Monthly Archives: May 2011

Chili Peppers, Folk Medicine – Mexican

Nationality: Mexican American/ Slovenian American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student - Neuroscience
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 18 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“I used to get sick at lot, like in high school with like, ah, chest congestion and all that lovely stuff. ‘Cause it’s, I guess, cold in the East Coast. So, uh, and I, and my parents would tell me, ‘oh, you should just eat chili peppers’ like red chili peppers ’cause their spicy.’ And you know my mother would always say, ‘So you father’s mother’ – so I guess my grandmother, ah, ‘she never never used to get sick ’cause she would always eat chili peppers.’ You know, and she said, “you know that’s the good thing about Mexican people they would eat all these chili peppers so they would never get colds and stuff like that.’ So, I don’t know why my mother would say that because my mother’s not Mexican, my Dad is. So he would say the same thing but my mother, being my mother, would really try to push that. I think she heard that from my Dad and just took off from it.”

The informant is from Arlington, VA. She said that she thought the concept of eating chili peppers to keep away a cold or to fight a cold made sense. The chili peppers likely kill the germs (i.e. a cold) and clean out the system. Though she has never tried it, she said it might work.

I think her analysis of why her Slovenian mother and not her father repeated this bit of folklore was telling. It seemed her mother may have had a more maternal instinct for trying to make sure her children were healthy and so grasped at this as a chance to do just that. She also may have seen this bit of folklore as a way to control something that was more than likely a great deal out of her control – that her daughter seemed to have a predisposition to getting colds in a cold climate. It may have relieved her that there was some way to help her daughter out there. I think it is also telling that Andrea has never tried this – that says to me that her Mom may have been trying to relieve some anxiety rather than truly cutting up some chili’s and putting them on a plate for her daughter. The informant’s conclusion that it makes sense that it would work may come from her theoretical biology knowledge as learned from her Neuroscience major.

Chili Peppers

Folk Etymology – Arizona

Nationality: American - Caucasian
Age: 67
Occupation: Caregiver
Residence: Whittier, CA
Performance Date: 22 April 2011
Primary Language: English

“When Pancho Villa, that is when American troops were chasing Pancho Villa across the border in a, in a series of skirmishes the Mexicans heard the Americans singing the song ‘Green grows the lilacs’ which was a popular st-st-st uh, song turn of the century. And so what the Mexicans heard was not ‘Green Grows the lilacs’ but they heard green – gringos. They said it really fast, ‘gringos’. So that’s what I, where I heard that that came from, was gringos.”

The informant is a 67-year-old caregiver residing in Whittier, California. He has divided most of his life between California, Iowa, and Colorado but lived in Phoenix, Arizona for a few years.

The informant said he heard it when he lived in Phoenix back in the 50’s when he was in late elementary school. He said it was closer to Mexico then (perhaps meaning that he was closer to Mexico then). The context that this folk etymology came up was my sister was showing pictures of her honeymoon in the Mexican Riviera and she mentioned that she felt like a gringo when she was down there as she didn’t speak any Spanish. We got to talking about the difference between the terms ‘gringo’ and “americano’ and the informant rattled off this little tidbit. He had told us this etymology before and with gusto, which likely indicates that he believes it is true.

The informant is a bit of an encyclopedia of random knowledge that he likes to spout off, and this etymology is likely one of those facts. I personally had believed the informant for many years until I asked him where he learned it and if he had corroborated this story. He learned it from someone else and hadn’t cross-referenced for veracity. I personally think it’s interesting how sure he is that his story is true. I think it’s interesting that this story would make the term seem fairly harmless. It’s just a linguistic mess up – so when someone calls another a gringo it’s just a local term for someone. And yet I have spoken to a few Spanish-speaking people, one in particular who was Dominican, who said she wouldn’t call her friends gringos – so apparently the term has negative connotations, yet this etymology makes to reference to the negativity surrounding the word.

Joshua Tree Contemporary Legend

Nationality: USA
Age: 26
Occupation: Producer of Photography
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 24, 2011
Primary Language: English

