ICH Needs Assessment Survey

(photo: Joshia Snow and workers with salt fish, Fogo, Fogo Island, NL, no date)

In the next step of the province’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Provincial Initiative, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) is in the process of conducting a needs assessment survey to uncover what communities need and how we can help to identify, document, celebrate, and transmit our “living heritage.”

Examples of living heritage include skills like hand-building boats, homes, and furniture. HFNL is working to provide opportunities to celebrate people and their skills. Some skills and traditions were once matters of survival, like knitting woollens and preserving food over the winter. People in their homes and the homes of neighbours hooked mats, made fishing nets, told stories, sang and danced in our kitchens. These skills, traditions and crafts were not learned in schools, but learned over time in apprenticeship to senior craftspeople, or were passed down through the oral tradition. Today we look for ways to recognize and celebrate these traditions and skills.

“All these things, and more, are pieces of our Intangible Cultural Heritage,” says Dale Jarvis, ICH development officer for the province. “The survey is part of our ongoing work to see what communities need in order to safeguard this sometimes fragile material.”

The ICH survey will be asking questions about how communities share and celebrate Intangible Cultural Heritage. Barbara Gravinese, a Memorial University, Department of Folklore Graduate Student, will be conducting this phone survey. Gravinese is writing her doctoral thesis on pottery, a contemporary tradition in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We would also like to know if there are traditions that people value and think are at risk of being forgotten or lost, as the bearers of these traditions - the fiddle maker, the singer, the cook - age and die,” says Gravinese.

“Many people are excited about becoming active members of this initiative on a grassroots level,” she explains. “We would like to know who might be interested in training, on lots of different levels, to do fieldwork recording, filming, and/or interviewing tradition bearers to document their lives and skills.”

Gravinese will be conducting the survey with municipalities, local heritage groups and organizations over the next two months. When completed, the survey results will be posted on the HFNL website at http://www.heritagefoundation.ca/ich.aspx.

For more information on the provincial ICH survey, email bgravinese@mun.ca, or call (709) 737-3582 until the 30th of September, 2008.

Intangible Cultural Heritage Strategy

In its cultural strategy, Creative Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador identified the importance of safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) or “living heritage.”

“Our intangible cultural heritage or, alternatively, our “living heritage”, . . encompasses a host of traditions, practices and customs that permeate and help constitute the very marrow of our society. Intangible cultural heritage embraces, among other things, our stories, holidays, community gatherings, culinary arts, rituals, songs and languages. These are passed from one generation to another but do not remain static; they are modified and recreated by each new generation.”

The provincial cultural strategy identified the need to develop an action plan for safeguarding ICH. To develop such a plan, the Department of Tourism, Culture, and Recreation (TCR) appointed an ICH Working Group made up of representatives from the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Archives Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, Parks Canada, the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, Memorial University, Torngasok, and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, The Rooms Provincial Museum. Drawing extensively on discussions during the AHI Intangible Cultural Heritage Forum, held in June 2006, the group developed a strategy.

The strategy has now been formally adopted by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador as the document that will guide their ongoing works to conserve ICH in the province.

See the strategy here.

If you have any comments or suggestions on the strategy please email ich@heritagefoundation.ca or call 709-739-1892 ext 2

Labrador Rug Hooking - An Interview with Alice Moores

On Thursday, June 19th, I gave an introductory workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Community Centre in L'Anse au Loup, Labrador. The workshop was organized in part by Smart Labrador, and was the first in what I hope will be a series of introductory ICH workshops for the province.

As part of the workshop, I conducted a demonstration interview with local artisan Alice Moores, a rug hooker from Red Bay, Labrador. The goal of the interview was to give people an idea of how to set up and conduct an interview, but also to give something of an insight into intangible cultural heritage from the viewpoint of a practitioner.

Traditional rug hooking is a craft where rugs or mats are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, called "brin" in Newfoundland and Labrador.

You can download the entire interview as an MP3, or visit archive.org to listen to a streaming audio version.

Photos were taken of the interview process as well.

Other Resources:

• Rug Hooking Guild of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Silk-Stocking Mats: The Hooked Mats of the Grenfell Mission of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Grenfell Hooked Mats
• Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Traditional Rug Hooking entry on wikipedia

ICH Workshop: What is Intangible Cultural Heritage?

Thursday, June 19th, 2008
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Community Centre, L’Anse au Loup, Labrador
FREE Workshop

Intangible Cultural Heritage, what we think of in Newfoundland and Labrador as our Living Traditions, is an important new development in the heritage world. We have long thought of heritage as comprised mainly of physical, things – our buildings, our furniture, our clothing – that have been handed down to us, and that we can preserve in our homes, museums and historic sites. However, many communities and peoples around the world recognize that this is only a part of what makes up their heritage, and that intangible ideas, customs and knowledge are equally important in terms of who we are.

