Context: This piece is was an interview that I directly copied every word said. The participants name is Jonathan. I had asked the participate in advance over phone if he had any folklore and he asked what I meant by that. After giving a few example he said he actually did have something to share. So we met in his apartment a few hour later. We entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. Main Piece: Ok so this was a long long time ago before technology. So there was this little girl named Red Riding Hood. She was called that cuz she wore a red sweater that had a hoody and she like had the hood on all the time. So the story goes that she.. she took care of her grandmother who was really old already. Like she couldn’t really leave the house. She kinda just stayed in bed the whole day and Red Riding would go into the forest… ooh yea she live in a cabin in the middle of a large forest. So she went to the forest to scavenge for food… she would carry like a basket and fill it with apples. ( coughed to clear throat). One day she went home and went to her grandma’s bedside. She told her grandma (raised the pitch of voice) “what big hands you have”…(with the same high pitch voice) “What big feet you have”. What was the other one? Uuhh… I can’t remember but then a man jumped out of the bed and tried to kill little red riding hood. He used an axe. So red riding screamed and a wolf came to rescue her. The wolf killed the mad and ate him. The wolf then used his nose to find little red riding hood’s mother. I think they found her in the closet locked in. They then lived happily ever after. Background: Jonathan is a 19-year-old college student whose ethnicity is half Cuban and Half Mexican. He is a sophomore attending UCLA. He learned this version from a roommate he had in college. The roommate was Brazilian. Analysis: This collection is a different variation of the famous tale of Little Red Riding hood. It is interesting to hear of a tale that has a famous motif inverted. The wolf is a famous motif representing a villain or an antagonist. It is seen in tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, the three little pigs, and the boy who cried wolf. However, in this Tale the wolf is the hero. If you want to read a variation of this tale in which the wolf does serve as a motif for a villain you can check out the book Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman.
Author Archives: jaesonsa@usc.edu
Folk-medicine “Se Empacho”
Context:
This piece of folklore was collected on April 19, 2018 around 6 pm. I went over to my girlfriend’s parents’ house for dinner and I overheard a piece of folk medicine and was intrigued. My girlfriends mother was telling this piece to my girlfriend, so I interviewed her. This is a rough translation of the conversation because she only speaks Spanish and I did not go prepared to record the interview as this was a spontaneous interview.
Main Piece:
At my girlfriend’s parents’ house, I overheard my girlfriend’s mother say that the baby, a 2-year-old, she babysits “Se empacho”. She said that she already had cured him by “sobandolo” (massaging). I was bit intrigued as to what sickness could be cured with a massage, so I asked if I could interview her on the topic.
Me: “Que significa que se empacho”. (What does “empacho” mean)
Teresa: She replied that sometimes when a baby eats something “se queda atorado en su estómago” (it will get stuck in their stomach). The baby the shows symptoms such as “no comiendo y estando triste” (not eating and being sad). Teresa : “Solamente… ninos se pueden empachar, o tambien adultos” (Can only kids get this sickness, or can adults get it also” Teresa: “Todo la jente se puede empachar” (Everyone or Anyone can get this illness) Me: “Oooh… ok, y como se dice… como se cura. Ay una manera specifica que se tiene que sobar. Pues como… adonde se tiene que sobar y tienes que usar algo cuando lo sobas” ( Oooh… ok, and how do I say this… how do you cure this. Is there a specific way you need to massage then? Like how… where do you need to massage them and is there anything you need to use when you massage them.) Teresa: She replied that you have to massage their stomach downwards to get the whatever is stuck to go downwards and get dislodged. Then you have to pull their loose skin from their back. Background: My girlfriend’s mother is Mexican, born and raised in a small ranch in the state of Nayarit. She is 47 years old and was a nurse for the ranch. She tended to most small illnesses for the people of the ranch. She moved the United States when she was 33 years old. She said that she learned most of her remedies, including the cure for when someone is “empachado” from her mother who was also lives in the ranch. Analysis: This piece of folk medicine is a prime example of how people transfer share their own remedies to sicknesses. Although I have never heard of this sickness before and could not find any specific studies to what this sickness could be or how massaging one’s stomach could cure it, it is still a significant part of one’s culture. When interviewing my girlfriend’s mother, I saw how serious she was about the sickness and the pride she had for curing it. Although traditional and scientific medical research shows no evidence of how this sickness is possible or how the cure works, it is widely believed and practiced in the small ranch.
