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A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

James Mooney Recordings of American Indian Ghost Dance Songs, 1894

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

In the summer of 1894 James Mooney, a scholar of American Indian culture and language, made recordings of songs of the Ghost Dance in several languages.  The James Money Recordings of American Indian Ghost Dance Songs have recently been updated and are part of the presentation, Emile Berliner and the Birth of the Recording Industry. …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Urban Folklife, Urban Artistry: breaking down the complexities of urban dance with Junious Brickhouse

Posted by: Stephen Winick

The following is a guest post from AFC folklife specialist Michelle Stefano. On February 22 at noon, the Library of Congress will host the talented dancers of Urban Artistry, Inc. in the Coolidge Auditorium as part of the Homegrown Concert Series of the American Folklife Center. Audience members are in for a treat: three rounds …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Peter Bartis April 26, 1949-December 25, 2017

Posted by: Stephen Winick

The American Folklife Center is very sad to report the death of our longtime staff member, Peter Bartis. Peter died on December 25, 2017, from cancer. He had been in hospice for several days, with his spouse Ben, his brother Jim, and several AFC staff members visiting him daily. At the time of his retirement …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Collection Spotlight: Children’s Songs from the Virgin Islands

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

Between 1976 and 1978 Karen S. Ellis recorded the playground songs of elementary school students on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. She was teaching at the Ricardo Richards School and many of the children she recorded were her students. This work culminated in a book and recording, Domino, a resource for children and teachers, published …

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What’s in a Whistle? The Curious Beginnings of an Ending Trope

Posted by: John Fenn

This is a guest post by American Folklife Center archivist Kelly Revak. As I covered in a previous blog post, I have been exploring the “experimental recordings’ of Jesse Walter Fewkes and discovering a number of items of folkloric interest therein. One of these Fewkes recordings is at least somewhat well-known and that is this …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

My First Month at VHP

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

The following is a guest blog post by Kerry Ward, a liaison specialist for the Veterans History Project (VHP). As I wrap up my first month working for the Veterans History Project, I find myself reflecting on my first impressions.  Only a few weeks ago, I packed all of my possessions, boyfriend and bulldog into …