A Wood- Carver’s Life - New York FolkloreThe Historical Evolution of Bigfoot in New York State by Robert E. Bartholomew and Brian Regal 16 Xiao Xiannian: New Sounds for Chinese

A Wood-Carver’s Life

Bigfoot in New York

Encounter witha Klansman

Chinese Strings in New York City

Fall–Winter 2009Volume 35: 3–4

The Journal ofNew York Folklore

her own. In the article “From Wild Man to Monster: The Historical Evolution of Bigfoot in New York State,” sociologist Robert E. Bartholomew and historian Brian Regal offer us a wealth of primary source narratives of Bigfoot and other “wild man” sightings in New York State, from the early nineteenth century to the present. Pete Rushefsky’s profile of a Manhattan-based Chinese hammered dulcimer master, Xiao Xiannian, captures not only the pedagogical evolution of a virtuoso yangqin player, but also the determination of a Chinese family to survive political persecution and economic oppression by encouraging musicianship among their children. And in Trevor Blank’s honest and disturbing report, “Fieldwork, Memory, and the Impact of 9/11 on an Eastern Tennessee Klansman: A Folklorist’s Reflection,” we are challenged together, as readers, to join a young ethnog-rapher in making sense (with Klan-buster Stetson Kennedy’s help) of an encounter with an American racist, struggling with partial—but not complete—remorse for his views and hate-group affiliation after the events of September 11, 2001.

As folk artists and culture workers, we spend much time considering what speech, art, ritual, belief, music, material culture, customs, work, play, and other cultural forms may be worth remembering in New York State. We may have devoted our lives to working toward their preservation. Are there portions of “tradition,” however, which might be better forgotten than preserved or examined? Under what circumstances should the details of the political persecu-tion of immigrants before their arrival in the U.S. be recalled, for example, and for what purpose? Does the history of hate groups in New York State, or any other part of the United States, fall into the first category or the second? Do we evolve past hate by

VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

As we look back on our organiza-tion’s sixty-fifth year, I would like to thank all of our supporters on behalf of the en-tire New York Folk-lore Society family. 2009 was a year of

great upheaval and rethinking of the or-ganization. We told you about our current financial situation in the last issue of Voices, and you responded with an outpouring of support. In this issue you will find our mem-bers and donors listed. Thank you all for your generosity, especially those who joined at the Harold Thompson level of $100.00 or above. This class of membership saw our largest increase. Heartfelt thanks and a debt of gratitude go to past president Karen Canning and to Anna Lomax Wood of the Institute for Cultural Equity, who became major donors in 2009. Their combined gifts helped us through our most tenuous period.

Our fundraising concert in May 2009 gave the New York Folklore Society some additional visibility. We thank concert plan-ners Paul Mercer, Eileen Condon, and Lisa Overholser and all the volunteers who helped that evening. Thanks also to Proctors in Schenectady for providing a venue and as-sisting with ticketing. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without our fine musical en-tertainment for that evening: George Ward, Dan Berggren, Colleen Cleveland, Kim and Reggie Harris, John Kirk, Joe Bruchac, and Fode Sissoko donated their precious talents for our benefit. It was a great evening!

New partnerships were formed in 2009, including a partnership with the Capital District Community Loan Fund, a nonprofit community agency for sustainable develop-ment. We are pleased to join this network of socially concerned investors. Partnerships in 2009 also helped us to realize programming

goals: Union College, the Albany Institute for History and Art, the City of Schenectady, and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor were invaluable in helping us to continue to provide folklore and folk arts programming. Finally, I wish to acknowledge the National Endowment for the Arts and its role in the American Recovery and Re-investment Act. With this support, the New York Folklore Society was able to maintain its core capacity. We are indeed humbled by the support of so many.

We are facing the new year with a renewed sense of purpose. While we were able to sustain our activities through 2009, we need your help in 2010. We ask that you continue your support at a similar level over the com-ing months. We look forward to continuing to serve you with technical assistance and professional development opportunities, a web site that provides up-to-date resources, and this publication: Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore.

Ellen McHale, Ph.D., Executive DirectorNew York Folklore Society

[email protected]

The articles featured in this issue of Voices contain a variety of voices whose messages are “traditional”—in the surprising, the comfort-ing, and even the most

alarming senses of that disciplinary keyword. In the photo essay “Carving Out a Life:

Reflections of an Ithaca Wood-Carver,” self-taught carver Mary Michael Shelley de-scribes how she responded simultaneously to her Northeastern farm family heritage, liberal arts education, and the emerging feminism of her time to claim a form of man’s work—carpentry and carving—as

From the Director

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” –Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road (1942)

From the Editor

continued on page 2

1Fall–Winter 2009, Volume 35: 3–4Fall–Winter 2009, Volume 35: 3–4 1

Features 4 CarvingOutaLife: Reflectionsof anIthacaWood-Carver by Mary Michael Shelley

13 FromWildMantoMonster: TheHistoricalEvolutionof BigfootinNewYorkState by Robert E. Bartholomew and Brian Regal

16 XiaoXiannian: NewSoundsforChineseStrings by Pete Rushefsky

23 Fieldwork,Memory,andtheImpactof 9/11onanEasternTennesseeKlansman:AFolklorist’sReflection

by Trevor J. Blank

Departments and Columns 3 Announcements 10 Upstate by Varick A. Chittenden

11 Downstate by Steve Zeitlin

12 Songs by Dan Milner 21 Foodways by Makalé Faber Cullen

22 GoodSpirits by Libby Tucker

28 StillGoingStrong by Paul Margolis

29 Play by John Thorn

30 Reviews

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ContentsFall–Winter 2009

Cover: “Barn with Long Cloud Sky,” by Mary Michael Shelley

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2 VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore

Fall–Winter 2009 · Volume 35: 3–4

Acquisitions EditorEileenCondonManaging EditorSherylA.EnglundDesignMaryBethMalmsheimerPrinterEastwoodLitho

Editorial BoardVarickChittenden,LydiaFish,José Gomez-Davidson,NancyGroce,LeeHaring,BruceJackson,LibbyTucker,KayTurner,DanWard,SteveZeitlin

Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore ispublishedtwiceayearbytheNewYorkFolkloreSociety,Inc.133JayStreetP.O.Box764Schenectady,NY12301

New York Folklore Society, Inc.Executive DirectorEllenMcHaleWeb AdministratorPattiMasonVoice(518)346-7008Fax (518)346-6617Web Sitewww.nyfolklore.org

Board of DirectorsPresident PaulMercerVice President ElenaMartínezSecretary-TreasurerDelcyZiacFoxJeanCrandall,AustinFisher,EllenFladger,Ga-brielleHamilton, JanHanvik,AliceLai, JessicaSchein,LibbyTucker

Advertisers:Toinquire,pleasecalltheNYFS(518)346-7008orfax(518)346-6617.

TheNewYorkFolklore Society is committed toproviding serviceswith integrity, in amanner thatconveysrespectforthedignityof theindividualsandcommunities theNYFS serves, aswell as for theircultures,includingethnic,religious,occupational,andregionaltraditions. Theprogramsandactivitiesof theNewYorkFolk-loreSociety,andthepublicationof Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore,aremadepossibleinpartbyfundsfromtheNewYorkStateCouncilontheArts. Voices: The Journal of New York FolkloreisindexedinArts & Humanities Citation IndexandMusic Indexandabstracted inHistorical Abstracts andAmerica: History and Life. Reprintsof articlesanditemsfromVoices: The Journal of New York FolkloreareavailablefromtheNYFS.Call(518)346-7008orfax(518)346-6617.

ISSN0361-204X©2009byTheNewYorkFolkloreSociety, Inc.Allrightsreserved.

VoicesisavailableinBrailleandrecordedversions.CalltheNYFSat(518)346-7008.From the Editor (continued)

speakingitandrememberingit,sometimesverbatim—orthroughsilence,healing,andforgetting?Oristheremoreinvolvedintheprocess, the progress toward andbeyond“tolerance”?Formore on the history of hategroupsinthisstateandacrossthena-tion,visitAlabama’sSouthernPovertyLawCenterwebsite,www.splcenter.org,andclickontheHateGroupsMap,aswellasWhatYouCanDo.

VoiceswelcomesDanMilnerinthisissue.Dan’snew“Songs”columnwillbring thedepthof hislifelongsongscholarshipandballadandfolksongperformanceexperience

tobearoninvestigatingNewYorksongtextsandtheirhistories,contexts,andmeaningswithinandbeyondNewYorkState.Pleasekeepyourthoughtscomingourway,intheformof full-lengthfeaturearticles,personalessays, field notes, photography, artwork,and letterstotheeditor.Welookforwardto reading andpublishing your responsestothisissue.

Eileen CondonAcquisitions Editor

New York Folklore [email protected]

Caffè Lena Collection Now at AFC TheAmericanFolklifeCenter(AFC)attheLibraryof CongressandCaffèLena,the nation’s oldest continuously running coffeehouse in Saratoga Springs, NewYork,cametoanagreementin2005thattheCaffèLenacollectionwouldbecomepartof theAFCarchive.Fouryearslater,justintimefortheCaffè’scelebrationof itsfiftiethanniversary,thecollectionarrivedattheAFCthroughthecollaborativeeffortof CaffèLenaandtheSaratogaSpringsHistoryMuseum. CaffèLenawas afirstvenue for suchmegastars asBobDylan,ArloGuthrie,andDonMcLeanandhaslongbeenrecognizedasanimportantSaratogaSpringshistoricsite.TheCaffè’ssignificancetothenationhasnowbeenrecognized,withtheAugust2009delivery to theLibraryof Congressof thecompletecollectionof Caffè Lena recordings, manuscripts, and memorabilia. Caffè Lena historianJocelynAremandCaffèboardpresidentStanleyMcGaugheypersonallydeliveredthehistoricmaterialstotheAFCarchive. The complete collection will be digitized, with a copy retained for researchpurposesintheAmericanFolklifeCenter,makingCaffèLena’shistorypermanentlyaccessibletoanationalaudience.“TheCaffèLenacollection,asoneof theprimecollectionsof itskind,fillsinoneof themissingpiecesintheAmericanfolksongrevivalmovement—theroleof coffeehousesandclubs.Forthisreason itholdsspecialinterestforus,”saysMichaelTaft,headof theAFCarchive. TheCaffè Lena collection ismade up of threemajor components: the LenaSpencer Papers held by the Saratoga Springs History Museum, which includephotographs, articles, and letters from theKennedyCenter andTimemagazine;archivalmaterialsheldbyCaffèLena,whichincluderarereel-to-reelrecordingsof performances;andoralhistorytapesrecordedandheldbyArem. AremandtheCaffèLenaboardof directorsarenowworkingonafundraisinginitiative tofinance theproductionof a coffeetablebook thatwill highlight theCaffè Lena collection’s stories and photographs. The book will augment CaffèLena’sfiftiethanniversarycelebrationin2010andsupporttheCaffè’sfundraisingeffortstorenovateitsbuilding.Formoreinformationvisitwww.caffelena.organdwww.caffelenahistory.org.

3Fall–Winter 2009, Volume 35: 3–4

Calling all fashionistas and fly guys!What’spoppin’?Throwback’80ship-hop,too-tight-to-fight jeans, preppie, culturalgear,andreligiouswear—it’stimetodis-coverthehistoryof urbanstyleandfindoutwhywedowhatwedo.JoinusasteensfromMind-Buildersexploreclothingandidentitythroughthegenerationsandpres-entthehotdesigners,hairstylists,andfly-estof theflydressersof thecommunity.For thebold,comeprepared torock therunway! Thursday, January 28, andFriday, April 16:Bothsessionsbeginat10:15a.m.at TheatreConnections,DwyerCulturalCenter,258SaintNicholasAvenueinNewYorkCity.$7.00admission.For informa-tioncallMind-Buildersat(718)652-6256. Peruvian Drumming Join Peruvian composer andmusicianTheoTorresforanafternoonof drummingand percussion. This free programwillexplorehowtraditionalpercussioninstru-mentscontinuetoplayanimportantroleinPeruviancumbia,salsa,andhuaynomusic.Ahands-onworkshopfollowstheprogram.ThisprogramissponsoredinpartbytheFolkArtsProgramof theNewYorkStateCouncilontheArts. Sunday, February 28(2:00p.m.):EastMeadowPublicLibrary,1886FrontStreetinEastMeadow,NewYork.Forinforma-tionandreservationscall(516)794-2570.

2010 MAASAConference TheMiddleAtlanticAmerican StudiesAssociation (MAASA), a regionalbranchof theAmericanStudiesAssociation,pres-ents its annual conference on the theme“Spaces:Cultural,Personal,Urban.” The conferencewill feature interdisci-plinary papers that exploremultiple andvaried concepts of space: transnationalor intercultural spaces; public spaces; in-tellectual spaces; imaginary or fantasticallandscapes; rural, suburban, and urbanAmerica;retailandshoppingvenues;reli-giousspaces;cityplanningandarchitecture;artistic spaces; ethnic spaces; tourism;

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New CTMD TouringArtists Manhattan’sCenterforTraditionalMusicandDance(CTMD)hasrecentlyaddedtwoensemblesto itsrosterof touringartists.TraversingGreece,Macedonia,AsiaMinorandEgypt,andtheArabworld,theMaean-drosEnsembleandZikrayattakeaudiencesonanexcitingmusicaljourney. TheMaeandrosEnsemblewascreatedbyoudplayer,singer,andsongwriterMavrothiKontanis and performs traditional folk,urban,andclassicalmusicof GreeceandtheNearEast.Maeandros is the ancientGreeknameof theriverthat“meanders”throughoutmodern-dayTurkey.Justasthisancient andmighty riverwinds throughdistinctregions,theMaeandrosEnsembletransports its audiences throughmusicaltraditionsfromAsiaMinorandtheAegeanregion: folk songs of the countryside,urban songs,Ottoman courtmusic, andregionallyinspiredoriginalworksareallef-fortlesslyintertwinedinperformance.Themixedrepertoireof thisgrouphighlightsthesharedculturalheritageof theregion,includingGreek,Turkish,Armenian,Per-sian,Arabic, Jewish,Gypsy,andAssyrianinfluences. Zikrayat is an ensemble dedicated topresenting the classicalmusic and dancetraditionsof EgyptandthegreaterArabworldinavibrantstageproductionevok-ingthetheatricalatmosphereanddramaticdepthof classicEgyptianmusicalcinema.Alternatingvocalandinstrumentalpieceswith solo andgroupdancenumbers,Zi-krayat’smissionistohighlightthediversityof ArabiccultureformainstreamWesternaudiencesinanauthentic,educational,andentertainingmanner. TobookCTMD touring artist groups,contact Kaisha Johnson at [email protected](212)571-1555ext.23.

Urban Style TheDr.BeverlyJ.RobinsonCommunityFolkCulture Program of Mind-BuildersCreative Arts Center presents “Rockin’YourWear:Stylin’andProfilin’,”atwo-partseries.

spaces shapedbymemory andnostalgia;andspacesof foodcreationandconsump-tion.ThedeadlineforproposalsisJanuary15. Friday and Saturday, March 19–20:LaSalleUniversityinPhiladelphia.Forad-ditionalinformationcontactJohnHaddadatjrh36@psu.edu.

Polish Heritage Day Sunday, March 21 (noon–4:00 p.m.):Explore&MoreChildren’sMuseumpres-ents PolishHeritageDay,with activitiesfor children and snacks provided, at 300GleedAvenueinEastAurora,NewYork.For further information contact BarbaraParkLeggettat(716)655-5131ext.12.

NYS Ballads Jeff DavisandDaveRuchpresent“Bal-lads, Songs, andTunes fromNewYorkStateTradition,”threeperformancesheldatthefollowingvenues: Friday, April 16 (7:30 p.m.):A houseconcert inBuffalo,NewYork.Call (716)884-6855forreservations. Saturday, April 17 (7:30 p.m.): Cran-berryCoffeehouse inBinghamton,NewYork.Call(607)729-1641or754-9437forreservations. Sunday, April 18(8:00p.m.):BoundforGloryatCornellUniversityinIthaca,[email protected]. For further information [email protected](716)884-6855.

Publish in Voices!See page 31 for

submission guidelines.


