#FoodwaysFriday - Tide Water Annie

Photo courtesy Newfoundland.ws

At the Port Blandford booklet launch, Calvin Efford of the heritage society mentioned the Tide Water Annie recipe. A couple of days later, he emailed me to explain the origins of this recipe:

"The recipe came to Port Blandford via Terra Nova Park. While constructing the road through the park in the late 1950’s, one of the cooks for the construction workers was named Annie, believed to be from Nova Scotia. She was noted for her dark raisin cake and the camp was at Tide Waters (a hill) near the eastern entrance to the park, overlooking Clode Sound.  Thus the name Tide Water Annie."

If you would like to make Tide Water Annie, here is the recipe:

4 cups Raisins

3 cups Hot Water

1 tsp Salt

1.5 tsp Cinnamon

1.5 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Cloves

3 cups Brown Sugar

.5 lb Butter

1 pk Cherries

Boil all the above ingredients, for 20 minutes. Let cool. Add 5.5 cups of Flower, 3 tsp Baking Soda, 3 tsp Vanilla or Lemon Flavouring. Bake 2.5 to 3 hrs.

-Katie Harvey

Tales from Afar: A short story about the lunar eclipse. #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. 

A Short Story about the Lunar Eclipse

As told by Xingpei Li

In the old days, people had no idea of astronomy, or how and why the lunar eclipse happens. People believed that there was a dog up in the sky who bites and swallows the moon sometimes. That is when and why the moon disappears. It was not a pleasant experience in old days without electric lights available in the night.

So people were very scared by the darkness when lunar eclipse happened. To drive away the dog who devours the moon, people used to make noises, such as by ringing bells, beating drums or any metal utensils they could find at home. In this way, they wished they could get the moon back soon, as well as the light.

There are different versions about this story in China, but the main plot is as described above.

Xingpei Li is a Chinese student enrolled in the graduate program, Department of Folklore, Memorial University. Image from Fire Dogs and Angry Demons.

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

Stories From the Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s Memory Mug Up Booklet Launch Nov 1

“Stories From the Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s Memory Mug Up” Booklet Launch

Compiled by the students of Memorial University  FOLK 6740: Public Folklore 

Tales from residents of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, representing the breadth of their experiences and personal histories. Some of the stories are from long-time residents, some of the stories are from people newer to the community, reflecting the change and growth of the town itself.

When: November 1, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.

Where: PCSP Fire Station,1819 Thorburn Road, Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s

note:

See the google maps link for directions. It is next door to the post office. If you reach the ferry you’ve gone too far. Also, we will have to use the back door, and go up the stairs to the meeting room/kitchen area.

Waste Not - Rugs, Rags, Ropes, and Recycling!

Waste Not - Rugs, Rags, Ropes, and Recycling!
Coffee and Culture at The Rooms
2:30pm, Thursday Oct 26th
(event free with admission to The Rooms)

In the past, the Newfoundland and Labrador household also had to be versatile in order to survive. People made do with what they had and turned old objects into new items. Clothes were cut down to fit someone else, apple barrels became rocking chairs, and so on. It’s a centuries-old tradition of adaptive reuse and creativity that continues today.

Join folklorist Dale Jarvis of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador as he interviews two of these crafty recyclers: Trent Hardy, mat maker and owner of Waste Knot Want Knot; and Ruth Noseworthy Green, artist and rug hooker. Trent Hardy founded his braided mat-making company on the principle that we should not be simply throwing away materials that can still be used, turning old fishing rope into modern floor mats. Ruth Noseworthy Green’s hooked mats have been exhibited in the Arts and Letters Competition, The Bonavista North Museum Gallery, the Kildevil Far, and hang in private collections across Canada. Together, they’ll talk about the tradition of reuse, reinvention, ropes, rags, and rugs!

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Christine LeGrow

Christine LeGrow is the owner of Spindrift Handknits. Christine was born and raised here and has a keen interest in the people, places and things that make this island of Newfoundland unique.

At the forum, Christine will be giving a demonstration how darning. If you would like to know more about Christine'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.

St. John's harbourfront before Harbour Drive #Folklorephoto

View of the St. John's Court House from wharf [1954]. Photograph courtesy of the Portugal Cove St. Philip's Archives (Allen and Pearl Squires Fonds)

These two photographs were taken by Allen and Pearl Squires in 1954 and show downtown St. John's before the addition of Harbour Drive. Do you remember the change to the harbourfront?

