsinversion,subversion,andenactment.She shows how a festival event allows a“safe”inversionof normativebehaviorsbyproviding, for example, opportunities forconsumerstoengagevoluntarilyinfarmingchorestoplaytheroleof producer.Whilefestivals are often inclusive and shape ashared sense of community, place brand-ingtoleratesadegreeof inventedtraditionand community exclusion. For example,thefarmworkerswhogrowGilroy’sgarlicaretacitlyexcludedfromthegarlicfestivalexcept for their objectification in a shortperformance of garlic harvesting.Medi-ated“identitycapital”inGilroyselectivelyelevatesthememoryof apersonalagrarianpast,whilediminishingtherealityof agri-business’simpersonalcorporatemonopoly.The book comments eloquently and

succinctlyonmany thorny issues that areancillary to a festive foodscape, such aslabor, power, and race relations, throughadroitdiscussionof thepoliticsof culturalperformanceandthepoliticaleconomy.Weareawakenedwithamarvelousessayonim-migrantfoodwaysandasummaryhistoryof Americandietaryreform.Ademamissesthemomenttonotethatethnicfoodsclaimedapieceof thefastfoodpie,however,andtopointoutthetightconnectionbetweenagribusiness, diminishing variety of foodavailable,fastfood,anddecliningnationalhealth.

Garlic Capital of the World providesus arichcasestudyof placebrandingandcom-modificationof place.WelearnaboutGil-roy’stransformations:asthehayandgraincapitalof Californiainthe1850s,thedairyand cheese capital of California by 1900,theprunecapitalinthe1920s,andfinally,intheageof globalization,thegarliccapitalof

notmerelyCalifornia,buttheworld.Asthepopulationof California grewandGilroybecameabedroomcommunitytonearbyur-bancentersinthe1970s,cityleaderswantedtomovebeyonditsstatusastheprunecapi-tal,andtheysuccessfullyrepositionedgarlicfrom“malodoroustogourmet”inordertoimprovethelocaleconomy.AdemashowsushowGilroydrewon“theagrarianheritageof thevalleytoimplicitlyevokenostalgiafortheillusorysimplicityof farming.”Gilroy’sexperienceshowsthat,althougha

certainamountof inventionof identityandexclusionof communitymembers canbetolerated,thereisapointwherethelimitsarepushedtoofarandmediatedidentityfails.ItisimportantthatAdema’sbook profilesawell-developedcommunityfoodfest.Whilefestivalscanbeusedtosecureacommunalidentity,Ademaobservesthatnosenseof placedevelopedaroundthePigFesthostedby Coppell, Texas. Place branding thatbenefitsacommunityrelies,inpart,onthe“displayed and implied semiotics of foodsymbolizationandthedegreetowhichor-ganizerswelcomecommunalparticipation,”Ademasuggests.Early in thebook,whileexplainingGilroy’s successful placemak-ing,theauthormissesthemarkwhenshechallengesRobertPutnam’simportantworkonsocialcapital.Iwouldhaveexpected,infact,forPutnam’ssociologicalconceptstobeusedtoargueforthefailureof Coppell’ssenseof community.Theendnotesandsuperbbibliographyfill

nearly20percentof thepagesof thisbook.They are a good read, and youmayfindyourself scribblinginthemarginstoconnectbothfamiliarscholarsandapproachesandthosethattheauthorintroducesonmultiplethemes that relate to festive foodscapes.PaulineAdema, a fine addition toNewYork’sfolklorists,isthestaff folkloristfor

Books NoteBooks Note–to–


theDutchessCountyArtsCouncil,teachesattheCulinaryInstituteof America,andisaculinaryanthropologist-consultant.Hiddeninaparagraph in themiddleof thebookisasketchof arecipeforGilroyGourmetAlley’spenne pasta con pesto, apastadish inapestocreamsauce.Thisbookwill leaveyoulongingforsomerecipeswithculturalnarrationsfromPaulineAdema.

