Folklore Photo - Help identify this Spaniard's Bay landmark.

I got an email yesterday with the attached photo taken Saturday, 7 May 2016, asking if I knew anything about this structure. It is a cairn of stones near Spaniard's Bay, located on the ridge straight back from the Harbour Grace marina (does this make it more Harbour Grace South? or Bryant's Cove?)

I have a bit of a weak spot for cairns and marks, and have written a blog post about the American Man in Cupids, which can be found about a 20 minute drive from Spaniard's Bay.  This one seems a bit different, more square in shape than the round cairn of rocks that is the American Man.

So, Conception Bay people: if you know anything about this collection of stones, let me know. What is it called? Who built it? How old is it? What was it used for?

Comment below, or email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca.

photo courtesy Paul Brazil.

Get ready, New Perlican! A People, Places, and Traditions Workshop with Dale Jarvis

People, Places, and Traditions Workshop
This Friday, May 13th, residents of New Perlican will start to map out what their heritage means to them, with a little help from folklorist Dale Jarvis.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, our living heritage is rich and diverse. It includes historic buildings and places, ballad singing, snowshoe-making, accordion playing, knitting, mummers and jannies, berry picking, boat building, and much more. We tell stories, make clothes, build stages, shear sheep, and spin yarn. We have a complex knowledge of place, the seasons, and the movements and patterns of animals from moose to cod fish. If we lose these important parts of our living heritage, we will also lose important resources that can keep our communities going culturally, economically and socially. But where do we start?

Dale Jarvis, folklorist with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, will be leading a community conversation about historic places, trails, old stories, place names, traditions, and local knowledge.

Come for a cup of tea, and tell us what matters to you in New Perlican. It will be a FREE and FUN community workshop, sponsored by Heritage New Perlican.

May 13th 7 p.m. Friday
Veteran’s Memorial Community Center
Town of New Perlican Boardroom

Living Heritage Podcast Ep040 A Brief History of Knitting in Canada

Shirley Scott, or “Shirl the Purl”, is a handknitter with a special love for history. A librarian by profession, Shirl wrote a book about the history of knitting in Canada called Canada Knits: Craft and Comfort in a Northern Land. Originally from New Brunswick, Shirl has made her home in Newfoundland for the past ten years. Why did she move here? A taste for penitential exile is one possible explanation. Her love of history, hand knitting, and North Atlantic culture is perhaps a better one. In Newfoundland she has found shared interests, deep friendships, and much food for the soul. Shirley talks about how she learned to knit, the history of knitting in Canada, her time researching for her book, and Newfoundland trigger mitts.

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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 HeritageNL and CHMR Radio. Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

The Memory Store: The plans for the house were a wedding gift in the 1800s...

This week’s Memory Store video is filmed in Captain Blackmore’s Heritage Manor in Port Union, NL. Gary Blackmore, owner and operator of the manor, describes the building and architecture of the manor and the generations of Blackmore family who have lived there.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

Living Heritage Podcast Ep039 Winston Fiander remembering life in Coomb’s Cove

Remembering life in Coomb’s Cove, with Winston Fiander
Living Heritage Podcast Episode 039

Winston Fiander was born in 1940 in Coomb's Cove, Fortune Bay. He attended Memorial University and graduated with a BA Ed in 1966. He has worked in New Brunswick as a training specialist and later held senior positions in human resource management. He returned to Newfoundland and Labrador in 1999 and has been engaged in various community development initiatives. Currently, Winston is a member of the Fisheries Communities Alliance of NL, the Board of Directors of the Church by the Sea Incorporated, and past-Chair of the Portugal Cove-St. Philip's Heritage Committee.

On this episode we talk about Winston’s boyhood growing up in Coomb’s Cove, his time spent on his father’s schooner, Peddler Joe, and what the community did on Sundays. 

Recorded on 2 March 2016

Photo: Taken by Craig Fiander, date unknown. Original caption reads,
"I don't remember when I took this photo, but it was quite sometime ago.
The smoke is coming from what's left of Tom Vallis old house."

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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 HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Step Dance Project Event and Call for Dancers

SHOW YOUR STEPS:
A NL Step Dance Project Event and Call for Dancers

The NL Step Dance Project is proud to present two connected events on April 27th, 2016, a dance discussion and workshop for invited tradition bearers at The Crow’s Nest at 7PM, and a public session of dance and music held at Folk Night at The Ship at 9PM. In partnership with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office, DanceNL, and the NL Folk Arts Society, the NL Step Dance Project is seeking to both highlight and come to a better understanding of this vital and less-practiced tradition of freeform, solo dancing in Newfoundland.

