Category Archives: Folk Beliefs

Don’t split the pole

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Language: English

Text:

A superstitious practice that dictates that when two people walking together encounter an obstacle (such a pole), they should stay together and maneuver around that obstacle on the same side, rather than passing by the obstacle on either side, as is often most convenient.

Context:

The informant first learned of this superstition while attending college at USC in Los Angeles.

Interpretation:

This superstition conveys a clear message that staying together is preferable while breaking apart is bad luck. The unsaid implication is that the bad luck generated from splitting a pole would be regarding the relationship between those two who split the pole. It seems as if this superstition functions as a sort of performative gesture, in which the performance of this action serves to makes something happen. For two people to stay together while walking around an obstacles bodes that they will stay together in their relationship when they encounter their own obstacles.

The Land that Howls

Nationality: Ethiopian/Italian

Primary Language: English

Age: 21

Occupation: Student

Residence: Los Angeles

Date: 2/20/2024


Text:

“In Eritrea, there is a town named Nefasit, meaning the village of the wind nested in the mountain highlands. Because of its high elevation, the wind frequently picks up and due to the shape of the surrounding mountains will make a lot of loud sounds. They say that the sound comes from our ancestors reaching out to us, and that the tone of the sounds lets us know of their intention. 

When the wind howls, it is them warning us to stay vigilant as danger nears. And sometimes when the wind hits the mountains the right way it vibrates everything with a humming that sounds like music. This means that the ancestors are pleased with our decisions and that good fortune is upon us, usually in the form of a woman blessed with a child or a fruitful new season.”

Context: He recounts the story behind a region in his motherland Eritrea. This is a known story that he heard growing up through his family. He explained also how important nature is in the country of Eritrea and how they are very in tune with the land around them. Therefore they listen and take in signs that mother nature is trying to show them and use it as a vice to predict the future. 

Analysis: It was really charming learning how a piece of folklore was so interconnected to mother nature. A distinguished tie to nature is rare from my own community, so hearing another community’s strong acknowledgement to nature and how that ties into their traditions is very insightful. My interpretation of the story is that the people of that region are very in tune with their surroundings and have gone through centuries of receiving signs from their environment that indicate fortune or misfortune. 

Pacific Islander Hand Sign

Explanation of Folklore: This folklore is a hand gesture that was explained to me by T, and is used in his home country of Guam, along with Hawaii and throughout the Pacific Islands. The gesture is a greeting sign that is widespread, and in the common traditions of the Pacific Islanders, when done, everybody knows what it means, and it is a normal, everyday aspect of Island life.

Analysis: When I interviewed T, he told me about a particular hand gesture that is practiced in Guam. He mentioned that it is not exclusive to Guam, but is also polar in Hawaii, and most of the pacific islands. The hand gesture is made by sticking out one’s thumb and pinky finger, bringing in their middle three fingers to crate the gesture. (see image below). T told me that in Guam, this hand gesture is commonly used as a greeting, a nonverbal way to express “what’s up” to someone else. He told me that in Guam, everybody else uses it to greet each other, and is a very common greeting. T elaborated and mentioned that it is also very popular across the Pacific islands, specifically in Hawaii. In Hawaii, this is labeled the “Shaka” and has a strong association with the surf culture in the state. This “Shaka” as it is labeled is known very well by the many tourists that visit Guam, and the Pacific, and has made its way to the mainstream. T mentioned that in Guam, tourism is tremendously important, and makes up a large part of the economy. Gift and souvenir shops use this gesture in merchandise, and to make memorabilia surrounding it.

When asked what he believes the origins of the symbol are, T mentioned he is not sure, but guesses it originated from the native Chamorro people of Guam. he believes that these indigenous inhabitants of Guam are the originators of the hand gesture, and it has made its way through generations and is still utilized to this day. Even in the present, the people of Guam continue to use it, and know what it means. It is a part of their nonverbal folkloric gestures.

Common Pacific Island hand gesture.

Personal Analysis: This is a regional folklore that even I knew of, and have seen many times in the mainstream. Previous to interviewing T, I was aware that there was a strong association between this symbol and surf culture. Growing up in California, surfers would call this “Shaka” and I was aware of its origin from the pacific islands. Elaborating on T’s theory, I do believe that this may be a remnant of the indigenous Chamorro people. Perhaps their native customs included hand gestures, that were kept alive and passed on throughout the generations. Guam is a country with a very diverse population. There is strong asian influence, especially Japan, the Philippines, and China. This intermix of people make its all the more fascinating that a gesture could survive all this time. The Oicotypes associated with this folk gesture are very interesting, and provide a unique perspective of regional variation. In Guam, this not called “Shaka” but more so an unspoken form of communication. It is interesting however to see the more common and well known variation to be the “Shaka” and more closely tied to the surf culture of the Pacific Islands.