Ana: This is a story that I’ve heard about one of my friends but I’ve also heard it from a couple other people as well so, I don’t know how true it is. There are these uhhh, four guys and they went to the desert. I think it was Joshua Tree. They went for the weekend and were going to drop some acid. And… while they were there, they umm… started dropping acid (LAUGH). And they umm, and then one of the guys wasn’t feeling the effects so he decided to wonder off into the desert by himself. So he’s like wondering and wondering and he still doesn’t know if the acid is affecting him or not but he kind of got lost so he kept walking. And all of a sudden he sees this thing in the distance and you know he gets closer and closer to this thing. So he’s looking at it and he thinks ‘Oh my god, it’s a… it’s a gnome!’ like he found this gnome in the middle of Joshua Tree. And so he is like freaking out, like he didn’t know if he had even felt the affects of the acid or not but he was shocked that he ummm… found this gnome. He (LAUGH) umm, so he starts to talk to the gnome. He said ‘Hey gnome! Are you a gnome?’ and the figure started to talk back and said bluntly, ‘Yes, yes I am. I am a gnome’. And this guy is like freaking out because he wanted people to see that this was actually true – that he actually found a gnome. So he said to the gnome, ‘Hey gnome, I’m lost but will you come with me? Come with me so I can show you to my friends?’ And the gnome said, ‘Yes. Yes I will’. And so he carried the gnome on his back and he finally made his way back to his friends. And he said to his friends, ‘Guys, guys, I have something to show you!’ and everyone was still tripping but uhh… umm but they all could not believe that he had found a gnome in the middle of Joshua Tree. And they were freaking out that they got this gnome and they felt like they had to show civilization because no one would every believe them if they said they came back from Joshua Tree with a gnome. So they said, ‘Gnome, Gnome, you got to get in the care we have to back to Los Angeles. Will you come with us?’ and the gnome agreed. Then they were driving back and they were all coming down from the acid and umm, they are driving and driving and they’re talking about how they’re going show people this gnome and how it’s going to be such big news. So they look in the back seat, and… they are coming off of the acid and it’s a little kid. It’s this little toddler kid about four years old. And now they pull over and you know, they are freaking out. One of them suggests leaving him on the side of the road, the other said they should bring him to the police station. And they are all freaking out, you know, they are going nuts! So they end up doing the right thing and going to the police station. Ummm… and apparently it was a missing kid that had been lost in the desert for a couple days. So they had found the kid. And, ummm, the other thing was kid had Down Syndrome. And that’s the story of the gnome in the desert.

Isabel: Where did you first hear this story?

Ana: I heard it out to dinner with one of my friends. He said it was his friend. But then I think I looked it up on the internet or something and it was one of those… like they can’t say whether it’s true or not, but I guess its one of those urban legends or something. I definitely heard it another time after Ben told me that first time. And I totally believed it the first time I heard it though. I think it was the way Ben told the story, it was so believable and like compelling.

Both the tone in which Ana narrated this story and the context in which she first heard it indicate that there is a comedic purpose to the narrative. There is a sense of humor in discovering the details of four young guys’ experience with LSD. The story’s conclusion portrays the group of friends as idiotic, enabling the story’s audience to laugh at their ridiculousness. However, contrastingly, the fact that the gnome is actually a toddler with Down Syndrome makes the comedy of it a bit disturbing. The audience is left uncomfortably laughing in reaction to the narrative. However, the story does not seem to make fun of the mental illness, but rather highlights the inane actions of the four guys under the influence. Therefore the comedy of the folklore remains, albeit with an awkward edge because of the Down Syndrome detail.

This piece of folklore exposes the acceptance and prevalence of a drug culture. There is plausibility within the foundation of the story, as the scenario of four young guys taking Acid together is likely. Additionally there are often absurd and exaggerated experiences attached to the use of Acid, enabling the narrative to be entertaining through the anticipation of how their ‘trip’ will transcend.

Dover, MA Legend

Nationality: USA
Age: 22
Occupation: Stud
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: April 20, 2011
Primary Language: English

Kara: Hi I’m Kara Larmie, I’m 22 years over and I’m from Dover, Massachusetts and umm I’m a senior at USC. So here is my story. It is a story of the Dover Demon, which is a ummm, creature that everyone in Dover, the very very small town outside of Boston that I grew up in knows about and umm apparently it’s a like monkey-like creature, with four legs and like beating, glowing, umm like yellow eyes and its like black and furry like a monkey kind of thing. Umm… and kind of large, like the size of a dog, like a big dog. So people, everyone knows about it, like there’s like T-shirts of it at the Dover market and stuff, umm I don’t really know why. But people in other towns know about it too. And it’s apparently like just this weird unknown creature that people have seen since, I think like the ‘70s. I think that’s when the first sighting of it was and numerous sightings of it were. And people have said that they saw it probably like two or three years ago. I think that was the last time someone said they saw it. But it only comes out at night and its only been seen in these like two particular areas, one in the center of town where there’s like an old railroad track that doesn’t get used anymore. And umm, the other is over by the high school on this like really private road that like leads to the high school, near the edge of a different town.

Isabel: So these spots are the known spots where it would be, if you were to see it?

Kara: Yeah. Those are the only places its been seen.

Isabel: And so you know what it looks like? You’ve seen pictures of the creature?

Kara: Yes, umm… but umm yeah everyone knows what it looks like. Like I think if you googled it you could find pictures of it. Like the Dover market sells T-Shirts of it, they say like ‘The Dover Demon’ on it with a picture of what it supposedly looks like. No one has actually taken a picture of it, people have just described it. And I’ve seen like a uhhh newspaper article from like the ‘70s that had like a drawing of what it could look like from the person that saw it.

Isabel: And is it supposed to haunt you? Is it bad luck if you see it? Is there any meaning behind a sighting?

Kara: I am not sure if there is meaning, but its just weird that people still say they’ve seen this one creature since the ‘70s and that it would still be alive and living around Dover.

Isabel: So it is not a species, it’s one animal that roams Dover?

Kara: It is one thing people keep saying they have seen around our town.

Isabel: Are the areas in which it appears…

Kara: They are really wooded areas.