Iwasbornin1950inDoylestown,Penn-sylvania.Istartedcarvingatagetwenty-two,whenmy father gaveme a gift of apaintedwood-carvinghehadmadeof meatthefarmwhereIgrewup.Thisgiftfrommyfatherinspiredmetobegintomakemyowncarvedandpaintedpictures.SincethenI’vemademorethanonethousandpiecesinthirty-fiveyears.Ithinkof mypicturesasavisualdiarythathelpsmemakesenseof theeventsandfeelingsof mylife. Igrewupona120-acrefarmnearBed-minster,Pennsylvania.IhadahorsenamedAdmiral,agoatNellie,andadogLulu.MymothergraduatedfromCornellinthe1940s,oneof the fewwomen inherclass in theAgSchool.Myfather—anartisticcityboyfromEastOrange,NewJersey,whosefamilyoriginallycamefromRome,NewYork—alsowenttoCornell,wherehewasacartoonistforthestudentpaperandinvolvedinactingandwritingplays.AfterWorldWar II,mymotherandfatherdecidedtotrytomakeagoof farming.Theysettledonafarmnearmymaternalgrandparents. Mygrandparents,TomandFlorenceShaw,hadadairyfarm,completewithmilkdeliverytrucks,inDoylestowninthelate1930s.Istillhaveametalcowsignthatwasattheirfarmandaglassmilkbottlewiththenameof theirdairy,PebbleHillFarm.Itwaswiththeinten-tionof running their farm thatmymotherwenttoCornelltostudyanimalhusbandry.Butthenthewarcame,andthedairycloseddownbecausethemilkdeliverydriversweredrafted.Farmequipmentandanimalsweresold. By the time Iwasfive,myparents alsodecidedtoquitfarming.Myfatherwentback

tohistrueinterests:hebeganworkingasacommercialartist,travelingbackandforthbetweenahomestudioandhisnewworkinNewYorkCity.Sonowourbarn,likethatof mygrandparents,satempty. Asayoungchildinthe1950s,Iexploredmyparents’andgrandparents’emptybarns.Icanstillremembertheechoingwhitewashedwalls, theemptystallsandstanchions,andwonderingwhatitmighthavebeenlikewhentherewereanimalsandfarmersandactivity.Ilovedthecooingsoundsof pigeonsupintheeaves.OncewhenIwentintothehaymowof mygrandparents’barn,agreatwhiteowltookoff witha thunderof wings. I think

those first few barns inmy life filledmewithawonderforbarnsandtheircathedralspaces. Likemyparents,IwenttoCornell,want-ingatfirsttogetadegreeinpsychology,butgraduatingin1972withadegreeinEnglishliteratureandcreativewriting.Aftergradu-ation,IstayedinIthacaandhaveremainedhereeversince.AtCornell,Ihadstudiedtobeawriter.Ineverhadanyvisualarttrain-ing,becauseIdidn’tfeelIhadartistictalentinthatway.WhenIgraduated,realityhit—Ihadtomakealiving.Acourseof eventsinmylifetookmetowardbecomingavisualartist.

BY MARY MICHAEL SHELLEY

Carving Out a Life: Reflections of an Ithaca Wood-Carver

“Me on Horse at Bedminister Farm,” by Duke Shelley, the author’s father. All photos: Mary Michael Shelley


“Barn in the Hollow, Round Hay Bales,” by Mary Michael Shelley


“Me in My Garden with Cabbages,” by Mary Michael Shelley

Itwasthe1970s.Therewasarevivalof interestincraftsandtraditionalskills.Itwas“backtotheland,”andIwasapartof thetimes.Ibuiltmyownpassivesolarhouse

tenmilesfromIthaca.Myneighborslivedoncommunes,andmostof mylong-termfriendscomefromthesetimes.Inthemid-1970s,thecountrywastryingtopassthe

EqualRightsAmendment,whichwouldhavementionedwomenintheconstitution.Itdidn’tpass.Womenwerebreakingoutof thetraditionalrolesof the1950s,and


movingintonewoccupations.Itookprideinbeingapartof thatmovement. WhenIgraduatedfromCornellin1972,Iworkedwith a local historical society,Historic Ithaca.Wewere renovating theClintonHouse, an 1830 hundred-roomGreekRevivalhotelindowntownIthaca.Iwasdesperatetolearncarpentryskills,butIkeptgettingstuckwithsweepingandpaint-ing.Iwantedtolearncarpentrybecauseitseemedmoreinterestingandinvolvedmoreskill,butalsobecauseitwasbetterpaidthanthegruntworkIwasdoing.Ononeof myfather’svisits,hehadpickedupawide,agedshelf boardthrownoutintherenovation

of thehotel.Itwasonthisscavengedboardthathecarved“MeonHorseatBedminsterFarm.”Whenmyfathersentmethepaintedcarving,Ijumpedintocarvingasawayof gettingmyhandsonwood. WhenIbegantocarveheadvisedthatIuseoneof thesameshelf boards,whichturnedouttobewhitepine.Luckily,whitepine is a good carvingwood, because if Ihadchosenaharderwoodsuchasoak,perhaps Iwould soon have given up. Ithankmyfatherforthat.HealsoadvisedthatIstartoutusingExactoknives,becausethisway Iwouldn’t have to sharpenmytools.Clamping thepiece toa tablewith

aC-clampwouldprotectmefromcuttingmyself, he said. Later, when it came topaintingmyfirstcarving,afriendof minewhowasanartistsuggestedIuseacrylics,sothatiswhatIdid. Iusewhitepineandacrylicstothisday.I’veadvancedtogoldleaf intheinnerframe(thisbeganin1990,whenIwentoutof thesign-carving business and had plenty of goldleaf onhand),regularcarvingchisels,andamallet.Myfatherhand-filedametalstampforpunchingmyinitials“M.S.”ontoeachcompletedpiece.WhenIbegantousemyfullname(MaryMichaelShelley)soIwouldn’t be confusedwithMary Shelley,

“Farmer Taking a Snooze,” by Mary Michael Shelley


“Barn with Swirls and Corn Rows,” by Mary Michael Shelley


Onelayerof meaningissimple:makingabarnpicturebringsbackpleasantmemories.AsachildIplayedinandaroundbarns,notonlyinourownbarnbutinthebarnsof ourMennonite neighbors.Another layerisrecordingsomethingfrommylife—theKilroy,“Iwashere”theme.Forexample,Idosomeof myownfarming.I’vebeenavegetablegardenerforyears.IamproudtosayIraisedmybestbumpercropof cab-bageslastyear. Thefinallayerisanemotionalone,im-possibletoexpress,butI’lltry.Thisthemebegantotakeshapeformeinthe1970s,andevolvedoutof amixof emotionsrelatedtomyexperiencesasawoman,theEqualRightsAmendmentnotpassing,lateronbe-comingaparent,Jay’sdeath,andbeginningtowork as a psychotherapist.The themerelatestonurturingandserving,theendless-nessof tasks,andhumansuffering(intheBuddhistsense).Thisthemecomesoutinmybarnpictures,particularlytheoneswithcowsandfarmers.Mycowsarelookingwithstrongfeelingoutof thepicture.Theywaittobemilked—it’spainfultohaveafullmilkbag—andfed.They’recoldandunhappy,butthey’realsoenduring.Theirneedsareendless,continuous.Meanwhile,thefarmersscurryaboutoverwhelmedandoverworked.Theycarryaheavybucketasasymbolfortheirtasks.They’redoingtheirbest,buttheycan’tkeepupwithfarmchores.Inbothof thesepiecesit’swinter.Theskiesarealive,active, andmoving, reflectingmyfeelingsaboutaging,aboutbeingjustasmallpersoninalargeuniverse.Thebarnstandscentral,strong,andsteady,abackdropfortheac-tion. So it seems that, in the end,my barnpicturesareaboutmeandmakingsenseof theeventsof my life. Iamthecows, thefarmers, and thebarn—and the skies aremymoods.

thewriterof Frankenstein,hefiledmeanewstampwiththeinitials“M.M.S.” In the early days,when Iwas teachingmyself to carve, peoplewould askme todocarvedsigns,becausepeoplealwaysaskartiststodosigns.Itallstartedoutsimply:simplepictures,simplesigns.TogetbetteratsignsIreadsign-makingmagazines,particu-larlythehow-toarticlesaboutcarvinggold-leafed,incisedlettersonwoodensigns.ThebetterIgotatcarpentry—Ihadadvancedtofinishwork—thebetterIgotatcarving,and vice versa.The skills Iwas buildingwithcarpentryandsign-makingadvancedmyabilitytomakemorecomplexwoodenpictures.As I drewmore, I got better atdrawing,aswell,butIfeelmybasicstyleof drawingandchoiceof subjectmatterhasstayedmuchthesameoverthethirty-fiveyearsI’vebeenworking. About1976ImadeaconnectionwithJayJohnson’sAmerica’sFolkHeritageGalleryinNewYorkCity,andIcontinuedwiththatgalleryuntilabout1990,whenthegalleryclosedafterJay’sdeath.Jaywasanincrediblementorandagoodfriend.Imisshimstill.AlthoughI’vehadothergalleriessincethattime,onceJaydiedIbegantosellmyworkonmyownthroughcraftfairs,theIthacaFarmers’Market,andtheInternet. I’vealwayshadadayjob.Ibecameapar-entinthemid-1980s,soIneededasteadyincome.ForroughlyfourteenyearsIworkedas a sign-carver, carpenter, housepainter,whatever—and on the side Imademycarvedpictures.Afterthebirthof mychil-drenandJay’sdeath,Iwentbacktoschoolto get amaster’s degree in socialwork. Ihavebeenapsychotherapistsincetheearly1990s. I come from amix of German, Irish,English,andPennsylvaniaDutchstock.MyancestorsemigratedtoAmericainthe1850sandearlier.TheShelley(paternal)sideof thefamilyhasbeenheresinceJamestown,butisdistantlyrelatedtoPercyByssheandMaryWollstonecraftShelley.Peopleinmyfamily have always been goodwith theirhands.Mypaternalgreat-grandfatherwasanindustriousGerman-American toolmakerand inventor,who lostafinger inawork

incident.He lived inEastOrange,NewJersey,andheldapatentfortheautomobilewindshieldandpush-buttonumbrella.Mymaternal grandmotherwas anartist,withherownwoodshopandstudioinherhouse.ThroughherI inheritedmanyhandtoolsand aworkbench that had passed downtoherfromherfather,atilelayer,andhisfamily,manyof whomwerecarpenters.AsayoungchildIusedtodoprojectswithherinhershop.WhenIwasayoungadultshe’dtakemethere,pointoutaspecifictoolthathadbeeninthefamily,andsay,“WhenIdie,youmakesuretotakethis!” Asfarasthinkingof myself asanartist,myfatherwasalwaysasourceof inspira-tion.Afterhegaveupfarmingandbegantoworkasacommercialartist,Ilovedtovisithisstudioatourfarm.Hegavemesmalljobstodo,likesweepinguporcoloringinbackgrounds to cartoons he had drawn.Much later inhis life, he took tomakingcarvedpictures,repairingclocksandpatentmodels,andevenwritingabookonNewEnglandtowerclocks.Hediedin2008.Hisadviceandexamplewereinvaluabletomethroughoutmycareer. Icamefromafamilyof artists,andIwasdriventofindmyownmeansof expression.It’sanhonortocomefromalonglineof creative,inventive,andindustriouspeoplewhowere goodwith their hands. I takeprideinmyskillsandbeingabletocreateahandmadeproductthatwillsurvivelongpastmylifetime.Ihopetoinspireotherstocarveandpaintwoodenpictures.For thepasttwenty-twoyears,Ihavedemonstratedwood-carvingonsummerSaturdaysattheIthaca Farmers’Market.Many childrencometowatchme,andIwonderwhethersomeof themwilleventuallytrytheirhandatcarving. AlthoughI’vedonemanypicturesof din-ers,sailing,anddreamimages,thebarnisafavoritesubjectthatfillsmewiththepleasureof visitinganoldfriend.Mybarnpicturescarrylayersof meanings,likeRussiannest-ingdolls.It’sthinkingabouttheselayersthatkeepsmegoingthrough longandsolitaryhoursof carvinginmystudio,arenovatedtwo-cargaragelocatedinbackof myhouse.

Mary Michael Shelley lives and works in Ithaca, New York. She can be found every summer Saturday demonstrating her art at the Ithaca Farmers’ Market. Examples of her work can be seen on her web site, www.maryshelleyfolkart.com.


The “Lore” Back to the “Folk” BY VARICk A. CHITTENDEN

Therestof thetime,mini-sessionsproposedbyparticipantsproducedlivelydiscussionsonmanyrelevanttopics.Onewasapapertitled “What theRightHandDoeth,” byHoraceBeck,awiseelderof folklorestud-ies,whichwarnedof theparadoxthatthesamegovernmentthatwouldsupportfolkartsprogrammingalsoregulateslocaltradi-tionsoutof existence.Youcanimaginetheresponsesthatchargeprovoked. We had fun, too.A bus trip toUpperCanadaVillage and a behind-the-scenestour gave us a chance to see one of ourcontinent’s best folklifemuseums; a tem-poraryshopgavevisitorsanopportunitytopurchase localMohawkbasketsandothertraditionalcrafts;andamealof localspecial-ties,includingbullheads,tourtière,johnny-cake,headcheese,andcrow’snest,gotravereviews.Andtherewasmusiceverynight. Whetherornotwerealizeditatthetime,wehadproducedagenuinepublicfolkloreevent.Butwewerenotunique.Sinceourissueswereonlotsof colleagues’minds,welearnedalongthewaythatthereweresimilargatherings that year inFlorida,Kentucky,Pennsylvania,NewYork City, and, yes,Cooperstown. Inthethirtyyearsthathavepassedsincethen,many things have happened in ourfield. Itwould take severalmorepages toprovidealistof accomplishmentsinpublicfolklore programming inNewYork Statealone.Along theway, I thinkwe all haveprofitedfromthekindsof discussionswehadthatsummerinCanton.IknowIdid.Maybeweshouldtryitagain!

Varick A. Chittenden is professor emeritus of English at the State University of New York in Canton and Heritage Center project director for Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY). This column is dedicated to the memory of Horace Beck, Bruce Buckley, Bert Hemphill, Sandy Ives, and Vaughn Ward, who were there. Photo: Martha Cooper

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We all know thattimeflieswhenwe’rehav-ingfun.Asforme,Icanscarcelybelievethatthirtyyearshavepassedsincethesummerof 1979,whenValerieIngramandI,bothrecentCooperstown“folkies,”organizedaconferencewecalledGetting the “Lore” Back to the “Folk” foranyoneinterestedinfolklore,particularlyappliedfolklore,asitwascalledinthosedays.Itwasthe’70s,andthiswasanewfield. We had recently completed a federallyfundedsurveyof traditionsandpractitionersinourcountyandhadlotsof informationthatweweren’tatallsurewhattodowith.Aswe had gained great knowledge fromover 600 informants,we decided thatweowed the local public some insights intowhatwewerelearning.Weplannedafesti-valfeaturingallkindsof traditionalartists,organizedasmallexhibitof localfolkartforourcounty’shistorymuseum,andpublishedweeklycolumns inareanewspapersaboutonetopicoranotherfromourresearch. Despiteourtrainingasfolklorists,wewon-dered frequentlyaboutwhatweshould—and shouldn’t—be doing, philosophicallyandethically, aswewentaboutourwork.Whatweretheeffectsof ourfieldworkoninformants?Howshouldwebepreparingandstoringthesevaluablematerialswewerecollecting?Howwouldwespeaktoreportersorcommunitygroupsaboutour“finds”?Isafestivalonacollegecampusthebestwaytoshowoff folkculture?Andmore.Wedidn’tstudythose things ingraduateschool.Wecalleduponcolleaguesinotherplacesanddiscovered they facedmany of the samechallenges.Whattodo? Themorewethoughtaboutit,themorewewantedtobepartof alargerconversa-tionwithprofessorsandpractitionersandthought such an eventmight appeal toothers. So,with an equally largemeasureof naïveté(Whatreallywerethequestions?)andchutzpah (Whyshouldweexpect thefolkloreworldtocometous?),Iproposeda three-day conference to theNewYork

Council for theHumanities. Fortunately,theyboughttheidea,andwewereoff.Myinstitutionwasthewillinghost,soCantonwastheplaceandearlysummerwasthetime. AskingbusyscholarsandprofessionalstotravelallthewaytoCantonwasachallenge,and I’m amazed in retrospect that itwassoeasy.Justconsiderthisrosterof invitedspeakerswho agreed to participate:AlanJabbour(AmericanFolklifeCenter),BruceBuckley(CooperstownGraduateProgram),Sandy Ives (University of Maine),ChuckandNancyMartin-Perdue (University of Virginia),SusanKalčik(Smithsonian),andJudyPeiser(CenterforSouthernFolklore).Wewouldlaterfindthattheissueswereasperplexingandinterestingtoallof themastheyweretous.BythetimeJunecameandsixty-six people began to arrive,we knewwehadreallystumbledontosomethinginorganizingthisevent.Thereweregraduatestudents and public school teachers, 4-Hleadersandeconomicdevelopers,museumdirectors,librarians,andmore. Asthosemoreinvolvedinthefieldatthetime knew, therewere already strong dis-agreementsbetweenfolkloristsinacademicinstitutionsandthoseinpublicsettings.Ontheveryfirstevening,AlanJabbourmadeastrong case for applied folklore—and forwhywehadcometogether—inhiskeynotespeech,when he confronted the contro-versiesof pursuingfolkloreasascholarlydisciplineversusapublicservice. For all three days, I personally wasspellboundby the remarkable talks, com-ments, and questions from a fascinatingaudience.BruceBuckleyspokeof theusesandabusesof fieldwork;SandyIvestalkedaboutaccessibilityandprotectionof archivalmaterials;ChuckandNanPerduecautionedagainstexploitationof oursources,especiallyinpublications.SusanKalčikdiscussedthepossibilitiesandshortcomingsof presentingfolkcultureinpublicsettings,likefestivals,andJudyPeisershowedvariousmediaex-amplesfeaturingfolkartistsandtheirarts.


