Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

JONAH AND THE WHALE

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 23
Occupation: Marketing
Residence: California
Performance Date: 4-23-2018
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

JONAH AND THE WHALE

 

Main Piece:

 

Biblical story where Jonah was sent to Genovia or something and they were very sinful there so he gets on a ship and try to escape but a whale swallows him and he’s there for 3 days in his stomach and then he realizes that he has to go because God wants him to go.

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

Significantly I remember growing up going to Sunday school we would watch Veggie Tales movies – vegetables reacting stories about the bible – and this particular story was from a Veggie Tales Movie.

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

Veggie Tales Movie

 

What does it mean for them?

Personally it means that sometimes you have to things you don’t want to do – and that goes with your normal life – you gotta do homework and you gotta do it and even if you avoid it you still end up doing it. Kind of reminds me like hey, just do it! If you do it fast enough you’ll have more time later for yourself!

 

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room just talking.

 

Thoughts:

Again, it is interesting to me how folktales can be learned in such distorted mediums (that may still be accurate to what they were before originally) such as Veggie Tales, and that some people learn about this folklore/tale only through this medium and may not have any idea of the original story/version.

PINOCCHIO

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 23
Occupation: Marketing
Residence: California
Performance Date: 4-23-2018
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

PINOCCHIO

 

Main Piece:

 

So this is a story basically its this man creates a puppet and he comes alive (don’t remember how, maybe a fairy grants him magical powers?) and starts living a normal life but he ends up hanging out with the wrong crowd and lying – and whenever he lies his nose gets bigger and that was very significant to me because it kind of tells you your lies will always be present and seen.

 

And so he becomes a real boy, and he gets swallowed by a whale and he lives there for a bit and then he comes out and then I think he becomes a real boy at the end.

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

Disney Movie

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

Disney Movie

 

What does it mean for them?

Just whenever you lie, your lies don’t go away, your lies are on you and they show on you and eventually everything falls apart because you just cant fix it sometimes so its better not to lie – also reminds me of the boy who cried wolf – when there was actually a wolf no one believed him – so I think that and Pinocchio really reinforces not lying – probably showing this to kids to help them do the right thing when they grow up – like why would Pinocchio’s nose grow?

 

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room just talking.

 

Thoughts:

I believe it is interesting that these stories that we learn when we are young can be ingrained so deeply within our psyche (after all, the narratives we hold is what defines our identity as humans) that it molds the way we behave through carving our morals, ethics, etc.

BLOODY MARY

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 23
Occupation: Marketing
Residence: California
Performance Date: 4-23-2018
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

BLOODY MARY

 

Main Piece:

 

So I think there’s a lot of different versions of this story but this is a story about a woman who had specifically three children and these children  – it depends on the version – some popel say they were just murdered and some people say that they killed them herself tis just a scary story your family kinda tells you and the thing is if you say – her children died obviously – but when she died her ghost is present in the world so whenever people say her name three times she comes up and haunts you/kills you.

 

I think it’s in front of a mirror (if you say her name then) cause you have to see her ghost or something.

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

Again, from family, they’re always trying to scare you in some way –I remember family gatherings at night the cousins try to scare each other as much as possible at night with ghost/scary stories.

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

Cousins, at the end of a party, family birthday party, my 10th birthday party.

 

What does it mean for them?

Honestly I think it’s just about passing on stories because this significance doesn’t bring up anything particularly for me – I wasn’t really scared of her – but I just played along with the story because everyone did but its just something that our family would do – the adults would be doing something and the children would gather together and tell ghost stories – not sure if this is just a South American thing but we tell a lot of these stories – this was one of the more significant stories we told each other and now it just reminds me of those family gatherings we had.

 

Also reminds me of / reflects my belief in ghosts/the supernatural – I always believed in ghosts and I always think of tortured souls and souls that could never pass on to peace because they were left with something and it kind of reminds me of how there’s still supernatural activity in the world.

 

Context of Performance: Sitting inside friend’s room just talking.

 

Thoughts:

I, too have heard of the story/folklore of Bloody Mary and just like the subject said, you’re not supposed to say Bloody Mary three times in front of a mirror (I might mention that for my case of Bloody Mary, you’re also supposed to do it in the dark, in the middle of the night).

