#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Tom Gordon

Music historian, arts administrator and NBC (Newfoundlander-by-choice), Tom Gordon has traveled the province’s coasts and trails since 1969 drawn back time and again by its unforgettable landscapes and equally unforgettable people. Over the last 15 years, Tom has worked closely with musicians and community leaders across Nunatsiavut on projects designed to sustain Labrador Inuit culture. Tom has been director of Memorial University’s School of Music, chair of the Newfoundland & Labrador Arts Council, and most proudly, second relief organist at the Nain Moravian Church.

At the forum, Tom will be participating in a panel discussion called Safeguarding Living Heritage Across Canada where he will focus on his work in Nunatsiavut.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

Tales from Afar - The Devil’s Tramping Ground. #FolkloreThursday

"Tales from Afar: Old Stories from New Residents" is a project to share traditional stories which have come from away, created by the St. John’s Local Immigration Partnership and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. This is one of the tales we’ve collected so far. You can learn more about the project at our Adapting Heritage Forum Oct 25th.

The Devil’s Tramping Ground

As told by Grace Dow

They say somewhere in the forests around these parts you might come across a strange clearing where the earth is completely bare, in the shape of a near perfect circle about forty or fifty feet across. This is the Devil’s Tramping Ground, the one place in this world where the Devil can truly be alone. Not even his demons dare to disturb him when he’s in this ring, for here he paces back and forth plotting mankind’s destruction, or he dances and twirls and stomps his feet—which is why the earth is so barren and packed down.

You will know it’s the Devil’s Tramping Ground because no plants can grow inside it, and no animals will dare to go near. Birds won’t even fly above it. If you leave something in the circle and come back the next day, you’ll find it somewhere in the woods nearby, as if it was flung out of the way with great force. It doesn’t matter how heavy it is. The Devil doesn’t like things getting in the way of his dancing. And whatever you do, don’t stand in the circle after nightfall, or you might just see a pair of glowing red eyes staring back at you from its center.


Grace writes, "I grew up in Monroe, North Carolina, in the suburbs about thirty minutes outside of Charlotte. The first story, about the Devil’s Tramping Ground (Bear Creek, NC), was one I heard frequently at slumber parties or told around campfires as a kid in the ‘90s. I’ve found out in recent years that it’s an actual place you can visit, about 50 miles outside of Greensboro in Chatham County. But growing up, I never knew that. When I heard the story, it always sounded like the sort of place you might come across by chance when walking alone in the woods." Image: The History of Witches and Wizards, 1720, Wikimedia.

How can I share a story?
Stories can be submitted in written form, or participants can sit down with a collector and record a spoken version of their story. To share a story, you can:

• Email ich@heritagefoundation.ca
• Call Dale Jarvis at 1-888-739-1892 extension 2, or 
• Fill in the online form here: https://goo.gl/forms/QWmJY9haiyItAeop2

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Jane Rutherford

Jane Rutherford is a graduate student in Ethnomusicology at Memorial University with a research focus on the sustainability of traditional NL set dancing. Jane is a keen set dancer and has been dancing, calling, and teaching for nearly 30 years. She is a collector of NL dances and has worked with several communities to revive dances that were nearly lost. She was the dance consultant for “Traditional Dances of Newfoundland and Labrador: A Guide for Teachers’, a resource used in the province’s schools. Jane has been on staff with Vinland Traditional Music Camp since 2005, and has helped coordinate the dance program at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in recent years.

At the forum, Jane will be participating in a panel titled Close to the Floor - Dance Traditions in Newfoundland where she will focus on her expertise in set dancing.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Kristin Harris Walsh

Kristin Harris Walsh is a dancer and dance scholar based in St. John's. She holds a PhD in Folklore from Memorial University and a Master’s in Dance from York University and currently is working on a SSHRC funded research project on percussive dance in Newfoundland and Ireland. Kristin has been step dancing for 15 years and has trained and performed in Newfoundland and Ireland. She is Past President of DanceNL, the province’s sectoral dance association.

At the forum, Kristin will be participating in a panel discussion titled Close to the Floor - Dance Traditions in Newfoundland. If you would like to hear more about Kristin's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here. 

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

"Everything Was Wrapped in Brown Paper: The Old Shops of Port Blandford" Booklet Launch

The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) and the Port Blandford Heritage Society present a booklet launch at the Anglican Church in Port Blandford on Thursday, October 12, from 1:30-3:30pm.

