Author Archives: Sydney Marquez

Azande Witchcraft

Nationality: Bolivian and Irish
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Oxnard, CA
Performance Date: 04/28/2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

I took a class on witchcraft last semester and we learned extensively about the Azande Tribe in Africa. They don’t have magic in witchcraft in the sense that they make potions and have spells to do things, rather, witches don’t necessarily know they are witches and they cause bad things to happen, even unintentionally. This is because a substance in their stomach called, “mangu.” And this is supposedly a black substance that causes you to be a witch. It can be removed but only by a witch doctor. A witch doctor, unlike a witch knows of their powers and must train and learn from another witch doctor, the secrets of the trade. For example, there is the one ceremony a witch doctor can perform to heal a person of a sickness. The ceremony involves herbs and rubbing various medicines on the person, and the final part is where the witch doctor pulls out a substance from the person’s stomach – and this substance is what caused their illness and once it is removed, the person can heal. However, the witch doctor doesn’t actually remove anything and only makes it appear as though this has happened because of the placebo effect of it. It makes people feel better to see that something’s been removed even though it’s the various herbs and medicines that make the person better and not the removal of a substance. And that would be some sort of thing you’d learn from a witch doctor, if you wanted to become one.

 

I found this very interesting for two reasons. The first is because we have such a set idea of what a witch is, that to hear a completely different take on it is cool to me. Witchcraft in Africa is closer to what science is here. It is an explanation for when things happen. If something fell on a person maybe a witch got angry at them and the mangu caused the thing to fall? It’s just very interesting to think about magic in such a different light. The second reason I find this interesting is because of the strength of the placebo effect. Here in America, the placebo effect is widely used by doctors, and the fact that it gets used in Africa as well, just shows the effectiveness of it.

My reaction:

I’ve only heard of witches being evil ladies who cast spell, so it’s interesting to see people perceive witches as beings who unintentionally cause magic to happen.

Whammy. Whammy.

Nationality: Italian
Age: 23
Occupation: Student
Performance Date: 04/29/2013
Primary Language: English

This is the hand motion that Michael's brother would do to him, when he said, "whammy. whammy."

Okay, so uh, when I was a kid, my brother used to tell me that if you put your hands like this (see photo) and say, “whammy, whammy, whammy” that person will have bad luck for 5 years and so he used to do that to me all the time.

 

Did he make this up, or did he hear it from someone else?

Uh, I think he made it up and it spread within his friends.

 

And so then all his started doing that to people?

Only to me.

 

It was done specifically to you?

Ya, that ass.

 

Did you ever do it to people?

No.

 

And did you ever teach anyone it?

No.

 

Or did you just get the tail end of it?

I got the tail end of it always. I tried to do it to him, and he’s like, “it doesn’t work.”

My reaction:

Kids like to pick on other kids. It makes sense that Mike’s brother would’ve done this to lessen Mike’s self-esteem.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Nationality: Bolivian and Irish
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Oxnard, CA
Performance Date: 04/28/2013
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

So on December 12th is the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is the Virgin Mary. So in Mexican culture, it is believed that hundreds of years ago, a little boy named, Juan Diego saw the vision of a woman on December 9th while walking home on hill in Mexico. The woman was surrounded by light and told Juan Diego that she wanted him to build a church in her honor in that location. The little boy then realized that she was the Virgin Mary, so he ran to find the bishop to let him know of what happened and that they needed to build a church for the Virgin Mary. The bishop didn’t believe Juan Diego, so he asked him to return to the woman to get a miraculous sign of proof. So three days later on the 12th, the Virgin Mary told the boy to gather flowers, but they were all dead because it was winter and the flowers only grew during the spring and summer. So the Virgin Mary took the dead flowers from Juan Diego and put them in his cloak. The boy then went back to the bishop and when he took the cloak from Juan Diego, a bunch of beautiful bloomed flowers fell out and on the cloak appeared the image of the Virgin Mary.

 

To celebrate this holiday, you and your family make food and listen to music and dance, and everyone must offer flowers and cloaks to the Virgin Mary. For some people that I know, they have shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary in their homes and they just put the offerings there. Other people will go to churches and put the offering around the Virgin Mary’s statue there.

 

Does you family celebrate this?

