Easter Eggs #FolklorePhoto

In honour of Easter, this week's #FolklorePhoto is of Ljudmila Nikolajeva's beautiful, hand-painted Easter eggs at Newfiki: Cultural Concert Night which took place in 2013. This photo was taken by Nicole Penny. 

Living Heritage Podcast Ep104 Behind the walls of the Simms House

Tyler Stapleton is a 24 year old Nautical Science Graduate from the Marine Institute. When not navigating the North Atlantic he is actively restoring his 1882 Registered Heritage Structure in Downtown St. John’s. The home was built in 1882 for draper George Taylor and sold to cooper Henry V. Simms in 1902. Simms ran a successful trade out of a shop once located behind the home and, by the time he died in 1947, owned several properties in the area. Simms played an active in his community, serving as Vice President of the Master Coopers’ Association and an organizer of the local prohibition movement.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast, we chat about the history of the building, his process of research and restoration, and delve into some of the secrets of the Simms House.


Download the mp3

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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HFNL and CHMR Radio. Past episodes hosted on Libsyn, and you can subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

The Knights of Columbus Hostel #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

While researching jukeboxes for our next Oral History Roadshow project, I came across this photo from the 1940s. It was taken at The Knights of Columbus Hostel which was located on Harvey Road. This was a popular hangout spot for service personnel during WWII. 

On December 12, 1942 a fire quickly swept through the building and resulted in the loss of ninety-nine lives. An "Uncle Tim's Barn Dance" was happening at the time.

Mutliculturalism Week and "Tales From Afar: Old Stories from New Residents" Booklet Launch

As part of St. John's Multiculturalism Week, last Thursday HFNL, in partnership with the Local Immigration partnership (LIP), launched a new booklet titled Tales From Afar: Old Stories from New Residents. 

We collected stories from new Canadians, recent immigrants, refugees, internationals students and log-time residents who have made Newfoundland and Labrador their forever home. They shared ghost stories, myths, legends, fairy tales - anything that had been passed down by word of mouth. These stories came from all over the world: Scotland, France, Germany, Croatia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Syria, Iran, China, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, and the USA. We took these stories and arranged them into a booklet.

Nadia Sarwar. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2018.

Depute mayor, Sheilagh O'Leary, emceed the event. We had participants share their stories. We heard a tale about how one should never give up. We learned why chickens scratch the ground. We were treated to a traditional Korean drum and dance, and heard the story of the dreadful dried persimmon in both Korean and English. We learned about the importance of respecting your parents. And we heard the cautionary tale of Tiger Grandma.

Jae Hong Jin. Photo by Terra Barrett. 2018.

The day finished with some delicious, traditional Taiwanese food made by The Smiling Sisters. The event was a great success, and showcased the rich multiculturalism we have present in St. John's.

If you would like to read these stories in full, you can download a PDF version of the booklet by clicking here.

Dr. Dove #FolklorePhoto

This week's #FolklorePhoto comes from the Julia Ann Walsh Heritage Center's collection. This is a portrait of Dr. Dove taken circa 1940.

Dr. Terry Delaney explains, "Dr. Dove was the first doctor to work [at the Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital] when [it] was built, and his daughter, [Sue Dove], came to work here in the late ‘70s."

Living Heritage Podcast Ep103 Bollywood songs and Indian Music Stores

Dr. Jayson Beaster-Jones is an Associate Professor of Music in the Global Arts Studies Program at the University of California Merced. He received his B.A. in Music and Anthropology from Whitman College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago. Jayson is ethnomusicologist whose work focuses upon the music industry of India. He has written two books, co-edited the volume Music in Contemporary Indian Film, published in the journals Ethnomusicology, Popular Music, and South Asian Popular Culture, as well as book chapters in several edited volumes.

Dr. Jayson Beaster-Jones.
Photo courtesy of University of California Merced.

Jayson visited St. John's in March to give a series of lectures at Memorial University as well as a public lecture and Bollywood music dance night presented by MMAP Centre. In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast, we talk about Jayson's research in India on music retail stores as sites of cultural production, and Bollywood film songs and their musical and social meanings.

Download the mp3.

You're Invited to "Tales From Afar: Old Stories From New Residents" Booklet Launch

The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, in partnership with the St. John's Local Immigration Partnership, invites you to join them for the launch of Tales From Afar: Old Stories From New Residents.