“Everything Was Wrapped in Brown Paper: The Old Shops of Port Blandford” is the third booklet in the Oral History Roadshow Series produced by the Heritage Foundation. This booklet focuses on the old shops of Port Blandford, and people’s memories associated with these places.

“The face-to-face relationship that you had with the clerks by going into the store was much more personal than it is today,” explains Reginald Penney,  one of several residents of Port Blandford interviewed as part of the oral history project.

“The store itself had a different atmosphere” says Penney. “There were no aisles as you would see in the supermarket type places we have today. Most groceries were in shelves built in the back or on the sides of the store, and in the back there might be some dry goods articles, nails, screws and things like that.”

“The Port Blandford Heritage Society contacted us to help document the old shops that once existed within the community,” says Katie Harvey, a researcher with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. “There are only a few shops remaining, so it is important to preserve these memories while it is still possible.”

This booklet is part of the Oral History Roadshow project, which aims to empower and encourage seniors to showcase their memories through a series of public oral history night celebrations.

The booklet launch is open to the public and will include light refreshments. There will be copies of the booklet available at the launch, and a downloadable PDF version will be placed online. For more information please go to www.collectivememories.ca or call Katie Harvey at 1-888-739-1892 ext. 6.

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Colleen Quigley

Colleen Quigley is the Manuscripts Librarian for the Performing Arts Collection and Head of Archives and Special Collections at MUN’s Queen Elizabeth II Library. Colleen holds a Masters of Information from the University of Toronto; a BFA in Dance from York University and an English major from Memorial. She has worked as a performer, dance instructor and choreographer in North America as well as in the Netherlands. Colleen has participated in Canadian think tanks, International panels, exhibitions, and conferences on the preservation and promotion of dance and other aspects of the performing arts. She is an active member of various professional associations.

At the forum, Colleen will be moderating a panel discussion titled Close to the Floor - Dance Traditions in Newfoundland. If you would like to hear more about Colleen's work, you can listen to our Living Heritage podcast episode with her by clicking here.

Forum on Adapting NL's Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place on October 25 and 26. The cost of registration is $75.00, and $18.75 for post-secondary students. For full program details click here. To register click here.

Queen Victoria's Grave #FolklorePhoto

Photo by Kelly Drover.

Today's folklore photo comes from the General Protestant Cemetery which is located between Waterford Bridge Road and Old Topsail Road in St. John's. A couple of months back I interviewed Roberta Bugden about growing up in St. John's. Along with her own stories she told several stories from her mother Queen Victoria (Ross) Young. If you want to learn more about Queen Victoria's memories of the great fire click here for a previous blog post.

When Queen Victoria Ross was born in 1885 the reigning Queen offered a bounty for multiple births above twins. While she didn't qualify for the bounty as a single birth where she was the eighth girl in the family it was suggested that she was named after the Queen. Pictured above is Queen Victoria's grave in St. John's.

~Terra Barrett

A Townie Childhood: Growing Up in Yesterday's St. John's - Oct 13

A Townie Childhood: Growing Up in Yesterday's St. John's 

Friday, Oct 13th

2pm

Marjorie Mews Public Library

A runaway bull on Water Street, a foiled hold-up, skating across the frozen harbour, and an aunt stuffing her niece’s pockets with cheese to keep the fairies away: these are some of the stories told at our last Marjorie Mews Memory Mug up with local seniors. Hearing those tales left us hungry for more, so we are back another storytelling session at the library, with the theme, "A Townie Childhood: Growing Up in Yesterday's St. John's."

We want to hear your memories of growing up. You bring the stories, we’ll supply the tea and biscuits, and we will all have a chat! Following the sessions, those who are interested can set up a time to have their stories recorded and archived by one of our story collectors. This is a free event, brought to you by the St. John’s Storytelling Festival, the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Marjorie Mews Public Library.

Space is limited please call or stop by to pre-register. 709-737-3020.
Facebook event listing here.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep089 Victorian Architecture of Dunedin

Jeremy Moyle studied archaeology at University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is currently a masters student in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University, doing his MA on the Victorian and Edwardian vernacular architecture of Dunedin.

In this podcast, we chat about his work in New Zealand, the historical and geographical context of his research, the history of Dunedin and its architecture, typical design and ornamental features of Victorian architecture in Dunedin, cast iron work and “modern” industries, the use of newspapers and historical photographs in vernacular architecture research, and how issues around class and status are reflected in the architecture of the time.

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 heritage 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.