Join Dale Jarvis, storyteller and Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer from the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, for a half day workshop at the community centre in L'Anse au Loup, Labrador, to learn what exactly Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is all about!

About Dale Jarvis, Workshop Leader

Dale Gilbert Jarvis is a folklorist, researcher, and author, who has been working for the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) since 1996, and has recently taken on the role of Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer. Dale has a BSc (Hons) in Anthropology/Archaeology from Trent University (Peterborough) and an MA in Folklore from Memorial University. Jarvis is the author of two popular books on Newfoundland and Labrador folklore and ghost stories, and a third book of world ghost stories for young adult readers.

• Download the poster here
• Town of L'Anse au Loup website
• L'Anse au Loup webcam

Taking time to listen

Travelling storyteller hopes to spread the power of the spoken word

CORNER BROOK
CORY HURLEY
Transcontinental Media

Listening to internationally known storyteller, Dan Yashinsky, it's not difficult to tell his audience in western Newfoundland was captive - in both senses of the word.

Whether it is the students who he admitted were "captives" to his speaking engagements at the various schools along his tour or seniors whose attention he grabbed of their own accord, he said people appeared sincerely interested in his folk tales and stories so far this week.

"I really want them to feel that the spoken word is important and that you can't double-click on wisdom, you have to learn it by listening," Yashinsky told The Western Star Tuesday. "Here, in Newfoundland, you have a strong oral culture, but in many parts of the world it's eroded. An old woman told me something (Monday) night that was very moving. She said she used to think she grew up poor, but she looks back now and realizes they were rich because they had time - time to listen, time to tell each other stories, time to talk.

"Nowadays, she said, the kids have a lot of material possessions, but they are very poor when it comes to culture and stories. I have to agree with that. The irony is, nowadays, we can communicate in so many different ways, but we have very little to say to each other."

The Toronto-based storyteller and author hopes people realize the power of the spoken word, yet also recognize the enjoyment it can bring.

"One of the great things about the tour is I am talking to a lot of high school kids," Yashinsky said. "I really have enjoyed that because, a lot of times, they tend to think of storytelling as something for little kids. Then, when they hear the kind of stories I try to tell, they realize they are for adults. In fact, I've told a couple (of stories) that are slightly risqué, tell you the truth."

Of course, he wasn't just interested in having people listen. Yashinsky wanted to expand his knowledge of the world's cultures and traditions by hearing local stories, too.

"Everywhere I went I felt I was part of the community, that they were very accepting and very appreciative," Yashinsky said. "Many of them would come up afterwards to share riddles and stories with me, too.

"Some people collect coins, some collect stamps, some people collect ring tones. Whatever you collect, I collect words - stories, sayings and expressions. I think the nature of a storyteller is to be a listener as much as a teller," he said. "Everywhere I have gone, I've been listening and hearing stories ... certainly, it's a culture that prizes stories here."He has also learned a bit while testing the local trout-fishing waters, he said. Today, Yashinsky will be in Lourdes and Cape St. George.

Reprinted from www.thetelegram.com 11/06/08

ICH Workshop: Stories, Memories, Facts and Family

Friday, June 13th, 2008
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The Lantern, Barnes Road, St. John’s

Ever want to collect and tell your family stories? Want to learn how to interview family members, preserve the oral stories, and weave together family facts and experiences into tellable tales? Join storyteller Cindy Campbell from Nova Scotia for this workshop that will help you create or re-create stories to pass along to the next generation. A Family Stories Workbook will be provided to help get you started.

About Cindy Campbell, Workshop Leader

Cindy is a storyteller, born and raised in Nova Scotia with roots in Prince Edward Island. She heard her first oral stories as a child while sitting around her grandmother’s kitchen listening to the adults talk. These were snippets of stories about people, events and community history. As an adult, she became interested in storytelling when she attended the 3rd Annual National Conference of Storytellers of Canada/ Conteurs du Canada in Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1995. Soon, she became fascinated with regional stories and histories, family stories and personal stories. Cindy has performed at festivals, conferences and special events all across the country. In 2006, Cindy toured the Gaspe Region as a Storyteller for CASA and was a traveling Storyteller for the TD Canadian Children’s Book Tour.

