Talking Stick Making Workshop

The Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl is pleased to present visual artist Barb Wood for a workshop on making talking sticks. Come out and try your hand at some arts and crafts while learning to tell stories in this creative way.

Barb Wood lives in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Her paintings and craft work bring together a diverse mix of natural materials and textiles. Her artistic expression is nurtured by a strong sense of connection to the land that living in Labrador inspires. Barbara has received a number of honors for her work including the Canada 125 Award, the Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Craft (2005) from the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Labrador (2002) from the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women.

Pre-registration is required. Register with Christine Hennebury <christine@mombie.com>

Tuesday Nov. 3
7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
$20 (includes materials)

Admiralty House Museum, Mount Pearl.
Admiralty House
23 Old Placentia Road

ICH Update for October 2009

In this month's ICH Update, we look at a project to place materials from the Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive which relate to mummering traditions online, an article on the wren, the king of the birds, a note from Harbour Breton on an Iron Foot, an update on what's new with the Digital Archives Initiative, and a preview of the Place, Narrative and New Media Symposium coming up November 5th.

Download the pdf from:
http://tinyurl.com/ylsmxdj

MMaP lecture series to discuss Aboriginal Australian women

The latest installment of the Research Centre for Music, Media and Place’s lecture series will host a discussion surrounding the history and contemporary realities of indigenous Australian women.

Dr. Elizabeth MacKinlay will present on “Big Women from Borroloola: Approaching, applying and decolonising ethnomusicology in the context of Indigenous Australia” on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the MMaP Gallery, located on the second floor of the Arts and Culture Centre.

Dr. MacKinlay is senior lecturer in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, where she teaches indigenous studies, women’s studies and ethnomusicology at the University of Queensland. She will reflect on her time spent with women from the Aboriginal community at Borroloola in the South West of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia in 2008-09.

Currently undertaking research and publishing widely on a diverse range of topics such as Aboriginal women’s music, performance pedagogy, critical race theory and discourse, autoethnographic approaches and music and mothering, Dr.
MacKinlay is also the editor of the Music Education Research and Innovation (MERI) and co-editor of the Australian Journal of Music Education (AJIE).

The Canada Research Chair in Ethnomusicology, Dr. Beverley Diamond, in conjunction with the School of Music and the Department of Folklore, inaugurated this interdisciplinary lecture series in 2002-03.

Distinguished scholars from the academic community are featured in a series of presentations regarding historical and contemporary musical practices. Members of the general public, as well as the university community, are cordially invited.

For more information, please contact Kristin Harris Walsh, kharriswalsh@mun.ca

Place, Narrative & New Media Symposium

On Thursday, November 5th, 2009, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Intangible Cultural Heritage program, as part of the annual St. John’s Storytelling Festival, is organizing a half-day symposium on how new technologies are being incorporated into storytelling. Several invited speakers will detail how they are using new media or technology to tell the stories of real places.

Chris Brookes will speak about the [Here]Say, a story map of Water street that allows people to listen to stories, via cell phone, about the location they are standing in at that moment. Marlene Brooks brings us news on 3D Virtual World Storytelling, and will explain how Conne River and Cupids 400 Projects are using Second Life to preserve cultural stories of local communities. New York is only a click away: Jedediah Baker will explain how through his discussion of City Lore's City of Memories. Parks Canada is Implementing GPS based interpretation at a number of their sites and Cupids 400 will be launching an iTouch based interpretation of the 1610 archaeological site.

After brief presentations by all invited speakers, an open panel discussion of the potential of such technology, as well as some of the possible problems, will ensue. What are we able to accomplish and what would we like to be able to accomplish with these resources? How can technology help link place and story? Come see, share, and participate!