“This booklet is a collection of world folktales, myths, and legends, retold by those who have come from away to make Newfoundland and Labrador their home,” explains Dale Jarvis. “We heard from storytellers from Scotland, France, Germany, Croatia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Syria, Iran, China, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, and the USA.”

The launch will take place on Thursday, March 22nd at 2:30 p.m. at the St. John’s City Hall (10 New Gower Street). Copies of the booklet will be available. Reception to follow.

If you are on Facebook check out the event and share it with your friends.

Please contact Katie Harvey for more information:

katherine@heritagefoundation.ca

1-888-739-1892 (ext. 6)

Presenting Shamrocks to Troops in Britiain #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

On St. Patrick's Day, 1944, D.J. Davies, Newfoundland's Trade Commissioner in London, presented shamrocks to officers and men of the 59th Heavy Regiment. Behind the officer carrying the box of shamrocks is the C.O. of the Regiment, Lt.-Col. R.C. Longfield.

The ceremony demonstrated in these photographs was held on St. Patrick's Day for Newfoundland troops in Britain. Newfoundland troops, who had been in Britain for nearly four years at the time, were inspected on St. Patrick's Day in the South Eastern Command. These troops were not part of the Canadian Forces in Britain but were a section of the British Army. Most of the men are of Irish descent and after the inspection were each presented with a piece of Shamrock to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Officers of the Newfoundland Regiment were also present at the inspection.

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Gardening in Keels with Joseph "June" Fitzgerald

Ann and Joseph "June" Fitzgerald in their garden in Keels. Photo by Kristin Catherwood. 2012.
Photo courtesy of Memorial University of Newfoundland's Digital Archives Initiative.

As part of the Collective Memories project the ICH office is showcasing community material which has been placed on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. This interview with Joseph "June" Fitzgerald of Keels was conducted by Kristin Catherwood as part of the 2012 Folklore Field School. In the interview Joseph "June" discusses gardening in Keels, past and present. This includes reasons for gardening; garden locations; vegetables grown; necessity of gardening; enjoyment of gardening; gardening as a hobby; fertilization of gardens; soil preparation; cultivation methods; garden pests; and the gardening season. If you want to learn more about gardening click here.

The ICH office is helping communities place previously recorded materials online. If your community has material you would like to make publicly accessible reach out to the Heritage Foundation at 1-888-739-1892 ex.2 or ich@heritagefoundation.ca

#FoodwaysFriday - Main Arm Slob

Community kitchen workers. Photo by Terra Barrett.

When Terra and I were in Bonne Bay in January, we discovered that one of the meals the Cottage Hospital was best known for was called "Main Arm Slob." Neither of us had heard of this before, and so we asked one of the RNs, Susan Reid, to explain what it was:

"Main arm slob was just salt meat cut up in small pieces with onion, pepper, carrot, turnip and potato. It was cut up and I suppose it was cooked so the starch - it was almost white - would come out of the potato and it would thicken the sauce. But that’s what it was. We used to call it main arm slob because it used to be main arm - where you drive in [to Norris Point] was the main arm. And when it iced over you’d get the slob on it. So we used to call it main arm slob. That’s where the name came from."

The community kitchen will be serving this, and other traditional dishes, for lunch soon. If you are interested in trying some of the foods that were served in the Cottage Hospital stop by for a visit!

-Katie Harvey

UPDATED DATE: Booklet Launch for Coves, Streets, Fields and More: The Places of Bay Roberts

UPDATED DATE - Due to a scheduled weather warning for Saturday the 10th this event has been moved to Saturday, March 24th.
On March 24th, students from Memorial University’s Folklore Department will be in Bay Roberts to officially launch their booklet “Coves, Streets, Fields and More: The Places of Bay Roberts.” 

For three weeks in September 2017, Memorial’s newest folklore graduate students arriving from Northern Ontario, all parts of the United States, Iran, and Israel, were transplanted to Bay Roberts to participate in a three-week long cultural documentation field school. The event was a required course that takes place at the start of the first semester of the graduate program in Folklore.

Students in the 2017 Folklore Field School came to know Bay Roberts through the stories residents shared of some of the community’s special places: Drummer’s Rock, Muddy Hole, Bear’s Cove, Cable Ave, the field on Neck Road, skating locations, “cobby” houses, Powell’s Supermarket, the library, and the Amalgamated School. 

