Category Archives: Legends

Narratives about belief.

Ava in the Civil War

Nationality: American
Age: 74
Occupation: N/A
Residence: Ava, IL
Performance Date: 15 March 2017
Primary Language: English

Informant: My grandmother told this story of the town she was born and raised in, and still lives today. She laughed through this whole story. She does not know how true it is, but she says it makes sense because the town straddled both sides during the Civil War.

Original Script: “Well I guess the most celebrated general from the Civil War is General Logan, you know the school’s named after him and the parks and… well. The story is, he tried to form a company from scratch to fight for the south, but he couldn’t get enough people to join. So he formed a company to fight for the north instead!”

Context of Performance: She told me and my sisters over breakfast one morning.

Thoughts about the Piece: This is a funny antidote describing the role a tiny town like Ava played during the war. I like hearing about the role such a rural, midwest area would have in the war between the states.

Jinn in the Bathhouse

Nationality: Persian
Age: 53
Occupation: N/A
Residence: Irvine, CA
Performance Date: 4 March 2017
Primary Language: Persian
Language: English

Informant: My friend’s mother tells stories about the Jinn, as her mother’s nanny originally told her, which were then passed down to Shiva. She says she does not know if Jinn exist, but there are certainly people in Iran who swear they are real. She has fun telling these stories because of their potential for belief.

Original Script: There is a story that this guy went to, before going to work they would go to public baths, it was normal, and this guy went to a public bath at five o’clock, five in the morning one day, Jinn’s hour. And the housekeeper, the bath-keeper, wasn’t there initially. So he just goes in, and he dips in the jacuzzi or whatever, the bathtub that they have, and usually someone comes and pours some water on you, and there’s this other person who comes and rubs you. And he says that as he approached him and poured water on him, he notices the feet, and the feet aren’t feet! Not human feet! And he looks up and he sees the other people that are there, none of them have human feet. And he gets scared and he runs out. Oh, they start singing and dancing for some reason, saying, “don’t be scared, we’re good!” And then he runs outside and sees the bath-keeper, the lady that’s there, and she says, “where are you going, where are you going?!” and he looks down, and she’s one of them too! So he just runs outside, butt naked. (SJ)

Context of the Performance: Over dinner, family members exchanged old folk stories they remember from Iran.
Thoughts about the Piece: I enjoyed this piece, as everyone around the table was invested and entertained by the story. It also provided insight to ways of the past while the story itself retains humor.

The Local Legend of One Armed Joe

Nationality: American
Age: 71
Occupation: Farmer
Residence: Margaretville, NY
Performance Date: 4/11/17
Primary Language: English

Nationality: American

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): None

Age: 71

Residence: Margaretville, NY USA

Performance Date: April 12, 2017 (telephonically)

 

Allote is a 71 year old woman, born and raised in Catskill, New York who lives and owns a farm in upstate New York. She was a high school graduate and raised three children. She is a 6th generation American of Scottish Ancestry.

 

Interviewer: Good Afternoon. You mentioned that your current house is linked to a local legend. Appreciate if you could explain it to me?

 

Informant: Not a problem, I would love to. Ok we just ah bought a house that was built in 1928 and they told us that our chicken house was a historical building, because it used to be, there use to be a still in there. The owner always wondered why it is 30 feet long on the outside and 27 on the inside and when they investigated they found a false wall and when they took it down found a still in there, a pearl handle revolver in the wall and in the cement floor outside where all the chicken manure was there was a cut in the floor they kept all their bottles. And they say his name was “One Armed Joe” and he sold moonshine all around the Catskills at the farmers markets, He hid it underneath his corn when he went to the markets”.

 

Interviewer: And what town was this in?

 

Informant: Margaretville, New York in the Catskills

 

Interviewer:  What years?

 

Informant: Well they built the house in 1928, so I imagine it was about this time. People say that he carried on for a number years

 

Interviewer:  Did you ever see the still, revolver or bottles?

 

Informant: Nope.  When we bought the house from the owner I guess he kept them or sold them or maybe gave it away.

 

Interviewer: What does this piece mean to you?

 

Informant: In our small town, it is great to be a part of a local legend.  It helps business in selling our vegetables to locals and visitors. The kids that stop by really love hearing about the story.

 

 

Thoughts about the piece: 

Margaretville in upstate New York continues to be known for clandestine illegal businesses like marijuana farming but moonshine (and its folklore), has been adapted to upscale retail sales at local farmer’s markets. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/dining/22Distill.html The term “moonshine” may come from English smugglers or “moonrakers,” historically describing backwoods Southerners.

 

 

 

 

 

A Haunted Park called Giggle Hill

Nationality: Half Japanese and half White
Age: 22
Occupation: College Senior
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/10/17
Primary Language: English

Interviewer: What is being performed?

 

Informant: Haunted park called Giggle Hill by Rayna Koishikawa

 

Interviewer: What is the background information about the performance? Why do you know or like this piece? Where or who did you learn it from?

 

Informant: Giggle Hill is a park in Maui. The legend says you are supposed to hear giggling but my friends and I only heard screaming (turned out to be owls)

 

Interviewer: What country and what region of that country are you from?

 

Informant: US Maui, HI

 

Interviewer: Do you belong to a specific religious or social sub group that tells this story?

 

Informant: No

 

Interviewer: Where did you first hear the story?

 

Informant: My experience, the legend says the soldiers brought their girlfriends up on the hill and you can still hear them giggling. We only heard screaming.

 

Interviewer: What do you think the origins of this story might be?

 

Informant: It depends on which story.

 

Interviewer: What does it mean to you?

 

Informant: It’s just a fun story from my past.

 

Context of the performance– classmate conversing before class

 

Thoughts about the piece–

An old WWII story still encourages young people to visit a romantic spot in groups but sometimes have a different experience from the original. Giggle Hill is a well-known landmark and park that is featured here: http://mauimama.com/parks/united-states/hawaii/haiku-pauwela/parks/4th-marine-division-memorial-park-giggle-hill/  and http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/tour-hawaiis-creepiest-places-google-street-view-so-you-dont-really-have

Whistling at Night

Nationality: Half Japanese and half White
Age: 22
Occupation: College Senior
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/10/17
Primary Language: English

 

Interviewer: What is being performed?

 

Informant: Whistling at Night by Rayna Koishikawa

 

Interviewer: What is the background information about the performance? Why do you know or like this piece? Where or who did you learn it from?

 

Informant: My Kumu (hula teacher) told us whistling at night summons night maschess (ghosts of Hawaiian warriors)

 

Interviewer: What country and what region of that country are you from?

 

Informant: Maui, HI

 

Interviewer: Do you belong to a specific religious or social sub group that tells this story?

 

Informant: I don’t belong to this group but it is a Hawaiian superstition.

 

Interviewer: Where did you first hear the story?

 

Informant: My Kumu

 

Interviewer: What do you think the origins of this story might be?

 

Informant: Hawaiian legend

 

Interviewer: What does it mean to you?

 

Informant: Childhood superstition

 

Context of the performance– Talking with a classmate before class

 

Thoughts about the piece– Whistling is thought to bring bad luck in Russian, Japanese and many other cultures. I’ve heard warnings not to whistle in kitchens (French Revolution origins) or while sailing (New England- whistle up a storm). Here is another version of the Night Marchers of Hawaii: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/10/hawaiian-legends_n_3898664.html

More Hawaiian superstitions at: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/your-must-know-list-hawaii%E2%80%99s-diverse-local-superstitions