My roommate told of the Kappa, who are turtle monsters that live in japan. According to some, these monsters only live by rivers. His mom would tell him that if he played outside after dark, the Kappa would come to get him. His parents and grandparents would tell him this to keep him from wandering out of the house at night. He says that is a tradition for parents to tell kids this, and that Kappa are so widely believed in by children that there are Kappa statues next to some of the rivers. The tradition of telling this story probably came from concerned parents, and used the kappa as a way to scare their kids into not doing certain things, like playing in the river or going outside at night. The actual turtle monster aspect probably came from the numerous species of turtles that are native to Japan.
Tag Archives: tradition
Solovino
Text:
“Solovino”
Context:
The informer tells me that this is a popular dog name in El Salvador, especially for stray dogs-turned-pets, and it means “he came alone”. They learned about this through their parents, but have heard it on Spanish shows like comedy novellas. They initially thought that it was a Salvadorian thing, but learned later that this name was popular in Mexico as well.
Analysis:
Many parts of Latin America–including El Salvador–have large populations of stray dogs who wander into stores and homes seeking food or shelter. Many of these dogs seem to be informally adopted simply because they showed up, hence the name Solovino. It’s like a playful acknowledgment of the dog’s lifestory–he just appeared, and was welcomed. I feel like this may reflect the importance of generosity in Latin culture, where it is extended to family, community, and even strangers(like the passing stray dog). How common this practice must be, for it to reach even social and cultural media, and to have its own variations across Latin America!
TC Love
Story: “In this organization that I’m in, Troy Camp, we have this saying: TC Love. It’s something we use to appreciate each other and the work that we do. In Troy Camp, we do mentorship programs for kids from elementary school to seniors in high school. I love the work that I do in this organization, and I adore the people and kids that I get to work with. So, to show appreciation for these people, we love giving each other shoutouts, and we like to say that TC Love is different than any other kind of love. Just the other day, another member of Troy Camp shared with me her cousin’s embroidery business so that I could get my name embroidered on one of my Troy Camp quarterzips .. so at our next meeting, I made sure to share the TC Love with her by giving her a shoutout! Typically we say, “TC Love to …” and then the person’s name, and then why we are giving them TC Love. Out of all the traditions in this org, this one is my favorite.
Analysis: After speaking with this informant, I could tell that this organization and this tradition means the absolute world to them. Community builds community, and I could tell that this person and this organization fosters such a great community for both the people and the kids in it. Love is such a strong word, and it’s beautiful how different cultures and communities can take that word and adapt it to make it mean something entirely new, but just as special–I could tell this is something that took place for Troy Camp. After our conversation, this informant shared TC Love with me, and just from that, I could feel the weight that the phrase carries.
What would a monkey know of the taste of ginger?
Story: “There is this proverb in Hindi that my mom used to say to me to let me know that I wasn’t smart enough to appreciate certain things. Basically she would use this proverb to roast me. The proverb is: Bandar kya jaane adrak ka swad. Which in English translates to “What would a monkey know of the taste of ginger?” But yeah, basically my mom would say this to me if I wasn’t appreciating something she did for me. If I didn’t love the dinner she made for me one night, she would say “What would a monkey know of the taste of dinner?”
Analysis: This is a phrase that really means a lot to this informant. Growing up they said, it kind of annoyed them, hearing their mom yell this at them, but now when they hear it, it carries a sense of nostalgia for them. Cultural folk phrases carry such deep meaning already, but its the people who use it that increase that meaning tenfold. Without context, “What would a monkey know of the taste of ginger?” is a totally random question–but to this informant, they know exactly what this means. This is the importance of cultural folk phrases: they create bonds amongst families, they bring nostalgia, and they have much deeper meaning than what meets the eye.
A Tibetan Tradition
Story: “I went to a Tibetan school growing up in India, I was always class monitor, I was basically the teacher’s pet…but something that I grow up with, going to school in India, was corporal punishment. And as tough as that sounds, it was the culture I grew up with. But there’s this saying in Tibet, where teachers and parents will say “Tibetan kids’ ears are on their ass.” Essentially, this just means that physical punishment is the only way kids will listen and learn… their ears are on their ass. And honestly, this worked for me.”
Analysis: Cultures throughout the world have many different ways of teaching children, and what might seem different in the United States, can be totally normal in different countries. This is a great example of how different cultures foster different kinds of teachings for children, and as this person explained, it kind of worked for them. They later explained how when they first moved to the United States, they experienced a heavy culture shock. Corporal punishment is an ideology that has been passed down for generations, and it’s very interesting to see diverse perspectives on the ideology.