“The special places residents shared with students in the field school give shape to the town of Bay Roberts,” says Memorial University's Dr. Diane Tye, who ran the field school with colleague Dr. Jillian Gould. 

“The field school participants were warmly welcomed by local residents, and this booklet is both a ‘give back’ to the community, as well as a product of what the students learned.” 

The booklet was produced in cooperation with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, as part of its ongoing Oral History Roadshow booklet series. The booklet will be launched at a special ceremony at the Bay Roberts Visitor Pavilion on Veterans Memorial Highway, 11 am on Saturday, March 24th. 

All are welcome to attend, reception to follow.

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Memories of Cavendish with Gladys Jackson

Horse in Cavendish, NL. 1994.
Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation slide collection. # 017.13.010
Photo courtesy of Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative.

As part of the Collective Memories project the ICH office is showcasing community material which has been placed on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. Check out this interview which is part of a series of filmed oral histories, collected in 2005 by the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation, from over 40 elders who grew up in the area. The Baccalieu Trail HeritageCorporation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and protecting the heritage of the Baccalieu Trail Region. This project includes memories of living and working in the area, going to school, children’s games, home remedies, the first modes of transportation, supernatural beliefs, traditional industries and calendar customs and celebrations. This interview is with Gladys Jackson of Cavendish, NL. The interviewer is Linda Reid. The camera was operated by Linda Cooper. The video was edited by Darrell Barrett.

The ICH office is helping communities place previously recorded materials online. If your community has material you would like to make publicly accessible reach out to the Heritage Foundation at 1-888-739-1892 ex.2 or ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Living Heritage Podcast Ep102 Faces of the Florizel On Air

In February 1918, the S.S. Florizel left St. John’s on what would be its last journey. Blizzard conditions and miscommunication between the bridge and the engine room caused the vessel to crash into the rocks near Cappahayden, Newfoundland. Of the 137 souls on board, only 44 survived. One hundred years later, Heritage Foundation of NL folklorist Dale Jarvis and special guests Heather Elliott and Deanna Walter met at Admiralty House Communications Museum for a live audience recording of the Living Heritage radio show and podcast to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the shipwreck.

In this podcast, we talk about the history of the S.S. Florizel disaster and the behind-the-scenes work that went into preparing the Faces of the Florizel exhibit.

Download the mp3

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The Living Heritage Podcast is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HFNL and CHMR Radio. Past episodes hosted on Libsyn, and you can subscribe via iTunes, or Stitcher. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Fieldwork at the Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital

Participants share a laugh at the wine and cheese. Photo by Katie Harvey.

In late January, Terra and I travelled to Bonne Bay to begin conducting research and oral history interviews on the Cottage Hospital as a part of our Oral History Roadshow Series. We met Joanie Cranston, former chair of the ICH committee, at the hospital where we would be staying for the next few days. She had organized several events in order to gather locals to reminisce on the thriving days of the cottage hospital.

When we arrived, the ladies of the community kitchen program had prepared supper for us and baked a variety of delicious treats. Terra and I ate and familiarized ourselves with our temporary home. The hospital is now used as a physiotherapy clinic, a radio station, a public library, a hostel, a museum and a community center.

That night I had the old hag. Terra and I were sleeping in the upstairs portion of the building, which was where the female staff once lived. I awoke around 3:00 a.m. and was unable to move or speak. I attempted to call out to Terra but I couldn’t make any noise. Finally, my body was freed by the apparition of my mother who was pressing down on my side with her index finger.

The next day I told Joanie about my experience. She was intrigued and explained that a Peruvian healer had stayed in the hostel years ago and he too had had the Old Hag. He proceeded to cleanse the building of spirits, but he claimed that one spirit refused to leave without a visit from a Catholic priest. According to Joanie, that male spirit remains in the building. She said I was the first person to have been hagged since that man had performed the cleansing.

Katie Harvey sits in an old patient bed. Photo by Terra Barrett. 

The next day we hosted a memory mug-up in the daytime where people who worked as LPNs, blue aids, housekeepers, laundry workers, and cooks gathered to discuss their memories of working in the hospital. We ate goodies that were baked by the ladies of the community kitchen program. Terra and I spent the day conducting interviews with participants.

