Fish dream

Nationality: African American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Memphis, Tennessee
Performance Date: 4/23/19
Primary Language: English

Context: I remembered my friend mentioning some superstition in regards to a fish so I asked her about it again and she explained and this conversation was recorded.

MG: What does the fish in your dreams superstition mean?

KR: “Okay… so it means someone close to you, or it could be actually you, is pregnant. Usually it’s someone close to you that you know. So say I dream it, it could mean my sister or my roommate is pregnant. Its kinda scary. Who knows if it is a coincidence or an actual thing but my mom and grandma have predicted all 4 of my sisters’ pregnancies with this fish dream thing!”

Background: Informant is from Memphis and grew up in a very superstitious family and she had recently been told that her mom had a dream of a fish so she is curious if anyone in her family is pregnant. She explained to me that this is an old wives tale that gets passed down but usually moms dream a fish and then find out their daughter is pregnant. However, this fish dream only applies to women because men do not have this dream.

Analysis: I thought the connection between fish and pregnancy was very interesting. I did try to research on the connection between pregnancy and fish but could only find concerns for eating fish while pregnant. An important connection I made was the fact that both her previous experiences involved her mom, grandmother. In many other cultures moms and especially grandmothers are seen as wise. They have that sixth sense and are able to pick up on signs. Additionally, this superstition discusses pregnancy which is a very scandalous topic and if a woman is young or unmarried she may be afraid to tell her mom or others. Dreams can reveal suspicions or even fears but sometimes they can also just be dreams without a meaning.

Teeth falling out in dreams

Nationality: Mexican American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 3/28/19
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Context: We were sitting in a car eating fast food when the conversation turned into a discussion of dreams. The informant mentions superstitions she has heard growing up.

“I’ve had dreams where my teeth fall out. Like my tooth was loose so I touched with my hand it just came off no blood nothing. I just wanted to start crying I was like noo how am I gonna eat or how am I gonna smile. Like all these things flash through my head. But its really bad, you’re supposed to tell someone like the next day literally when you wake up you need to tell anyone that’s closest to you because it is bad if you keep it to yourself”

Background: The informant had heard this growing up from her family and she believes it. Whenever she has had a dream where her teeth are falling she tells whoever she can. She also shared that her aunt had a dream that her teeth fell out and that’s when her mom got sick. Since it happened to someone else she takes it seriously. She grew up in a Mexican American household.

Analysis: I, myself have had quite a few dreams about my teeth falling out and whenever it happens I usually tell my mom. I often wake up in a panic because the dream makes me very uncomfortable. My mom gets a little worried that something bad is going to happen. However, I had not heard that it was important to tell someone else or that is when something bad could happen. I believe it comes from this idea that if you keep bad things to yourself it may happen. Among Latino households, there is that common theme that teeth falling out represents sickness or death. Death in dreams could also be represented by dirty toilet or tub water. Death is a common fear therefore there are many possible signs that can hint at when death or sickness is close.

Splitting poles

Nationality: African American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Memphis, Tennesse
Performance Date: 4/13/19
Primary Language: English

“So one day my aunt and I and were walking to this little fashion jewelry store where they sell really cheap jewelry by the way and as we were walking we came across this pole and I was about to go the opposite way so we started to split the pole. She got so upset she was like don’t you dare split that pole with me. so from that day forward, I learned it was like bad luck to split the pole with someone. and the person that’s younger gets bad luck. ”

Why bad luck and why the younger person?

“well its cause the two of us have a connection and when a pole comes between us you are letting it cut that connection so the younger person who is less wise than the older one gets the bad luck since they have had less time on this earth and just lost the connection to an older and wiser person. So they don’t get bad luck, they have to reestablish that connection and you do that by saying hi”

Context: The informant is a twenty-one-year-old student at USC she is from Tennessee. Once before she had mentioned that it was bad luck to split the pole so I asked her more about it.

Background: She heard this from her aunt and since then she has been afraid to split poles with anyone she is walking with, especially if they are older than her. She is an active participant of this superstition, always careful when she walks and has even had to say hi to strangers because she does not want that bad luck.

Analysis: Like many superstitions, it is better to participate just to stay on the safe side. Ever since she explained this superstition to me I am careful not to split any poles with her or anyone I am walking with. However, I do not go out of my way to remove the “bad luck.” I have also heard a different version where if you split the pole with someone you must neutralize the situation by saying “bread and butter.” I asked the informant if she had heard about this one and she said she had not. This shows that maybe it is a geographical difference since she grew up in the South.

Choo Choo Cholly

Nationality: Mexican American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Arkansas
Performance Date: 4/18/19
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“I went to a Chinese restaurant

to buy a loaf of bread bread bread,

they asked me what my name was

and this what I said said said,

My name is choo choo cholly

I love karate

punch you in the stomach

oops I’m sorry,

I’m callin mama ha ha ha

on the double,

my name is boys are messy

girls are sassy

in the bathtub

drinking the pepsi

myyy name is cheap roast beef eeeh”

Context & background: LJ and I were recalling rhymes and games we used to do during school. This poem is played while playing a hand game with clapping and reciting from both participants. LJ learned this from her cousin when she was in middle school while they were on a road trip. She had recently asked her cousin if she remembered the poem and her cousin did. She likes this poem because it reminds her of the road trip and of her cousin teaching it to her.

Analysis: This a song game that children use to play and pass time. The poem is upbeat however if one takes a look at just the words, they do not fully make sense. It shows that the poem was mostly created to rhyme and follow a specific beat. It also contains many stereotypes such as “boys are messy” and “girls are sassy.” Children are taught at a young age how girls and boys are supposed to act. I was amazed that my friend and her cousin remembered this poem song since it is quite long.

 

Bubblegum Bubblegum

Nationality: Salvadorean
Age: 24
Occupation: Law Student Advisor
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 3/9/19
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

MR: “Oh…Did you ever play Bubblegum bubblegum in a dish, how many pieces do you wish?”

MG: Wait can you explain how it went?

MR: “When you are going to play a game and you need to choose a person, everyone has to put their shoe in the middle (puts foot in middle) then you say …”Bubblegum bubblegum in a dish, how many pieces do you wish?” oh and then whoever it lands on has to pick a number and then it continues until that number is reached. Whoever it lands on gets out until the last person is left.”

Context: We were talking about childhood games and this rhyme came up.

Background: Informant is twenty four years old and from the Los Angeles area. RR remembers playing this in school for tag or hide and seek and also with her cousins. She believes she learned this from the other students in her class. Then, she taught this to her little brothers.

Analysis: Children often teach other children folklore. I thought it was quite interesting that regardless of the fact that RR is two/three years older than me, I also learned this rhyme from other children in my school. It shows that folklore can live on for many years and now lives in our memories. This song/rhyme is a common example of children bringing order and structure to their play. This rhyme allows children to choose a leader in a fair way. Because the person it lands on the first time gets to chose a number it leads it up to fate, in a sense, to choose the person who will be “it.” It prevents kids from fighting over being chosen or not being chosen.

Other versions of this include using one’s fist to count rather than one’s shoes. For this version please see: https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2776