Author Archives: chandiya@usc.edu

PUTTING YOUR BUTT ON YOUR PILLOWCASE AND SLEEPING ON IT WILL MAKE YOU GROW TREES OUT OF YOUR FACE

PUTTING YOUR BUTT ON YOUR PILLOWCASE AND SLEEPING ON IT WILL MAKE YOU GROW TREES OUT OF YOUR FACE

 

Main Piece: (rough English translation)

 

Do not put your butt close or near or touching the pillow because if you do and then you sleep on it your butt is dirty so your pillow is dirty sleeping on it will make you grow trees and brances out of that side of your face that you put it on.

 

Do not do this because your pillowcase is for your face and it should be clean you don’t do dirty things to your face like that.

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

This is something that my mother and friends would tell me growing up.

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

I learned this from my mother and my friends.

 

What does it mean for them?

Don’t put your butt on your pillow case it can be dirty. This is how some kids get pink eye.

 

Context of Performance:

Talking to mother through the phone.

 

Thoughts:

I never thought much of this – it is very comical to me and I do not put my butt on my pillowcase regardless because that’s just a dirty thing to do.

 

But what’s interesting is that there is this “tree man” in Indonesia who is famous because he has “tree/root like tumors” all over his face and skin…not sure if this is related but very eerie and interesting….lots of videos of him up on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmVseKdB6So

CAMBODIAN DANCING

CAMBODIAN DANCING

 

Main Piece:

 

I was exposed to it a lot when I went to church in Los Angeles. (a Christian church). My old best friend was an active dancer of the Cambodian dancing group in Long Beach and her parents would organize dancing performances during the church service as a way to promote Cambodian culture. When the Church service had combined different languages, such as during Thanksgiving I remember my mom would be pissed that my best friend’s mom can get away with organizing a dance meant for either an ancient Cambodian king or something affiliated with Buddhism.

 

I also remember that I had attended one of their trial classes in Long Beach and I observed the elasticity of their hands bent backwards, their balance, the patience to wear heavy gold jewelry and crowns while maintaining a steady yet careful dance flow.

 

The only thing I enjoyed about these dance performances was being entertained by the demon dancer.

 

The demon dancer is probably a character in the dance performance who has intentions of kidnapping or raping or killing the female dancer or princess-like character of the performance.

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

It’s probably the most creative and representative form of art within Cambodian culture.

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

My old best friend / the Cambodian service at the Christian church.

 

What does it mean for them?

An art form perhaps worth more exploring when visiting Cambodia.

 

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room talking.

 

Thoughts:

I think it’s interesting here how even though the subject’s parents did not have a strong cultural root(s) in Cambodian culture, that as immigrants joining an American Christian church in Los Angeles, California (with a Cambodian service), she was able to in a way get back in touch with her Cambodian cultural roots. Interesting to see that in America, at least, today, you can still go to say, a church, a community/organization outside your traditional folklore handing-down passageway (usually just from family) to learn/get into contact/access with your forgotten cultural roots/folklore.

 

CAMBODIAN GREETING // “CHOM-REAP-SUA”

CAMBODIAN GREETING // “CHOM-REAP-SUA”

 

Main Piece:

 

Growing up I was taught that greeting elders in Cambodian was very important. This might’ve been the first Cambodian word I ever learned. It is often regarded disrespectful if a Cambodian American, specially a millennial who does not recognize the importance of greeting in Cambodian to Cambodian elders.

 

It was a gesture of both hands formed in a prayer-like form (clasped) and head slightly bent while saying the hello greeting. (head slightly bent/bowed to the front) I remember there were times when I wouldn’t be sure if I needed to do it but then I would know when my mom whispers in my ear to bow.

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

A required tradition of respect growing up.

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

My parents. (theyre from Camodia, immigrants)

 

What does it mean for them?

As an adult it means that I still have the ability to show respect to Cambodian elders and teach my friends their first word of Cambodian / first greeting in Cambodian.

 

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room talking.

 

Thoughts:

It is interesting to note that this is very similar to my Chinese-Indonesian folk-principle/custom of respecting your elders. This is more specific in that there’s a specific gesture and saying involved (where my mother only told me to respect my elders…etc.), but I feel that this is a very common principle and core of Asian cultures, or at least the East….as well as perhaps some/most of Western cultures?

 

 

MONKEY KING

MONKEY KING

 

Main Piece:

Everybody goes up watching monkey king…with bad effect almost like Star Trek, super old but on reruns all the time – on CC TV China’s main channel for everybody.

 

Basically it’s humor – you just watch it for fun – but it’s based on a very old story.

These three people guard this one monk who has to go to India and they encounter lots of mystical events and lessons.

 

In the heavens there’s a garden full of monkeys – and there’s a king of the monkeys – he did something offensive to the Jade Emperor and he was punished by being trapped under a rock/mountain…freed by a monk, but the monk put a golden circle on his head which the monk can use to inflict pain on him whenever he is acting out of control.

 

He can pull out five hairs and turn them into five clones of himself

Shapeshift

Has magic staff that can grow as long as he wants

Has magical cloud called Kinto – can go anywhere

 

Basically Chinese equivalent of Superman, but a monkey

Mischiveous but controlled by the monk

Stories with him and the monk emphasize how different he is from the monk.

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

From the show

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

From the show

 

What does it mean for them?

Chinese Superman – culturally in his mind – his idea of a superhero.

 

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room just talking.

 

Thoughts:

Similar to my friend, I had learned of the Monkey King from a video game – but I was born and raised in Indonesia and although I was in a Chinese-Indonesian household, we didn’t really have much talk of staple Chinese legends such as this. It is interesting to note that although we are both Chinese, we may not be open and have access to the same kinds of cultural material due to the demographic and location of where we live.

 

Also, here is another version or annotation of the Monkey King:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Wukong

EATING WHILE LAYING DOWN YOU BECOME A PIG

EATING WHILE LAYING DOWN YOU BECOME A PIG

 

Main Piece:

 

I would be at my grandmother’s house at elementary school and after class I would stay with her while she was feeding me I would be eating and watching the TV and to be comfortable I would lay down (while eating) and she would come and tell me that (eating while laying down I’ll turn into a pig). Sometimes she would change it and say that I would turn to an alligator.

 

I would never believe her – I would just laugh and I wouldn’t question it because I thought it was funny. Sometimes I stand up, sometimes I still laid.

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

Growing up and being told that constantly everytime I ate while watching TV from my grandmother.

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

My grandmother

 

What does it mean for them?

Now as an adult it simply means encourages better digestion or flow of digestion perhaps there is a folklore behind this but I never knew.

 

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room talking.

 

Thoughts:

 

I think this is very similar to how my mother would tell me things in Indonesian such as do not put your butt on your pillowcase and then put your face on it (or you’ll grow trees/branches out of your face) (it is also interesting to note that Cambodia and Indonesia is very close geographically to each other and that these kind of sayings may be rooted within one another). I think these types of folklore are passed down from parent to child in order to discipline them – or at least prevent them from doing things that may be harmful to their health.