No, but I know a lot about it. And last year, I went to my boyfriend’s house to celebrate this because his family is Mexican and this is a big holiday for them. I think it is one of their most valued and revered holy day. The Virgin Mary is a huge symbol in Mexican culture. You see her image everywhere. And rosary’s are popular for that reason too – cause you pray the Rosary to the Virgin Mary.

 

So do only religious families celebrate this?

No. But I mean, many of the families that do are religious, but it’s more of a tradition at this point. Like Christmas.  I know so many people are aren’t religious but celebrate Christmas for the traditional and loving aspect of it. It’s the same with this. Like people celebrate this day because of tradition if for no other reason.

 

My reaction:

In my Spanish class, I learned about this too and I am also aware that many Latin families celebrate the same figure and that it is a revered holiday.

Knock. Knock.

Nationality: White
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: USC - off campus housing
Performance Date: 05/1/2012
Primary Language: English

Knock. Knock.

 

Who’s there?

Banana.

 

Banana who?

Knock. Knock.

 

Who’s there?

Banana.

 

Banana who?

Knock. Knock.

 

Who’s there?

Orange

 

Orange who?

Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?!

 

I always hated that joke. Everybody did, but for some odd reason, everybody always did it to everyone else. It’s not like we didn’t know how the joke would end, but we kept doing it anyway. I think it’s just that kids like to be annoying. This is literally the most annoying joke ever, and kids love annoying people for their own personal entertainment. So, like I’m sure that’s exactly why we did it.

 

Do you remember where you first heard this joke?

Oh God no. Does anyone? It’s just like one of those things that have been around forever. No one actually knows where it came from or why, but it was just that one dumb joke that everyone knew. It was like the “chicken crossing the road” joke. I’m not sure I know a person who isn’t familiar with them.

 

Do you still tell these jokes to people, or have you heard them told recently?

Uh, me? No, no I never tell that joke to anyone, but I kind of want to now. It’s like nostalgia, it just reminds me of like being on the playground with other kids when I was young. And recently? I haven’t heard someone say this joke in ages. I wonder if like kids these days still say it? Cause that’d be interesting to see if it stood the test of time and is still said by little kids who want to annoy other kids.

 

My Reaction:

When I was a kid, I heard this joke too, and I thought that it was equally as annoying, as well. Additionally, I agree that kids enjoy being annoying and that they would’ve said this for attention.

Black Eyed Peas for Good Luck

Nationality: Western European / Mexican
Age: 18 / 20
Occupation: Student / Student
Residence: USC - on campus housing / USC - off campus
Performance Date: 04/28/2013
Primary Language: English

Patrick

It’s just like really quick, but um, first dinner after New Year’s you have to eat black-eyed peas, um for good luck. Um and it’s my grandma, every New Year’s makes this big pot of black-eyed peas and you have to eat at least one. But usually I’m just like, “this is my year”! And I like shovel them in and it’s like kind of a normal year.

 

Does all your family do this?

Mhm.

What happens if you don’t eat a black-eyed pea? Has anyone, not eaten a black-eyed pea?

No.

 

They just go by it? It’s just always what your family’s done?

Mhm.

 

Do you know where your grandma got it from?

I think it’s just a tradition. I’m assuming it must be a known tradition because Austin—

  •  — Context: Patrick and Austin were in the same room together as I was collecting folklore from them. When I went to record my interview with Patrick, as soon as he started talking about his family’s New Year’s black-eyed pea tradition, Austin, sighed jokingly because that was exactly what he wanted to share with me. I did collect Austin’s variation on this so I could see how this tradition differed between their two families. –

 

Is it specific to a race or nationality?

I’m a European mutt, I don’t know what I am, or where this came from.

 

Austin

My family is Mexican and for ours it is actually, like, on the day of. You have to have it on New Year’s. And it’s black-eyed peas and you have to have like at least one. And my grandma passed it on to my dad, who like does it most of the time and I haven’t done it in a while. But it’s like supposed to bring you like good luck and make you stronger.

 

Does you family really abide by this?

My grandma does, but she’s also like really superstitious about a lot of things, but like, stubbornly weird about thinking about superstitions.

 

My Reaction:

I’ve never heard of this tradition before, but I’m curious as to the origins of it because I heard it come from two very different nationalities.