—KarylDenisonEaglefeathersSUNY–EmpireStateCollege

Lucky Hans and Other Merz Fairy Tales,byKurtSchwitters.Translat-edandintroducedbyJackZipes.IllustratedbyIrvinePeacock.Princeton,NewJersey:PrincetonUniversityPress,2009.235pages,illustrations,appendix,notes,bibliography,$22.95cloth. This delightful collectionof subversivefairy tales byKurt Schwitters constitutesan important contribution to folklorescholarship.JackZipes,theauthorof manyauthoritativestudiesof folktales,translatedand arranged these thirty-two tales,mostof whichhadnotbeenpublishedbeforeinEnglish.AlthoughitiswellknownthatKurtSchwitters (1887–1948) created collages,poems,andartisticinstallationsinthe1920s,1930s, and1940s, his darkly satirical fairytaleshavebeen less accessible to scholarsand general readers.Lucky Hans and Other Merz Fairy Talesnotonlygivesusthetales,butalsoprovidesawonderfulselectionof illustrationsandhelpfulnotes. Zipes’s introduction, “Kurt Schwitters,Politics,andtheMerzFairyTale,”presentsvaluablebackgroundinformation.Tounder-standSchwitters’stales,aswellashisotherliteraryandartisticcreations,itisnecessarytoknowexactlywhat “Merz”means.Ac-cordingtoSchwitters,“Merzwantsfreedomfrom all fetters in order to shape thingsartistically.Freedomisnotunrestraint,butrathertheresultof strictartisticdiscipline.Merzalsomeanstolerancetowardanykindof limitationforartisticreasons.Everyart-istmustbepermittedtocomposeapicture,evenif itisjustmadeoutof blottingpaper,providedthatheknowshowtocreate”(1).

Throughouthiscareerasanartistandau-thor,SchwittersadheredfaithfullytoMerz.Itisinterestingtonotethatthistermcamefromthename“Kommerzbank”andtheverb“ausmerzen,”whichmeans “to eradicateorannihilate” (9). Since Schwitters didmostof hisbest-knowncreativeworkduringtheturbulentyearsof experimentationandde-structionbetweenthefirstandsecondworldwars,theverb“ausmerzen”seemsappropriate. Sinceitisimpossibletocoverallthirty-twotalesinoneshortreview,Iwilldescribetwoof myfavorites.“TheThreeWishes,”whichresemblestheGrimms’“TheFisher-manandHisWife,”followsthefamiliarplottosomeextent.Insteadof receivingthreewishesfromamagicalflounder,amangetsthegiftof threewishesfromahunchbackedoldwoman. First hewishes for wealth,whichallowshimto“[take]oneof thethreehundredandthirtytelephonesthat[lay]nexttohisbedand[order]allthepianosof theworldtobedeliveredimmediatelyand[have]themdumpedinanearbyriver”(126).Healsomakeshisservantsbatheinchocolate—butremainsunhappy.Hisnexttwowishesrequestworldpowerandtheshapeof afish(which,of course,bringstomindthemagicflounderintheGrimms’tale).Finally,theoldwomanchangesthemanbacktohisoriginalform, advisinghim,“Thenbehappy, andyou’llbeable tomakeothershappy, too”(129).Shedisappearswithaloudblastandanodorof brimstone. Amoreexplicitlypoliticalfairytale,“TheFishandtheShip’sPropeller,”satirizesfool-ishobediencetounimpressiveleaders.Thistale’scentralcharacterisafishthatswallowsaship’spropellerandbecomessofatthattheotherfish“laughsohardthatthealgae[vibrate]” (143).When all of thefish getcaughtinaship’snet,thefatfishhelpsthemtoescapebylayinghimself ononesideof thenetandtearingaholeinit.Rightafterthefatfish’sheroicdeed,theothersputacrownof musselsonhisheadandmarchbyhim, salutingwhile theirbandplays“HailtoOurLeaderwiththeVictor’sGarland”(143). This tale’s illustration humorouslydepictsalarge,ungainlyfishwithacrownclumsilytiedtoitshead.Inhisintroduction,