forPlay. “Henevermentioned sex,” shetoldme.“Iwaswaitingforitandwaitingforit,butitneverhappened.” “Sex,”shesaidinourinterview,“iswhereadultsletgoandarejoyfulandfollowtheircuriosity,theirpleasure,theirbliss,incon-sentingsituationswithotheradults.That’sreallybasictowhatwedohere—andthetoyscarrythemetaphor.”Claire,whoisamom,pregnantwithhersecondchild,wasquicktopointoutthatsexisnotjustplay.“Sexissomanythings.It’snotonlyplayandjoy.It’salsoseriousbusiness—it’salsoabuse,recoveringfromabuse,it’scomingoutof thecloset,it’sbeingrejectedbyyourfamily,it’scontractingAIDS.There’salotof darkness,too.” Giventhat,weriffedoff oneanother’sanalogybetweensexandplay.Shetalkedabouthowkids“tieeachotherup,playdoc-tor,cowboysandIndians,andburningeachotheratthestake.”“Sex,”shecontinued,“iswheregrown-upspretend.”Inherbusi-ness,toysareusefulwhentheyfitintoandenhancethestoriesandfantasiesthatherclientstellthemselvesand/oroneanother.“Oftentimes,peoplewhoshopherefallinlovewithatoy—sortof likeanicepairof shoes.Theysaythingslike,‘ThatvibratorisME—thatexpressesme!’” Isuggestedtoherhowlanguageisoftensyncedtoactioninchildren’shand-clappinggames. (CityLore isworkingon adocu-mentary on the subject.) Similarly, adultsemploy fantasieswith colorful languagetiedtoactionsintheirsexualplay.Italkedabouthowallgamesandsportsaremostintensewhenthey’recloseandtheexcite-mentbuildsandbuilds—asinsex—untilitexplodes,climaxing. ClairespokeaboutplayingasachildinWyoming.“Intheparknearmyhouse—therewasacreekthatranthroughit,andwewouldbuildthingsandhidefromeachother—timewould disappear. You lostyoursenseof everythingthatweighsyoudown.That’s verymuch like sex, if youthinkaboutit.Whenyou’reverycloseto

Is Sex Play? BY STEVE ZEITLIN

orgasm—whenyou’reinthatkindof zonewithsomeoneorevenjustyourself—thingsfallaway,allof it.Asachild,too,therearethosemomentswheneverythingfeelsright,theairisright,themusicisright,you’rewiththerightpeople—youfeelsafe,butyou’realsoriskingsomething. . .andit’sworthit.” Sowhydo folklorists and scholars of play so rarely explore theplayful aspectsof sex?Perhaps,asI’vealwayssuspected,aprudishelementrunsthroughthedisci-pline.Orperhaps,despitethesimilarities,sexandchildren’splayseemtoexistinsepa-rateuniverses.Nonetheless,anyfolkloristor ethnographer seeking to understandNewYorkCity, inparticular,can’tdosowithoutacknowledgingasideof thecity’slifethatattractspeoplefromallovertheworld for its anonymity andpermissive-ness.Yet folklorists are concernedwithcollaboratingwithmarginalizedgroupsandformsof expressionthatarenotattendedtoelsewhere,andthesexindustrycertainlydoesn’tneedfolklorists tobring itsworkintothepubliceye. IwasstruckbyClaireCavanah’spassionfortheworkof Babeland.“Whatwetrytodohereishealthewoundsandsupportpeopleinsexualliberation,whichisfollow-ingthebasicsof life—yourhunger,yourthirst,yourdesire.That’stheplayelementof sex.HereatBabeland,wefeelthatwe’restandingontheshouldersof allthosewhofoughtforreproductiverightsforwomen.Ourmission is taking the shameoutof havingsex,honoringitasalifeforce,andtreating it as a placewhere grown-upsplay.”

Steve Zeitlin is the founding director of City Lore in New York City.

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At the monkey cagesof theSanFran-ciscoZoointheearly1950s,anthropolo-gistGregoryBateson observed that themonkeysnippingplayfullyatoneanotherinthecagesmusthaveexchangedthemes-sage:“Thisisnotfighting.Thisisplay.”Hetermeditmetacommunication,amessagethat frames themessages to follow. Inthe S&M subcultures of NewYork city,consentingadults,negotiatingthethinlinebetweenpleasureandpain,oftenuse thesafeword“redlight”tosignal“thisisnotplay,” and “green light” tomean “this isplay.”HowverysimilartoagameIplayedasachild,RedLight,GreenLight,orMotherMayI.YetwhenfolkloristAmandaDarganand I studiedplay back in the 1980s forourbookandexhibitionCity Play,wecameacross few studies of adult play and nostudiesof playthatconsideredsex. Yearslater,mywifeAmandaandItaughtaclassontheFolkloreof NewYorkCityat theCityUniversityof NewYork.Fortheir final paper, we asked students towriteanethnographyof aNewYorkCitycommunitythatharboredarichexpressiveculture.Weweresurprisedwhenthreeof thestudentsindependentlyselectedtopicsaboutthecity’ssexualsubcultures:anAfri-canAmericanS&Mclub,aLatinoswinger’sgroup,andthecity’svampirescene.Allof thepaperswereexcellent,butwewereevenmoresurprisedwhenoneof thestudentsbroughtinan“artifact”—anippleclamp—toillustrateherpresentation. Never leaving a stone unturned inmyworkasafolklorist,Ibegantoconsiderthequestion,Issexplay?FolkloristKayTurnersuggestedagoodplacetostartwouldbetointerviewafriendof hers,ClaireCavanah,who owned severalwoman-oriented sexshopsinLowerManhattanandBrooklynoriginally calledToys inBabeland (nowshortened to Babeland).When I calledClaire to ask for an interview this Sep-tember,shespontaneouslybroughtupaninterviewshe’dheardonNPRwithStuartBrown,directorof theNationalInstitute


Tim Finigan’s Wake BY DAN MILNER

Dan Milner comes from a long line of traditional Irish singers. A cultural geographer, he is a Ph.D. candidate at the Univer-sity of Birmingham in England and a former ranger in the National Park Service. His most recent recording is Irish Pirate Ballads (Smithsonian Folkways, 2009).

New York City is special by anymeasure.Whowould think that“Finnegan’sWake”—immortalized by James Joyce, the ultimateDubliner—wasactuallywritteninManhattan?It’strue.JohnF.Poole,atheatermanagerandwriter, composed “TimFinigan’sWake” forthesinger-entrepreneurTonyPastorsometimearoundthebeginningof theCivilWar.Itap-pearsinPastor’s“444” Combination Songster, firstpublishedin1864:

TimFiniganlivedinWalkerstreet, AgentlemanIrishman—mightyodd—He’dabeautifulbrogue,sorichandsweet, Andtoriseintheworldhecarriedthehod.But,yousee,he’dasortof atipplingway— WithalovefortheliquorpoorTimwasborn,Andtohelphimthroughhisworkeachday, He’dadropof thecraythur’everymorn.

Chorus: Whack,hurrah!Bloodand‘ounds,yesowlye! Welttheflure,yertrottersshake;Isn’titthetruthI’vetouldye, Lotsof funatFinigan’swake!

Jane S.Meehan, a Joyce scholar, revealedFinigan’soriginstotheworldatlargeina1976journal article.Around the same time, Janementionedthefact tomeataSaintPatrick’snight gig in the long-lamentedEagleTavernon14thStreet.Iwouldbelyingif IwrotethatIbelievedheratthetime.Buthere’ssomethingevenstranger.Poole,whoalsowrote“NoIrishNeedApply,”wasborninDublinandcameouttoAmericainhischildhood.Hediedin1893intheSheepsheadBaysectionof Brooklyn.Thecauseof deathwasdropsy,ultimatelybroughtaboutbyafallfromaladder.

OnemorningTimwasratherfull, Hisheadfeltheavy,whichmadehimshake;Hefellfromtheladderandbrokehisskull, Sotheycarriedhimhomehiscorpsetowake.Theyrolledhimupinanicecleansheet, Andlaidhimoutuponthebed,Withfourteencandlesroundhisfeet, Andacoupleof dozenaroundhishead!

American popular song evolvedmostlyfrom folkmusic during the secondquarterof thenineteenthcentury.The linebetweenthe twohas remainedfluid. Some songsweknowas traditionalwere actuallywritten forconcertsaloon,vaudeville,andmusicaltheaterperformers. “LastWinterwas aHardOne”appears inFolk Songs of the Catskills (1982),whereCazden,Haufrecht,andStuderprovideexcellentbackground.But,withwordsbyJimO’NeilandmusicbyJackConroy,itwasfirstpublishedinNewYorkCityin1880as“WhenMcGuinnessGetsaJob.”Partof avaudevilleact, it’s a one-sided clothesline conversationsungbyamaninwomen’sattire.Here’sthetextIsing.

Lastwinterwas ahardone,Mrs.Reilly, didyousay?

It’sI,meself,thatknowsitwasformanyaday.Yourhusband’snot theonlyone satbehindawall,

MyoldmanMcGuinnesscouldn’tgetajobatall.

Chorus:Soriseup,Mrs.Reilly,don’tgiveawaytoblues.YouandIwillcutashine,newbonnetsandnewshoes.

Heartheyoungonescry,neithersighnorsob.TimeswillgetbetterwhenMcGuinnessgetsajob.

The politicians promised himwork on theboulevard,

Tohandlepickandshovelandthrowdirt inthecart.

Sixweeksago theypromisedhim thatworkhe’dsurelyget.

Believeme,mygoodwoman,they’repromis-inghimyet.

Bad luck to theEye-talians!Whydon’t theystayathome?

We’veplentyof ourownclass to eat up allourown.

They come like bees in the summertime,swarmingheretostay.

Thecontractorshirethemfor40centsaday.

Theyworkupontherailroad,shovelingsnowandslush,

Butonethingintheirfavor,Eye-taliansneverlush.

They always bring theirmoneyhome, theydrinknoginorwine,

SomethingIwouldliketosayaboutyouroldmanandmine.

Springtime is coming, andwork they’ll soonallget.

McGuinness’llgobacktohistradeagain;hemakesahandsomeclerk.

Seehimclimbtheladderasnimbleasafox.He’stheboycanhandletheoldthree-corneredbox.

The boss he’s always bawling, “Hey, there,don’tyoustop!

Keepyoureyesupward,don’t letnomortardrop.”

Theoldman’salwayscareful,nothingheletsfall,

Anddevilthewordyou’llhearhimsaytomyoldmanatall.

ItalianscametotheUnitedStates in largenumbersinthelastquarterof thenineteenthcenturyandresembledworkingclassIrishinmanyways,beingmainlypoor,Catholic,oftenfrom the countryside, andpreparedmostlyfor unskilled labor.With the Italians camethesametypeof cutthroatwagecompetitionthattheIrishhadbrought inearliertimestonative-bornwhite and freeblackAmericans.Thesympathetic—if notparticularlyrespect-ful—treatmentof Italiansisnoteworthy.The“three-corneredbox,”bytheway,isthesamehodcarriedbythetipplingTimFinigan.

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From Wild Man to Monster: The Historical Evolution of Bigfoot in New York State

W hen the first European settlersenteredwhat is nowNewYork

State and its environs, they broughtwiththemnotonlytheirmaterialculture,butalsoanarrayof beliefsinmythicalbeings.Suchcreatures hadbeenpart of theEuropeanpsycheforcenturies.Acentralcharacterinthispantheonwasthe“wildman”thoughttoinhabitthedarkerpartsof theEuropeancountryside.Also known as thewoodwose, wooser, or “wildman of the woods,” itwas conspicuous in folklore between thethirteenthandfifteenthcenturiesandholdsaprominentplaceinlatermedievalEuropeanartworkandliterature.Awildman’simageevenappearsinmanycoats-of-armsandasaheraldfigureinbookillustrations.DuringthelaterMiddleAges,“wildpeople”werethought to be ordinary humans, such ashermitsandeccentrics:thesociallymarginalandmentallyderanged,whohadturnedtolifeinthewildernessandbegantoregress,growinga thickcoatof hairandforagingforfoodlikeawildanimal.Thecharacterof thewildmandidnotremainaferalhuman.Theimageevolvedslowlyovertimeintoamoremalevolentandlesshumanform.Byreviewingsightingsof man-likemonstersinnineteenth-centuryandcontemporaryNewYork,thistransformationcanbetraced.Not surprisingly, the early pioneers of

whatisnowNewYorkStatereportedtheirownwildmen. Some of these accountsundoubtedly depict hermits or derangedindividualswhosedishevelledandunkemptappearance led to the conclusion thattheyweredegeneratesregressedtoa feralstateafterlivinginthewild.ThefirstNewWorldaccountof awildmanintheregionoccurred in 1818 nearEllisburg, close to

BY ROBERT E. BARTHOLOMEW AND BRIAN REGAL

theCanadianborder,when a “gentlemanof unquestionable veracity” reportedseeingamandashing throughthewoods.Itwas covered in hair and bent forwardas it moved. Amassive search ensued,involvinghundredsof residents,buttonoavail(Exeter Watchman 1818).Twodecadeslater,inAugust1838,aboytoldhisfatherof encountering a hairy boy in the townof SilverLake,Pennsylvania,on theNewYorkborder:

The boy was sent to work in thebackwoodsnear theNewYork Stateline.Hetookwithhimagun,andwastold by his father to shoot anythinghe might see, except persons orcattle.Afterworking for awhile, heheardsomeperson,alittlebrotherhesupposed,comingtowardhimwhistlingquitemerrily.Itcamewithinafewrodsof himandstopped.Hesaiditlookedlikeahumanbeing,coveredwithblackhair,aboutthesizeof hisbrother,whowassixorsevenyearsold.Hisgunwassome little distance off, and hewasverymuch frightened.He, however,gothisgunandshotattheanimal,buttrembledsothathecouldnotholditstill.(Dorchester Aurora 1838)

During the summer of 1869, a wildmanwas spottedby at leastonehundredresidents in the vicinity of Woodhill andTroupsville in SteubenCounty. Itmadeshrieking sounds as it raced through thecountryside.An eyewitness said itmoved“withaspringing, jerkinghitch inhisgait[that]gavehimmoretheappearanceof awildanimalthanahumanbeing.”Onemangotaclose-upview:“Thelong,mattedhair;thethick,black,uncombedbeard;thewild,glaring,bloodshoteyeballs,whichseemed

bursting from their sockets; the swage,haggard, unearthly countenance; thewild,beastly appearanceof this thing,whethermanor animal, has hauntedme” (Evening Gazette 1869).Later that year, awildmanwasobservedeatingminnowsnearSuckerBrook, onemile south of OgdensburgalongtheCanadianborder.Whilehumaninappearance,itsobserverssaidits“armsandlegswerecoveredinlonghair”(Plattsburgh Sentinel 1869).InMarch1883,awildmanwasspotted

inthenortheasternportionof NewYorkatPortHenryonLakeChamplain.Witnessessaidthehaironthecreaturewassothickthatitresembledanovercoat(Plattsburgh Sentinel1883). Between August andNovember1883, the tiny community of Maine inwesternBroomeCounty,wasthesiteof aspateof wildmansightings.Thecreaturewas described as “low in stature, coveredwithhair,andrunningwhilebentclosetotheground.”Itwasreportedtohavemadefrighteningshrieksandpiercingcries (Free Press 1883).These nineteenth-century accounts

depict a remarkably similar form: humanin appearance,with animalbehaviour andphysical characteristics.Typically hunchedoverasitranthroughthewildernessutteringshrieks, cries, andwhistles, itwas coveredwithanextraordinaryamountof hairandoccasionally possessed a beard.Near theturn of the twentieth century, sightingsof wildmen began to dramatically shiftto descriptions of ape- ormonkey-likecreaturesthatoftenpossessedsuperhumanstrength.On the night of July 26, 1895,in theDelaware County resort town of Margaretville, Peter Thomaswas driving


a team of horses on a lone roadwhena “wild-eyedman or ape” stood in theroadahead.Thomassaidthecreaturehad“long andhairy arms” andwas “utteringa raucous, inarticulate cry.”He said thecreature twisted the neck of one of hishorsesbeforedraggingitintothedarkness.Thecreaturewas“sevenfeethigh,of humanshape,coveredwithhair.”Thenextday,localfarmerJohnCooksaidheshot“aferociousape-likebeing,”beforeitgrabbedhimandthrewhim to the ground.Thewildmanstood“aboutsevenfeettall,entirelynude,coveredwithblackhair,withalongbeardandwithteethwhichprojectfromitsmouthlikefangs”(Newburg Daily Express 1895;New York Daily Herald 1895).Awildman resembling a gorilla was