Bleaching Hair
Main Piece: Bryan: So at Bell High school the wrestling team had a tradition. So every year before the championship tournament every single team member… even coach…we would all bleach our hair. Some would do the whole head, like me. Some would do a stripe. Then the next day we would all have a huge lunch. Like I mean gigantic where would bring lots and lots of food into the wrestling room and we would all eat and just feast… then after we would huddle in a group and give thanks and well pray that we would win. Me: I have heard of people wrestlers bleaching their hair but I never heard about the feast. Bryan: Yea so actually… bleaching the hair is a thing for wrestlers. Like a lot of different schools do it, not just Bell. Me: Why do you bleach your hair and have a feast? Bryan: Just because we want to. Hahaha. I am just messing with you. It is actually like a luck and unity thing. By dying all of our hair, we like become one group. Also bleaching your hair is supposed to be lucky. I am not sure why. I would have to get back to you on that one. You know but the food and everything is for that unity. We are a team. Kinda like a family is made by doing this tradition. We pray for good luck but we also pray or everyone’s safety. I mean you could really get hurt wrestling. Me: Awesome. Would you say that this tradition is important to you? Bryan: Definitely… when I was still in the team it was like a day we all looked forward to. It sounds cliché but it was our teams way to say we are a family. Win or loose. Context: I had interviews Bryan the previous day and he the sent me a text message stating that he forgot to tell me about another tradition. I called Bryan around 3 pm on Aril 22, 2018. We talked through the cellphone and I used a voice recorder to capture everything. Background: Bryan was born in Guatemala but came to the Unites States when he was a baby. He was raised in a predominately Hispanic community. He is currently attending California State Long Beach where he is studying Philosophy. Analysis: The wrestling team tradition of dying their hair, having a feast, and praying displays folk belief. The team does not have evidence that this tradition provides luck to win and protection to the team; however they still do it every year. It is interesting to see a team be passionate about a superstition they only learned from their fellow teammates.
Proverb
Main Piece: Lee: Sure. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you do not take” Phonetic Script:
| ju mɪs 100 pərˈsɛnt ʌv ðə ʃɑts ju du nɑt teɪk |
Context: This piece of folklore was collected in a Taco Bell I work at. I asked my fellow employee if there were any sayings or proverbs that he knew. This was the conversation that led to the proverb. Me: Hey Lee? Lee: What’s up? You need help with the orders? Me: No. I wanted to ask you something. Do you know any saying or any proverbs? Lee: (with a shocked expression) yes I do. Me: Do you mind telling me it and if I write it down. Lee: Sure. Background: Lee is a third generation American. However, his ancestral roots originate in South Korea. Lee said that he learned this proverb from his parents. He does not recall which one said it first but just stated that both of his parents constantly say this proverb. I asked Lee what this proverb meant to him and he replied “This proverb is special to me and my family. Whenever we are afraid of something new or a challenge that is ahead, we always say it. It helps my family push through many obstacles and has gotten me to where I am. I actually was not going to apply to college because I did not think I would be accepted but I remembered the proverb and I just did it. Now I am in Cal State La and I am doing very well. Analysis: This proverb like many other served the purpose to give common wisdom to a person. In my opinion this proverb is very powerful. Although the proverb says you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, it does not necessarily refer to actual shooting. For example, it is not limited to just gun shots or a basketball shot. It represents any new challenge or something new that you have never done. The proverb is saying that you will never succeed at something if you never even try.
Proverb 2
Main Context: “You give someone a fish, they eat for one day. You teach them how to fish, they eat everyday” Context: This piece of folklore was collected in a Taco Bell I work at. I asked my fellow employee if there were any sayings or proverbs that he knew. He gave me one and then after when we both took our breaks he told me this proverb. This time we were sitting down at a table in the dining area and eating. Background: Lee is a third generation American. However, his ancestral roots originate in South Korea. Lee said that he learned this proverb from his parents. He does not recall which one said it first but just stated that both of his parents constantly say this proverb. I asked Lee what this proverb meant to him and he replied: Lee: This proverb is not as meaningful as the other one. This proverb is more like… well my parents use it as a constant reminder that I should just copy or give someone answers. Like that doesn’t solve the problem. It only temporarily helps. Analysis: Proverbs are used as a shorthand form of communication to relay a truthful yet meaningful point. They hold weight through repetition and we could see this through Lee’s perception of the proverb. His parents are attempting to prove the point that he should just have something handed to him or to just hand anyone anything. He needs to learn or teach them how to do it. According to the proverb, this is because if you just hand them something, it will only temporarily alleviate the issue. If you teach them then they would know how to do it all the time. You can also see that this proverb hold its weight through repetition because Lee says his parents use it as “a constant reminder”.