Monthly Archives: November 2010

Proverb – Japanese

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Nationality: Japanese
Age: 48
Residence: Palos Verdes, CA
Performance Date: March 22, 2008
Primary Language: English

“Kiki jozu wa hanashi jozu”

“He who listens well, speaks well.”

My mother said that she remembers my grandmother saying this when she was younger.  My mom said that grandma used to say it when referring to this one uncle of hers (my grandmother’s uncle).  Apparently he was always interrupting people when they were talking.  My grandmother also thought that her uncle talked too much and usually said a lot of nothing.  The proverb, roughly translated means that “He who listens well, speaks well.”  My grandmother obviously that the proverb applied perfectly to her uncle.  Since he was always interrupting people he was not really listening to what they had to say, which to her explained why he was always not saying anything very important or valuable, therefore illustrating is lack in ability to speak well.

I think my grandmother said this to my mom just to vent when she got irritated with her uncle.  But I also think this proverb demonstrates traditional Japanese values and ideals.  Stereotypically Japanese are considered pretty quiet and reserved and I think it is because it is emphasized with cultural proverbs like this that is it important and better to listen and not be so loud.  Often times in Japanese culture it is considered impolite to be loud.  For example, I visited Japan for the first time this past summer, and I learned that when riding on the trains no one talks on their cell phones because it is considered extremely rude.  If everyone talked on their cell phones it would be incredibly loud on the train.  However there is no explicit law or rule dictating you cannot talk on your cell phone when on the train, it is more of a custom in the culture that is understood and obeyed by everyone.  However on the other end of the sound spectrum, when eating noodles it is acceptable to make loud slurping noises.  It is interesting to see these cultural differences.  For example in the United States, in a place like the New York subways perhaps many people might be found talking on their cell phones yet at the same time in America it usually isn’t considered good manners to slurp your soup when you’re eating it.  Proverbs obviously reveal much about a particular culture’s beliefs and values.

My mother doesn’t speak Japanese but I looked up the proverb online and was able to find the Japanese translation and the characters that are included at the top of this collection.  The website I received it from is annotated below.

Annotation: http://www.japanippon.com/proverbs.htm

Game/Ritual

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Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 3, 2008
Primary Language: English

“Nose Goes”

During biology lab we were studying the structure and function of the kidneys.  So in the first part of the lab we dissected a sheep kidney to examine its structure, and in the second part of the lab we analyzed a urine sample to study one of the kidneys main function, elimination of waste products.  The urine samples to be analyzed were to supposed to be collected from one student at each lab station.  My lab station consisted of myself, my lab partner Christine and two other girls.  None of us wanted to pee in a cup, which was required to collect the urine sample that needed to be analyzed for the lab.  So Christine announced, “Nose goes!”  According to the game, if there is something that has to be done but no one wants to do it, someone says “nose goes” and the last person to touch their nose has to do whatever is was that no one wanted to do.  Since all the other girls touched their nose with their index finger before me I was the one who had to supply the urine sample for the lab.

Another version of this game called “Not is Noses” has also been documented in this folklore collction.  Please refer to item #8 of the collection for further analysis.  Additionally, while searching the Internet I found a website that explains and documents the “official” rules of nose goes.  This shows that the game is well known and it is known under the title or phrase “Nose Goes” not “Not it Noses”, which is another version of the same game.  Annotation: http://nosegoes.bavetta.com/

Game/Ritual

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Nationality: Japanese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Palos Verdes, CA
Performance Date: March 19, 2008
Primary Language: English

“Not it Noses”

I was hanging out with my friends and we all decided to go out to eat for dinner  Someone asked out loud, “So who’s going to drive?” then my friend Kelsey said, “Not it noses!” and touched her nose with her index finger.  Everyone else quickly tried to touch their noses because in this game the last person to touch their nose would be the one who would have to drive everyone to dinner.  According to the game, if there is something that has to be done but no one wants to do it, someone says “not it noses” and the last person to touch their nose has to do whatever is was that no one wanted to do.  It is also important to note that you have touch your nose, usually you touch the tip of your nose with your index finger.  The person who touches their nose last is the one who has to do the undesired task of the group.

The game could be viewed as a modern day version of pulling straws or sticks when there is a task to be done but one wants to do it and the group can’t decide who should have to do it so they come up with an arbitrary way of choosing a person and this is generally considered a fair way of deciding such a thing.  For example, when pulling sticks usually the person who pulls the short stick has to do whatever the everyone in the group does not want to do.  Not it noses is just another game and another way of arbitrarily deciding who should have to do something.  Another version of this game/ritual is something called nose goes which is also documented in this folklore collection.  It is essentially the same game, the only difference being that instead of saying “not it noses” one would say “nose goes” before proceeding to touch their nose.