In 2006, Cindy was project manager for the Youth In Storytelling Initiative which encouraged the use of Storytelling in the schools, encouraged youth to collect their family stories, and the final stage was a Family Storytelling Contest. This project was in partnership with The Storytellers Circle of Halifax and Pier 21 National Historic Site. Cindy is also working on a Community Stories project for Cole Harbour Heritage Farm where the information from taped interviews are woven into stories. She is the Provincial Representative for Storytellers of Canada/ Conteurs du Canada, Coordinator of the Storytellers Circle of Halifax, and Storytelling Liaison for the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. In Halifax, from November 14 -16, the Helen Creighton Folklore Society will host the 2008 Conference for the Canadian Society For Traditional Music. Cindy is co-chair of this conference along with Clary Croft.

FREE Workshop, limited seating, participants must pre-register.

Register by fax (709-739-5413) phone (709-739-1892 ext 3) or email info@heritagefoundation.ca

First provincial folklorist a Memorial alumnus

By Janet Harron Reprinted from today.mun.ca

Memorial University alumnus Dale Jarvis has been named Newfoundland and Labrador’s first provincial folklorist. Mr. Jarvis, who holds an MA in Folklore, has worked for 13 years with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL).

Well known locally from his involvement in storytelling festivals and the famed St. John’s Haunted Hike, Mr. Jarvis is also the author of two popular books on Newfoundland and Labrador folklore and ghost stories and a third volume for young adults.

His entrepreneurial streak will serve him well in his new position as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Development Officer for the province.

“Our intangible cultural heritage is in everything we do, and it is such a huge part of the vibrant, living culture we have in Newfoundland and Labrador,” says Mr. Jarvis. “It is going to be exceptionally exciting work, and I am very enthusiastic about diving in.”

Having worked as the provincial registrar for historic buildings, Mr. Jarvis is excited about moving from the tangible examples of our built heritage to the intangible and foresees much future crossover between his position and the folklore faculty of Memorial in terms of, among other things, providing technical expertise.

Department head Dr. Diane Tye couldn’t be more pleased at the government’s decision to recognize the culture and tradition of the province as one of its greatest resources.

“We are very pleased with the appointment of Mr Jarvis as ICH Development Officer,” says Dr. Tye. “We expect that this growing partnership will lead to closer collaboration between the university and the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation in developing future policies and programs. The Folklore Department is committed to documenting and preserving local culture in Newfoundland and Labrador and this new position will help bring folklore to the public view in different and exciting ways.”

Mr. Jarvis is actively seeking input from the general public and encourages both communities and individuals to get in touch. The new provincial folklorist can be reached by telephone at 1-888-739-1892 or by email at ich@heritagefoundation.ca. His blog can be found at http://doodledaddle.blogspot.com.

April 21, 2008

Oral History Workshop Ideas

One of the projects I've been starting up with the province's new ICH position is a workshop of some sort on fieldwork and archival approaches for communities doing intangible cultural heritage work. I'll be putting up resources as I find them, but I stumbled across this very short video on Youtube about an oral history workshop, and thought I'll post it here.



I like this little video as well, part of an oral history project done through the College of Sante Fe:

Oral Tradition and the Virtual World

On Saturday May 17 at 10 AM PDT the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS), with the collaboration of the New Media Consortium, is hosting a reflection on storytelling in virtual environments in the form of a panel in the online virtual world known as Second Life.

Joe Lambert (Director, Center for Digital Storytelling) and Ana Boa-Ventura (PhD Candidate, University of Texas at Austin) will be moderating, and speakers will be logging in from Newfoundland, Spain, China, New Zealand and the US, and covering areas from folklore to multimedia journalism to virtual performance.

Dale Jarvis, Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer for Newfoundland and Labrador, will be one of the presenters, with a talk entitled "Not in my time, and not in your time: Oral Tradition and the Virtual World." The following is the presentation abstract, taken from the conference outline:

Oral storytelling is the art of using language, vocalization, and/or physical movement to reveal the elements and images of a story to a specific, live audience. "Telling" involves direct contact between teller and listener. A central, unique aspect of oral storytelling is its reliance on the audience to develop specific visual imagery and detail to complete and co-create the story in their minds. The teller's role is to prepare and present the necessary language, vocalization, and physicality to communicate the images of a story effectively and efficiently. The challenge, in the 21st century, is to take this most ancient of art forms, and recreate it in virtual settings, where some of the physical intimacy between teller and audience is lost. Storyteller and folklorist Dale Gilbert Jarvis will present some thoughts on virtual storytelling and the impact, and potential, of the digital age on intangible cultural heritage.

The full list of speakers can be downloaded in pdf format. In-world participants can take part in the sessions at the Second Life Campus of the Center for Digital Storytelling.