View of St. John's harbourfront and wharves [1954]. Photograph courtesy of the Portugal Cove St. Philip's Archives. 

#AdaptingHeritage Forum 2017 - Introducing Kevin Noseworthy

Kevin Noseworthy is a co-owner at Escape Quest, St.John's premier Escape Room experience.  

Kevin has always been passionate about stories, having pursued both his BA and Masters in English before earning his Education Degree.  A substitute teacher for the last nine years, Kevin developed a class management tactic of rewarding well behaved classes with a folktale (and 20 minute break) at the end of the school day.  Nowadays, he works with his incredibly talented team at Escape Quest to craft stories told through playing a game. Teams explore rooms and problem solve their way through extraordinary scenarios, like attempting to survive the zombie apocalypse, or escaping the Great Fire of 1892.  On his off hours, Kevin can usually be found playing video games, bingeing on Netflix, or relaxing at the cabin, all with his amazing partner, Nicole Kieley.

At the forum, Kevin will be a presenting in Session One: From Sealskin to Science Fiction – Taking Tradition into the 21st Century.

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 Lorraine Gillis

Lorraine Gillis can recall being interested in crafts and knitting from a very early age and she is no stranger to taking on a new challenge. She is a mother of one and grandmother of two amazing grandchildren. She was born and raised in a small coastal community located on the west coast of Newfoundland known as the Highlands. Her parents, Johnny and Annie Gillis, together, had 10 children. Settlers in the community used to rely on them for help with everything from sewing of wedding dresses, woodworking/carpentry and delivering of babies to mortician duties. Like her parents before her, Lorraine also wears many hats in the talent department. She has even been known to rewire a burnt out dash panel for a Volkswagen. AbbyShot approached Lorraine back in 2016 to join them as their artisan supplier for their Outlander Scottish Bonnets. 

At the forum, Lorraine will be demonstrating her knitting skills, and displaying some of the products she produces for Abbyshot. 

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.

Old Shops of Port Blandford and Folk Cures and Practical Magic Booklet Launches

Katie Harvey discussing "Everything was Wrapped in Brown Paper" in Port Blandford.

The past few weeks have been busy ones at the ICH Office. We've been working on several projects including our two latest booklets which have recently launched. On Thursday, October 12th, Katie and I hit the road to Port Blandford with one of the latest booklets in the Oral History Roadshow series. “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.

Participants Sarah Greening and Linda Bennett reading the book. 

The booklet developed as a result of conversations with Calvin Efford of the Port Blandford Heritage Society and a public event held in August 2017. This event focused on the shops in the community. There were over forty shops in the town from the late 1800s to the early 2000s. Over the course of a couple of days in August we did some interviews with community members who worked or shopped in the stores. These interviews were combined with background research done by the Port Blandford Heritage Society and the community's summer Green Team as well as photos from the community.

On Tuesday October 17th, Dale and I along with our summer student Andrea McGuire headed out to Spaniard's Bay for the launch of the second booklet in the Oral History Roadshow series, "Folk Cures and Practical Magic". This booklet was focused in Spaniard's Bay but also includes a couple of stories from seniors who were interviewed during the summer as part of the Collective Memories project. It includes sections of charming warts, and curing toothaches as well as memories of the midwives and doctors in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Andrea McGuire and Terra Barrett with some of the participants interviewed for the Folk Cures and Practical Magic book.

This booklet was the result of a roadshow event held in Spaniard's Bay in July 2017 that focused on home remedies like poultices for infections or practical magic such as removing a stye with a gold ring. Andrea McGuire and I completed interviews with community members who attended this Oral History Night and the Spaniard's Bay Heritage Society's summer student, Thomas Lane, completed a series of interviews with identified community members.

Judy Symonds reading one of her excerpts from the book.

Both launches were quite successful and the popular booklets are being sold by each Heritage Society. The Heritage Foundation will also place a PDF version online in the next few weeks which can be accessed and downloaded for free. 

If you would like to know more information about how your community can get involved in the Oral History Roadshow call Terra at 1-888-739-1892 ex. 5 or email terra@heritagefoundation.ca or Dale ex. 2 and ich@heritagefoundation.ca

~Terra Barrett