Author Archives: Sarah Brayton

Proverb

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Belvedere, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English

Saying:

“When Its Your Time, Its Your time.”

Lauren learned this saying from her mom’s side of the family.  Apparently it has been a family saying for quite a few generations, and it is used very often by her relatives, especially during family gatherings.  In the most literal sense, it is used to mean “when it is you time to die, it is your time to die,” however it is often adapted to mean that things are just the way they are, there is no point in complaining/fighting against them.  So in this context, it is generally used when people are complaining about things.  It also can be construed to mean that you don’t get to decide when you die, so you might as well make the best of what you have now.  And it also can be used in situations of importance such as sports, performances etc., meaning “it’s your time to shine.”

Lauren believes that part of the reason it is such a popular saying in her family is due to the fact that it has been used for so many generations that it is like drawing upon the wisdom of their ancestors.  Also, it captures the rather humble and realist attitude that people in her family tend to hold.

This proverb is not exclusively used by the Bell family, however it is not generally a well-known proverb used in American culture.  It is, however, very similar to the proverb “it is what it is” which is more commonly used, and carries a similar meaning.  “It is what it is” is often regarded as kind of a defeatist attitude, however just as with any proverb or saying, it can be interpreted in many ways.  There are also many proverbs that have a similar parallel and repetitious structure that are commonly known such as “potato, potato” (pronounced poTAYto, poTAto), which also has a similar meaning.

Tradition

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 52
Occupation: Insurance Broker
Residence: Menlo Atherton, CA
Performance Date: March 23, 2008
Primary Language: English

The Money Tree:

Joan Dove, my aunt, recalls this tradition from her childhood.  Her grandfather, who they referred to as “Nonno,” (meaning grandfather in Italian) started this tradition with them when they were young kids, around the age of eight. The story that she told me is as follows:

We had just moved into our new house in Daly City, and in the backyard there was a type of eucalyptus tree called a silver dollar tree, with leaves that looked like big silver dollars. When our grandfather Nonno came to see the new house for the first time, Jane, George and I showed him the “money” tree.  He said to us “why don’t we check to see if it has grown any money?”  He shook the tree hard, and while doing so would slyly throw a handful of coins up in the air, and a bunch of coins would come falling out.  We all ran under the tree and scrambled to pick up the coins.

From this point on, every time Nonno came over, he would take us out to the “money tree” and say “lets see if the tree has grown any more money” and would shake the tree causing coins to fall out.  Now the neighbors, the Kisler girls who were about three and five years old at the time, saw the money falling out of the tree and told their mom, “the Hidzicks have a money tree!”  Their mom confronted [my Mom]  about this supposed “money tree,” and so [my Mom] went with the kids out to the tree and said “look its not real” and shook the tree, and a coin that must have been stuck in it for weeks fell out.  All the kids were excited and George (the youngest one) said “see! It IS real.”

From then on the story about money tree became a family favorite, long after the kids had outgrown believing in the money tree.  I have heard this story numerous times myself, and it too has become one of my favorite stories.  I think that one of the reasons that this story is so well loved by family is that not only does it recall fond childhood memories for my mother, aunt and uncle, but it also captures the essence of who nonno was.  While I never had the opportunity to meet him, I have heard that he was quite a character, and there are many stories about all the quirky things that he did.  In fact, my mother, aunt and uncle almost thought that he was magical and had special powers because of all the magical things he would do (like the money tree).  Nonno was quite a character and extremely well loved by the entire family, so these stories about him help carry on the legacy.

In fact, Nonno has already started to become a legend.  From all the stories I have heard about him, my conception of him seems surreal and exaggerated. Despite this,  I have all intentions of telling my kids all the stories about nonno, and hopefully he will be remembered by generations to come.

Folk Belief

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 30
Occupation: Camp Director
Residence: Mill Valley, CA
Performance Date: February 23, 2008
Primary Language: English

Orbs in photos

Veronica, the director of the summer camp that I work at told me about the orbs in photos during a camp wide sleepover late at night.  She says that she learned about it from her eccentric aunt when she was about 15.  Veronica says that she generally shares this story in such situations, as they exemplify the phenomena better.  The story went as follows, and I ran it buy Veronica after recording it to make sure that it was as accurate as possible.

