Enter through the Dragon Door

Age: 25
Occupation: Student

Background: This was is a common tradition in Taiwan and China, with religious significance.

Context: This story was performed in the Architecture studio, for an audience of two, in order to pass time while working on projects.

“If you are entering a temple in Taiwan, there are three openings in front, and a statue of god inside. On the door to the left is the Chinese dragon, and on the right is the tiger based on the god’s view. The middle is the door for the god. When you go through the door, you have to go through the dragon door, because you don’t want to walk in through the tiger’s mouth, and you exit through the other door. Always. You just have to. Usually there will be some donate box. ”

This seems to be indicative of the Taiwanese attitude towards dragons versus tigers: Tigers being viewed as a source of bad luck, and dragons being good luck.

Verbum Sap Sat motto

Nationality: American
Age: 13
Occupation: Student
Residence: Arlington, VA
Performance Date: 3/16/19
Primary Language: English

Abstract:

This piece is about a saying at a middle/high school in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area that shows their ideals of independence and responsibility.

Main Piece:

“Verbum Sap Sat is latin and it means “A word to the wise is sufficient.” and that kind of goes along with HB Woodlawn’s idea that we should be independent, like if a teacher tells you, “hey this is important you should take notes on it – then a word to the wise is sufficient. They don’t need to keep telling you. You should just know.

M: What other examples of this phrase can you think of?

L: A lot of teachers when they’re doing important notes, they say “hey guys you have to focus, remember ok? Because Verbum Sap Sat!” At my school, you don’t need to wear shoes and you call your teachers by their first name. It just kind of goes along with the idea of Verbum Sap Sat. It’s like a motto, like a thing to that. Like for example our theater program is very big and they’re always building sets on the stage, but sometimes we still have class. So if you’re not wearing shoes and a teacher is like “hey there might be some nails on the ground. You might want to put something on your feet so you don’t get tetanus – then Verbum Sap Sat!”

Context:

The informant is a 13 year old girl who is an 8th grader at HB Woodlawn. She learned this phrase before even attending the school as a student and learned it when she toured as a prospective 6th grader. She plans to graduate from the school, attending from 6th to 12th grade. She does not view this phrase as a social one, more of an academic one.

Analysis:

I think it is interesting that they learn the phrase in Latin, though the main message is mostly understood in English. It is like an unspoken motto through the entire school that both students and teachers know of. I think the phrase emphasizes the ideals of the school to be those of independence and responsibility, but from the outside looking in it does seem like there are less rules and more freedom. They want the rules/deadlines that are set up at a traditional school to be found within the students themselves, rather than stating them outright.

Banshees

Nationality: Irish-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Athens, Georgia
Performance Date: 3/15/19
Primary Language: English

Main piece: It is said that the howling winds of the Irish coast are formed from the screams of women suffering and dying – otherwise known as banshees. Therefore, any time you hear a particularly loud or chilling gust of wind, a woman is in agony somewhere.

Context: The informant (BN) is half Irish and half American. Her mother’s side of the family is originally from and still resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Her paternal extended family live in Sligo, Ireland. She grew up culturally Catholic, but she does not consider herself religious. Our conversation took place in February on my couch at home in Atlanta after she began recounting her recent trip to visit family in Ireland. BN originally heard this myth that explains Ireland’s winds from her cousin and godmother, who both reside on the coast of Ireland. As she told me about banshee winds, she visibly sunk in on herself and god chills multiple times. “Those winds will always be branded into my memory, because it’s kind of traumatizing as a child, since they really do sound like screams.” When asked if she believed in the myth in a literal sense, she said that only when she’s in Ireland does she truly believe: “everything in Ireland is just so magical and ancient.”

Personal thoughts: What I find most intriguing about this myth is that it touts the age-old trope of a woman’s suffering becoming immortalized through nature or supernatural occurrences. It is not difficult to realize that you don’t see many folk tales, legends or myths that emphasize male suffering – rather, male-centric stories tend to be about heroism or strife that is overcome through perseverance. Women, however, are historically known for subjugation and suffering, which is perhaps why when people first heard the harsh winds of Ireland, they thought of a dying woman rather than a dying animal, a shrieking child, or even just harsh weather at face value. Additionally, what makes the banshee wind myth of Ireland a myth is that it seeks to explain a very prominent and ancient natural phenomenon in Ireland with a concept we are familiar with: female suffering. For external reference of this myth, see “THE BANSHEE.” The Louisville Daily Journal (1839-1868), Nov 25 1839, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. 18 Apr. 2019 .

What’s the BLUF?

Nationality: American
Age: 50
Occupation: JAG Military Lawyer
Residence: Arlington VA
Performance Date: 3/16/19
Primary Language: English

Abstract:

This piece is about the BLUF acronym that is used in the military law career when giving information to commanders.

Main Piece:

“I had a career in the military, in the Army as a lawyer, and one of the things in the Army is that there is not always a lot of time for like long explanations or details when you’re working with a commander and what they always say is “what’s the BLUF?” And BLUF is bottom line up front. So basically, you might want like as a lawyer three pages of analysis, but they’re like “give me the BLUF.” And that’s just like “okay. Yes you can do it and here’s why.” And you always have to put the BLUF at the beginning of any papers you write or any information you give.”

Context:

The informant has had a 25 year long career in the JAG branch of the Army and picked up this lingo as part of her job. She has worked under many commanders and used quick lingo such as BLUF in daily language at the offices. The subject has lived all over due to her military career, from Hawaii, Kansas, Virginia, and Germany. She is originally from Buffalo New York. She says she remembers this particular acronym and saying because it was used so often.

My Interpretation:

Growing up in a military family as well, I definitely see how this phrase/acronym could be used in daily language. My parents would speak in codes that seemed like a different language. Hearing one of the phrases explained is interesting for me, almost like learning a definition for a word you should know, but were always too afraid to ask because it seems like common knowledge. I think if you are around this kind of phrase everyday, then it is just common knowledge. For civilians, I never hear this phrase being used in the work environment.

Camp Seven Hills Serial Killer

Nationality: American
Age: 50
Occupation: JAG Military Lawyer
Residence: Arlington VA
Performance Date: 3/16/19
Primary Language: English

Abstract:

This piece is about a legendary serial killer that roams the woods near Camp Seven Hills in New York.

Main Piece:

“Informant: So I spent a lot of summers at a Girl Scout camp called Camp Seven Hills. And of course there were a lot of ghost stories around the fire, but every year they would tell a ghost story about a man who had wandered off from one of the neighbor farms, like right next to the camp, and wandered into the woods one night. Like a really creepy, scary, serial killer kind of man. And his favorite thing to do was to catch little girls, little Girl Scouts and kidnap and murder them. So the whole thing was never wander into the woods at night alone. They would tell this story every year.

Me: Where was this camp?

Informant: Camp Seven Hills in Western New York. I think it was to make sure we didn’t go off on our own, but it like totally freaked us all out every year.”

Context:

The subject is an adult woman who remembers her time as a child in the 1970s going to Girl Scout summer camp. She grew up in Buffalo New York and was an avid member of the Girl Scouts growing up. Camp Seven Hills is located in Erie County, New York and still functions as a Girl Scout camp today.

Interpretation:

I wonder if this legend of this Camp Seven Hills serial killer still exists today or if it has vanished from the folklore of this camp. Since this comes from the childhood of an adult, it would be interesting to compare the stories told to the young girls at this camp today and see if they are similar or very different. I think the informant was correct about the meaning behind this legend, that it would prevent girls from wandering around the woods alone or at night. Stories like this are terrifying for young girls and since it was localized to a nearby farm as the origin, it would make it more believable as well.