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Posted by: Stephanie Hall
The Library of Congress has created its own Mannequin Challenge video featuring many staff members and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. The American Folklife Center’s Jennifer Cutting, Valda Morris, and Kelly Revak were among the participants. Here it is (it can also be found on Library of Congress YouTube at the link). The Mannequin Challenge …
Posted in: Folk Drama, Popular Culture
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
This post is also featured on the Library of Congress Blog as “World War I: ‘Trench Blues’ — An African American Song of the War.” Head over there to find more WWI stories from the Library’s collections honoring the centennial (2017-2018). There is another Folklife Today post about an African American World War I song …
Posted in: African Americans, Alan Lomax, Folksong, World War I
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
“A lot of things come out of my chest,” Agnes Vanderburg explained in 1979 when folklorist Kay Young asked about her reasons for starting a school to pass on her knowledge of Salish Indian traditions (recording at the link, go to 1:50 minutes). She had felt frustrated at carrying knowledge that was disappearing as Indians …
Posted in: Folk Medicine, Foodways, Material Culture, Native American History, Women's History
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
Bats show up everywhere at Halloween. Often they are playing a bit part, in the background of decorations and advertising as a kind of mascot for the holiday. But they do show up in their major role in horror movies and television programs, as the dreaded vampire transforms into a bat and flies away. The …
Posted in: Folksong, Halloween, Legends, Native American History
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
For many today, Labor Day is a day off: a day to go to the beach or have a barbecue, for example. Relaxing activities are certainly part of the tradition. But it should not be forgotten that Labor Day was born out of struggle for better treatment and recognition of the workers who built the …
Posted in: Folksong, Holidays, Labor Day, Narratives
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
Amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson and palaeontologist Sir Arthur Smith Woodward of the British Museum (now the British Natural History Museum) announced the startling discovery of an ancient human ancestor in Sussex in December 18, 1912. The skull of what Dawson named Eoanthropus dawsoni (Dawson’s dawn man), which came to be popularly known as the Piltdown Man, …
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
The 19th century saw an explosion of interest in sea serpents as well as other mysteries of nature in the United States and Europe. This was the dawn of an age when legend met science with the idea that science could solve ancient mysteries. One could say that we are still in that age, although …
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
During the 1940s, singer, songwriter, and author Woody Guthrie carried on a lively correspondence with the staff of the Archive of American Folk Song (now the American Folklife Center archive) where many of his songs are housed. He had recorded songs for Alan Lomax at the Library of Congress in March of 1940, and so …
Posted in: Folksong, Woody Guthrie
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
Today Gay Pride parades occur on weekends in June throughout the United States, as well as in many other countries around the world. It is unusual for folklorists to be able to say exactly when and where a tradition began, but this is a rare case when history does record the events. The tradition of …
Posted in: LGBT Pride Month, LGBTQ