spotted several times in April andMay1899 in the small village of JohnsonburginWyomingCountyinwesternNewYork.Missing chickens and sheepwere linkedto the creature’s appearance.When somewomenstrollingthroughthewoodssawthecreature,theysaidit“ranswiftlyupahugetree andwas lost sight of ” (Oswego Daily Times 1899).Ataboutthesametime,hunterswerescouringthewoodsforawildmaninthetownof Dresden,intheFingerLakesregionof centralNewYork.Onewitnesswhoreportedlybumpedintoitinthebushessaiditresembleda“gorilla,beingcoveredwith a dark sort of hair or skin,” yet healsosaiditwaswearingaredshirt(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 1899).During the early twentieth century,

sightingsof ape-likecreaturesintheLongIslandcountrysideandthesuburbsof NewYorkCitybecamemorecommon.Whiletheescapedzooanimalorpethypothesiswasinvoked,noescapeswereeverconfirmed,andnocreaturewasevercapturedorshot(New York Herald 1909;New York Herald Tribune 1934). Since themiddle of thetwentieth century, reports of large, hairymonsters have dominated the Bigfootlandscape. Under a full moon, around11:00p.m.onSeptember24,1980,seventy-year-oldKinderhookgrandmotherMarthaHallenbeck and several relatives reportedencountering a large hulking creature

outsideMartha’sruralhome.CapitalDistrictfilm critic and radio personality BruceHallenbeck later wrote a letter detailingthisincidentinvolvinghisgrandmothertoAlbany Times-Union newspaper columnistBarneyFowler.Theletterstatedinpart:“Shewas terrified; it screamed,moaned,madegutturalnoises,andfinallymynephewgothisshotgunandfiredintotheair.Itmovedaway,walkingonTWOlegs,suchasahumanwould do.”When Fowler published theletter, it triggered a deluge of encountersamongarearesidents.There have been somany sightings in

theKinderhook area since the late 1970sthatlocalshavedubbeditthe“KinderhookCreature.”One incident reportedly tookplaceonanightinNovember1980,whenBarryKnights andRussellZbierskiwerewalkingonadesolateroadnearCushing’sHillwhentheynoticednoisescomingfrombothsidesof theroad.Ina1980interviewwithBruceHallenbeck, the pair said thatfivehuge,hairycreatureswithcone-shapedheadsandnoneckssuddenlyconvergedontheroadahead.Themenranintheoppositedirection.Ataboutthesametime,awomanjustdowntheroadsaidshesawahugehairycreature thatwalked on two legs removefood from trash cans by her garage. ShetoldKnightsandZbierskithatherdogwassofrightenedthatitbegantospinincirclesandwetitself.During February 1982, twoWhitehall

police officers were on routine patrol,drivingalongaremotestretchof Route22nearEastBayat4:30a.m.,whentheywerestartledbyahugehairyhumanoidstandingseven-and-a-half toeightfeettall.Ina1982interviewwithPaulBartholomew, officerDanGordonsaidhelookedonindisbelief asthecreaturecrossedtheroadinaflash.Itthenclimbedupasteepembankmentandoutof sight.Shaken,Gordonpulledouthisservicerevolverandwalkedaround,butithaddisappearedintothenight.Gordonsaiditwascoveredinmangy,dirty,darkbrownfurandresembledanapewithpoorposture,asitsshouldersslumped.Ithadlongarmsthatswungbackandforthasittookmassivestrides.He said its speedwas remarkable,

noting that a “relay runner would havetroublekeepingupwith[it].”Onachilly,moonlitmorninginAugust

1998,twomenweredrivingonNorthBushRoadnearCarogaLakeinFultonCountyatabout2:00a.m.,whentheypulledtheirtrucktotheroadsidetourinate.“Chris”returnedto the vehicle before his companion, andwhenheflickedonthehighbeams,hesawahugefigurestandingonly20feetaway.Itwas seven to eight feet tall—part human,partanimal—andhadaflatfaceandarmsthat swung in an exaggeratedmotion.Coveredinlong,brownhair,Chrissaid,“Itstoodperfectlystillforaminuteandthengrunted at us.Then it turned andwalkedaway.Itdidn’tmovelikeaman.Itkindof swaggered back and forth, like it lungedeachlegforwardwhenitwalked”(BigfootResearchOrganization2002).Sincethe1950sweareconfrontedalmost

exclusivelywithreportsof ahulking,hair-covered creature, typically standing aboutsevenfeettall.Eventhoughitisoccasionallydescribed as ape-like, absent is thebeard,occasional aggression, and chasing afterhumans.It is lesshumanandmorebeast.While a fewmodern-daywitnesses havereactedfearfully,mostviewthe“monster”aspeaceful,evenharmless.Sincethe1970s,therehavebeen several extremely strangereports.BigfoothasbeenseennearUFOsandglidingacrossroadsorroughfieldsinaquasi-supernaturalfashion,whileinotherparts of the country, Bigfoot has beendescribedastransparentordisappearinginaflashof light.This increase inBigfoot’spowerscoincidedwithaspateof booksandTVdocumentariesonthetopicbeginningin the early 1970s,which also appear tohavecontributedtoamoreuniformimageof themonster. This version of Bigfootasapossiblyparanormalorextraterrestrialcreature,however,elevatesittosupernaturalstatus.Modern-day Bigfoot, in fact, isessentially an overgrown fairy in amoreacceptableguise.Atthedawnof thetwenty-firstcentury,

the stubborn persistence of Bigfootsightings and beliefs are anti-scientificsymbols in an increasingly secular age.


AccordingtoErnestineMcHugh,aculturalanthropologist fromRochester: “A lot of people are disenchantedwith everyday life,and they long for something that seemsmagical.We’veevendomesticatedHalloweenas a day for children. So formanypeople,Bigfoot is one of the few avenues left tothe uncanny” (Pitcher 2001). PeterDendleconcurs:“Tobeontosomethingthateventhe professors of Harvard do not knowabout...canbeveryempoweringinanageof routine deference to higher bodies of institutionalknowledge.”Hepostulatesthatthe contemporary search for Bigfootmayrepresent a “quest formagic andwonderin aworldmanyperceive ashaving lost itsmystique”(Dendle2006,200).Itisclearfromthewebsitesof thedozensof BigfootgroupsthatarenowmushroomingacrosstheUnitedStatesthatmanySasquatchhuntersviewthisrarecreatureasaposterchildforthedangersof scientific “progress,” which is widelyviewed as threatening the planetwith theconsequences of the IndustrialRevolution.Indeed,arealestatedealerinFloridarecentlyclaimedtochannelthetelepathicthoughtsof aBigfoot.Itsmessage:concernoverglobalwarmingandunhappinesswiththeIraqwar.Whetherrealorimaginary,thestudyof wild

men andbig hairymonsters is a legitimateandfascinatingpartof oursocialandculturalhistory. Reports of such creatures behaveas if they are themselves flesh-and-blood

organisms: the legendsgrowand evolveover time, producing an ever-changingspecies.NorthAmericanreportsof man-likemonsters,Sasquatch,andBigfootarea formof living folklore stoked by themassmedia,misperceptions,hoaxes,andtall tales.Their study can shed light onthe changing conditions of life inNewYorkState.

ReferencesBigfootResearchOrganization.2002.Report#4286,submittedby“Chris”onMay10.Follow-upinterviewbyanunnamedBFROinvestigator.

Dendle,Peter. 2006.Cryptozoology in theMedieval andModernWorlds.Folklore117:190–206.

Dorchester Aurora (Maryland).August27,1838.Evening Gazette.July10,1869.AWildMan:AHideousMonsterRoaming about theNeighborhoodof WoodhillandTroups-ville,N.Y.

Exeter Watchman. September 22, 1818.AnotherWonder.

Free Press (Gouverneur,NewYork).Novem-ber28,1883.AMysteriousCreature.

Newburg Daily Express.July29,1895.DelawareCounty’sWildMan.

New York Daily Herald.July31,1895.He,She,orIt—BeastorHuman:WildThingLooseinDelawareCountyandScaringtheNa-tivesHalf Silly.

New York Herald.February7,1909.ShriekingApparition Rouses Long Island:Wild,WeirdCriesDisturb theThickets in theNeighborhoodof Quogue,andArmedMen,AllinVain,SeektheLairof theMysteriousThing.Section2:7.

New York Herald Tribune.September4,1934.Man, Beast, or Demon? It’s Loose inAmityville:MysteriousApe-likeMarauderRaidsGarage,TownonGuard.

Oswego Daily Times.May17,1899.CrazyManorGorilla:6.

Pitcher, John. October 28, 2001. CloseEncounters. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:1C,10C.

Plattsburgh Sentinel.August6,1869.AWildManof theWoods:1.

Plattsburgh Sentinel.March9,1883:1.Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.April15,1899.WildManatLarge:4.

Robert E. Bartholomew is a sympathetic skeptic on the subject of Bigfoot and the coauthor of Bigfoot Encounters in New York and New England: Documented Evidence, Stranger than Fiction (Han-cock House, 2008). He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.

Brian Regal is an assistant professor in the Department of History at Kean Univer-sity in Union, New Jersey. His most re-cent article is “Entering Dubious Realms: Grover Krantz, Science, and Sasquatch,” which appeared in the January 2009 issue of the journal Annals of Science.

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I twasabeautifulspringdayinChinatownwhenIstoppedbytheMenciusSociety

totalkwithXiaoXiannian,avirtuosoof theChinesehammereddulcimerknownastheyangqin.HousedinabuildingonGrandStreetnearitsintersectionwithDelancey,theMencius Society—also known as theAiCenter, formerly theWossing Cen-ter—provides instruction inChinese andWesternmusicalinstruments,aswellasanumberof otherartseducationprogramsforyouthandadults. It is also thehomebaseof theEastRiverEnsemble,oneof NewYork’sleadingChinesemusicgroups. TheCenter forTraditionalMusic andDance has recently partneredwith theMenciusSociety,aswellastherenownedMusicFromChina ensemble, toprovidegroup lessons inChinesemusic toyouthagedeighttoseventeenandtocreateaNewYorkChineseYouthOrchestraunderXiao’smusicaldirection.Mencius’sdirector,JulieTay,translatedbetweenEnglishandMan-darinandprovidedinvaluableculturalandhistoricalbackgroundduringmydiscussionwithXiao.

A Folk Instrument with Foreign Roots Like other hammered dulcimers fromaroundtheworld,theyangqinconsistsof a trapezoidal resonating chamber that iscappedbyathinwoodensoundboard.Asystemof stringsandbridgesrestsuponthe soundboardand transmitsvibrations

BY PETE RUSHEFSkY

Xiao Xiannian: New Sounds for Chinese Strings

totheresonatingchamberwhentheplayerstrikesthestringswithtwolong,thinstickscalledcui(pronounced“chway”). Consideringthelonghistoryof Chinesemusic,theyangqinisactuallyafairlynewinstrument to China. The instrument’snameprovidesacluethatitwasborrowedfromabroad—yangmeans “foreign” andqin istheancientChinesepluckedzither.AlthoughitiscommonlythoughttohavecomefromPersiathroughSilkRoadtrade,recent research has established amoreprobableintroductionof thedulcimertoChinabyEuropeanseamerchantsintheeighteenthcentury.Indeed,thetraditionalyangqin’sshape,diatonictuning,andlonghammersheldbetweenthumbandindexfingersuggestaprovenancefromtheham-mereddulcimersof Europe, rather thanthePersiansantir.AshammereddulcimerhistorianPaulGiffordnotes,performersof theyangqinmakeupwhatiscertainlytheworld’smostvibranthammereddulcimerscene.Therearehundredsof thousandsof playersthroughoutChina.

Growing Up during the Cultural Revolution XiaoXiannianwasbornin1962inFuxin,amedium-sized city located in theLiao-ningprovinceneartheMongolianborder.Xiao’smother,GaoMingfan,isaphysicianwhogrewupinAnshan,alargercityalsoinLiaoning.The provinces of Liaoning,Jilin, andHeilongjiangmake upChina’s

Dongbei(Northeast),aregionknownforcoldwinters,steel-basedindustrialfactories,andwarmhospitality—perhapsakintotherustbeltof theAmericanMidwest.WhileMandarin-speakingHanChinesedominatetheDongbei,ManchurianandMongolianare also spoken, aswell as a number of otherminority languages.Xiao’s father,XiaoZhenduo, is an electrical engineeroriginally from theneighboringprovinceof Hebei,whichsurroundsthecapitalcityof Beijingandisknownasthebirthplaceof Beijingopera. WhenXiaowasthree,thefamilybecamecaughtupinthepoliticsof MaoZedong’sCulturalRevolution,whichstartedin1966.Xiao’s parents were considered by theCommunistPartytobeof anintellectualclass,andtheseniorXiaoranafoulof partyleadersforadvocatingonbehalf of factorymachinists,withwhomheworkedasanen-gineer.ThefamilywasforcedtorelocatetoaruralvillagenearAnshan.Xiao’sparentswere subjected to public humiliation (asweremanyother intellectuals) andmadetoparadeinthestreetswearingtallconicalhatsthatadvertisedtheirallegedtransgres-sions. Whilenotaprofessionalmusician,XiaoZhenduotaughthimself toplayanumberof differentWesternandChinese instru-ments—yangqin, erhu (two-stringfiddle),dizi (transverseflute),qin qin (four-stringbanjo-likelute),accordion,saxophone,andthebassdrumemployedinmarchingbands.


Xiao teaching I.S. 89 students in Lower Manhattan to play traditional Chinese music. Photo: Eileen Condon/CTMD

Inadditiontohisfather’s loveformu-sic,somewidersocialandpoliticalfactorshelpexplainXiao’sentryintothemusicalprofession.Mao’swife,JiangQing,wasadevotedfanof Beijingopera,andsotheCommunistPartyheavilypromotednewlywritten“modeloperas” (yang ban xi) thatfeaturednarrativesladenwithpartyrheto-ric. TheCommunists organizedmusicalassociationsthroughoutChinatoperformthemodeloperas.Knownasxuan quan dui,thesegroupswereorganizedatalllevelsof society,servingcollectivefarms,factories,schools, and themilitary. Participationas a performeror audiencememberwasexpected by all—in fact,many chose toperformsimplytogettimeoff fromtheir

normal occupations to attend practices.Xiao’sfirstformalexperiencewithmusicwas, at age six, attendingamusic societypracticewithhisfather. MusicwasalsoawayforyoungChinesefrom economically depressed regions tofindcareersinlargercities.Theexaminationsystembegunduring Imperial times andcontinuedundertheCommunistsidentifiedtalentedyouthforadmittancetoprestigiousconservatories.Giventhefamily’sexiletoaruralarea,Xiao’sparentsencouragedtheirfour children’smusical development as awaytoescapethehardshipsof thevillage. Ultimately,Xiaowastheonlyoneof thesiblings to enter themusical profession.Asayoungchild,Xiaoexperimentedwith

avarietyof instruments—erhu,dizi, andaccordion—inschool.Healsoparticipatedinchoralsingingof minge,or“songsof thepeople,”thatoftenincorporatedtraditionalfolkmelodieswithnewlycomposedlyricspayingtributetotheCommunistParty.Atageten,Xiaobegantostudyyangqinseri-ouslybyborrowinghissister’sinstrumentwhenshebroughtithomefromschool.