That evening we hosted a wine and cheese and more people came out to share their memories. There were lots of laughs as people discussed memorable patients, practical jokes, ghost stories and close calls. Terra and I conducted several more interviews and turned in after a long day.

Here is an example of one of the stories we heard, as told by Dr. Jim Bowen:

"There was a night I was on call and it was a weekend night. So back then we had a club, The Ferryman’s Lounge. There was usually a dance there on Saturday nights. Not uncommonly, there would be a fight or something would happen. Someone would come in a 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, usually drunk, cut with a beer bottle or knocked out loaded, and you’d be called in. So on this particular occasion I got called in, and a gentleman was there inebriated and cut. So I was getting ready to sew him up. And his buddy was with him and I noticed the buddy suddenly got quiet. I looked over at him and I could see that he was looking faint. I didn’t want him to faint on top of what we were doing or hurt himself so I said, “You better go outside and get some fresh air or sit down.” So a few seconds passed after he left the room and I heard a thump. So I knew that he had fainted. Another minute or so passed - I had sterile gloves on and I was fixing up the other guy’s head so I couldn’t really leave and see what was going on - and then I heard the janitor behind me. The guy had fainted right on the long winter boot mat. So the janitor had just grabbed the ends of the mat and hauled him down the hallway on the mat, unconscious. He just pulled up in front of the door, I turned around and he said, “Where do you want him, Doc?” I said, “Well, put him in room number two.” So he pulled him on down the hall. There was a lot of really funny moments like that."

Terra Barrett interviewing Dr. Terry Delaney. Joanie Cranston sits in on the interview. Photo by Katie Harvey.

The following day Joanie had organized a couple more interviews, so we completed those and packed up to head home. We had conducted over twenty interviews over the course of two days, and we learned so much about the Cottage Hospital. The major theme that arose was how much everyone loved working there, and how close the staff had been. It was great to be able to hear about these positive memories, and see that the building was still remaining useful in a variety of ways.

The information collected from our trip to Bonne Bay is currently being compiled into a booklet. This will be the eighth in our Oral History Roadshow Series, so keep your eyes peeled for the launch of that soon!

-Katie Harvey 

From Sealskin to Science Fiction: Taking Tradition into the Twenty-First Century. #HeritageNL

We are pleased to launch the digital version of our magazine-format report "From Sealskin to Science Fiction: Taking Tradition into the Twenty-First Century" - Proceedings of the Forum on Adapting NL’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, held October 25-26, 2017, The Lantern, St. John’s, NL, Canada. The report looks back at a decade of work safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Newfoundland and Labrador and presents the work of individuals and organizations taking ideas of tradition, heritage, and culture, and moving those ideas into the 21st century. 

Cover photo by Jeremy Harnum, with articles by Clare Fowler of Clare Dawn Couture, Dan Rubin of Perfectly Perennial, Andrea O'Brien of HFNL, Jeremy Harnum of the Wooden Boat Museum of NL, Eileen Balsom Matthews of Heritage New Perlican, Jessica Barry of the St. John's Local Immigration Partnership, Dianne Carr of Spaniard's Bay Heritage Society, Kristin Harris Walsh, Lori McCarthy of Cod Sounds, Kevin Noseworthy of Escape Quest, and Grace Shears of AbbyShot!

Download the free pdf version of the magazine here:

http://www.mun.ca/ich/resources/Heritage_Conference_Magazine_WEB.pdf

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Wonderful Woody Point with Jack and Sue Parsons

View of Woody Point 5, from the water. Colour photograph. Photo of Woody Point (1950) showing schooner.
Collected and donated to HFNL as visual documentation for the Woody Point Registered Heritage District.
Photo courtesy of Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative.

As part of the Collective Memories project the ICH office is showcasing community material which has been placed on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. This interview with Jack and Sue Parsons was conducted by Lisa Wilson in 2014 and is about their experience of growing up and staying in Woody Point. It includes information on family history, the school system, local businesses and events, and what it is like to live in a National Park. This interview was conducted as part of the documentation around designating Woody Point a Registered Heritage District.

The ICH office is helping communities place previously recorded materials online. If your community has material you would like to make publicly accessible reach out to the Heritage Foundation at 1-888-739-1892 ex.2 or ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Heritage Day 2018 - Heritage Stands the Test of Time

Introductory remarks by David Lough, Chair of  HFNL's Board of Directors. Photo by Katie Harvey.