See the full symposium site at:
http://www.mun.ca/ich/resources/conferences/conf2009.php

Place, Narrative and New Media Symposium
Celestial Gallery, Johnson GEO Centre
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 1pm-4pm

Free admission to pre-registered participants.
RSVP to Jed Baker at: 737-3582, or by e-mail: jedediah.edwin.baker@mun.ca

Don't Miss The Boat: 2nd Annual Wooden Boat Conference

Summer has turned into Fall and that means October is fast approaching. Our 2nd Annual Wooden Boat Conference is taking place on October 23 - 25th. We have extended the “Early Bird Special” deadline for registration until September 30th – you can save $20 off total registration fee by taking advantage of this limited time offer. And don’t forget... members get a 10% discount! Keep in mind that area accommodations are filling up quickly – so return your completed form to address indicated ASAP - you don’t want us to ‘set sail’ without you!

To register, contact Beverley King
Project Administrator
Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador
(709) 583-2070

ALSO: We have been advised by Land and Sea that the program "Wood or Nothing" featuring Henry Vokey and the Wooden Boat Museum of NL will air on Sunday, October 18th at 12:30 PM.

Conference Agenda – October 23 – 25, 2009
Winterton, NL

Friday, October 23

1:00 PM Registration – SUF Hall

2:00 – 5:00 PM Workshops - Facilitators Jerome Canning, Aidan Penton, Wayne Vokey
Lamination
Steam Bending
Corking and Caulking
Shaping Timbers
7:00 PM Registration and Meet and Greet – SUF Hall

Saturday, October 24

8:00 – 9:30 AM Registration – Winterton Recreation Center

9:30 AM Welcoming Remarks – Frank French – Conference Chair

9:45 – 10:45 AM The Indeavour Story and the unveiling of the Indeavour Model - Robert Halliday, St. John’s

10:45 – 11:00 AM Coffee Break

11:00 – 11:45 AM The Gander River Boat (speaker to be announced)

11:45 – 12:30 PM The Canoe – Joe Goudie, Happy Valley Goose Bay

12:30 – 1:30 PM Lunch

1:30 – 2:15 PM Dories – Gerald Crews, Grand Bank

2:15 – 2:30 PM Research Update – Howard Cooper

2:30 – 2:45 PM Coffee Break

2:45 – 3:15 PM For the Love of Boats – Derrick Burry, Portugal Cove – St. Phillips

3:15 – 4:30 PM Round Table Discussion – Bruce Whitelaw, Chair WBMNL
Our Accomplishments to Date
What Needs to Be Done

4:30 – 5:30 PM Museum Tour

7:00 – 8:30 PM Conference Dinner – Winterton Recreation Center
Honor our 2nd Honorary Life Membership Recipient – Boat Builder
Honor our 1st Honorary Life Membership Recipient – Model Boat Builder
Special Recognition of Major Sponsors / Donors over past year

8:30 – 12:00 PM KITCHEN PARTY – Volunteer Performers – Melvin Green, Organizer
SUF Hall – CASH BAR

Sunday, October 25

8:00 – 9:00 AM Conference Breakfast – Winterton Recreation Center

9:00 – 11:00 AM Annual General Meeting – Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador

Internship Posting: Collections Researcher

Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Job Opportunity
Canadian Heritage Young Canada Works Internship

Application Deadline: September 30, 2009

Job title: Collections Researcher
Duration: 16 weeks (Full-time, Mon-Fri)
YCW intern start date: October 5, 2009
YCW intern finish date: January 22, 2010

Salary $11.00 hourly (35 Hours per week)
Location: In and around St. John's area with some travel
Language of work: English

The Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANL) is accepting
applicants for the position of Collections Researcher.
The Collections Researcher position will include the following duties under
the direction of the Collections Management Project Coordinator:

.Photograph museum artifacts and compile and digitally format catalogue
records for selected artifacts from museum collections
.Perform onsite visits to project participants
.Liaise with museums staff and volunteers participating in the project
.Liaise with office staff and representatives of the Canadian Heritage
Information Network (CHIN) on project activities
.Other related duties as required
.Applicants must be registered on the CHIN YCW website
http://www.pch.gc.ca/ycw-jct/index-eng.cfm

