Witless Bay Cemetery Clean Up

ICH development officer and members of the Witless Bay heritage committee.
Left to right: Peter, Kevin, Dale, Bonnie, Mary.

This morning Dale and I drove out to beautiful Witless Bay on the Southern Shore to meet with several members of the heritage committee.  In a couple of weeks time on June 23^rd the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Witless Bay heritage committee are partnering with Memorial University for the second year to do a cemetery clean up as part of MUN’s Make Midterm Matter.  This year students from MUN will have the opportunity to spend the day out of the classroom and in the graveyard engaging with the community while gaining volunteer experience. 

View from the Witless Bay cemetery.

Cemeteries are an interesting part of our past with many stories to tell, however, older cemeteries are often forgotten and fall into disrepair.  Taking care of cemeteries in this province is difficult with a climate which is rough on the gravestones.  However, looking after these gravestones is important as they often offer information which is not found elsewhere.  In order to show the students some of the information which can be learned from the graves we will be doing a couple of gravestone rubbings.  Dale will also discuss the significance of the gravestone symbols and how reading these symbols can give us information about the people who are buried in the graveyard.

Several symbols are displayed on this gravestone in the cemetery.
A cross, an anchor, a harp, a plant and a sacred heart.

The students will be working together to clear brush, mow grass, paint and fix fences, clear garbage and generally tend to the cemetery grounds.  The Witless Bay heritage committee is looking to restore the graveyard to its former glory and any and all volunteers are welcome.  If you are interested in volunteering and wondering how you can become involved send me an email at terra@heritagefoundation.ca


-Terra

Saving Our Stories - An Introduction to Community Oral History in Port Union

Saving Our Stories - An Introduction to Community Oral History with folklorist Dale Jarvis.
A free workshop organized by the Sir William F Coaker Heritage Foundation, Champney's West Heritage Group, and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. This workshop is open to anyone with an interest in local history, culture and folklore. It is intended to give a background on how to conduct research interviews, and will give people a chance to try their hand at creating interview questions and to explore the world of oral history! It is free to attend, but you need to register in advance.

Saturday, June 13th, 2015, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Factory/Advocate Building, Port Union, NL

Contact:
Terra Barrett at 1-888-739-1892 x 5 or email terra@heritagefoundation.ca

What, and where, is our heritage? Help map Champney’s West heritage.

Thursday, June 11th, 2015 
7pm – 9 pm
Recreation Hall, Jack’s Hill
Champney’s West

This June, residents of Champney’s West 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 ballad singing, snowshoe-making, accordion playing, knitting, Christmas mummering, berry picking, boat building, and much more. We tell stories, make clothes, 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 (what we call Intangible Cultural Heritage or ICH), we will also lose important resources that can keep our communities going culturally, economically and socially. But where do we start?

Communities decide which traditions are important to document. Sometimes these traditions are threatened; sometimes particular elders or tradition-bearers will be highlighted. Other communities may record important traditions of everyday life. One first step is "asset mapping" - the process of collecting, recording, and analyzing local information in order to describe the cultural resources, networks, links and patterns of the community. Cultural asset mapping provides an inventory of key cultural resources that can be utilized for future development in the community.

Dale Jarvis, the ICH Development Officer 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 Champney’s West. It will be a free and fun community workshop, sponsored by the Champney's West Heritage Group Inc.

For more info, contact: 

Shelly Blackmore, Heritage Coordinator
Champney's West Heritage Group
Ph (709)464-2173 Email - cwcdo@bellaliant.com
Website - www.champneysisland.net

Sailing in the Boat Till the Tide Runs High

Children Playing Circle Games VA 93-50
International Grenfell Association photograph collection
Photo: Courtesy of The Rooms

           
While researching children’s ring games last week I came across a game which I had never heard before.  The game “Sailing in the Boat (Ship) Till the Tide Runs High” is found in three sources on Memorial University’s DAI.  It is first found in a fictional short story written in 1950 and published in the Atlantic Guardian in which the youth of the community Come Again Harbour play a ring game to the tune:
Sailing in the ship ‘til the tide runs high,

Waiting for the pretty girls to come by and by, […] 
Choose your partner now today,

Give her a kiss and send her on her way.  
The other two sources mention the game being played in a community hall in Lumsden and the song being sung at the third annual Newfoundland picnic in Lynwood City Park, California in 1956.