Learning the Yangqin Xiao’sfatherwashisfirstteacher,buttheyoungmusicianalsolearnedfromrecords.Atthistimethefirstsolosforyangqinwerepublishedandrecorded.Initsfolkform,theinstrumenthadtraditionallybeenlim-itedtoensembleperformance.Underthe


Xiao Xiannian performs on a large yangqin. Photo: Pete Rushefsky/CTMD

Communistconservatorysystem,however,theyangqinwasenlargedandreconstructedto allow for a greater tonal range andWestern-temperedchromatic scales. (Theolder instrumentwas tuneddiatonically.)Inaddition,theconservatoriessupportedaclassof highlyspecializedfacultymemberswhostandardizedrepertoire,createdrigor-ouspedagogicalmethods,anddevelopedanewvirtuosicperformancestylethatbegantotakeshapeinthe1950sand1960s. Xiao’splayingsoonoutgrewhisfather’sabilitytoteachhim.Whenhewasfifteen,his father took him toAnshan to learnfromYiDaxin, a performer in the city’sprofessional orchestra. To complywithCommunist restrictions against privatecommerce,Xiaowouldprovidehisteacherwithproducefromthevillagesuchaseggs,orevencigarettes,ratherthanpayingmoney

for the lessons. JulieTay notes that thispracticealsoharksback to the traditionalmaster/apprenticemodel. Often theserelationshipswouldlastalifetime,andlikeafamilymember,theapprenticewouldbeconsideredamournerwhenthemasterdied. UnderYiDaxin’stutelage,Xiaoswitchedfromthesmall,traditionalyangqintothenewchromaticinstrument.Hetooklessonsonceeveryweekortwo,learningtheChi-nesenumericalsolfègesystemof musicalnotation.(TheChinesesystemusesnum-berstoindicatepitchandlinesbelowthenumberstoindicateduration.)AfterthreeyearswithYiDaxin,Xiaobecameastudentof ZhangXuesheng, a professor at theprestigiousShenyangConservatory.Profes-sorZhangwaspartof thefirstgenerationof conservatory faculty specializing inthenewlyreconstructedyangqin.Because

Xiaohadnotyetformallyenrolledattheconservatory,hecontinuedtoliveathomeand traveledbybus and trainmore thanthreehourseachway toget toShenyangforhismonthlylessons. In between lessons,Xiao playedwiththevillage’smusicsocietiesandinformallyathomewithhis family andothermusi-cians.Hewas recruited to joinamilitaryensemble, but declined after his parentspleadedwithhimnottoleavehomeforthearmy.Throughthesesessions,Xiaolearnedarangeof repertoire,frommodelandtra-ditionaloperastolocalweddingandfuneralmusic.As amusician on a conservatorytrack,however,Xiaodidnotplaywiththeoldermusiciansintraditionalweddingandfuneral ensembles, even though someof thiswork(particularlyweddings)couldbelucrative.Althoughmuchof therepertoire


Xiao and Julie Tay outside the AiCenter on Grand Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Photo: Pete Rushefsky/CTMD

taught in conservatories and considered“classical” isrooted infolkmelodies, theconservatory cultureworks to separateprofessionalmusiciansfromtheworldof folk ensembles.The classical performersplaymodern instruments that havebeenredesigned for classicalmusic, with itshighly embellished andorchestrated rep-ertoire,andtheyaretaughttoreadmusic,ratherthanplaybyear.Asaresult,classicalmusiciansareconsideredtobeof ahighersocialstanding. Atagetwenty-one,Xiaoenteredthepres-tigiousShenyangConservatory,continuinghisstudieswithProfessorZhang,aswellasayoungerprofessornamedLiuHanli.Inadditiontoyangqin,Xiaostudiedpercus-sion,piano,chorus,composition,andmusichistory.Hewasrequiredtostudythemusicof fifty-six officialminority groups and

be able to identify each of themduringexaminations.Xiaowas the only studentin his year to be admitted for yangqin.The limited enrollment virtually ensuresa Shenyang graduate a lifelong career asaprofessionalmusicianinChina,butalsoimposes a significant burden to succeed.Addingtothepressure,itisnotuncommontohearof facultymembersjockeyingwithoneanothertoberecognizedasthemaintutorof anotablestudent. Xiaopassedhisfinalsolorecitalatagetwenty-five, and upon graduating fromShenyang,joinedtheLiaoningBalletCom-pany. The company performsWestern-style ballet, but over time has expandedits program to includeWestern popularmusicsandevenrockandroll.Xiaoplayedpercussionanddrumkitwiththecompanyforafewyears,beforejoiningtheLiaon-

ingDance andSongEnsemble,which isalsounder theauspicesof theprovincialcultureministry.TheLiaoningDanceandSongEnsemble is a large orchestrawithmorethanfiftymusicians,whichperformsChinese orchestralworks usingChineseinstruments. It also presents highly cho-reographed folkloric dance productions.WhenXiaojoinedtheensemble,italreadyhadacoupleof senioryangqinmusicians,soXiaoinsteaddirectedandperformedaspartof theorchestra’spercussionsection.

In New York Aftertenyearsof touringdomesticallyandinternationallywiththeLiaoningDanceandSongEnsembleandgoingthroughadivorce,Xiaowaslookingforachangeof scene.Hedecided to leaveShenyang forNewYorkin2000.Hequicklyestablished


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Xiao has released two recordings of soloyangqinmusicandanalbumwithTaythrough their duoBambooBreeze.XiaohopesinthenearfuturetoproduceaCDof originalyanqinmusic,aswellasasecondrecordingasasoloistwithalargeorchestra. Formore information on the yangqinandother typesof hammereddulcimers,seePaulGifford’sThe Hammered Dulcimer: A History(Lanham,MD:ScarecrowPress,2001).IthankJulieTayforherassistancewith this article and for her translationsduringtheinterviewwithXiao,whichtookplaceonMay11,2007.

himself inNewYork’sChinesemusiccom-munityandjoinedtheEastRiverEnsemble,whichhadbeenfoundedbyJulieTayanderhuplayerCaoBuo’an.HissonXiaoMenghassincecometojoinhiminNewYork,andtogethertheyliveinRockaway. Asthemusicaldirectorof theEastRiverEnsembleandtheMenciusSociety’steach-ingprograms,Xiaoisdevelopinganewrolefor theyangqinwithin thecontextof thetraditional ensemble. InChinese classicalmusic,soloistrolesarenormallylimitedtoplayersof theerhu,dizi,andpipa(lute).IntheEastRiverEnsemble,Xiao’s yangqintakescenterstage,tradingsolopartswiththeotherinstrumentsandoftenbeingfeaturedunaccompaniedinfantasia-styledmedleys.

EastRiverfocusesonthefolkmusicof northeastChina,especiallytheHebeiandDongbei regions, but the ensemble hasalsoexperimentedwithAmericanmusics,includingold-timemusicandevenklezmer.This eagerness to enter intomusical ex-changesacrossgenresledXiao(alongwithJulieTay)tojointhefacultyof theAugustaHeritageCenter’s 2007 SpringDulcimerWeek,held inElkins,WestVirginia.TheCenter forTraditionalMusic andDancenominatedXiaoandyangqinstudentAdaLi for aNewYork StateCouncil on theArts (NYSCA)FolkArtsApprenticeshipaward,whichthepairreceived,supportingan intensive learning exchange betweenteacherandstudentin2009.

Pete Rushefsky is executive director of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance in Manhattan. He can be contacted at [email protected].


The Bronx Seedless Grape BY MAkALÉ FABER CULLEN

northernhalf of the“Concordgrapebelt,”soareunionseemspromising. Therecipeonthispageisadaptedfromchef LaurentManriqueof AquaRestaurantinSanFrancisco.BronxSeedlessgrapesarebest eaten fresh.Ask your grocer to startsellingthemandyourfarmertostartgrowingthem—andgeteating!

Makalé Faber Cullen recently completed a three-and-a-half year fieldwork assignment, documenting North America’s agricultural diversity and developing marketing campaigns in support of artisanal food producers, for the United States office of Slow Food. She currently develops sustainability initiatives for Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York, and serves on the board of the Southern Foodways Alliance. A version of this column originally appeared in Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green, 2008), edited by Gary Nabhan; the book is available from Chelsea Green Publishing, www.chelseagreen.com.

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Long before our contemporary chefs de-velopedtheNewAmericancuisine,farmersandhorticulturistswere the custodians of taste,walkingtheirorchards,vineyards,andvegetablefields sampling fruits and savingseedsfromthemostcleverlydelicioustree,bush,orvine.Foracontemporaryfarmertogrow aBronxSeedless grape is to reclaimthat custodial role after almost a centuryandrepositionfarmersastheguardiansof flavorandtheirfamily-ownedfarmsasthesanctuariesof quality.“Andyouknow,”saysJohnLegierof LegierRanches inEscalon,California, “growing for flavor isn’t a badeconomic decision. I don’t struggle to getcustomers.Despite split skins and looseberriesthatfalloff thebunch,themomentpeopleputaBronxSeedlessintheirmouththeyjustwanttoknowwheretheycangetmore.Ineverlackforacustomer.” Toembracethedelectableheritageof theBronxSeedlessgrape,wemusttraceitsroutefromtheEastCoasttotheWestoveramatterof someeightyyears.Let’sstartin1925,intheBronxboroughof NewYorkCity.ThenativeAmericanConcord,atough-skinnedpurplefruitloadedwithseedsandacartoon-ishlygrapyflavor,wascrossedwiththelead-ingtablegrapeof thetimes,theThompsonSeedless,praisedforitstenderness,sweetness,andmildness.Allbetswereonthenewgrape,especiallyif itcouldcombinethe“Egads!”grapinessof theConcord(typicallyprocessedintoajelly)withthetextureof theThompsonSeedlesstoyieldafirst-ratetablegrape. In1931, after sixyearsof careful atten-tionandselection, theBronxSeedlesswasdelivered byDr.ArlowStout of theNewYorkBotanicalGardens,inpartnershipwiththeNewYorkStateAgriculturalExperimentStationinGeneva,NewYork.Greenwithasunsetpinkblush,thismedium-sized,roundgrapehasafloralbouquetandahoneyliketastethatmeltsonthetongue—characteris-ticsthatquicklyearneditaprizednickname,“theRollsRoyceof tablegrapes.” The Bronx Seedless and Stout’s otherselections arewonderful examples of the

kindof slow,not-for-profitplantbreedingthatdevelopedmanyof thefinestfruitsandvegetables that once stocked our farmers’marketsandcornergrocerystores.Bredfortasteandtexturemorethanforhighproduc-tion,uniformity,andtheabilitytowithstandlong-distance shipping, theBronxSeedlessiswhatsomemightcallatwentieth-centuryanachronism. Thetextureof theBronxSeedlessisbothablessingandacurse,foritsjuicyfleshandextremelythinskinmakeitpronetocrack-inginsummerheatorthemostordinaryof afternoonrains.Nowonderithashadadif-ficulttimeholdingitsowninfrenziedfoodmarkets focusedmore on transportabilitythanflavor.For theAmerican table grapeindustry—thethirdlargestintheworldandone thatwas built on long-distance ship-ping—the fragility of theBronx Seedlessseemed tohave doomed it to commercialfailure. Fortunately,afarmer inCaliforniacom-mittedtogrowingflavorfulfoodadoptedtheBronxSeedlessin1979,transplantingitfromtheAtlantictothePacificcoast.Hewasinnowayintimidatedbytheindustry’sprofit-drivendismissalof theBronxSeedless.Andtoday he is allowing a new generation of intrepid shoppers to experience thisRollsRoyceof table grapes. “I started growingthembecausethey’rejustsogoodtoeat,”JohnLegiersays.“If Ifollowedwhatthein-dustrywasdoing,I’dselectonlythethickest-skinnedgrapesthatholdashapeandaprofitbutnoaroma,noflavor,nojuice.Butthat’snotwhyIgrowfood.It’sgottotastegood.Otherwise,what’sthepoint?” Although the Bronx Seedless is nowavailable fromonly two nurseries on thecontinent—Lon Rombough andWeeksBerryNursery, both inOregon—the cur-rentrevivalof interestinitstablequalitiesmayhelpitsqueakthroughhardtimesandperhaps reemerge in its home state.NewYork counties boundedbyLakeErie andtheFingerLakeshavemorethan85percentof thestate’svineyardacreageandformthe

2½cupsBronxSeedlessgrapes,halved

½cupwalnutoil

1cupwalnuts

3tablespoonssherryvinegar

freshlycrackedblackpepper,totaste

6–8 slices sourdough bread, lightlytoasted

In a bowl, combine the grapes,walnutoil,walnuts,andvinegar,andseasonwithpepper.Cutortearthetoastedbreadintobite-sized pieces. Place half the breadpieces in awide, shallowbowl. Spoononhalf of thegrapemixture.Layertheremainingbreadontop,followedbytheremaininggrapemixture.Coverforhalf anhour,andsetaside.Thegrapejuiceswillsoakintothebread,astomatojuicesdo in panzanella, aTuscan bread-and-vegetablesalad.

Bronx Panzanella


Tiny Feet on the Stairs BY LIBBY TUCkER

Libby Tucker teaches folklore at Bingham-ton University. Her book Haunted Halls: Ghostlore of American College Campuses (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2007) investigates col-lege ghost stories. Her most recent book is Children’s Folklore: A Handbook (West-port: Greenwood, 2008).

Two years ago,whilepreparingtoteachmyfallFolkloreof theSupernaturalclass,Ilookedup“haunteddolls”oneBay.Afolk-loristfriendof minehadwarnedmeneverto order a haunted doll, even at a goodprice.“I’dneverhaveoneof thosethingsinmyhouse!”myfriendhadtoldme.Likethecentralcharacterof theGrimms’tale“TheYouthWhoWantedtoLearnWhatFearIs,”Icouldnotresistthetemptationtoorderahaunteddoll.Whatharmcouldpossiblycomefromthissimpletransaction? Right away, I discovered an eBay adplacedbyaUtahwomanwhohadobtainedthreehaunteddollsfromanoldhouseinIndiana.Her ad explained that the dollshadstolenfamilymembers’prizedposses-sions, slammeddoors, turned televisionsonandoff,andmaderockingchairsrockbythemselves.Atnight,shesaid,thedolls’owners heard eerie footstepsonthestairs.Sheseemedeagertosellthedollsquickly. Thedollsintheattached photolooked prettyand pleasant,withsmilingfac-es,old-fashioneddresses, and whiteshoes.Twohaddarkhair;thethirdhadredhair. I did notwanta doll that lookedlikeme,soIorderedthered-haireddoll.Lessthanaweeklater, I founda box witha U t a hpostmarkunder mymail slot. Itoretheboxopenandremoved thedoll fromherbox.HersmilelookedexactlyasithadintheeBayad,butherhaircolorwas

different:notredbutblonde,almostexactlytheshadeof myownhair.Ihadorderedatwinwithoutmeaningtodoso. I namedmy haunted doll Tina, after“TalkyTina”onthe1963“LivingDoll”epi-sodeof RodSerling’sTwilight Zone.If youhaveseenthatepisode,youmayremembertheline,“MynameisTalkyTina,andI’mgoingtokillyou!”AlittlegirlreceivesTalkyTinaasagift,thendiscoversthatthedollhasstrongfeelingsandhomicidaltenden-cies.Thisplotfollowsthesequenceof theAmerican“ChinaDoll”legend.MybookChildren’s Folklore: A Handbook includes avariantof thislegendinwhichthedollkillsacanary,acat,andfinallythehusbandof thewomanwhopurchasedher. Beinganoldhandatchildren’sfolklore,IdidnotworryaboutTina.Someof mystudents, however, seemed scared. “You

aren’t going to bring that dollto class again, are you?”amale student in thefrontrowaskedattheendof theFolkloreof theSupernaturalclasssessionduringwhichI had introduced thegroup to Tina. “It’snotthatI’mscared,”he explained. “Shejust creepsme outalittle.Hey,didyounoticethatthedolllooksjustlikeyou?”A n o t h e r m a l estudent askedmy

permission toexamineTinawith a spec-tral energy-measuring in-

strumentthathehad built himself.

After checking her en-ergy fromhead to toe, he

toldme,“I’mnotsureif she’shaunted.We’llhavetowaitand

seewhathappens.”Iagreedtotellhimif anythingunusual tookplace in theofficewhilethedollwasthere. Afewoddthingsdidhappen.Oursecre-tarylostherfavoritewaterbottleand,whilealoneinthebuilding,heardconversationsin a nearby room.Twoprinters and thefaxmachinemalfunctioned, and doorsslammed shut.Machines do break, of course;thingsgetlost,peoplehearpeculiarsounds, anddoors slam.Tina sat onmydesk,smilingherenigmaticsmile. How canwe explain people’s fascina-tionwithhaunteddollsandotherhauntedobjects soldon eBay? Inher essay “TheCommodificationof Belief ” inHaunting Experiences: Ghosts in Contemporary Folklore (2007), DianeGoldstein explains thatghosts have become valuable commodi-ties.Ghost tours,ads forhauntedhotels,andothermonetarytransactionsbuildonpreexistingbeliefsandnarratives.Thefactthatpeoplebuyandsellghostlymaterialstakes nothing away from thesematerials’value for folklore researchers, which isconsiderable. SomedayImayorderanotherdollortwofromeBaytodoalongerstudyof haunteddolls.WouldTinawelcomesomehauntedcompanions?I’mnotsurethatshewould,andIwonderhowwiseitwouldbetoan-tagonizeanyhaunteddoll.DoIheartinyfeetonthestairs?I’llkeepyouposted.If anyonehasahaunteddollstorytoshare,Iwouldlovetohearit.