Veronica was taking what seemed like random pictures of and empty room.  I, along with some of the other staff members asked her what she was doing.  She replied: “Do you want me to tell you something that will change the way you look at photos forever?” Of course, out of curiosity I said yes.  She then showed us the pictures she had just taken of the seemingly empty room and pointed out these cloudy orbs that were floating around in the picture.  Each orb looked like a three dimensional sphere, were different in size, and some were different in color.  Also if one looked closely, they could se a distinctive pattern on each one, similar to a fingerprint.  She then went on to explain that these orbs are spirits from the past, and that they float around overlooking our world.  As a collective group they are neither evil or good, although she mentioned that some people have guiding spirits which are usually found around them in pictures.  She mentioned that these spirits tend to be in places of meaning, and also are more commonly found around people who are drunk.  When we went into the auditorium where the kids were sleeping, she took a picture and it was eerie how many orbs there were.  She then took a sequence of photos, and pointed out how the orbs are all moving in different directions, as can be seen by the different frames.

While I was skeptical at first, after going through my old pictures and realizing how many of them had orbs that I had never noticed I was more open to the proposition.  (At the end of this document, I have attached a photo of myself at the Franklin Delenor Roosevelt Monument in Washington, D.C.   There are many orbs in the picture, and one particularly noticeable one that is yellow.) Folklore of this type is nice to believe in as the idea of guiding angels and past spirits looking over you can bring comfort.  While by no means a die hard believer I orbs, Veronica was right when she said you will never look at photographs the same once the orbs are pointed out to you.  It is quite remarkable that most people never really notice these fairly obvious orbs in photos until they are pointed out to us.

After doing a quick search on the internet, it was clear that there is a plethora of folk theories regarding the mysterious orbs.  Most theories are similar to Veronica’s, and suggest that the orbs are some sort of spirits.  There are other theories, however, that claim that orbs are formed from energy being passed from humans to spirits, and that orbs are related to electromagnetic readings associated with the presence of ghosts or spirits.  There has been research done on how orbs are produced in photos, and according to the Skeptical Inquirer, a publication produced by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, which “encourages the critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view and disseminates factual information about the results of such inquiries to the scientific community and the public,” (CSI)

There is not one blanket cause for all orbs; many things can create the phenomena, ranging from insects to dust. In a series of experiments, I was able to create orb photos under a wide range of circumstances. The easiest way to create orbs is to take a flash photograph outdoors on a rainy night. The flash will reflect off of the individual droplets and appear as dozens of white, floating orbs. (The effect is most pronounced in a light rain, though even a little moisture in the air can create mysterious orbs.) (Radford)

In response to such findings, believers in orbs will say that orbs can be created by the above causes, but that there are also more rare “real orbs” that are spirits.  It is not very clear how one is to distinguish between “real” and “fake” orbs, other than suggestions of rapid movement and brightness and hue.

Regardless, the scientific explanation for orbs does seem to explain a large portion of the orbs in my photos.  For example, the photo that I have attached that has a lot of orbs in it is taken by a fountain, and it is very likely that the orbs can be attributed to water particles in the air.  Additionally, it was a very humid day.

Despite some scientific evidence, it is likely that the mystery of orbs will never be completely solved, as there is always room for speculation; and that the folklore surrounding this strange phenomenon will be present long into the future.

Works Cited

Benjamin Radford. “The (Non)Mysterious Orbs. ” The Skeptical Inquirer

1 Sep. 2007: 30, 46.  ProQuest.  27 Apr. 2008 http://www.proquest.com/

CSI. “Skeptical Inquirer.” 27 Apr 2008.  http://www.csicop.org/si/

Song – Kentucky

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 61
Occupation: Kindergarten Teacher
Residence: Santa Barbara, CA
Performance Date: April 16, 2008
Primary Language: English

Song

“Old, Old Witch”

Old, old witch

Believe me, if you can

Jumped on her broomstick

And ran, ran, ran

Ran willy nilly with her toes in the air

Corn silk flyin’ from the old witch’s hair

Swoosh! went the broomstick!

Meow! Went the cat!

Plop! went the hopped toad

Sittin’ on her hat

Whee! Chuckled I

What fun! What fun!

HALLOWEEN NIGHT

ON THE WITCHES RUN!

This is one of Lois’ favorite songs, which she learned from her grandmother and grandfather when she was a child. Her grandparents lived in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky in cabin surrounded by the forest and removed from any neighbors.  The only entrance to their property was across the “crik,” which during the spring rains and winter snows made the farm inaccessible, at best. She would visit their small farm each summer for a few weeks, and it was always a highlight of her summer vacation.  One of her favorite childhood memories was the stories and music her grandparents would perform at night, on the porch, with the fireflies flashing in the dark sky.  This song was one of the most memorable one that she learned, due to its theatric performance.  Being a Kindergarten teacher, Lois passes this song on to her students around Halloween, and it is always one of their favorites.

Lois mentioned that it had been published by Bill Wallace and John Archaumbaut under the title “Old, Old Witch,” however, when I was searching for some sort of version of the song on the internet, I was not able to find any similar lyrics or any recordings of the song.