Zipesnotesthatthistale,writtenayearafterSchwitters fled fromGermany to live inNorway,satirizesGermans’celebrationof Hitler’srule(27). Zipes’sexcellentnotesattheendof thebookexplainwheneachtalewaswrittenandwhereitcanbefound,aswellasprovidinginteresting information about sources of inspirationandrelationships to traditionalfolktales.Thesenoteshelpthereaderunder-standthetales’social,political,andartisticcontexts. IheartilyrecommendLucky Hans and Other Merz Fairy Tales,bothasafolktaletextandasabookthatisenjoyabletoread.Howmanyscholarly booksmake us laugh out loudwhilereadingthem?Thisonedoes,andthelaughterfeelsgood!

—LibbyTuckerBinghamtonUniversity

Bigfoot: Encounters in New York and New England,byRobertE.andPaulB.Bartholomew.Blaine,Washington:HancockHouse, 2008. 176pages, photo-graphs,$24.95paper.

Sightings of large, elusive, hair-coveredbipedsinremotepartsof theNortheastgobacktocolonialtimes.Bigfoot: Encounters in New York and New England is ausefulandwell-researchedcollectionof reports,fromboth written and oral sources, of thosesightings. The core of the book is a retelling of thosereports inchronologicalorder,withthose fromNewYork followed by thosefromNewEngland.Inatwenty-pagesec-tion, “What’s Going On? The ChallengetoScience,” theauthorshavemanaged tocondense the various pro-and-con argu-mentsabouttheexistenceof Bigfootandtocoverbothrationalandwhatwemightcall New Age approaches to the reports.Followingisacondensationof thereports,again in chronological order, apparentlyintended as a quick-reference guide. Thebook iswell-written,asidefromanotablegaffe:“Fiveyearslater,araredaylightsight-ingwasreportedbyasixteen-year-oldboyandhisdog”(47).


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Mostof the stories are simpleconden-sations of what people claimed to haveseen; these are somewhat redundant, asthedescriptionof thecreaturedoesn’tvarymuch,eitherchronologicallyorgeographi-cally.Perhapsthemost intriguing incidentis retold from newspaper accounts from1932, when a pair of trappers in Hamil-tonCounty,themostremoteareaof NewYorkState,encounteredwhattheysaidwasaseven-foot,hair-coveredcreaturethatleftthirty-inchfootprints.Thenextdayapossesurroundedthecreature,whichhadholedupinacabin.Whencalledontosurrender,hefiredonthepossewithashotgun.The“creature,” who died in the ensuing gunbattle, proved to be a five-foot-six blackman—identity never discovered—wearinglayersof furs.Whocouldhehavebeen? Theauthorshavedoneacommendablejobinpresentingthereportsinastraight-forward,unemotionalway,inkeepingwiththeir intent to present the data and allowreaders to reach their own conclusions.

Even so, they seem to lean toward the“somethingisoutthere”sideof theargu-ment.Whatismostcompellingforthemiswhattheyperceiveasthereliabilityof thewitnesses,presentedasordinarypeoplego-ingabout their lives, seldomseekingpub-licity for themselves. Unfortunately, wehave only the authors’ assurances, honestalthoughtheymaybe,astothisreliability.Asitisnottheauthors’intenttointroducetheirinformantsindepth,wemeetthelat-teronlyinasuperficialway. Theauthorsadmit thathoaxingplaysarole in theBigfoot tradition andmentiona few cases where hoaxes were admittedto by their perpetrators. They assert thathoaxes account for only 5 or 10 percentof reports,withoutproviding theirmeth-od for calculating thatpercentage. Inoneexample of “documented evidence,” twoteenageboysencounteraBigfoot,andonepeppersitwithBBshotpelletsbeforetheyrunaway.Thenextday,severalstudentsonaschoolbusspotaBigfootatthesamelo-