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BY TREVOR J. BLANk

Fieldwork, Memory, and the Impact of 9/11

on an Eastern Tennessee Klansman:

A Folklorist’s Reflection

T hereisanoldproverbthatI’veoftenheard:“Controversysells.”Itiscom-

mon folk knowledge today that themorecontentious a subjectmatter is, themoreintrigue it will attract.With this reality inmind, Iwish to share a personal accountof my first folkloristic encounter: the se-ries of events that led tomy choiceof acareer in folklore.While many folkloristsmayrecalltheirexcitementandfascinationwiththeirfirst informantsandtheuniquenarratives or artifacts that they produced,my tale involves near-accidental fieldworkinthecompanyof aless-than-savorygroupin American society: the Ku Klux Klan(KKK). StetsonKennedyhaslongbeenhailedasoneof theleadingscholarsonthehistoryand culture of theKuKluxKlan. In hisundercover ethnographical foray into theunderbellyof theKKK,The Klan Unmasked(1954), Kennedy infiltrated Klan societyand acted as a participant-observer formorethanadecade,allthewhilecollectingvaluableinformationonKlanlore,ideolo-gy,andactivities—adangeroustask,tosaythe least.Thebookwasoriginallypennedunderapseudonymforhisprotectionandwasn’t released in the United States untilseveralyearsafteritsinitialpublication.Inhis reportage,Kennedywrestledwith theethical implications of publishing the ac-tivitiesof theKlan,statingthat“thesilenttreatment is usually the best treatment”

(285), and encouraged countermarches tooffsetanypublicdisplayof Klanprideandanassortmentof other“Klan-busting”ac-tivities. Kennedy raised important points. Bypublishing a report on a Klansman’s ac-tivitiesorsharinginsightsintoKlanworld-views,webecomecoconspiratorsinbring-ingtheirmessageof discriminationtothelistening world. It is a scholarly paradox:ononehand,wehavethepowertoshareknowledgeaboutarealandstill-viableor-ganization that intends to incite fear andbigotry—perhapswarningoreducatingthepublicagainstitscause—butsimultaneous-ly,wemustpauseatseeminglycelebratingorgawkingatasordidgroup’scredos.Withtremendous respect for Kennedy’s work,however, I disagree with the notion of maintainingsilenceontheactivitiesof theKuKluxKlan—oranygroupthatmaybeinvolvedinunwholesomeactivities,forthatmatter. I truly believe that there is good,worthydatatobefoundinsociallydeviantcommunities,andnotjustintheacademicavenues that have been thoroughly trod-den.As folklorists, it is our responsibilityto examine how humans express them-selvesinallof theiruniquemanifestationsandnottopassjudgmentupontheirfolk-ways.Wearetoanalyzetothebestof ourabilitiesandinterprettheworldlytextsthatsurroundus inaneffort togainagreaterunderstandingof humankind.

It is easy towipe one’s hands clean of something that is difficult to process; insomeways,Isupposeitisnaturaltowanttododgethiscontentiousscholasticbattle-ground. Still, analyzing theKlanprovidesa greater understanding of a culture thatmost academics are not readily able toengage. In doing so, we not only acquireinformation on an existing force withinAmerican society, but also neutralize themystiqueof the group’s secrecy.AsKen-nedyhimself said:

HangingtheKlan’sblood-stainedlin-enonthelineforalltheworldtoseenotonlyexposesitstrueterroristna-turebutmakesitabundantlyclearthat,far frombeingthepillarof society itclaimstobe,theKlanisrejectedbythebodypoliticasbeyondthepale,crimi-nal,andcancerous.(1954,278)

Wecanexertourinfluenceonthesocialrel-evancyof theKuKluxKlaninthemannerthatKennedysuggestsbysimplyacknowl-edgingtheKlan’scrudeexistence,andthencollectively rejecting and condemning itsideologies.TheKlanwillexistwhetherwestudyitornot.Buttoinvokeanotherprov-erb,wouldn’titbebesttokeepourfriendsclose,butourenemiescloser?If wequietlyanalyzeperniciousgroupsinsocietywhileconsciously blocking their intended mes-sages,wecan,inasense,filteroutinforma-tionon theundergroundelementsof so-ciety.Wecandemonstrate toourchildren


that these groups of people exist withinsocietywhilesimultaneouslybestowingourtraditionalfolkvaluesof rightandwrong.In this regard, Ibelieve thatwecan learna great deal fromuntraditional informantgroups.While we are free to choose ourvaluesbasedonourexperiences,weocca-sionallyforgetthattheexperiencesof Klanmembers likely shaped their worldviews,too.I’dliketoknowmoreabouthowindi-vidualsareconditionedtorespondtosocialconstructionssuchasraceandclass—andwedon’t seem to talk about thismuch inpublicbecauseitisuncomfortable. In sharing my story, I am certain thatmuch of what my informant had to saywillbeoffensivetomanyreaders.Idonotcondonehishate-speech,nordoIwishtosuggestthathisideologiesareacceptableorworthyof ongoingconsideration.Isubmit,however, thathis commentary is fascinat-ing and revealing.Asmy storyunfolds, itismyhopethatreaderswillcometorecog-nizethe“good”datathatIsawwithinthisexperience.Whileourconversationwasini-tiallyshackledbymyknowledgeof thein-formant’sKlanaffiliation,lookingpastthissocialbarrierallowedmetoviewmyinfor-mant’s humanity as I grew to understandhowhislifehadevolvedandwasreshapedbyaunifyingnationaltragedy:theterroristattacksof September11,2001.

How I Accidentally Made a klansman My First Informant Itisnoexaggerationtosaythatmyfate-fuljourneytotheGreatSmokyMountainsof Tennesseein2004islargelyresponsibleformy pursuit of a career in folklore. Itwason this trip that Imadecontactwiththe individuals that were to become myfirst informants; they captured my atten-tionwith sordid talesof theirpast activi-ties and their intriguinghopes for the fu-ture.Iwasjustalong-hairedmusicianfromMaryland who had traveled that summertoplaysome tunesata festival ineasternTennessee.ConversationsIhadwithvari-ouscrewmembersof theconventioncen-ter—proud,nativeTennesseans—betweensound checks and smoke breaks revealed

muchabouttheirideasabouttheworldandhowthoseideaswerereshapedbytheter-roristattacksof 9/11. As a very youngman, Iwas astoundedthat these folkswould share their stories,hopes, dreams, and ideologieswithme, astranger inastrangeland—somewhatoutof place, yet curious and (mostly) unas-suming. Perhaps, I thought, I could learnsomeinterestingstuff tosharewithfriendsbackhome,soIstuckaroundandlistenedattentivelytothestoriesthatcamemywayover thecourseof ourbrief chatsduringmy three-day stay just outside of Knox-ville, Tennessee. After knowing me forlessthanthirtyminutes,myfirstinformantrevealedthathewasaformermemberof theKuKluxKlanandthattheattacksof September11wereresponsibleforhisde-parturefromtheorganization.Inaddition,hesharedhisnewperspectivesandtaughtmeagooddealabouthiscommunity’spur-portedideology. Sittingonthebleachersbehindthecon-ventioncenter,thecrewmanandIfoundthe small bit of shade that the buildingprovided.Wehadtalked insideforabouttenminutes, filling in each other on ourobligatory introductory information—where we were from, and so on. It wasa hot summer day, and the whole townseemedexcited:touristtrapslurkeddownthestreet,theOakRidgeBoyswerecom-ingtotownlaterthatweek,andsightsnewto me (such as a Bible warehouse nextdoortoanadulttoyshop)abounded.Thiswasallinadditiontotheusualvigorof thefestivalenthusiasts. Wipingthesweatoff hisbrow,thecrew-manturnedtome,whippedouthiswallet,andbegantoshowmepicturesof hisfian-cée,hisband-mates,andhisfriends.Eachphotographhadastory—somehumorous,some disgusting—and each friend had afeaturethatthecrewmanthoughtIwouldsurely appreciate.Hemust havehadovertwodozenpictures in there,butonlyonestoodoutinmymindashecasuallyflippedthrough: a portrait of about thirtymem-bers of theKuKluxKlan in full regaliathatendedhiscollection.

He chuckled as I saw it. “Ya ain’t gotnone of those in yer little blue state, doya?” Wedid,butsuddenlyuncomfortableandunsureof howtorespond,Iplayedalong,firmlystating,“No,sir.” AsIsaid it, Istartedframingquestionsandwonderingif Iwasbeingpromptedtoinquire abouthis life. I thinkof thismo-ment as my crossover into the world of folklore fieldwork. My liberal Marylandsensibilities told me to find an exit andleavethisforeignideologybehind,butmycuriositywouldn’tallowmetoleave—andIameverthankfulforit.Itookthebait,andheseemedtolightenupwhenIasked,“Soyou’reamemberof theKuKluxKlan?” Slightly smirking, he answered coyly,“Well, I used tobe . . . but I don’t reallydo thatnomore.”Hetookadragoff of hiscigarette,paused,andcontinued,“Butyouknow,theKlanisoneof thosethingsaroundherethatdon’tturnnobody’shead.Yousee,theKlanstartedinPulaski,whichisn’t too far away from here, and I thinkthatthefellawhoranthethingevenlivedinGatlinburgorPigeonForgeatonepointoranother.If youliveinthispartof Ten-nessee,thingsarewhite,andwedon’tminditthatway.TheKlanisn’twhatyouprob-ablythinkitis—it’smoreof asocialclub,agatheringof friends,thansometerroristgroup,atleastthat’showitwaswhenIwasinvolved.” HewasrightabouttheKlan’sbirthplaceof Pulaski, Tennessee, aKlan strongholdfrom the group’s founding in 1865 untilthe 1880s, when the federal governmentcracked down on the Klan, effectivelyshutting it down across the country. InAfter Appomattox (1990),StetsonKennedyhypothesizedthatracismintheSouthwassymbolizedby successive changesof uni-form fromConfederate gray toKuKluxwhite.Following the1915motionpicturereleaseof D.W.Griffith’sBirth of a Nation,the moribund Ku Klux Klan reemergedas an anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant, andanti-Semitic organization. Griffith’s filmglorifiedandmythologized the earlyKlanas a patriotic and protective organization


formedinthe interestof Reconstruction-eraSouthernersoverburdenedbytheirde-featintheCivilWar.Buoyedbyfrustrationwith theadvancementof non-Protestantsandminorities,thenewlyreorganizedKlanintimidated or murdered minorities andtheiradvocatesandalsobeganthepracticeof burning crosses, a tactic not used bytheirpredecessors.Klanmembersinfiltrat-ed state governments, effectively control-ling thepoliticsof Tennessee,Oklahoma,Oregon, and especially Indiana. By 1920,the Klan boasted a membership of overfourmillion,orapproximately5percentof the eligible voters inAmerica at the time(Bowers1974;Blank2009). TheKlanhasnotalwaysbeenaSouth-ernor ruralphenomenonand isnotonlya remnant of the past. In the years fol-lowingthelandmarkSupremeCourtdeci-sionBrown v. Board of Education (1954), aresurgenceof Klanviolenceerupted,andwell-knownKlansmen began running forpublicoffice, especially in theSouth.Da-vidDuke,a formerGrandWizardof theKlan,waselected to theLouisianaHouseof Representatives in1989.TheKlanhassincedeclinedtoanextent,buttheorgani-zation’sactivitycontinuessteadily intothepresent, penetrating the folklore of com-munities.Thesedays,NewYorkerswhisperabout possible Klan activities in AuburnandPlattsburgh;Marylanders see theDa-mascuschapterof theoldCoonHuntersClub as a cheeky front to what was re-ally behind the club’s closed doors. LocalnewspapersfromMainetoCaliforniahaveprintedstoriesof Klanmembers’threatstoholdralliesintheircommunities,andcross-burningdemonstrationsstilloccur. TheInternethasprovidedaplatformfortheKlantospreaditsmessageof discrimi-nation and xenophobia under the guiseof Christian fellowship and brotherhood.Theonline efforthasbeen carriedout invariousformats:full-onKlanwebsites,likethatof theChurchof theNationalKnightsof theKuKluxKlan;websitesforpoliti-callymotivated organizations, such as theWhite Christian Revival’s Knights Party;orcleverlydevisedwebsitessuchaswww.

martinlutherking.org,whichonthesurfaceappearstobeaneducationalsiteprofilingthe civil rights pioneer, but is actually astorehouseof “facts”aimedatdebunkingKing’saccomplishments. Despite its troublesome and complexhistory,thereisrichfolkloristicdatatobecollectedatthelocallevelontheKlan.TheKlan is still amystery tomany, yet it is avisibleandvocalentity,whichmakesitanexcellentpurveyorof folklore.Inmyopin-ion,regionalfolkloristsshouldexaminethegroupfurther.Still,inmycasetherewasnomysteryaboutwhetherornottheKuKluxKlanexistedinthisTennesseetown.Ihadaformermemberrightinfrontof me,soIaskedhimwhatkindsof activities—if notthreateningorracistones(asheclaimed)—Klanmemberspursue. “Prettymuch,”hesaid,“wewouldgooutinthewoods,drinklots of beer, and shootAK-47s at stuff.”With a bit of smarmy pride, he added,“That’sharmless,if youaskme.” The crewman spoke with confidenceabouttheKlan’sroleinthecommunity,as-sertingthatitwasaneutral,if notpositive,entity.Still,therewasonepieceIdidn’tun-derstand.Whythen, if theKuKluxKlanwasamisunderstoodgroupthatwassim-ply a gatheringof those interested in thepredominantlywhite traditionandhistoryof theregion,didhenolongerparticipatewithfellowmembers?Theanswerwassur-prising: “After September11,”he said, “IdecidedthatIwantedtotryoutthiswhole‘brotherhoodandhumanity’shit.” After pausing again, he told me that afewother formermembershad felt simi-larly:

When [the attacks] happened, I kindof just realized that someone elsefromsomewhereelsewanted tohurtAmericans. It didn’t matter to themwhether they were white or colored,if they were American, they wantedthem dead. And I got thinking thatnoblackguyhadreallyeverdonemewronginthatkindof way,personally.Butthosedumbtowel-heads...theydid[hurtme]whentheycrashedthoseplanes into those towers. It kind of putitinperspective....Someof my

friendsdon’treallycareforblacksstill,buttheKlanjustdidn’tfeelrightafter9/11 in a lot of ways. It felt likewewerepartof theproblemandnotpartof the solution. I still haveguns andstillwatchovermyback,butfornowwe[Americans]areallinittogether.

“What about the remaining Klansmenstill involved in the group?” I asked. Hescratched his chin and remarked, “Well,someof thoseguys are a littlenuts.Theythink all blacks are n—s. Some are, somearen’t—butforthem,noamountof Osama-likeA-rabsblowingthemselvesupisgonnachangethat.They’restillmyfriends,andwestill talk, butwe’re all responsible for ourthoughtsandactions,andIownmine.” Thecrewmanpulledhiswalletbackoutandsharedsomeof thepicturesagain.Thistime,however,hepointedoutlittleartifactshiddenintheshotsthatindicatedKlanac-tivities. “Look in that corner over there,”hegestured.“Seethatpicturethat’soutof focus?That’saKlanportraitagainafterwewentonabighuntingtriplastyear.Itoldyou, it’s all about the brotherhood there,man.” Feeling a bit more confident with myfieldworktechnique,Iasked:“Butyougotout’causetherewasn’tenoughhumanitytogowiththatbrotherhood?” Pausing again, he replied, “I supposeyoucouldsay that . . .buteven thoughIchanged,”headdedwithasmile,“I’mstilla redneck. If that sonof abitchMichaelMoore came down here, I’d be liable toshootinghisass.” Iwasstruckbyafewthingsthathesaid.First,forallof hisclaimsof newfoundtol-erance,Isimplynoticedashift inhisper-ceptionof theworld. It appeared thathehaddevelopedamistrustof MiddleEast-erners,therebyreplacingsomeof hismis-trust of African Americans, the assumedfocus of theKlan’s rage in years past. If passive racismwas indeed the norm dur-inghisupbringing,itseemslogicalthatthismaybe a central componentof his com-munity’sidentity:thatatleastonegroup,atany given time, deserves communal con-tempt.The9/11tragedy,forhim,appears


tohaveshiftedhisconcentrationfromthestandardKlanideologytoamorecurrent,“we’ve-been-attacked” mentality. Still, hepersonallytookprideinnolongerholdingunprovokedmistrustorhatredof AfricanAmericans. My informant’s statements raised morequestionsthanmybrief timewithhimcouldanswer. In retrospect, I’ve yearned to un-derstand the psychological underpinningsof where this deep-rootedmistrust beganforhimandhisclosestfriendsandwhatex-periences shapedhim into feeling thewayhedid.Moreover,howwasheabletoopenup tome, a stranger, with such offensiveterminologyafteronlyknowingmeforlessthan an hour? I had enteredmy dialoguewithhimasanunsuspectingmusicianwithno interest inwhatmadehim tick. Itwashisforwardnessandbrashcommentarythaturgedmetograbapadof paperandpen;Iwasunpreparedandcapturedonlyscantnotestoemboldenthenarrativecapturedinmymemory.Duetotheimpromptunatureof our interviews andmy lack of experi-enceinfieldworkmethodologyatthetime,Iwasnever able to gather information toconductfollow-upinterviewsorestablishaforumfordiscussinghisbelief systems ingreaterdetailata laterdate.Ineverspoketohimagainaftertheweekhadpassed,andIdon’trecallanydistinguishinginformationabouthim. As for the interviews themselves, I candistinctlyrecallthinking,“Ican’tbelievethispeculiarmanispreachinghisexperiencetome in suchdetail andwith suchpassion,”despitethetroublingnatureof hisaccount.Thecontent,whiledisturbing,wasnotthegreatest draw in my interviews with him,however.Iwasinterestedintheexcitementof communication dynamics between aninformantandafieldworker and intriguedbytheuncouthmannerinwhichherelayedhislifeexperiencestome. One may ask, then: why recall the nu-ancesof myencounterswiththisinformantif Ihavenot remained in touchwithhimorconductedsubsequent interviews?Asafolklorist,Iamawareof howambiguousorcodedweremanyof theremarksmyinfor-

