Author Archives: Patra Childress

Folk Speech-Peruvian

Nationality: Peruvian
Age: 73
Occupation: Natural Doctor
Residence: Lima, Peru
Performance Date: April 21, 2011
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

“Por la que me parió.”

For she that me parted.

On behalf of she who bore me.

Dr. Martinez works as a natural medical doctor in Perú. His ancestors settled there many generations ago, and since he is a mix of Native American and Spaniard. He travels back and forth to the United States, where his son lives. When reminiscing on his life growing up, he remembered that his father used this phrase rarely, only when he wanted to “show that he was going to do something important.” In using this phrase, Dr. Martinez explains that his father would dedicate the action he qualified with it to his mother, or her memory. This would make his action more binding and serious.

This phrase demonstrates the importance of the mother in this culture, where insults against one’s mother are considered among the most offensive.

Marchen-Mexican

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 22, 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“Well when I was little my dad told me this story about a greedy dog who had stolen a torta, which is a sandwich pretty much. The dog was walking by a river and when he looked at his reflection he thought it was another dog carrying another sandwich, so he jumped into the water wanting to take the other dog’s sandwich and in doing so he lost his own. My dad told me this in order to teach me not to be greedy.”

Daniel was born in the United States and lives in Los Angeles. His parents are from Mexico. He studies occupational therapy at the University of Southern California. His father used to tell him this tale as a child to keep him from being greedy.

While this tale does warn against greed, I believe it sends many more messages. For example, it teaches children that it is not good to value things based on their appearances. When the dog jumps in the water, it does not find in the depths what it sees on the water’s surface. In chasing the superficial, it loses what it has that is real, particularly its own sandwich.

This tale is reminiscent of the proverb “A bird in a hand is worth two in a bush,” in that they both dismiss the pursuit of overly-ambitious goals, favoring certainty over chance. In many cases, risk is identified as noble, but in this story of the dog and the sandwich, risk is seen as the result of poor perception. What was a risk in the dog’s mind should have been interpreted as a certain failure, given the fact that the dog in the river was merely his reflection. Risk, thus given its negative connotation, is a result of greed.

Annotation: A variation of this story called “The Dog and the Bone” can be found documented in Aesop’s Fables.

Aesop, and Jerry Pinkney. Aesop’s Fables. New York: SeaStar, 2000. Print.

Proverb-Peruvian

Nationality: Peruvian
Age: 73
Occupation: Natural Doctor
Residence: Lima, Peru
Performance Date: April 21, 2011
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

“Ama sua

Ama quella

Ama lluclla”

Do not lie

Do not idle your time

Do not steal

 Dr. Martinez works as a natural medical doctor in Perú. His ancestors settled there many generations ago, and since he is a mix of Native American and Spaniard. He travels back and forth to the United States, where his son lives.

 Dr. Martinez tells me that this phrase was spoken by Incan leaders as a kind of motto that instructed people how to live good lives. He values these tenets as basic to a good life, and he believes they represent the culture of the area.

 It seems that this phrase is pretty all-encompassing in terms of vice. If you don’t lie, idle your time, or steal, you should be a good person. It parallels the Ten Commandments in the authoritative nature. Many of the Ten Commandments outline what not to do in a similar manner, and are also meant to be guidelines to living a good life. These three commands, however, leave out many vices, particularly that of murder. It sounds elegant, but might not be, because it lacks such important ideals. I think this phrase is held onto due to a romanticized view of the Inca Empire. This has remained a powerful message and is used often today.

Annotation: This proverb is discussed in the followeing work:

Masterson, Daniel M. Militarism and Politics in Latin America: Peru from Sa?nchez Cerro to Sendero Luminoso. New York: Greenwood, 1991. Print.

Wedding Traditions-Korean

Nationality: Korean
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 18, 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

“Korean weddings are very boring. Nobody dances, and sometimes they don’t even kiss because they are afraid to offend the older people. The wedding isn’t really about the party part of it, it’s more about the ceremony.”

            Annie was born in Korea. Her family moved to America when she was in middle school, and now she lives in Los Angeles. I was talking about being excited to go to my cousin’s wedding, and we started talking about the differences between Korean and American weddings. She explained that Koreans are very concerned about being proper, particularly when it comes to how they display themselves in public. Dancing and kissing both fall under the category of overt sexuality, especially in the eyes of the older attendees. The young people don’t want to offend the older people, so they keep from making such displays.

            This makes sense because wedding traditions are often riddled with sexual overtones. In America, we might expect some form of rebellion from young people, especially because American culture has little value for old people. In Korean groups, the older people have more of an influence in Korean society. This is seen by the respect the young people have for their opinion.

Wedding Tradition-Mexican

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 4, 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“My family doesn’t pin the money on the bride’s dress like most Mexican families do because it ruins the dress, but we do dance with the bride and put money in a basket. But we’re pretty Americanized. Yeah it’s like a send off gift to help the couple out. It comes from rural Mexico. Couples are usually poor, so people help by putting money on them.”

            My informant was born in Sacramento, and now lives in Los Angeles. His parents are both from Mexico, and when we were talking about weddings, he told me about this tradition in which money is pinned on the bride’s dress as she dances around the room and individually with each guest. He considers putting the money in the basket a more Americanized version of this custom. His family has adapted this custom to their own lifestyle, which shows its multiplicity and variation.

            He mentions that many couples are poor, so this tradition is meant to help them as they start a new life together. This is similar to the function of wedding presents given in bridal showers. Sometimes the gifts are cash, only not pinned to the dress. I have seen boxes for wedding cards to be dropped off, which usually includes cash. Using a basket is similar to this American custom in which there is a box for money. This is an example of cultural hybridization. Many ethnic groups do pin the money on the dress, however, which may seem more like an example of homogentation.

Annotation: This practice has been discussed in the Journal of Folklore Research

Pauline Greenhill, Kendra Magnusson. “Your Presence at Our Wedding Is Present Enough”: Lies, Coding, Maintaining Personal Face, and the Cash Gift
Journal of Folklore Research – Volume 47, Number 3, September-December 2010, pp. 307-333