Qualifications:

The successful candidate should meet the following requirements:

.Strong background in Museum Studies and/or History. The required knowledge
and skills would normally have been acquired through a Bachelor of Arts
degree
.Extensive computer skills and experience in database entry and/or
spreadsheet software
.Experience with digital photography and cameras as well as related digital
imaging software
.Strong research, writing, editing and oral communication skills
.Demonstrated ability to work both independently and in a team environment
.Strong organizational and time management skills
.Experience working with museum collections or cataloguing an asset
.Valid driver's license and access to a vehicle is required
.Travel to the Burin Peninsula and extended work in the region is required
.Access to a computer is required
.Have graduated from a college or university within the last 24 months
.Be between 16-30 years of age at the start of the employment (as per Young
Canada Works guidelines)
.Be legally entitled to work in Canada and be a Canadian Citizen, permanent
resident or have been granted refugee status in Canada
.Have a registered account on the Young Canada Works website

Three reference contacts are required, and should accompany resume

Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit the Young Canada Works
website to determine further eligibility criteria

Send Resume to:

Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
TD Place
140 Water Street, Suite 904
P.O. Box 5785
St.John's NL
A1C 5X3
Fax. 709-722-9035
Email: manl@nf.aibn.com

ICH Update for September 2009

In this month's edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Update, we focus on an oral history project in Ferryland, Newfoundland, look at mummering folklife festival planned for December 2009, learn how 16 hours of audio material from Fogo Island have been archived online, introduce you to one of our folklore interns, Jedediah Baker, and discover what is meant by the word "friar" in a geographic context. Plus, Clary Croft, folklore researcher, is set to visit Newfoundland.

Download the pdf here:
http://www.archive.org/download/IntangibleCulturalHeritageUpdateSeptember2009/ichupdate009small.pdf

Job Posting - Events Coordinator

The Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives (ANLA) is seeking to hire a co-coordinator for a series of public awareness events celebrating the 25th anniversary of ANLA. The co-coordinator position will include the following duties/responsibilities:

. Create exhibit templates, brochures and posters
. Coordinate province-wide archival events
. Compile a special edition of the ANLA Bulletin and relevant articles
. Organize a workshop about photograph interpretation
. Organize a symposium and archives fair
. Creation of material for the web as required
. Liaise with member institutions
. Other duties as required

All aspects of the project are to be completed by March 31, 2010.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will have an undergraduate degree with an interest in heritage, strong writing skills, public relations abilities, experience in event co-ordination, graphic design and website maintenance, and a knowledge of the provincial archival community.

Salary: To be discussed.

Closing date for this competition: September 15, 2009
Interested applicants should forward a resume and letter of interest to:

President
Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives
P.O. Box 23155
St. John's, NL A1b 4J9

Origin of strange cautionary tale?

I'm hoping some of you might have heard something similar to this story before.

I was speaking with a woman whose grandmother had told her a cautionary tale as a child, to keep her from slipping out of her sheets in the bed at night. The grandmother told her a story about how every night at midnight, there was an old man and an old woman who would visit the room. The woman would carry a bucket and the man would carry an axe. If they found a child whose feet poked out of the bottom of the bed, the old man would cut off the feet, and then would use the feet to make shoes for poor children.

The woman who told me the story said that her grandmother was from Louisiana originally, and had later lived in Oklahoma, and thought she was of mixed Scottish and Dutch extraction.

I'm curious if anyone recognizes any motifs in this, or has heard a version of this story. It reminds me a little of some of the Der Struwwelpeter stories by Heinrich Hoffmann (1845), and the feet getting cut off sounds a little like H.C. Andersen's Red Shoes (also 1845), but again, isn't a perfect match.

If you have any thoughts, let me know! Is this a folk belief, a literary tale, or a grandmother with a wicked sense of humour?

Email me at ich@heritagefoundation.ca