mantmade.Ialsoseetherangeof interpre-tationstheycouldsuggesttofolkloristsoranyquestioningreader,aswellastherangeof objectionstheymightmeetif spokentoa diverse, well-educated audience at large.Tothispoint,Iagainreferencetheworkof StetsonKennedy, who demonstratedwiththeethnographyof hisundercoverexperi-encesintheKuKluxKlanthatthereisgreatvalueinexaminingthesubversiveagentsof society. Despite my personal perceptionthatmyinformantwassomewhatignorantandculturallyisolated,Iheardanaive,sen-sitivehumanityinhistone.Hewasacom-plex individual—troubling yet fascinating,impetuousbutsincere.Iviewourchatsasboth a smallwindow intomy informant’sworld (whichIamverydistancedfrom inmy day-to-day life) and a narrative of myveryfirstencounter infieldwork,albeitanimpromptuone. Assomeonewhowas livingnearWash-ington, D.C., on the day of the attack, Iwassurprisedthattheeventsof September11wereawatershedmomentinmyinfor-mant’slife.I’mfascinatedbyinlandcitizens’reactions to this primarily coastal trag-edy.Oneof mycolleaguesdescribed9/11as “our generation’s JFK assassination,”meaningthatitwasamomentwhenevery-onecouldrecallwheretheywereandwhattheyweredoingwhentheattacksoccurred.Formyownpart, I can clearly remembermyhighschoolprincipalannouncingtheat-tacksovertheP.A.system;myfather,whoworkedinD.C.,calledmefromtheroof of hisbuildingandwasabletoseethePenta-gonburning. I’vespokenwithahandfulof NewYork-ersabouttheirpersonalnarrativesof Sep-tember11.Onemanrecalledbeinglatetoworkon thedayof theattacks; if hehadbeenontimethatdayhewouldhavebeenwalkingrightunderGroundZerowhenthefirstplanehittheTwinTowers.Instead,hewas on a ferrywhen the attacks occurredandwitnessedtheentireevent.FortheNewYorkersandWashingtonianswithwhomIspoke,thehoursanddaysthatimmediatelyfollowedtheterroristattacksweremomentsof great uncertainty: we were unsure if

moreattackswerecoming,letalonewhomhadattackedus.Yetforthecrewman,ana-tive Tennessean, geography was never anissue. September 11was every bit as real,frightening, and life-changing for him—inhismind—asitwasforthoseclosesttotheterror.Thiswasafeelingheldbymostof hisfriends,heclaimed,ashefelttheywerepowerlesstoaidinthesituation. As the weekend rolled on, the crew-man introduced me to his brother andsome of his friends, who in turn relayedtheir storiesof run-inswith theKlan, ei-therasmembersorobservers.Still, itwasmyoriginal informantwhosewords stuckwithme themost—hewanted to try outreal brotherhood andhumanity, not somebrotherhoodhiddenbehind awhite robe.Asingleevent—onethataffectedallAmer-icans in different ways—had changed hisworldview. Iwould imagine that this sortof changeisnoeasytaskforaKlansmanwhose lifelong indoctrination of racialprejudice,heasserts,comeswithhisterri-tory.AsthecrewmanandIpartedways,heaskedme if Iwas leavingTennesseewiththeideathateveryonetherewasracistandignorant.“Notatall,”Ireplied.“Quitetheopposite.”Weneverspokeagain.

Fieldwork Afterthoughts My research interests never coalescedaround the Ku Klux Klan following mybrief interviews with the former Klans-man.Whiletheexperienceopenedmyeyesto the possibilities that folklore fieldworkpresented,Iinsteadchosetoexamineothergenreswithinthediscipline,particularlythatof folkloreontheInternet,materialculture,andthehistoryof mentalillness.Iwasgladto have extracted interesting (although in-complete)datainmybrief interviewswithmyinformant,butIfoundthepoliticsof re-portagetobeextremelytaxing.Asapersonverysensitivetotheimportanceof equalityandtolerance,simplywritingthevilewordsthatIheardbotheredmeagreatdeal.Field-work surrounding contentious folk groupsisnotforeveryone,andIsawmyself find-ingamorecomfortableniche inthemate-rialworld and the limitlessborderlandsof


Nazism, bigotry, social phobias. Theworkof GlassieandKennedy,thoughimportant,isdated.Myhope is that this short reflec-tion can complement their endeavors andprovokeotherscholarstoconsidermorein-depthtreatmentsof thisareaof folkloristicinquiry.

SourcesAuthor’s note:Intheinterestof protectingmyinformant, Ihavedeliberatelywithheldhisnameandspecificpersonalinformation,aswellasthefieldworklocationandinterviewdates.Theinterviewwaspreservedbytran-scription.

Bauman,Richard,andNeilMcCabe.1970.ProverbsinanLSDCult.Journal of Ameri-can Folklore83:318–24.

Blank,TrevorJ.2009.RuralLife.InThe Pro-gressive Era and World War I: 1890-1920.Ed. Rodney P. Carlisle. Life in AmericaSeries,Vol. 5.NewYork: Facts onFile:81–96.

Bowers, William L. 1974. The Country Life Movement in America: 1900–1920. PortWashington,NY:KennikatPress.

Dundes, Alan. 2005. Folkloristics in theTwenty-FirstCentury(AFSInvitedPresi-dentialPlenaryAddress,2004).Journal of American Folklore118:385–408.

Glassie,Henry.1968.TakeThatNightTraintoSelma:AnExcursiontotheOutskirtsof Scholarship. Journal of Popular Culture 2.1:1–62.

Glassie,Henry, EdwardD. Ives, and JohnF. Szwed. 1970.Folksongs and Their Mak-ers.BowlingGreen,OH:BowlingGreenStateUniversityPopularPress.

Kennedy,Stetson.1954.The Klan Unmasked.Gainesville:TheUniversityPressof Flor-ida.

———. 1990. After Appomattox: How the South Won the War.Gainesville:TheUni-versityPressof Florida.

Trevor J. Blank is a doctoral student in American studies at Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg. He earned his master’s degree in 2007 at Indiana University’s Folklore Institute. He has published articles in folklore journals and is the editor of Folklore and the Internet: Vernacular Expression in a Digital World (Logan: Utah State University Press, 2009). He would like to thank Voices edi-tor Eileen Condon for her helpful sugges-tions for improving this piece.

cyberspace.Thisdoesnotinanywayunder-minetheimportanceof studyinggroupsliketheKuKluxKlan,buttheworkinvolvedishighlyemotionalandoftenrunscountertothefieldworkers’viewpoints.Onthesurfacethis is a typicalproblem infieldwork, yet Ifeltthatthenegativitywastoogreattopur-suethisareaformyfutureresearch. Soif thedataissotoxic,sovile,andsodeviant,whypublishit?Politicsseemtodic-tatewhatwillmakeittoprint.Itcannotbeunderstatedthatweshouldallowourfellowscholars to cast judgment on the validityof researchafterthoughtfullydigestingnewinformation, rather than assuming the re-searchisworthless.Inhis2004presidentialplenary address to the American FolkloreSociety, Alan Dundes lamented incidentsof publishers’censorshiptowardshisworkdeemed offensive to certain readers. For-tunately for Dundes—and folkloristics—many of these works eventually saw thelightof dayafterconsiderabledelaysinpro-duction (Dundes2005, 403).Dundes con-tinuedbystating thatdelayingpublicationsduetotheircontroversialnatureis“notanintellectually valid reason not to publish awell-researchedpaperormonograph”(404).Dundes’largerpointisthatthedisciplineof folklorehasbeenmarginalizedintheacad-emyduetosomeof thiseditorialfussiness.Itisourdutyasfolkloriststoengageallas-pectsof thecultureswecriticallyexamine,includingtheunsavoryandsubversive. Inthepreparationof thisessay,therewasconsiderable editorial discussion of someof the content; itwasbynomeans a tasktaken lightly.These are delicate issues, butissues that merit study nevertheless. WehaveneglectedtostudytheKuKluxKlan,yetsomehowmanagedtocondoneastudyof “ProverbsinanLSDCult”(BaumanandMcCabe 1970). Sowhere dowe draw thelineonwhatconstitutesappropriateschol-arship? Some folklorists seem determinedto avoid engaging subversive elements of societyorevenuntraditionalareasof folk-loristicinquiry,suchastheInternetandthepossibleavenuesof inquiryitpresents.Yetonlyif wecarefullyanddutifullycollectdataonfringegroupswithinsocietycanwebe-

gin to theorize on the extended, complexnatureof humankind. I recently reexamined Henry Glassie’simportant 1968 article “Take That NightTrain toSelma:AnExcursion to theOut-skirtsof Scholarship,”andI foundmyself reallywishingthatIhadtheopportunitytorevisitmy informantandget toknowhimover the years. Glassie’s familiarity withhis subject and the social circumstances inwhichheexistedallowedGlassietotheorizeon thenatureof theman’sprejudices andcreativeoutputs.Ineverhadsimilartimetoacquaintmyself withtheinnerworkingsof my informant’smind.Asanovice,Iwasabit lost,graspingat informationas itcamein,butnotknowinghowexactlytoprocessit.Glassie’swork shows thatwe can learnabout the socially “unsavory” aspects of society in an enlightening manner; his in-formant,PopWeir, is a complex characterwhosecreativityreflectsasampleof thebe-liefsheldbymanyof thepeopleof hisre-gion(andperhapssimilarruralareasacrosstheUnitedStates)duringatumultuoustimein American history, the Civil Rights era.Glassie’snotionthatheisembarkingonan“excursiontotheoutskirtsof scholarship”is telling. In a version of “Night Train”reprinted inFolksongs and their Makers, RayBrowne prefaces Glassie’s piece by com-menting that it was “trail-blazing,” despiteits controversial nature. As editor of theJournal of Popular Culture(thearticle’soriginalhome),Brownehad thought theworkwastooimportanttobeoverlooked.Thisisthekindof braverythatthefolkloredisciplineneedsinordertoremainaviablesourceof scholarship.Glassie’spiecemirrorssomeof whatIbelievefurtherfieldworkwithmyin-formantmayhaveyielded:adeeperunder-standingof an individual’sdual role inhiscommunityasbothapurveyorof folkloreandarecipientof folkvalues. TheKuKluxKlan remains uncomfort-ableanddisturbingformanypeople,butitis a cultural force that is important for usto understand. A lot of folklore scholar-shiptravels insafeterritorythesedays.Weall know that there are subversive agentsin our culture—the Ku Klux Klan, neo-


Juggler BY PAUL MARGOLIS

Paul Margolis is a pho-tographer, writer, and educator who lives in New York City. Examples of his work can be seen on his web site, www.paulmargolis.com.

Images of jugglers appeared on thewalls of Egyptian tombsmore than fourthousandyearsago.Theyarethefirstknownrepresentations of an ancient craft thatcontinues to entertain and fascinate. TheEnglishword“juggler”derivesfromtheOldFrench jongleur, and these performers havebeencommonatpublicevents,carnivals,andonthestreetssincetimeimmemorial.Thesedays, jugglersappearatcircusesandvarietyshows,aswellasinpublicplaces.Jugglinghasenjoyedarenaissanceamongamateursoverthepastseveraldecades,withjugglingclubspoppingupinmanytownsacrosstheUnitedStates. Juggling is one of those exercisesinvolvingcoordinationandmentalacuitythat

isreputedtokeepthebrainsharpandfendoff neurologicaldeterioration. SeanBlue—his real name—has been ajuggler formore than twenty years. Thethirty-two–year-oldBrooklyn residentwasfirst takenwith the art of keeping severalobjects aloft simultaneouslywhen hewaseleven and saw a TV commercial withsomeone juggling eggs. Sean got a set of Klutzbeanbagstopracticewithandmimickedwhathe’dseeninthecommercial.Hestartedoutjugglingtwobeanbags,andthenmovedup to three. Sean has taken juggling andcircus-performingworkshopswithtop-levelperformers,althoughheneverattendedcircusschool.

His performing gigs have includedappearing on variety shows, usually doingfive- to seven-minute features in companywith acrobats,magicians, and cabaret andburlesqueperformers.He is oftenhired todo“walk-around”performances,wherehe’llwander through crowds at events, jugglingwhile sometimes balancing on stilts orinflatedglobes.Atthe2008U.S.Opentennischampionships, hewalked around jugglingtennisballs.HeappearedlastyearonNBC’sToday Showandtaughtthehostshowtojuggle. Seancurrentlydevotesmoreof hiseffortstoteachingthantoperforming.Hehastaughtat circus schools in Finland, Sweden, andCanada,andheofferslessonstochildrenandadultsrighthereathome.WhenIcaughtupwithSean,hewasgivinganeveningjugglingclass inManhattan’sRiversidePark.Hewasthere as an instructor in theBoom-a-Ringcircusskillsworkshops,whichareofferedfreetothepublicduringthesummermonths.Hisfirststudentsweresmallchildrendrawnbyhisperformanceof keepinguptofiveballsaloftsimultaneously,andthenparentsandpassers-bybegantojoinin. Theaspectof jugglingthatSeanenjoysthemostiscomingupwithnewacts.“It’sallaboutthe discovery,” he says. “I experiment andplayaround,andthat’showIcomeupwithnewthings.”Seanexplainedhowthecreativeprocessworksforhim:“I’lljustkindof jam,andsomethingwillcomeoutof it.Sometimesit’smoreplanned—I’llhaveanidea,addnewthings to it, and seewhat develops. Thenthere’smore play and noodling around, oraddingsomethingmoretoanidea.” SeanBlueisanactiveparticipantwhokeepsalive the tradition of the juggler.He is anentertainer,aswellasteacherwhopassesonskillsthatgobackthousandsof years.

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The Making of a New York Folk HeroBY JOHN THORN

John Thorn is the au-thor and editor of many books, including New York 400 (Philadelphia: Running Press, 2009). He lives in Saugerties, New York. Copyright © John Thorn.

AnotherboyattheCooperstownschool,AlexanderJ.Cartwright,onedayevolvedaroughsketchof adiamondandtheboystrieditwithgreatsuccess.Fromthatdaytothisthegeneralplanof thediamondhaschangedonlyinafewdetails.ItwasatMr.Cartwright’s suggestion in1845thatthefirstbaseballclubwasformed.

IsitanywonderthatdelegatesforDoubledayandCartwrightwentontocontendsofiercelyforprimacy?Thebickeringandmachinationsled,onthestrengthof theclaimforDouble-day,tothefoundingof theBaseballHallof FameinCooperstown,whiletheCartwrightfactionwonfortheirchampionaplaqueintheHall—anhonordeniedtoDoubleday. ThelengthstowhichhissupportershavegonetomakeCartwrighttheIsaacNewtonof baseballhaverenderedhismythmoredifficulttodeconstructthanDoubleday’s.Wemaylooktothemid-nineteenthcentury’sobsessionwithscience,system,business,andorganizationtoanswerthequestionof whowasthoughtbackthentohavecreatedthegame,andwhy.TheKnickerbockers’claimtobeingthe“pioneerorganization”wasassertednotbecausetheywere thefirst toplay the gameof baseball(childrenhadbeendoingthatforacentury),orbecausetheywerethefirstcluborganizedtoencouragemen toplaywhathadbeenaboys’game. Recent scholarshiphas revealed the his-toryof baseball’s“creation”tobealieagreedupon.Why, then,does the legendcontinuetooutstripthefact?“Creationmyths,”wroteStephenJayGould,inexplainingtheappealof Cooperstown,“identifyheroesandsacredplaces,whileevolutionarystoriesprovidenopalpable,particularthingasasymbolforrever-ence,worship,orpatriotism.”

Abner Cartwright,AlexanderDoubleday...thesecompositenamesstandforanexceed-inglyoddcouplewhoseidentitieshavebeenstolen,accomplishmentsmerged,andstoriesintertwinedformorethanacenturynow.Whatbothmenshareisthattheirliveswerehijackedafter theirdeaths, and as a result, eachwascreditedwithsomethinghedidnotdo—thatis,inventbaseball. AbnerDoubledaywasanointedtheFatherof Baseball at the endof 1907byhis oldfriendAbrahamG.Mills,whoknewhehadhadnothingtodowithinventingorevenlik-ingbaseball.Aschairmanof theSpecialBaseBallCommissionondeterminingthegame’sorigins,Millshadtoholdhisnosewhileaffirm-ingDoubleday’spaternity,forhefeltobligedto rule solelyupon the evidencepresented.ThebombshellclaimforDoubledaywasthelatelyproducedrecollectionof AbnerGraves,aseptuagenarianminingengineerfromDen-ver,thatin1839(whenhewasafive-year-oldresidentof Cooperstown,NewYork),hehadwitnessed thenineteen-year-oldDoubledaysketchoutanewgamethathecalledbaseball. “Untilmyperusalof thistestimony,”Millswrotewith exquisite irony, “myownbelief hadbeen thatour ‘NationalGameof BaseBall’originatedwiththeKnickerbockerclub,organized inNewYork in1845,andwhichclubpublishedcertainelementaryrulesinthatyear.”Towardtheendof hisreport,addressedtothecommission’sfounder,AlbertG.Spald-ing,headded:

Iamalsomuchinterestedinthestate-mentmadebyMr.Curry,[firstpresident]of thepioneerKnickerbocker club…that a diagram, showing the ball fieldlaidoutsubstantiallyasitisto-day,wasbroughttothefieldoneafternoonbyaMr.Wadsworth.Mr.Currysays“theplancausedagreatdealof talk,but,finally,weagreedtotryit.” ItispossiblethataconnectionmoreorlessdirectcanbetracedbetweenthediagramdrawnbyDoubledayin1839andthatpresentedtotheKnickerbockerclubbyWadsworth in1845,or thereabouts,andIwroteseveraldaysagoforcertain

databearingonthispoint,butasithasnotyetcometohandIhavedecidedtodelaynolongersending inthekindof paperyourlettercallsfor.