cation. In somecases, the samewitnessesspotthecreatureatdifferenttimesandindifferent locations. Fivemembers of onefamily (or at leastof the same lastname,from the same small town) account forfourencounters. Thereareelementsof boosterismtobeconsidered, aswell. In 1976one starwit-nesssawahairycreatureonhisgolf course,whichnowsportsaBigfootasitslogo.Au-thorPaulBartholomewconvincedboththevillage and town of Whitehall, along theVermont border—the apparent epicenterof these sightings—to adopt a resolutionin1994prohibitingthehuntingorabuseof Bigfootasanendangeredspecies.Anews-paper report leading up to the resolutionnoted that inBartholomew’s opinion, theideawas“mostlysymbolic”and“wouldbeasteptowardbringingnotorietyandtour-iststothearea,muchlikethelakemonsterChamp does for Lake Champlain,” andquotedhim as saying, “We shouldhave amuseum exhibit, based on this phenom-


Submission Guidelines forVoices: The Journal of New York FolkloreVoices:TheJournalof NewYorkFolklore 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.

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enon,andIthinkitwoulddrawtouristsaswell,andmaybeevenafestival.” In her foreword, Christine Janis, pro-fessor of ecology and evolutionary biol-ogyatBrownUniversity,suggeststhatonestrengthof theBartholomews’researchistheconsistencyof Bigfoot’sdescriptionintheaccounts.There isconsistency, too, inthedescriptionof extraterrestrialsbytheirformerkidnappees,exemplifiedbythe in-sectile alien in the movieClose Encounters of the Third Kind, which looks remarkablylikecomicbookaliensof the1950s.Withminor variations, Bigfoot might be en-counteredinthedepictionsof hypotheticalmissinglinksfamiliartoanyonewhostud-iedscienceinapublicschool. Janis also brings up a “strange observa-tion”by one researcher thatBigfoot couldnotsurvivewinters inNewYorkandNewEngland,asthereis“noevidenceof tools.”“Howthen,”sheasks,“dobearssurviveinthesamehabitat?”Theanswercouldbethatbearshibernate.Fromtheseaccounts,there’sno evidence that Bigfoot creatures do, astheyaresightedyear-round,noristhereanyindicationthattheyloseweightoverthewin-ter,likewoodchucksandchipmunks. Theauthorshaveraisedmanyquestionsabout “what’s going on.” Their researchmay certainly serve as a springboard forseriousdiscussionof theBigfootphenom-enon,butIamnotsocertainthattheyhavesuccessfully laid down a significant “chal-lengetoscience.”

—PeterVoorheisTowlesville,NewYork

Save the Date! November 20, 2010“Latino Folk Culture and

Expressive Traditions”

A graduate student conference, in collaboration with the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and

Latino Studies at New York University.

For the call for papers and other conference information, please visit our

web site at www.nyfolklore.org .

Paper Submission Deadline September 24, 2010

Join the New York Folklore Society and become part of a community that will deepen your involvement with folklore, folklife, the traditional arts, and contemporary culture. As a member, you’ll have early notice of key events.

Fall Conference. People travel from all over to meet in a different part of the state each year for the NYFS Fall Conference and Annual Meeting. Professionals in folklore and related fields join with educators and practitioners to explore the culture and traditions of the area. Lectures and discussions are balanced with concerts, dancing, and tours of cultural sites.

New York State Folk Arts Forums. Folk arts professionals, colleagues in related disciplines, and lay people come together each year to address a topic of special interest—whether it be folklore and the Internet, heritage tourism, cultural conservation, or intellectual property law.

Help When You Need ItBecome a member and learn about technical assistance programs that will get you the help you need in your work.

Mentoring and Professional Development Program for Folklife and the Traditional Arts. Receive technical assistance from a mentor of your choosing. You can study with a master traditional artist, learn new strategies for marketing, master concert and exhibition production, organize an archive, or improve your organizational management.