Sana Sana Colita de Rana

Context: The folklore gathered is a saying that is popular throughout Latin America, usually when young child gets hurt, in order to help them feel better.

Explanation of Folklore: I interviewed A about a saying that I have heard a lot in the Latino community. This saying is “Sana sane colita de Rana, is no sane hoy, saner mañana”. Originally in Spanish, this saying literally translates to “healthy healthy frog tail if it doesn’t heal today it will heal tomorrow”. The context for when this is said is typically for injured young children. When they get hurt, someone, usually a mother or a guardian will repeat this saying, while helping them with their injuries.

A told me that this is a very popular saying in El Salvador, her home country, but that it is also extremely common throughout Latin America as a whole. It is a saying that is almost universal in the Latino experience, and even has made its way alongside the Latin American diaspora.

Analysis: A mentioned that this saying has been in her vocabulary for as long as she can remember. When A was younger, they were told this by their parents as a way of calming them from crying. The witty rhyme is silly in its literal meaning, and has no connection to healing whatsoever. As a result, the intention was to make the child laugh and forget their pain. A personally thinks it is a colonial era saying, based on the fact that it is not exclusive to a certain part of Latin America. It is widespread across the Latin American countries as a common saying.

Personal Analysis: This is a form of oral folklore that is reflected in the form of a saying. Based on my interview with A, and my own personal experience, this form of Folk speech seems to be pretty familiar. The only variation of the saying that I found to be used is switching “colita” with “culito” a more vulgar adaptation of the saying. I definitely think that this is a colonial era saying, the traces its roots to a colonial Latin America. Given that the saying is in Spanish, it is very safe to assume that it was not until the Spanish reached Latin America that the saying gained popularity. This is a clear example of the Transmission of folklore, and how it is passed on from generation to generation. A fascinating part of this folklore is that its is tremendously widespread. because it is popular throughout an entire continent, it could be difficult to pinpoint the exact origin point. There do not seem to be very strong regional differences that would indicate any sort of regional variety. The common consensus is that it is a pretty standard saying.

When analyzing the meaning of the saying itself , it is difficult to find any sort of logical meaning. The frog tail might be an ode to the pre hispanic wildlife that may have been observed during the colonial species. Upon doing some research, I came across a species of frogs that are able to grow back their limbs when they are cut off, so perhaps there is a correlation between that observation of nature and the saying. In the end, the saying is told to children to make them feel better, and distract them from any pain they might be going through. It is a way to boost morale, and inspire a calmness for the child. Growing up, I was told this saying numerous times, and it really did do its job in distracting me. I would laugh at the use of “culito” a vulgar slang for one’s behind. It is interesting to see how saying that are so close to one’s life can be so widespread, and is a shared experience on a continental level.

Cat’s cradle

Age: 19
Language: English

My informant was a Japanese-American college student at USC who grew up in California. Below is a transcript of our conversation talking about the cat’s cradle, a playground game she played as an elementary schooler.

“A cat’s cradle is a string that you can manipulate into different shapes with your hands by making a series of movements with your fingers. It was taught by my friends in elementary school and requires other people to help out to work since the patterns are easily forgettable; I had to ask people all the time how to do it. If you could make a shape out of a string people thought you were cool because you’re making a new shape out of a simple string. It felt mysterious and skillful, like a cool trick you can do to impress other kids on the playground.

I remember I also tried to teach my mom it, who said that she knew how to do it when she was younger but she forgot how to do it as she grew older. I didn’t play cat’s cradle after elementary school. There was no particular reason why; new trends just came up and I forgot how to make it.”

Cat’s cradle seems to invoke a similar sense of fascination and mystery as performing magic tricks, but this sensation seems to be quite ephemeral. It’s reminiscent of how children grow out of pretend play because they feel childish pretending like they’re something else and they want to feel more “grown-up” (this is reflected in how “too old to play pretend” is a common saying.) Because cat’s cradle was a social activity and needed other people to learn it from, the informant probably felt social pressure to stop doing something no longer regarded as “cool” anymore. The fact that the informant’s mother also knew how to do it but forgot as she grew older suggests that this is a common pattern among young children and occurs with every generation.