Millsdidwritetothecollectorof customs,asthisWadsworthgentwassaidtohavebeenacustomhouseofficial,“forthepurposeof ascertainingfromwhatpartof theStatetheMr.Wadsworth,inquestion,came.”Millswaswonderingwhether anupstateWadsworth,perhapsoneof theGeneseoclan,mightsome-howhavebroughttheDoubledaydiagramtoNewYork.Therequesteddatadidnotemerge,andWadsworthbecamethemysterymanof baseballuntilquiterecently,whenhisidentityandtrueroleemerged. UnlikeDoubleday,whohadbeenadistin-guishedmilitarymanwithnointerestinactivesport,AlexanderCartwrightwasarealbaseballfigure,prominentasoneof theorganizersof theKnickerbockerClubin1845.Thereisnoevidence,however,thathedevisedthegameof nine innings, ninemen, andninety-footbasepaths,northatinhislonglifeheinventedanythingatall.ButasGeorgeWashingtonhadhisParsonWeemsandDoubledayhisGraves,CartwrighthadhisgrandsonBruce.AssoonasDoubledaywasnamedthegame’ssire,Brucecommenced to fabricate andperhaps evenforgeevidenceforhisgrandfather’spaternityof thenationalgame.ByenlistingwriterWillIrwintobackhisclaims,thecampaigngainedtractionintheNewYorksportingpress,if notyetthepublicatlarge. OnFebruary2,1916,anunnamedwriterintheNew York TimeshilariouslymashedupMills’sequivocalsupportforDoubledaywithhissuspicionsaboutbaseball’screationmythand epitomized the new folk hero,AbnerCartwright:

Baseballbeforethedaysof theNationalLeaguedates seventy-seven yearsbackto1839,whenAbnerDoubleday,atanacademyatCooperstown,N.Y.,inventedagameof ballonwhichthepresentgameisbased.DoubledayafterwardswenttoWestPoint and later became aMajorGeneralintheUnitedStatesArmy....

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Girsa: Traditional Irish Music,byGirsa.PearlRiver,NY:GirsaMusic,2009.Sixteentracks,$15.00CD. WithintheNewYorkIrishmusiccom-munity,thebuzzaboutGirsahasbeenassteadyandpositiveasthecomingof Crotonwater,which170 years agoflowed southto revive and rejuvenate a fever-strickenManhattan.Girsa—pronounced geer-sha andmeaning“younggirls ” inGaelic—isagroupof eightIrishAmericanteenagers,twogenerationsremovedfromtheEmeraldIsle,wholiveinandaroundPearlRiverinRocklandCounty.Theirnew,eponymouscompactdiscisasrefreshingasacooldrinkof springwateronaswelteringsummerday. The group’s instrumentation includesfiddle,accordion,whistle,mandolin,piano,and guitar. Two bandmembers are alsodancers.Thediscwas recorded andpro-ducedbyGabrielDonohue,whohasplayedbothwiththeChieftainsandBostonPops,andwho also contributes instrumentallyhere.Thereareabsolutelynoroughedges. ACD featuring eight cyber-connectedteenagers raised in the Riverdance agebegsthequestionof howrapidlyanethnicmusic can change and still continue tobegenuine.Certainly, in the instrumentalrealm, there arenocontradictions.WhileGirsa’s sound is decidedlymoremodernthanthatof CherishtheLadies—anobvi-ousinspiration—itisstillsetfirmlywithinthetradition.The“girls”studiedwithsomeof America’sfinestIrishmusicteachers,andalthoughtheiragesrangefromsixteentonineteen,therecordingrevealsasolidmatu-ritybuiltonconsiderableexperienceinthegutsyworldof fleadhanna(traditionalIrishmusiccompetitions)andaneasyfamiliaritywithairsanddancetunesgainedbyyearsof ensembleplaying,oftenwithmusicianstwo,three,andfourtimestheirage. Itwouldbehardtopraiseonlyoneortwoof these tunemedleys.More importantlyand to their credit,Girsa’s arrangementsdeftly vary tempo,meters,modes, andinstrumentationtoproduceafreshsoundthroughout . . . and they can really play!Remarkably,fourgroupmembersalsosing,

and they are very good.Overall,Girsa’ssongperformance and selection ismoreeclectic than their instrumentals. “Immi-grantEyes,”byAmericancountrystarGuyClark;“TheRhythmof MyHeart,”madepopularbyScottishrockerRodStewart;andthebeautifuloldEnglishcountrysong,“ILiveNotWhere ILove,” are indicationsof theirfar-reachingtastes.Eachlyricre-ceivesafineperformance,asdosomeIrishchestnutssuchastheimmigrant-experiencewaltz“TheHomeILeftBehind.”Stylisti-cally,Girsa’ssingingisanuncannysynthesisof sean-nós(oldstyle),pop,andcountry,withan entertaining result.Hopefully, as theymature, these youngwomenwill plumbtraditionalIrishsongalittledeeper. Girsapresentsavividandenergeticcoun-terpointtothelatestgimmickinIrishmusic:begownedwomenlip-synchingsaccharine-soundingsongs,withtheimplicationthattheyrepresenttheapexof thenation’sfolkculture.If GirsacanpersevereandexpandonthestrikingworktheypresentonthisCD,theparadigmof overdressedmusicalposingmaybeseriouslyendangered.Thisisadelightfuldebutrecordingwithbroadappeal. At present,Girsa’s CD is avail-able only through the group’sweb site:www.girsamusic.com.

—DanMilnerUniversityof Birmingham(U.K.)

Central New York and the Finger Lakes: Myths, Legends, and Lore,byMelanieZimmer.Salem,MA:HistoryPress,2008.153pages,introduction,photo-graphs,selectedbibliography,$19.99paper.

“Seeking out a region’s folk tales andlegendsoffersmorethanentertainingread-ing,”MelanieZimmer explains inCentral New York and the Finger Lakes: Myths, Legends, and Lore.“Itoffersapieceof ourselves”(150).This book is a celebration of theregional identityof centralNewYork asdevelopedandpreservedthroughfolktales. Zimmer is a professional storyteller: amemberof thePearlintheEggStorytell-ingGuild, the SaltCity Storytellers, andtheLeagueof theAdvancementof New

EnglandStorytelling.Inherearliercareer,shewas captured byEuropean folktalesandwonderedif theUnitedStateswastooyoungtohavedevelopeditsownfolklore.Living in a small village in centralNewYork, she eventually discovered the richregionalmyths and legends attended byan identity rooted in the rollinghills andglacial lakesof thearea.Zimmer’s inten-tioninwritingthiscompilationof folktalesistotella“legendaryhistory”inroughlychronologicalorder.Asahistorythroughfolklore,itisnota“linearhistory”of aca-demicveracity,butratheratellingof storiesthatrevealsthe“truthof ourhistoryandthisplace”(11). Suchaprojectisinlinewiththemissionof theHistoryPress(www.historypress.net),establishedtopublishlocalstorieswrittenbylocalhistoryenthusiastsforlocalaudi-encesastouchstonesforcommunityiden-tity.Zimmer’sbookisexactlythat.Thebookis a compilation of folktales andmyths,whichmakesthereaderwanttotourcentralNewYorkandtheFingerLakesusingitasaguide.BeginningwithIroquoisstories,shemovesthroughstoriesof theRevolutionaryWar,theErieCanal,religiousmovements,andfamousabolitionistsandsuffragists,andendswithahodgepodgeof humorousandbizarretales. As a compilation, it is reminiscent of other folktale collections. It remindsmespecifically of Flatlanders and Ridgerunners: Folktales from the Mountains of Northern Pennsylvania (University of PittsburghPress,1983),byJamesYorkGlimm,whichfocusedonthefolkloreof thestateborderregionof northernPennsylvania.Althoughalsowrittenforgeneralreadership,Glimm’sbook gave one the sense of individualsources quoted verbatim, and thereforehadaslightlymorescholarlyfeel.Incon-trast, the stories inZimmer’s bookhavebeenfilteredthroughherownstorytellingperspective and aremore removed fromoriginal sources. Some of the chaptersmaintain that storytelling voice and areclearly not intended as reliable historiesorethnographicaccountsintheacademicsense.Othersections,suchastheoneon

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Submission Guidelines forVoices: The Journal of New York FolkloreVoices: The Journal of New York Folklore is a membership magazine of the New York Folklore Society(www.nyfolklore.org). TheNewYorkFolkloreSocietyisanonprofit,statewide organization dedicated to furtheringcultural equity and cross-cultural understandingthroughprogramsthatnurturefolkculturalexpres-sionswithin communitieswhere they originate,share these traditions across cultural boundaries,andenhancetheunderstandingandappreciationof folkculture.ThroughVoicesthesocietycommuni-cateswithprofessionalfolkloristsandmembersof relatedfields,traditionalartists,andageneralpublicinterestedinfolklore. Voicesisdedicatedtopublishingthecontentof folkloreinthewordsandimagesof itscreatorsandpractitioners.Thejournalpublishesresearch-basedarticles,written in an accessible style, on topicsrelated to traditional art and life. It also featuresstories,interviews,reminiscences,essays,folkpoetryandmusic,photographs,andartworkdrawnfrompeople in all parts of NewYork State.Columnsonsubjectssuchasphotography,soundandvideorecording,legalandethicalissues,andthenatureof traditionalartandlifeappearineachissue.

Editorial Policy Feature articles.Articles published inVoicesrepresentoriginalcontributionstofolklorestudies.AlthoughVoices emphasizes the folkloreof NewYorkState,theeditorwelcomesarticlesbasedonthefolkloreof anyareaof theworld.Articlesonthetheory,methodology,andgeographyof folklorearealsowelcome,asarepurelydescriptivearticlesintheethnographyof folklore.Inaddition,Voicesprovidesahomefor“orphan”tales,narratives,andsongs,whose contributors are urged to providecontextualinformation. Authorsareencouragedtoincludeshortpersonalreminiscences,anecdotes,isolatedtales,narratives,songs, andothermaterial that relates to and en-hancestheirmainarticle. Typically feature articles range from 1,000 to4,000wordsandupto6,000wordsattheeditor’sdiscretion. Reviews and review essays.Books,recordings,films,videos,exhibitions,concerts,andthelikeareselectedforreviewinVoicesfortheirrelevancetofolklorestudiesorthefolkloreof NewYorkStateandtheirpotentialinteresttoawideaudience.Per-sonswishingtoreviewrecentlypublishedmaterialshouldcontacttheeditor.Unsolicitedreviewsandproposalsforreviewswillbeevaluatedbytheeditorandbyoutsiderefereeswhereappropriate.Followthebibliographicstyleinacurrentissueof Voices. Reviewsshouldnotexceed750words. Correspondence and commentary.Shortbutsubstantivereactionstoorelaborationsuponmate-rialappearinginVoiceswithinthepreviousyeararewelcomed.Theeditormayinvitetheauthorof thematerialsbeingaddressedtorespond;bothpiecesmay be published together.Any subjectmay beaddressedorrebuttedoncebyanycorrespondent.Theprincipalcriteriaforpublicationarewhether,intheopinionof theeditorortheeditorialboard,thecommentconstitutesasubstantivecontributiontofolklorestudies,andwhetheritwillinterestourgeneralreaders. Lettersshouldnotexceed500words.

StyleThe journal followsThe Chicago Manual of Style.ConsultWebster’s Third International Dictionary forquestionsof spelling,meaning,andusage,andavoidgender-specificterminology. Footnotes.Endnotesandfootnotesshouldbeavoided;incorporatesuchinformationintothetext.Ancillaryinformationmaybesubmittedasasidebar. Bibliographic citations.Forcitationsof textfrom outside sources, use the author-date styledescribedinThe Chicago Manual of Style. Language.Allmaterialmust be submitted inEnglish. Foreign-language terms (transliterated,whereappropriate,intotheRomanalphabet)shouldbeitalicizedandfollowedbyaconciseparentheticalEnglishgloss;theauthorbearsresponsibilityforthecorrectspellingandorthographicsof non-Englishwords.BritishspellingsshouldbeAmericanized.

Publication ProcessUnless indicated, theNewYorkFolklore SocietyholdscopyrighttoallmaterialpublishedinVoices: The Journal of New York Folklore.Withthesubmissionof materialtotheeditor,theauthoracknowledgesthatheorshegivesVoicessolerightstoitspublica-tion, and that permission topublish it elsewheremustbesecuredinwritingfromtheeditor. Fortheinitialsubmission,sendane-mailattach-mentorCD(preferablypreparedinMicrosoftWordandsavedasRichTextFormat). Copymustbedoublespaced,withallpagesnum-beredconsecutively.Tofacilitateanonymousreviewof featurearticles,theauthor’snameandbiographyshouldappearonlyonaseparatetitlepage. Tables, charts,maps, illustrations,photographs,captions,andcreditsshouldfollowthemaintextandbenumberedconsecutively.Allillustrationsshouldbeclean,sharp,andcamera-ready.Photographsshouldbeprintsorduplicateslides(notoriginals)orscannedathighresolution(300+dpi)ande-mailedtotheedi-torasjpgortiff files.Captionsandcreditsmustbeincluded.Writtenpermissiontopublisheachimagemust beobtainedby authors from the copyrightholderspriortosubmissionof manuscripts,andthewrittenpermissionsmustaccompanythemanuscript(authorsshouldkeepcopies). Materials are acknowledgedupon receipt.Theeditorand twoanonymous readers reviewmanu-scripts submitted as articles.The reviewprocesstakesseveralweeks. Authorsreceivetwocomplimentarycopiesof theissueinwhichtheircontributionappearsandmaypurchaseadditionalcopiesatadiscount.Authorsof feature articlesmay purchase offprints; priceinformationisavailableuponpublication.

Submission Deadlines

Spring–Summerissue November1Fall–Winterissue May1

Send submissions asWord files toEileenCondon,Voices Editor (e-mail preferred):[email protected] or c/o Center forTraditionalMusicandDance,32Broadway,Suite1314,NewYork,NY10004.

religiousmovements,however,haveamorestandard historical voice, despite leaningheavilyononlyafewsources. At times, I wished for more socialand historical context for thesewonder-ful stories.Despite their presentation inchronologicalorder, thebookreadsas if thestoriesareoutsideof timeintheeth-nographicpresent.Ididnotgetasenseof howthestorieschangedovertimeorhowthesenseof communityidentitycreatedbythestorieswasutilized. Thebook,however,isnotintendedforscholarlypurposes,buttopiquetheinter-estof thegeneralreader.Itclearlyfulfillsthatmission.Itwouldbeausefultoolforteachinglocalhistoryandloreinmiddleandhighschools.Apartfromthecontent,oneof myfavoritemomentsinthebookisthededication.Thebook isdedicated to thememoryof PatDixonof theVernonPublicLibrary. In this simple initial paragraph,Zimmer reveals theway regional historybringstogetheracommunity.InevermetMs.Dixon, but I feel I knowher.WithZimmer,Icelebratethelocalculturebearersof centralNewYork,theirwork,andtheirpassion.Despite the book’s drawbacks,Zimmercapturesandsharesthatpassion.IplanontakingaroadtripwithCentral New York and the Finger Lakes: Myths, Legends, and Lore tuckedundermyarm.

—ConstanceR.Sullivan-BlumARTSCouncilof theSouthernFingerLakes


Join theNew York Folklore Society andbecomepartof acommunitythatwilldeepenyour involvementwith folklore, folklife, thetraditionalarts,andcontemporaryculture.Asamember,you’llhaveearlynoticeof keyevents.

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NYFS’s Mentoring and Professional Development Program

Folklife and traditional arts programming requires professional knowledge

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Arts Program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), is designed

to facilitate the sustainable acquisition of knowledge and skills in traditional

arts through short-term and ongoing consultancies, folk artist mentoring, and

professional development exchanges.

Traditional artists, community-based cultural organizations, folklorists, and

others involved in planning folklife or traditional arts programs are encouraged

to apply; applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

For detailed information on the program, eligibility, and application procedures,

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Documents

A Wood- Carver’s Life - New York FolkloreThe Historical Evolution of Bigfoot in New York State by Robert E. Bartholomew and Brian Regal 16 Xiao Xiannian: New Sounds for Chinese