Folk Artists Self-Management Project. If you’re a traditional artist, you know the importance of business, management, and marketing skills to your success in the marketplace. NYFS can help you with workshops, mentoring, and publications.

Folk Archives Project. What could be more critical than finding a repository for an important collection? The NYFS is a leader in the preservation of our cultural heritage. Attend our workshops and order copies of NYFS books at a discount.

Consulting and Referral. The NYFS offers informal counseling and referral services to the members in the field. Contact us by telephone, e-mail, or letter.

Publications. Members receive discounts on all NYFS publications. Visit www.nyfolklore.org for current titles.

Join the New York Folklore Society today and become a subscriber to Voices

A Public VoiceThe NYFS raises awareness of folklore among the general public through three important channels.

Print. Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore, published twice a year, brings you folklore in the words and images of its creators and practitioners. The journal’s new look distinguishes it from other publications in the field. Read Voices for news you can use about our field and legal issues, photography, sound and video recording, and archiving.

Radio. Voices of New York Traditions is a series of radio documentaries that spotlight the folklife of the state, aired on public radio. Stay tuned!

Internet. Visit www.nyfolklore.org for the latest news on events in folklore. Updated weekly, the NYFS web site is designed to appeal to the public as well as keep specialists informed.

Advocacy The NYFS is your advocate for sympathetic and informed attention to folk arts.• We represent you on issues before the state legislature and the federal government when public policy affects the field. Visit the advocacy pages at www.nyfolklore.org to learn what we’re doing and how you can help. • The society partners with statewide, regional, and national organizations, from the New York State Arts and Cultural Coalition to the American Folklore Society, and frequently presents its projects and issues at meetings of professional organizations in the allied fields of archives, history, and libraries.

So Join!Become part of a community that explores and nurtures the traditional cultures of New York State and beyond. Membership in the NYFS entitles you to the following benefits:• A subscription to Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore • Invitations to conferences, workshops, and meetings • Updates on technical assistance programs • Opportunities to meet others who share your interests • Discounts on NYFS booksPlus the satisfaction of knowing that you support the only organization devoted to folklore across New York State.

Yes, I want to join the New York Folklore Society.

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$60 Organizations and institutionsPlease add $10 for additional postage for foreign memberships.

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Make a tax-deductible donation and help support the organization that supports folklore.

My donation over and above my basic member-ship fee will entitle me to the following additional benefits:

$60. Supporting member. Book. $100 and up. The Harold W. Thompson

Circle. CD.

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The amount of memberships greater than $20 and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Make your check payable to New York Folklore Society and send it with this form to:

New York Folklore Society P.O. Box 764Schenectady, NY 12301

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

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PAIDSchenectady, NY

Permit No.62

music with roots

annual

Paul McKenna Band

Gadelle

Tennessee Mafia Jug Band Matt & Shannon Heaton

Tim Eriksen

Moscow Nights

James Keelaghan

Kim & Reggie Harris

june 25, 26 & 27Altamont Fairgrounds10 miles west of Albany

www.oldsongs.orgOld Songs, Inc., PO Box 466, Voorheesville, NY 12186 • 518-765-2815 • [email protected]

Paul McKenna Band Scottish band

Matt & Shannon Heaton Irish duo

James Keelaghan Canadian singer/songwriter

Tennessee Mafia Jug Bandrib-tickling old-time tunes

Elizabeth LaPrelleballads from rural Virginia

Billy Jonas percussionist/songwriter/family music

Madcat & Kaneblues harmonica & guitar

Kim & Reggie Harris empowering songs

Moscow Nightstraditional music of Russia

Gadelle music of Prince Edward Island

Tim Eriksen northern roots music

featuring the best

in eclectic folk including:

vodou drums - new york folklorevodou dancing in the city, survey the shape-shifting history of rip...

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