While the exact origins of this rather obscure song are not known, it is possible that it was originally an English ballad, as many of the first settlers in the Appalachian Mountains were peasants that came to America from England.  In fact, there has been much documentation of Appalachian music, especially at the turn of the 20th century, when famous folklorists such as Cecil Sharp started documenting the music.  This drive to document what had previously been thought of as “hill billy music” can be in part attributed to the recent development of the American Folklore Society in 1888 (which undoubtedly took some time to catch on and become a well known establishment). Sharp noted that “the Appalachian songs had a force and ethereal intensity that the mellow, sweeter versions often lacked, and the mountain people improvised with a skill that Sharp found amazing.” (Langrall).  These two factors combined may account for why it is so difficult to find a similar version of the song.

Works Cited:

Langrall, Peggy.  “Appalachian Folk Music: From Foothills to Footlights.” Music

Educators Journal. Vol. 72, No. 7, (Mar., 1986): 37-39.  JSTOR.  23 April 2008.              <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3396598>

Folk Medicine

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Tiburon, CA
Performance Date: April 22, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Medicine:

To make a persistent case of Hiccups go away, take a glass of water, tilt it the opposite direction from yourself, and drink from the wrong side of the glass.  Take a big long gulp, swallow, and the hiccups will be gone! It works every time! (Although it does take a little skill to master drinking from the wrong side of the glass without spilling water all over oneself.)

I learned this trick as a kid in elementary school, as I get hiccups quite often and always would get them in the middle of class.  One of my classmates told me and I tried it and it worked, and I have been a faithful follower ever since!  As far as I am aware, there is no scientific proof that this method works, and I am not sure where it originated.  This method has been the only way for me to stop hiccups consistently and I use it every time I get hiccups.  I must admit, however, that this method does make you look a little silly, and is not appropriate to use in all situations!

After researching hiccups I found a multitude of different folkmedicine methods, but I was not able to find any scientific proof that they are consistently accurate or have any scientific foundations.  I was able to find the definition of hiccups, which is, “a clonic spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm which results in a sudden inspiration of air.” (Calabro).  However, the actually cause of hiccups is still not fully understood, as it seems that there are a multitude of unrelated causes, and that some people get hiccups for no apparent reason at all.  I did find however, that hiccups can be quite severe, and can even lead to death if they go untreated for days in a row.  More recently, certain drugs have been developed for sever hiccups, however not all cases respond to treatment.           I think that there is so much folkmedicine about hiccups because they are very common, and there is no reliable scientific information on how to cure them.  For this reason people turn to folkmedicine, as it is fairly common knowledge and there doesn’t seem to be much to loose.  On the Internet there is a multitude of folkcures available.  In one study of a small town in California, a Folklorist interviewed 200 residents about cures for hiccups.  Over 18 cures were mentioned, ranging from chewing gum, to drinking warm beer, to putting sugar on ones tongue.  Only three of the 18 seemed to be universally known: the scare, drink water, and hold breath and count to ten.  Even my own method of “drinking from the far edge of the glass” was mentioned, and he found that “it is a quite common cure, used by natives and newcomers alike.” (Funk).

One interesting finding was that “almost none of the cures can be traced to any one group or geographic location.” (Funk)  I think that this can be attributed to the openness most people have about sharing this type of folkmedicine with others.  I would go as far as to say in most cultures it is even considered polite to share a cure with a companion afflicted with hiccups.  For this reason, certain cures can spread very quickly and are not confined to one geographic location.  Also I believe that many of these cures have been used for decades, if not centuries, and thus have had a lot of time to migrate.  It is hard to trace the roots of these cures, as folkmedicine about as hiccup cures was common knowledge and not regarded as important enough to write down or refer to in literature.

All of this research still left me wondering do all o these cures actually work? In Calabro’s article it was indicated that the reason many of these cures are successful is because they are psychological cures, and it is not the cure itself, but what the patient believes that results in stopping hiccups.  This phenomenon is similar to the placebo effect that has been discovered in many scientific studies.  This also would explain why the methods are not completely reliable—only those who fully believe in the remedies are actually cured by them.  Regardless of how and why my folkcure for hiccups works, I intend on continuing to use my method long into the future, and I am confident that most people feel the same way about their own “pet” cures.

Works Cited:

Calabro, John.  “Hiccups.” The American Journal f Nursing. Vol 55, No. 11, (Nov.

1955):  pp.1365-1366.  JSTOR.  23 April 2008.  <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3469372>

Funk, William.  “Hiccup Cures.” Western Folklore. Vol. 9, No. 1, (Jan., 1950): 66-67.

JSTOR.  23 April 2008.  <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1496601>