Author Archives: Sarah McGrath-Deneault

Native American Centennial Festival

Nationality: Chilean
Age: 35
Occupation: artist
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/20/2012
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: english

According to this informant, a foreign man now working in downtown L.A., the weekend of April 28 and 29, 2012 will host a centennial celebration at the Grand Canyon for all of the Native Americans to toast the anniversary of officially aquiring their reservation in the area. It is a celebration that has never been had, and according to the informant, their will be dancing, food, fire, and life the whole night/days-through.

The informant, even struggling to communicate fully in English, tried his very best to communicate the importance and excitement he held for his culture (although he is Chilean, he was originally from the U.S.).

Jersey pizza

Nationality: American
Age: 85
Occupation: postcard collector
Residence: Howell, New Jersey
Performance Date: March 13, 2012
Primary Language: English

My grandfather called a new pizza parlor in the neighborhood to order a pizza pie (a lot of people in Jersey just refer to a pizza as “pie”) and when he asked for a large plain pie, they told him that they were sorry, but they didn’t serve pie.

My grandpa said it’s just something you know growing up in the area.

prayer for the injured

Nationality: American
Age: 62
Occupation: hospice nurse
Residence: Lakehurst, New Jersey
Performance Date: March 16, 2012
Primary Language: English

Whenever an ambulance drives by (with the sirens on), the informant (a born-again Christian) told me that you should do the sign of the cross and say “God bess the hurting and the helping”.

This is important to the informant because she is religious and used to be an ambulance medic, so she feels especially for those people who are in need of an ambulance.

dreadlock gesture

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Residence: Eugene, Oregon
Performance Date: 3/23/12
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese

(I didn’t hear this, but my friend did, so even though it was directed to me it was technically my friend serving as the informant:)

A guy approached me at a concert (I have dreadlocks) and said, “I hate to stereotype, but do you have a pipe?”

A lot of people stereotype someone with dreadlocked hair to be a dirty hippie stoner bum, which is not always the case, but why this guy prefaced his question with “I hate to stereotype”…

to stop a nose bleed

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Residence: Howell, New Jersey
Performance Date: January 21, 2012

If your nose is bleeding, you should stick your finger between your top front teeth and upper lip. This dries out your mouth thereby drying out your nose bleed.