Heritage Day is celebrated each year on the third Monday in February. In honour of this day, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador held a public event at the Yellowbelly Brewery on February 19th (click here to read more about the history of the building). Hosted by Fred Hutton of CBC, a crowd gathered to celebrate the heritage of our beautiful province. The theme of the event was "Heritage Stands the Test of Time."

A highlight of the day was announcing the winners of our 13th annual poster contest. This year, we received over one thousand entries from students across the province. Images depicting various heritage structures were submitted by students from kindergarten to grade twelve, coupled with essays explaining the personal significance of the building. Dale Jarvis and Michael Philpott from our office selected the winners.

Photo contest winners (left to right): Katie Spurrell, Luke Shannahan, Chloe Flusk and Hayley Martin with the Hon. Chris Mitchelmore.  Photo by Katie Harvey.

The winners of our first "Registered Heritage Structure Photo Contest" were recognized as well. Owners of Register Heritage Structures throughout the island were invited to submit photos of their properties in action. First place was awarded to the Bristol Hope Heritage Society for their picture of the Mosquito School House. Second place went to Todd Warren for his photo of the George House B&B in Dildo. 

We launched two publications: the first of which is titled Stories From the Heart. This booklet is the sixth publication in our Oral History Roadshow Series. However, this booklet was a little different from the others, as the stories were collected by our Oral History Class of 2018. Throughout the month of January, we held a class for people who wished to learn more about the techniques and skills of collecting oral histories. They interviewed various people about stories of love, love gone wrong, childhood crushes, and other related topics. If you would like download the full PDF, click here. 

Stories From the Heart. Photo by Katie Harvey.

The second publication released is titled From Sealskin to Science Fiction: Taking Tradition into the Twenty-First Century. This magazine was the result of our Adapting Heritage Conference which took place in the autumn of 2017. Click here to check out the publication online!

We had a wonderful time celebrating heritage day. If you missed it this year, hopefully we will see you next year!

-Katie Harvey

Joe Moore remembers the newspaper boys of Solomon's Lane.

Solomon's Lane, 2009. Photo by Alex Pierson/The Scope.

Last week, my friend Karen's father,  Dr. Joseph A. "Joe" Moore passed away. His funeral is today, and I'm on the other side of the province, so I'm sharing this as my way of saying farewell.

In 2009, Joe was one of the participants in the HereSay project started by myself and audio documentary producer Chris Brookes.  The project shared short stories about Water Street via an online map and a series of signposts along the street, each sign with a phone number and a code you could punch in to listen to the tale for that spot.

In this short clip, Joe remembers Solomon's Lane, and his days as a newspaper delivery boy for the Evening Telegram. He describes his route, and finding people to buy his newspapers.



For more on the history of Solomon's Lane, you can read an article about the laneway on the old website for The Scope.

 - Dale Jarvis

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Stories of Hant's Harbour with Lester Mitchell and Gordon Rogers

Stages on rock in Hant's Harbour. 1993.
Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation slide collection. # 017.19.025.
Photo courtesy of Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative.

As part of the Collective Memories project the ICH office is showcasing community material which has been placed on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. Check out this interview which is part of a series of filmed oral histories, collected in 2005 by the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation, from over 40 elders who grew up in the area. The Baccalieu Trail HeritageCorporation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and protecting the heritage of the Baccalieu Trail Region. This project includes memories of living and working in the area, going to school, children’s games, home remedies, the first modes of transportation, supernatural beliefs, traditional industries and calendar customs and celebrations. This interview is with Lester Mitchell and Gordon Rogers of Hant's Harbour, NL. The interviewer is Linda Cooper. The camera was operated by Linda Reid. The video was edited by Mike Ryan and Darrell Barrett.

The ICH office is helping communities place previously recorded materials online. If your community has material you would like to make publicly accessible reach out to the Heritage Foundation at 1-888-739-1892 ex.2 or ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Living Heritage Podcast Ep101 Exploring the Centre for Newfoundland Studies

This February, Joan Ritcey retired as Head of Memorial University’s Centre for Newfoundland Studies (CNS). Joan worked with Memorial University Libraries for 38 years, and throughout her career, she shared her extensive knowledge of all things Newfoundland and Labrador, working to collect and preserve the print culture of our province, making it widely accessible through digitization initiatives and research tools. The Periodical Article Bibliography (PAB) was developed under her leadership and is an essential tool for finding articles about all aspects of life in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast, we talk about the history and development of the CNS, the PAB, changes in research, digitization, and the library holdings.