I did a quick google search to see what I could come up with and I came across a couple of references to the ring game with more complete versions of the song.  The following version is from Otto Tucker and is found in Newfoundland author Robin McGrath’s book All In Together:Sailing in the boat ’til the tide runs high, 
Sailing in the boat ’til the collar flags fly, 
Sailing in the boat ’til the tide runs high, 
Waiting for the pretty girls to come by and by. 
Choose your partner now today, 
Choose, oh choose her right away, 
I don’t care what the old folks say. 
Oh what a horrible choice you’ve made, 
And she can no longer stay. 
Since she can no longer stay, 
Give her a kiss and send her away.

There are a number of versions with different lyrics.  Here is William Wells Newell’s version from his book Games and Songs of American Children:
Sailing in the boat when the tide runs high,[x3]

Waiting for the pretty girl to come by'm by.

Here she comes, so fresh and fair,

Sky-blue eyes and curly hair,

Rosy in cheek, dimple in her chin,

Say, young man, but you can't come in.

Rose in the garden for you young, man,[x2]

Rose in the garden, get it if you can,

But take care not a frost-bitten one.

Choose your partner, stay till day, [x3]

And don't never mind what the old folks say!

Old folks say 'tis the very best way, [x3]

To court all night and sleep all day.

Folklorist Emelyn E. Gardner references the following version from the Michigan area in her article Some Play-party Games in Michigan written in 1920:

Sailing in the boat when the tide runs high, [x3]

Waiting for a pretty girl to come by and by.

Oars in the boat, and it won't go round [x3]

Till you kiss the pretty girl that you just found.

Do you have memory of this song?  Have you ever played the game yourself? Which version did you sing? Let us know where you are from, what song you sung or game you played.  Send an email to terra@heritagefoundation.ca.

I’ll leave you with the following YouTube clip I found of “Sailing in the Boat” sung by Elizabeth Austin and a group of women in Old Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas recorded by Alan Lomax and Mary Barnicle in 1935.  

-Terra

Tuesday's Folklore Photo - Red Sky at Night - Weather Lore

Red sky at sunset.

It has been a while since we've posted a folklore photo.  So today I posted a picture taken a couple of years ago at my pop's cabin.  I had a hard time finding a photo which related to Newfoundland weather lore although I came across lots of sources about Newfoundland weather on the DAI.

Last week's snow and everyone's complaints about St. John's having snow in May made me think of the folk belief that May snow had special properties.  Both folklorist Dale Jarvis and archivist Larry Dohey have written about it in their blogs.  You can click here for Dale's post and here for Larry's for more information.

Today I figured I would ask the question: What beliefs do you know about the weather?

I posted the picture of the sunset with the red sky because as a child I always heard the rhyme:
Red sky at night,
Sailor's delight,
Red sky in morning,
Sailor's take warning.

What are some of the other ways to foretell the weather?  Do you know any other warnings?

I've always heard of galing cats predicting a storm.  Do you know any other animals who can predict the weather?

Comment here or send an email to terra@heritagefoundation.ca

EDIT:
Here are two beliefs sent in by Berk Reynolds originally from Salmon Cove, Conception Bay North:
1. Animals, particularly goats coming home from the hills before a storm in summer
(or when you wouldn't expect them)

2. Whatever the prevailing wind direction is at noon on Good Friday so it will be for the summer

-Terra

Job posting: Heritage Assistant (Student) for Pasadena

Heritage Assistant (Student)

The Pasadena Heritage Society – NL is seeking an enthusiastic, outgoing and organized individual to act as a Heritage Assistant to deliver a number of tasks related to preserving and promoting the heritage of the Town of Pasadena.