This game is typically played among friends and I have only seen it played within the high school/college student age range.  This is probably so because adults might find it too foolish to touch their noses in order to get out of doing something.  It is also fun to play because it is sort of like a competition of speed and to me seems to resemble the childhood saying “Last one there is a rotten egg”.  Not is noses draws on childhood memories and plays into this whole idea of not being the last person, and to be last is not a good thing, which could also explain its popularity and appeal to many people.

Game

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Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Irvine, CA
Performance Date: April 5, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese, Spanish

Pop Culture Word Game

Stacey taught me this game when we were driving with some other friends from USC to a concert in Irvine.  Stacey said to play the game you have to come up with a phrase or noun that has least two words or more and one of the words has to have part of a word from the previous phrase or noun that was said.  For example, if someone says House of Blues, the next person could say Blue Man Group, and the next person could say Mann’s Chinese Theater, and so on and so forth.  Notice how each word somehow incorporates a word form what the previous person said.  We played the game to pass the time and keep ourselves entertained during the long car ride.

Stacey said she learned the game when she went to Honduras with an organization on the USC campus called the Global Medical Brigades.  The Global Medical Brigades is a group of medical professionals and volunteers that travel to under developed cities and villages and lead a holistic model for sustainable health care.  They also conducts preliminary needs assessment, treats patients, provide medical materials and work to improve the water, sanitation, and economic infrastructures.  USC students can sign up to participate in the Global Medical Brigades as volunteers which is exactly what Stacey did during her spring break.  Stacey said during the trip that they would have to take long bus rides every where and sometimes the bus rides were as long as 4 hours.  So to pass the time and keep entertained her and the other students on the trip would play the games on the bus and this pop culture word game was one of the games she was introduced to.  The game is ideal because in theory it never really ends and is interesting because every time it is played it’s never the same since people are always coming up with different words and/or phrases.

I really enjoyed the game myself because it was fun to try to come up with some creative or really popular phrase and it was fun to hear others do the same.  Also, when I played the game, one of the people I was playing with was from Guam.  Normally I forget he is not from California or the United States for that matter, but it is brought to attention when he doesn’t know all the pop culture references that are being made.  For example, someone said Chick-Fil-A and he did not know that that was a chain fast food restaurant.  Therefore the people playing the game obviously bring up a lot of folklore that is shared between its participants (i.e. pop culture references) but it was also fun to play the game with someone I guess that was sort of out of the folklore group because then you learn other folklore from other people.

Myth – Korean

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Nationality: Korean
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 9, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

The Disobedient Frog

My friend Brian told me a Korean myth that he says his grandmother used to tell him and his sister when they were younger.  The myth is called The Disobedient Frog and he said it is a pretty popular Korean folktale.  He said that once there was a young frog who lived in a pond with his widowed mother.  The young frog was mischievous and always disobeyed his mother.  Brian said that the frog always did exactly the opposite of what his mother asked him to and so the mother frog was always scolding and worrying about her disobedient son that eventually it made her sick, but her son continued to be disobedient.  Then one day the mother frog called her son to her bedside and said she did not think she would live very long.  Knowing that her son always did the opposite of what she said she asked him to bury her by the river and not in the mountains when she died.  A few days later when the mother frog died her son cried and knew it was his fault for always misbehaving and worrying her so much.  So the son decided to for once, do exactly as his mother had asked.  He buried her by the river like she asked even though he did not think it was a good idea.  Then one day when it rained so much that the river banks became overflowed and the young frog was so worried about his mother grave being washed away he went to go watch over it.  As he watched her grave he cried and croaked asking that his mother’s grave would not be washed away.  So now every time it rains the young frog goes to the river banks and croaks as he watches over his mother’s grave and this is why the frogs always croak so loudly when it rains.

Brian said that his grandmother used to tell him many Korean folktales when he would visit her when he was younger.  He said he remembers hearing this story the most and he thinks it is because his grandmother wanted to teach him that he needed to behave himself and listen to his mother and father.

In folklore myths are often times set before, after, or outside the real world.  Obviously, the talking frogs would set this myth outside the real world.  Myths also often explain creation or origin of something in the universe.  The end of the myth claims that the whole story explains why frogs croak when it rains.  However the underlying message of the myth is to teach young children to listen to their mother or parents otherwise they will cause them much grief that could potentially harm them.  I agree with Brian when he says he thinks his grandmother told him and his sister the story when they were younger to try and teach them or tell them indirectly to obey and listen to their parents.  I also think that his grandmother helped create cultural identity in her grandchildren by telling them Korean myths.  It is also possible that his grandmother was told the myth when she was younger and so she is just passing this piece of Korean folklore down to her grandchildren.

Annotation: Crowder-Han, Suzanne. Korean Folk & Fairy Tales. Hollym Intl: 1991.