Isabel: Are they scary or sketchy areas?

Kara: Nooo… they are more just like abandoned in a sense.

Isabel: And do people actually believe that this demon exists? Do you believe it is out there in Dover?

Kara: Yes people believe it.

Isabel: Do you believe it?

Kara: (hesitation) Nooo… I think it’s probably like a dog or something weird. I think they are probably seeing something, I mean I don’t think people make it up. They see something but its probably just some animal. (Laugh) I don’t know.

Isabel: But because it’s characterized as a demon, is it considered evil?

Kara: Hmmm, yeah I guess… I think it’s a demon because its eyes apparently are like these beaming, really really brightly ummm… what’s the word, like piercing kind of eyes. Ummm it makes it looks like a demon. And it’s also black so it like looks scary but I don’t think there’s any myth behind it, like if you see it it’s bad.

Isabel: And if you’re from Dover, and I were to refer to the Dover Demon, everyone would know what I was talking about?

Kara: Yeah, everyone would know.

Isabel: Even older generations or younger generations?

Kara: Yeah.

Isabel: Even the towns next to yours know the Dover Demon?

Kara: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. People have talked about it who live in like Medfield or something.

Isabel: What do you think this story is saying about living in Dover?

Kara: I think its, uhhh… its like a traditional or ummm like a tradition… I mean something that has been known for many generations. It’s kind of a towny thing to know about. Like, I don’t know, people that have lived in Dover for a long time know about it, its not like a new thing. Like my older babysitter told me about it when I was younger.

Isabel: That’s when you first heard about it?

Kara: Yeah, when I was like seven or so. And then I’ve obviously heard it since, just in random conversation, but it’s not a huge thing, like its not hugely publicized or talked about that that much I would say.

Isabel: Do people go out looking for it?

Kara: People definitely made ventures to look for it in the ‘70s I think. I don’t think they really do anymore. But there was like numerous sightings back then. I guess around the same railroad track, only at night, but yeah multiple people said they saw it.

Kara’s description of the Dover Demon is a strong example of a local legend. There is the element of truth and plausibility that perpetuates the belief in the creature, even for those who have not actually seen it. Additionally, the legend relies on trust. Individuals within Dover trust their fellow citizens’ accounts of the demon and thus, the beliefs of the town are based on the citizens’ confidence in those individual witnesses. Furthermore, there is a numinous element to the belief in the Dover Demon, specifically pertaining to the physical description of the creature. The demon’s “piercing eyes” and mysterious nocturnal appearances add a spectral component to the belief. There is also multiplicity within this legend. As Kara discussed, popular culture in Dover has adopted this legendary figure by producing T-shirts and sketches of the creature. Since the 1970s, the Dover Demon has become apart of the town’s identity.

Consequently, the local legend has preserved a sense of community within Dover. The town’s perpetuation of this legend evidently unites its population. All the ‘true’ locals know about the demon and most believe it is still roaming the abandoned railroad track and high school road. Kara poignantly claimed that the belief provided a sense of tradition for her town, thus becoming a vehicle of unification for Dover’s occupants. Investigating this legend reveals the town’s effort to continue stories from their past, creating an identity that links all the generations of Dover together, through their knowledge and belief in the creature.

Children’s Song

Nationality: Caucasian American
Age: 34
Occupation: Waiter and tobacconist
Residence: Huntington Beach, CA
Performance Date: April 17, 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Conversational German, Latin

The informant learned the following children’s song “while [he] was on Catalina Island with [his], um, Indian Guides Troop as a young man.” Here are the lyrics:

Catalina Magalina Hoopa Stina Walladina

Hoka Poka Loka was her name.

Oh, she dove like a feather and floated like a rock,

When she hit the bottom you could hear her at the top,

Catalina Magalina Hoopa Stina Walladina

Hoka Poka Loka was her name.

Oh, she had two hairs that were on her head,

One was live and the other was dead,

Catalina Magalina Hoopa Stina Walladina

Hoka Poka Loka was her name.

Oh, she had two teeth that were in her mouth,

One pointed north and the other pointed south,

Catalina Magalina Hoopa Stina Walladina

Hoka Poka Loka was her name.

Here is a sound clip of the informant performing the song: Catalina Magalina

The informant said that he usually sang around the campfire as a boy and that “it does seem to be kind of a camp song, uh, something that, uh, that kids sing. And see how fast they can sing.”

The informant appears to find the song mildly amusing: “Izza goofy li’l song that basically, uh, insults the hell out of one poor girl. [snort]”

This song—aside from being a way for children to confound adults as to what on earth their children are singing—seems to be build as a challenge, perhaps even a sort of rite of passage. How many names can you remember? How clearly can you pronounce them? How quickly can you sing them? How much can you get through before you have to take a breath? The song also might be considered Indian fakelore, since it was being sung by a group of children pretending to be Natve Americans but is clearly not a traditional Native American song, though it might be possible to fool younger children into believing that it is. Insulting this girl could be a form of trying to counter the evil eye—if you accuse someone else of being ugly, perhaps you won’t be so yourself.