JUNGLES OF CAMBODIA

Nationality: Cambodian
Age: 22
Occupation: Barista
Residence: California
Performance Date: 4-24-2018
Primary Language: English
Language: Cambodian

JUNGLES OF CAMBODIA

 

Main Piece:

 

While I was at work I went on REDDIT to learn more about ghost stories I could find about Cambodia. I found one story on reddit from someone’s great grandparents a story about how one must never one must be extremely careful before establishing, going forth into the jungle, or hunting in the jungle.

 

There was one story where one traveler visited a town and asked the leader for guidance into the jungle. The leader was hesitant but eventually they both went into the jungle armed. the leader had told the traveler of the dangers and the things he must be very careful of doing such as talking to the animals. the traveler laughed and took no regard to this and one day attempted to speak to the animals. the next day he went missing.

 

the leader knew what had happened to him and fled back to town.

 

my thoughts behind this story is that these animals are of no ordinary animals but they are perhaps possessed by spirits or demons of the jungle.

 

these stories are somewhat similar to some of the things my father said about the jungles (father lived in Cambodia as a farmer/villager in his youth)

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

From reading a post on reddit – interest in learning about ghost stories found online through Cambodian ancestors.

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

Reddit – a post made by a Cambodian male. (but this story also resonated/aligned with what the subject’s father told her when she was young – the father was a villager/farmer in Cambodia during her youth).

 

What does it mean for them?

Coming from a Christian family who had no interest in telling me stories such as these it means a lot learning about real stories coming from ancestors who believe in the spiritual world. It also teaches me about what life was like in the jungles of Cambodia and how farmers like my ancestors survived.

 

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room talking.

 

Thoughts:

Here it is interesting yet again that in the modern 21st century, people can learn about their ethnic/cultural folklore (that may be lost through sequences of immigration, naturalization, or assimilation) through mediums outside their family, such as the internet (Cambodian folklore part of Reddit).

 

Although I am aware that such accounts gotten from the internet, such as Reddit, may not be the most accurate, I do stand by this account because she (the subject) told me how this story was very similar to those that she was told by her father a long time ago when she was much younger.

CAMBODIAN DANCING

Nationality: Cambodian
Age: 22
Occupation: Barista
Residence: California
Performance Date: 4-24-2018
Primary Language: English
Language: Cambodian

CAMBODIAN DANCING

 

Main Piece:

 

I was exposed to it a lot when I went to church in Los Angeles. (a Christian church). My old best friend was an active dancer of the Cambodian dancing group in Long Beach and her parents would organize dancing performances during the church service as a way to promote Cambodian culture. When the Church service had combined different languages, such as during Thanksgiving I remember my mom would be pissed that my best friend’s mom can get away with organizing a dance meant for either an ancient Cambodian king or something affiliated with Buddhism.

 

I also remember that I had attended one of their trial classes in Long Beach and I observed the elasticity of their hands bent backwards, their balance, the patience to wear heavy gold jewelry and crowns while maintaining a steady yet careful dance flow.

 

The only thing I enjoyed about these dance performances was being entertained by the demon dancer.

 

The demon dancer is probably a character in the dance performance who has intentions of kidnapping or raping or killing the female dancer or princess-like character of the performance.

 

Background Information:

Why do they know this piece?

It’s probably the most creative and representative form of art within Cambodian culture.

 

Where/Who did they learn it from?

My old best friend / the Cambodian service at the Christian church.

 

What does it mean for them?

An art form perhaps worth more exploring when visiting Cambodia.

 

Context of Performance:

Sitting inside friend’s room talking.

 

Thoughts:

I think it’s interesting here how even though the subject’s parents did not have a strong cultural root(s) in Cambodian culture, that as immigrants joining an American Christian church in Los Angeles, California (with a Cambodian service), she was able to in a way get back in touch with her Cambodian cultural roots. Interesting to see that in America, at least, today, you can still go to say, a church, a community/organization outside your traditional folklore handing-down passageway (usually just from family) to learn/get into contact/access with your forgotten cultural roots/folklore.