Download the MP3

Heritage Day is coming, and you are invited!

Heritage Day is the Canadian holiday celebrating the country’s history and architecture, celebrated on the third Monday in February. Heritage Day was created in 1973 by the Heritage Canada Foundation to preserve and promote Canada’s natural, architectural, and historical heritage.

This year, Heritage Foundation of NL is celebrating Heritage Day by launching several projects, and announcing the winners of our annual school poster contest. Along the way, we're reporting on our living heritage workshops, partnering with architectural conservationists from Ireland, and sharing stories of love (appropriate for the days after St. Valentine's!).

To read more about the celebrations, and about our coming events and workshops, download the pdf version of our special Heritage Day issue of the Heritage Update newsletter!

Labrador Wedding #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

In honour of Valentine's Day, this week's #FolklorePhoto is of a wedding that took place in Labrador in the 1920s. Note the boy on the left holding a shotgun. It was customary in parts of Newfoundland for someone to fire a gun on the day of a wedding.

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Moravian Memories with Reverend Lawrence Junek

Nain church and building, Nain, Labrador. 1995-26-07.
Moravian Architecture of Labrador - Dale Jarvis collection.
Scanned from colour slide number CF18.
Courtesy of Memorial University's DAI. 

As part of the Collective Memories project the ICH office is showcasing community material which has been placed on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. Check out this interview with Reverend Lawrence Junek at his home, the Moravian manse, in Nain, Labrador, conducted by Dale Gilbert Jarvis as part of his thesis research in 1995. This interview is primarily about the Moravian system of dividing the congregation into age and sex based groups called "choirs" dead houses, funeral rituals, and the role of chapel servants.

The ICH office is helping communities place previously recorded materials online. If your community has material you would like to make publicly accessible reach out to the Heritage Foundation at 1-888-739-1892 ex.2 or ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Living Heritage Podcast Ep100 Beware the Dried Persimmon

Jae Hong Jin is a researcher, photographer, and musician who is currently working as a library assistant at the QEII library at Memorial University, with a background in the anthropology and folklore of his native Korea. Since his college days, Jae Hong has been a tradition bearer of the intangible cultural heritage of traditional farmers' music and drumming ensembles, and his MA research focussed on traditional music learners and audiences, continuity, and change.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast, we talk about how Korean culture has changed over the last fifty years, the work being done to safeguard intangible cultural heritage and musical traditions, cultural tourism, Korean folktales, and discuss if there is anything in the world more terrifying than a dried persimmon.

Download the MP3

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Recollections of Hopeall with Lillian Smith

Walter Edward Davidson fonds. Three girls on see-saw.
Series, Item A 51-124. Between 1915-1917.
Photo courtesy of The Rooms.

As part of the Collective Memories project the ICH office is showcasing community material which has been placed on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. Check out this interview which is part of a series of filmed oral histories, collected in 2005 by the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation, from over 40 elders who grew up in the area. The Baccalieu Trail HeritageCorporation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and protecting the heritage of the Baccalieu Trail Region. This project includes memories of living and working in the area, going to school, children’s games, home remedies, the first modes of transportation, supernatural beliefs, traditional industries and calendar customs and celebrations. This interview is with Lillian Smith of Hopeall, NL. The interviewer is Linda Reid. The camera was operated by Linda Cooper. The video was edited by Darrell Barrett.

The ICH office is helping communities place previously recorded materials online. If your community has material you would like to make publicly accessible reach out to the Heritage Foundation at 1-888-739-1892 ex.2 or ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Living Heritage Podcast Ep099 The Story of the Spar - The Wreck of the Hazel Pearl

Outside the Ella Freeman Heritage House in Champney’s West sits a curious artefact. Passersby might think it only an old piece of wood, but locals know it was the spar of the wrecked vessel Hazel Pearl. This spar was accidentally brought ashore by fisherman Wayne Freeman when it became tangled in his capelin seine several summers back. Documentary producer Rebecca Nolan presents a special episode which tells the full story of the Hazel Pearl - where the ship came from, and how it ended up at the bottom of Trinity Bay.