Who in your family pulls out the freestyle solo moves at kitchen parties, weddings, or community concerts? At the trad session on a Sunday afternoon? When the toe tapping music starts up, who’s light on their feet and stays close to the floor? Join us at The Crow’s Nest at 7PM April 27th for a meal, a step, and a story or two, all as part of a collaborative effort with dancers and communities to understand how this tradition is performed and passed on. We are not just looking for ‘professionals’ or trained dancers, but rather anyone who can feel the music in their feet – from those who just do a step or two from time to time, to those unstoppable older dancers still showing their steps with the help of a chair.

After the Crow’s Nest, we’ll all make our way down to The Ship Pub at 9PM for Folk Night. Open to the public, Folk Night on April 27th will be a traditional session with a twist, featuring Newfoundland music and lively step dance for only $5 at the door. All are welcome to get up and show a few steps as the music plays. With tunes from Allan Ricketts and other local musicians, this is an evening not to be missed! Presented as part of Dance Week 2016, in cooperation with DanceNL and the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society, this event will also feature a brief step dance lesson, for those members of the public who want to get a little closer to the floor themselves.

Anyone interested in sharing their “old­time” step moves and dance stories with the NL Step Dance Project on the 27th will receive an honorarium and travel expenses for their involvement. Get in touch with us for more information. We are looking for dancers from St. John’s and beyond, and would love to hear from people off the Avalon. If you can’t make the April event but want to share your steps and stories, we would love to hear from you anyway.

The NL Step Dance Project is lead by Kristin Harris Walsh (step dancer/researcher) in partnership with Dale Jarvis at the Intangible Cultural Heritage office. This project is funded by the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and is part of a larger project documenting and comparing the dance histories of three step dance forms from Ontario, Cape Breton, and Newfoundland.

For more information on the events or participating as a tradition-bearer:
Call: (709) 765­0468 (Jane Rutherford)

Email: nlstepdanceproject@gmail.com
Visit or message: www.facebook.com/NLstepdanceproject

Photo: Heritage Corner, GFW Advertiser

Intangible Cultural Heritage Update - ICH and Youth vs. ICH at Risk

In the April edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, we have an article on the very successful Youth Heritage Forum, and a final report on the ICH at Risk research completed by our office. It is two very different views on the state of heritage in Newfoundland and Labrador!

Contributors: Stephanie Micikyan, Meghan Mills, and Dale Jarvis

Download the newsletter in pdf format.

The Memory Store: Fearful for his sacred vessels he buried them in the ground...

This week’s Memory Store video is a clip of Elisabeth Laverty from the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Elisabeth describes one of the artifacts in the cathedral’s museum – a 1700s chalice which was buried in the ground for several years before being discovered.

Watch the video below or click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Click here for more information about the building's history and architectural style.
If you missed our initial post explaining the concept of the Memory Store clip here to go back to our first blog post with the introduction video or check out our YouTube channel at ICH NL.

Stay tuned for more short stories about historic places in the province, in the form of short oral history interviews conducted with the people who care about those places and if you have a personal memory about a historic place in Newfoundland and Labrador, and want to add your voice to the Memory Store project, let us know at ich@heritagefoundation.ca

-Terra

Student Summer Job Posting: Historic Places Researcher

Historic Places Researcher
Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) is seeking a Historic Places Researcher, to assist with updating the Provincial Register of Historic Places.

The position will run for 13 weeks, with a start date in May 2016, with a salary of $15/hour.

The primary work of the Researcher will be to assist with work on the Provincial Register of Historic Places, updating the online registry, and ensuring that online collections match HFNL’s paper files on building designation and grants.

The applicant must have excellent oral and written communication skills; and a desire to work with collections related to the heritage and architecture of local historic places. Should currently be registered in undergraduate or masters level course in history, archaeology, folklore, or architecture. Previous experience with a heritage organization is an asset. Good computer skills required, including ability to do research, data entry, and word processing.

Applicant must be a Canadian Citizen, permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada, legally entitled to work in Canada. Will be between the ages of 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment, and must be a full time student during the preceding academic semester, who intends on returning to school next semester.

To apply, send a resume detailing related work, plus a cover letter, to info@heritagefoundation.ca.

Deadline to register is Friday, 29 April 2016.
As this position is funded through the Young Canada Works program, applicants also must register through the Young Canada Works website at http://tinyurl.com/gsv648x