Kwanzaa: The emergence of an African-American holiday Flores-Pena, Ysamur Kwanzaa: The Emergence of an African-American Holiday 1 INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY On December 23, 1991,Janice C. Simpson, in the Living section of Time magazine, wrote: “Add a new seasonal greeting to your list: Habari Gani. It is Swahili for `What’s new?’ and the salutation for millions […]
Category: Western Folklore
Gender Shifts in Contemporary Legend Henken, Elissa R Contemporary legends, in addition to highlighting a culture’s particular current fears, anxieties, or concerns, also provide glimpses of a wider range of attitudes and assumptions within the culture. Given that gender plays a significant role in multiple facets of United States culture, it is not surprising that […]
Cultural and Intercultural Functions of Chinese Restaurants in the Mountain West: An Insider’s Perspective Li, Li As Jan Harold Brunvand points out (Brunvand 1998:591), folk foods (in which category we can also include the kinds of ethnic and national foods I will discuss here) are unique among traditional expressions because they are so “quickly and […]
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Vampire: A Casebook, The
Vampire: A Casebook, The Dresser, Norine The Vampire.- A Casebook- Edited by Alan Dundes. (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1998. Pp. viii + 182, editor’s preface, selected bibliography index, subject index. $16.95 paper) Comprised of eleven scholarly essays, each article examines the immortally appealing vampire from a different point of view or geographic location. While […]
Balut: Fertilized duck eggs and their role in filipino culture Magat, Margaret “Whoever discovered balut stumbled onto the fact that food has changing excellences (taste, texture) as it evolves and develops. Thus between the egg and the full-grown duck, there are stages that bear exploring-and eating. And the Filipino has explored them and evolved the […]
Hell’s Belles: Prostitution, Vice, and Crime in Early Denver, with a Biography of Sam Howe, Frontier Lawman/Prostitution, Polygamy, and Power: Salt Lake City, 1847-1918 Parent, Robin Hell’s Belles: Prostitution, Vice, and Crime in Early Denver, with a Biography of Sam Howe, Frontier Lawman. Rev. ed. By Clark secrest. (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2002. Pp. […]
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Devils dancing for the virgin
Carnival in Bolivia: Devils dancing for the virgin Lecount, Cynthia “Pobrecitos! Those poor kids!” exclaimed Roberto, as we huddled under an umbrella, watching the Carnaval parade in Oruro. Dancers in bright blue mini-skirts sloshed along in ankle-deep water, pirouetting on their high heels and smiling bravely. Soggy satin pants clung to the legs of the […]
Corridos y Canciones de las Pizcas: Ballads and Songs of the 1920s Cotton Harvests Dickey, Dan TEXAS MEXICANS AND COTTON Cotton was first planted in Texas around 1822 by Stephen F. Austin’s settlers, but for many years was mainly restricted to the traditional southern bottom lands of East Texas. However, as early as the 1870s, […]
ARCHER TAYLOR MEMORIAL LECTURE 2006: Is the Pope Still Catholic? Historical Observations on Sarcastic Interrogatives Doyle, Charles Clay Ask a stupid question, and you’ll get . . . a stupid question. In 1975, in the first issue of Midwestern Journal of Language and Folklore (later renamed Midwestern Folklore), I undertook to define and discuss a […]
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Locating Celtic music (and song)
Introduction: Locating Celtic music (and song) Porter, James All that emotion alone can do in music the Celt has done; the very soul of emotion breathes in the Scotch and Irish airs; but with all this power of musical feeling, what has the Celt, so eager for emotion, that he has not patience for science, […]