Author Archives: Hayden Duncan

Horseshoe Protection

Nationality: African American
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/17/17
Primary Language: English

Informant: A family friend that lived in Timpson, Texas when she was younger and her grandmother would do this

Original Script: ” My grandmother used to have a horseshoe nailed over her front door. The legend was it was to keep the hants (a southern colloquialism for ghosts) from entering the house.”

Thoughts: Having a horseshoe over the doorway was a common superstition in Feng shui  believed that an actual worn horseshoe was infused with good energy because a horse was a strong powerful animal.

Forgetful Superstition

Nationality: African American
Occupation: Teacher
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/27/17
Primary Language: English

Informant: My aunt’s mother taught this to her when she was young

Original Script:” If you left the house, ready to go to school and forgot something, you go back to your home get what you forgot and before you leave you sit down for good luck”

Background: My aunt mother originated from Indiana and did this often for good luck.

Thoughts: I heard this superstition before, my friend whose mother is from Russia used to tell her this except before you leave on a trip you sit down for good luck. It shows the different variations from culture to culture.

Seafood proverb

Nationality: African American
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/8/17
Primary Language: English

Informant: My grandmother who lived in Indiana and her father told her this

Original Script: “Only eat seafood in the months that have an ‘r’ in them and don’t eat seafood in the months that don’t have an ‘r’ in them.”

Background:The months that don’t have an ‘r’ in them the weather is hot so the water is not good and the months that do have an ‘r’ the weather is cooler so the water is good to eat fish.

Thoughts: I thought this was kind of silly, I believe its just an old saying to warn you about seafood because they didn’t have to technology to know when fish is contaminated.

Oklahoma ghost story

Nationality: African American
Age: 51
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/20/17
Primary Language: English

Informant: My dad told me about how my grandfather and his brother had an encounter with a ghost.

Original Script: “In the 50’s, in Oklahoma, in the town my dad lived in it was a known fact in the town not to go across a property line because the land behind it was Native American land that was guarded by the spirit. The land had an old covered wagon on it so they towns people called it the spirit of the covered wagon. My grandad, his brother and their dates went on the land one night, and swore they saw the spirit and were chased away by it.”

Background: The haunted land were Native American grounds which is most common area of haunted spirits.

Thoughts: The story was a typical ghost story, that was cliche because most Native American grounds are claimed to be haunted. My grandfather swears he saw the spirit but I don’t necessarily believe him.

American Proverb

Nationality: Cuban/African American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Oakland
Performance Date: 4/12/17
Primary Language: English

Informant: My friend whose mom would tell her this.

Original Script: “you got caviar dreams and tuna fish money”

Background: This proverb means that a person has expensive taste, in my friends case likes expensive clothing but she didn’t have expensive clothing money.

Thoughts: This proverb was very comical, it matched up with the American lifestyle we live, everyone wants the next new expensive product but, no one as the money to buy it.