Capturing Craft Photo Contest deadline is March 30th. #nlcraft

The Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador invites people across the province to participate in a special craft event as part of their 40th Anniversary celebrations. The Capturing Craft Photo Contest is a province-wide event encouraging the public to take a photo of their favourite craft item, local craft shop or a craft they're making themselves and share it with the Craft Council.

Deadline for entries is 4pm, March 30th, 2012.

Says spokesperson Jennifer Barnable, "Craft is everywhere in Newfoundland and Labrador. Every household has it, whether it's the coffee mug you use in the morning, the scarf you wear on a wintry day, the art on your walls, or the mat you put your boots on. We encourage people across the province to share their love of craft with us as we celebrate craft."

Photos with brief descriptive captions can be e-mailed, Facebooked or Tweeted to the Craft Council until March 30th. Four fine craft prizes will be announced on April 2nd. For full contest details and rules are outlined at http://www.craftcouncil.nl.ca/news/capturing-craft-photo-contest/

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Bonfire Night!

One of my favourite Newfoundland holiday's is fast approaching: Bonfire Night! Celebrated on November 5th, Bonfire Night is one of those traditions that has faded somewhat in recent years, with concerns about vandalism and fire safety. In 2010, however, over forty communities across Newfoundland and Labrador hosted official town bonfires, indicating rather clearly that the tradition is far from moribund.

The photo above was taken on Bonfire Night in Carbonear in 2010. Carbonear is one of the communities participating again in this year's Festival on Fire, and their community bonfire will start at 6:30 PM at the community Recreation Complex. Hot chocolate and marshmallows will be served!

To learn more about Bonfire Night, listen to some of the interviews on Memorial University's Digital Archive Initiative.

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Knot Tying

This week's photo is of Captain Jan Negrijn tying knots at the Twine Loft, Trinity, as part of Doors Open in 2007.

Knot tying is one of the topics that comes up from time to time as I do workshops in communities about skills and traditions they are worried about losing. At one time, every sailor and fisherman knew dozens of knots, a huge body of specialized knowledge that is not as widespread today as it once was.

Along with that, there were all kinds of folk beliefs about knots, such as knots in a piece of string, which, when buried, could be a cure for warts.

If you've got memories or thoughts on knots and knot tying in Newfoundland and Labrador culture, drop me a line, so to speak.

If a piece of string of any kind is placed outside the house on the eve of St. Brigid, the good saint will walk on it, and that a piece of the cord worn about the leg or foot will be a talisman against all injury from falls and accidents due to stumbling. 

 -PJ Kinsella, Some Superstitions and Traditions of Newfoundland

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Folk Art, Compliments of Vic

I'm not sure exactly how old this photo is, but I know I snapped it, on slide film, in Bay de Verde, possibly about 2001.  I love how much is crammed into this little display: fishing boats, dorries, part of what looks like an old make-and-break engine.

If you know anything about Vic, or about the objects in the photo, email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Norman Currie and Bull Bird, Britannia Newfoundland

I've got a lot a great photos that I've been amassing over the past three years of the intangible cultural heritage project, and it seems a shame to not share some of them. So, with that in mind, I'm going to start a new weekly folklore photo posting, and put a new photo up each week.

This week is a favourite, of Uncle Norman Currie with his boat model, Bull Bird, shown here at the dock in Britannia, Random Island.  I'm not sure of the date on this one, but Uncle Norm passed away a few years ago, and this was one of his last model projects.

One of my favourite stories about him was one I heard from Jim Roy, his nephew-in-law. Apparently, Uncle Norm had an old boat that he had made, with an inboard motor of some type. The propeller shaft had snapped, and when he was told it would cost him $100 to have it welded, Uncle Norm took a cheaper and slightly more ingenious route. He got someone with an angle grinder to smooth off the end of the shaft, then cut a foot off the stern of the boat, and rebuilt it a foot further up, shortening the boat, and allowing the shorter propeller shaft to protrude the correct distance from the back of the boat. Apparently, it worked, and the boat was reportedly even more stable than it had been before the alteration.

A great example of making do with what one has.

Thanks to Jim Roy, Lower Lance Cove, for the story and the photo.