Rebecca Nolan graduated from Department of Folklore at Memorial University in May 2017. She has been doing radio for two years and has held radio internships with both NPR in the United States and CBC in St. John's. Photo of Li Xingpei measuring spar in Champney's West by Michael Philpott.

Download the MP3

Get a pdf copy of the booklet here:
The Story of the Spar: An Oral History of the Hazel Pearl

Lighthouse Cross Stitch Workshop

Have you ever wanted to learn how to cross stitch but had no idea where to start? Well now is your chance to learn! The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador has added a second cross stitching workshop which will take place on Tuesday, February 13 from 7:00-8:30 p.m in the Newman Building (located at 1 Springdale Street).

HFNL folklorist Katie Harvey (and owner of Queen Stitch NL) will teach you all the basics of cross stitching, while marrying the stitching lesson with the history of the Heart's Content Lighthouse. You will leave this workshop with all the materials needed to finish your cross stitch.

The workshop is $30 and space is limited. To register click here.

Man Carrying Rabbits #FolklorePhoto

Photo courtesy The Rooms Provincial Archives.

Here is a photo of an unknown man carrying several dead rabbits as he walks along the railway tracks on the west coast of Newfoundland. The photo was taken around the early 1900s. Snaring rabbits is a popular winter activity within the province. People say it is best to snare rabbits after a fresh snowfall.

There are many different ways to prepare rabbit. I remember my mother bottling it, making it into stew and roasting it when I was a child. How do you prepare rabbit?

-Katie Harvey

#CollectiveMemories Monday - Knitting in Conche with Gertrude Hunt

Gert Hunt demonstrating her knitting skills in Conche, Newfoundland.
Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2010. Photo courtesy of MUN's DAI.

As part of the Collective Memories project the ICH office is showcasing community material which has been placed on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. Check out this interview from May 17, 2010, Lisa Wilson interviews Gertrude Hunt of Conche, Newfoundland. Gertrude discusses knitting, life in Conche, her family, making quilts, working in the Conche fish plant, working in Alberta, and social change in Conche.

The ICH office is helping communities place previously recorded materials online. If your community has material you would like to make publicly accessible reach out to the Heritage Foundation at 1-888-739-1892 ex.2 or ich@heritagefoundation.ca

Traditional snowflake pattern mittens with the cuff.
Made by Gertrude Hunt, Conche, Newfoundland.
Photo by Lisa Wilson. 2010. Photo courtesy of MUN's DAI.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep098 Croatian Tales of Long Ago

Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić might not be the first name you think of when you think of fairy tales, unless, of course, you had a magical Croatian childhood like photographer and researcher Bojan Fürst.

Bojan is the Manager of Knowledge Mobilization at the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, Memorial University of Newfoundland. Bojan leads the Harris Centre's knowledge-brokering team, connecting community needs with the resources available at the university.

Recently, Bojan has been working to translate some of the literary fairy tales of Croatian author, poet, and essayist Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, who has been praised as one of Croatia’s best writers for children, and whose work utilizing traditional Slavic names and motifs been compared to Hans Christian Andersen and JRR Tolkien, though her work is not widely known by English-speaking audiences. Today, we’re working to fix that, and delving into the enchanting fairytales of Ivana's imagination and Bojan’s childhood.

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#CollectiveMemories Monday - Whitbourne recollections with Winnie Gear

32.04.002: Whitbourne. "Whitbourne 1937" a view of Whitbourne.
Geography Collection - Historical Photographs of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Memorial University of Newfoundland. Libraries. Archives and Special Collections Division.

As part of the Collective Memories project the ICH office is showcasing community material which has been placed on Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. Check out this interview which is part of a series of filmed oral histories, collected in 2005 by the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation, from over 40 elders who grew up in the area. The Baccalieu Trail HeritageCorporation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, promoting and protecting the heritage of the Baccalieu Trail Region. This project includes memories of living and working in the area, going to school, children’s games, home remedies, the first modes of transportation, supernatural beliefs, traditional industries and calendar customs and celebrations. This interview is with Winnie Gear of Whitbourne, NL. The interviewer is Linda Cooper. The camera was operated by Robin Baker. The video was edited by Mike Ryan and Darrell Barrett.

The ICH office is helping communities place previously recorded materials online. If your community has material you would like to make publicly accessible reach out to the Heritage Foundation at 1-888-739-1892 ex.2 or ich@heritagefoundation.ca