Location: Town of Pasadena
Rate of Pay: $10.25/hour; 35 hours/week (some evening and weekend work required)
Duration: 7 weeks

Tasks:
 Heritage inventory and cataloguing
 Oral histories including interviewing residents and transcribing for use on website
 Organize and facilitate heritage awareness activities including a presence at Pasadena Strawberry Days
 Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:
 Basic computer skills
 Ability to work independently
 Excellent oral and written communication skills
 An interest in the heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador, and a commitment to its preservation, preferably augmented by courses in Newfoundland and Labrador history, folklore, historical geography, religious history
 Some background in oral history practice would be an asset 

To submit an application, please email your resume and cover letter to pasadenaheritage@outlook.com. All interested applicants are encouraged to apply however preference may be given to post-secondary applicants. Applicants must be residents of Pasadena (or surrounding communities in the Humber Valley) and a current student who is intending to return to studies in September. The incumbent will work out of the Town Hall and will take direction from the Heritage Society board of directors via a work plan. This is a great opportunity to get experience in the heritage sector.

Closing Date: May 15, 2015

Old gates in historic Harbour Grace, Newfoundland

I spent a couple hours this morning, walking around the heritage district and surrounding neighbourhood of Harbour Grace, Conception Bay. I'm giving a presentation to the town tomorrow on cultural mapping and inventorying of heritage resources, so I just wanted to see what I could see.

One of the things that jumped out at me was how many properties still maintain their old gates, some of which are of a very similar style. Some of these were possibly constructed by Art Tapp, a blacksmith who "fashioned many of the iron gates and fences in the district" (Harbour Grace Heritage District Report, HFNL, 1992).

A very preliminary walk-around revealed a large number of wrought iron gates and fences standing, some possibly Tapp's work, others of later periods. To give you a sense of numbers and variety of styles, a selection of photographs follows, taken today, 6 May 2015.

(Re)-Introducing the Historic Sites Researcher

Hi everyone it is Terra Barrett and I'm back again from last summer. I just completed my first year of MUN's MA Folklore program. This included a three week field school in Witless Bay, courses on folklore theory, genres, archiving, and public folklore. This semester my public folklore class was involved with the Hoist Your Sails and Run project which produced the Looking Back: Games We Played Booklet. So it has been a productive but incredibly fun year.

Last summer I worked as a Heritage Intern focusing mainly on an oral history project in Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove. I am just putting the final pieces together to complete a booklet on this project, however, my main work this summer will be as an Historic Sites Researcher.

As an Historic Sites Researcher I will have the opportunity to complete interviews will people associated with historic sites in order to find out more information about the architectural history as well as the associated narratives of these historic sites. In addition to interviews I will complete background research, photography, metadata, write several articles, and lend a hand wherever necessary. (I could end up rubbing graves again this year - who knows!) I will also be updating the blog throughout the summer to keep you up to date with what is going on with the Heritage Foundation. My email is the same as last summer terra@heritagefoundation.ca so if you want to get in touch shoot me an email!

-Terra

Youth Heritage NL at Government House

Guest blog post by Heather Elliott and Lisa Daly

Last Thursday, we had the pleasure of representing Youth Heritage NL at a Volunteer Week reception hosted by the Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Frank Fagan and Her Honour Patricia Fagan.

We’ll both admit that we were a little intimidated by the event. Heather had never been in Government House, and Lisa had been in there once on a Sunday morning when former Lieutenant Governor, Edward Roberts, stole her tour group and gave them a quick tour. That intimidation melted away as we were announced and warmly greeted by our hosts.

Lisa (left) and Heather (right) at the Volunteer Week Reception.

We spent the reception exploring the grand rooms, and asked a volunteer from Ronald McDonald House to take our picture. Turns out, we had our picture taken in one of very room where the Women’s Patriotic Association (WPA) used to hold their meetings during the First World War. They would knit socks, mitts, scarves and other items, as well as put together care packages to be shipped over to the soldiers abroad. It really was incredible to be standing where all those women had worked one hundred years ago!

Photo from The Rooms Provincial Archives, A 51-108

The reception was a wonderful way to show appreciation for volunteers, and while not everyone involved with Youth Heritage NL had the opportunity attended, the other attendees we spoke to were excited by the idea of a youth heritage group and all expect to see us accomplish great things in the near future. So know that while we are a fledgling group (and possibly currently bogged down by exams and hunting for seasonal jobs), the volunteer organizations of Newfoundland and Labrador are looking forward to working with us!

As a final note, cucumber, hollowed out and stuffed with hummus and topped with a piece of shredded carrot is really good!