USC Knights Protection

The informant, a part of a special group on campus, helps protect and look after tradition and school spirit, particularly among the active student body. Once a year during the week in which the USC Trojan face off in football against the UCLA Bruins, the informants group will camp out and live on campus in rotations in order to protect Tommy Trojan, Traveler the Horse, Tirebiter, among other statues on and around campus. It is thought that if this does not happen, UCLA will dishonor our school and the rivalry by messing with the USC campus and students. This informant has participated in the exchanging of rivalry customs for the past four years and says there are often many fun and competitive actions between the two schools that commence throughout the week each year. Informant has heard many stories about past years when the statues were not protected well and UCLA students have defaced and messed up Tommy Trojan or Traveler the Horse.

Context – Every year during rivalry week, the Trojan Knights and the Helenes watch over the wrapped statues and figures of USC. This is done to make sure UCLA(“FUCLA”) does not do anything to mess with campus property or the statues of the University of Southern California figures. 

Analysis – This both serves as a fun activity for the students involved in the spirit leading groups but also as a way to invoke and celebrate the school spirit of two different schools. This also creates a superstition or lesson of protecting your “sovereign” against enemy forces especially a rival team such as the UCLA Bruins.

USC Pre-Game Pole Kick

While going to a USC football game, it is tradition to kick the bottom of one of the poles on your way out of the entrance closest to Exposition Boulevard. There is both a light and flag pole that have wide bottoms as you go through the gates towards the coliseum. If you look at them on your way out you will both see and hear the effects of people kicking them as they go to cheer on the football team. It is said to be good luck for the team to kick either pole as you head to the game. At certain times in the season, the bottom guarding will actually break off from all of the kicking, but one of the poles will always be open. There are constant markings from the ware and tear on the pole and well as the ringing that follows the kick. If you do not kick the pole, many students believe the team will have bad luck and lose the game, or get injured. Informant was taught this by other individuals headed to the football games, and by noticing others kicking the pole as they went by.

Context – It is believed if you do not kick the pole, the team will have bad luck! It is unknown exactly what year or who started this tradition at the university but it is a widely accepted and practiced tradition, especially those who attended or currently attend USC. All kinds of people, from kids, adults, women, and men will do this as they head from campus to the coliseum for games.

Analysis – This is a common superstition practice at work. Many teams, schools, or even athletes have superstitious tendencies that help place the results of a game or wager on a “higher power.” This can be explained as a relaxer and a way to handle the stress of an upcoming event that a fan may have little to no control over.

Hawaiian Legend – Night Marchers

The legend of the Night Marchers is known by the informant due to their ethnic background. They grew up with a Pacific Islander cultural background in Hawaii where there is a lot of folklore. This legend in particular was about the Night Marchers who were often seen and heard at night throughout Oahu, and it was said to be the ghosts/spirits of the royal army. They were often unseen but heard until very close and were said to take the spirit of those who disrupted their path or did not pay their respects. There were many stories told to the informant about said Marchers, but the one specific story remembered was from the informant’s father who said he had fallen asleep on the beach in the path of the marchers and he woke up to the sound of them getting closer and closer, he quickly got his story together and moved before it was too late, and he paid his respects as they passed by, but he could hear their calls and drums the entire time although they could not be fully seen in front of him.

Context – the Night Marchers are said to appear at night on the islands as they travel through the island, stories include seeing the marchers, seeing their torches travel up mountains, hearing them march, and their drums. Hawaii is filled with many legends and tales as the culture is very tradition and folklore based, and the Night Marchers are just one legend of the many. For many islanders, these legends are very real and not just tales or stories.

Analysis – this legend gives place to spirits of those who have passed and are said to have served to protect those of the Hawaiian royal family as well as the islanders themselves. This legend gives respect to the spirits of those who follow the tradition and who want to pay respect to the royal army themselves, it teaches younger islanders about the history of their culture as well as lays grounding for respect of the culture. Like the informant, for many within this culture, these legends are a big part of the culture which not only shows respect but also has fun, interesting stories about interactions with these marchers.

Folk Narrative – Dog Chase Story

The informant remembers a story saying there was a young woman in her twenties that took a bad road in her life (she started doing drugs, drinking excessively, and hanging around with bad people). She was very well known in town as she had grown up there and it was not the biggest town. One night after being out and partying heavily, she was walking home and noticed a big dark colored doberman type dog following her, which she assumed to just be someone’s pet or a stray. After the dog kept following her and getting closer, the girl started getting nervous as it was an intimidating dog, so she began to try and get away from it. As she began to run, the dog started to chase her and she was really scared, she did not know where else to go except possibly the church, as the dog began to nip at her heels, the young woman got to the church grounds and barely made it to their lawn before falling. When she looked back, the large dog had stopped at the border of the church grounds, and according to the young woman, it stood up on its hind legs and spoke in a very deep voice, telling her she had gotten lucky this time, and if she did not fix her ways, she would not be as lucky the next time.

Context – This tale was said to have occurred somewhere in a more rural, small area of New Mexico, not far from Albuquerque, and the informant had heard this from friends and from their mother. The informant had passed the story on to their kids as well. Those who had heard the story were often creeped out, and many times also decently religious as in the smaller community, many people went to church. The story was also said to have been passed around by older figures in the church, especially to younger members. Many people, including the informant, often question whether the young woman in the story was so intoxicated that she hallucinated the whole interaction, whether it was actually a demon warning her, or if the whole thing was fake. Either way, people were nervous to find out.

Analysis – As this often was told by older figures, especially around the church, it is possible this tale was told as a way to convince younger individuals to behave and stick to good religious tendencies rather than the hardcore partying described in the young woman’s attributes. This is not an uncommon form of getting younger individuals to behave, and follows the outline of other stories following individuals cleaning up their act. Usually tales such as these persuade and scare those being told the story into behaving and keeping on a straight path. This story seems and ultimately fits to the area it was being told due to the religious background of the smaller, rural area.

“Natcho” Cheese

The informant heard this humorous story from his dad. It was his dad’s favorite joke. The story allows him to remember good times with his dad. He now tells it to his kids to get some laughs – and eye-rolls – out of them. He tells it to entertain and be funny when others are telling stories or jokes after dinner or while hanging out.

“All right this guy Shadrack was walking home one day and San Francisco headed home from his business and a couple blocks away he finds this big block of cheese rolling down this big San Francisco Hill and it almost knocks him right over! He says ‘holy cow I just got knocked over by a huge roll of cheese!’ So he picks up this big roll of cheese and it looks pretty delicious so he runs home with his cheese and he runs in the door and he slams the door behind him and locks it and his wife says ‘what’s going on with you?’ And he goes ‘well all the way home when I was running here with this cheese this Mexican was running after me saying, ‘hey! stop! that’s natcho cheese!””

This funny (and not PC) joke is a story that plays on racial stereotypes of Mexicans and White men. The Mexican’s accent is the premise of the joke but the cluelessness of the white man is what makes it funny. This culture enjoys humor by playing on stereotypes, a common joke category for older white males, such as the now 80 year old man whose joke this is. It is a mostly harmless joke, simply a misunderstanding, but it does perpetuate racial stereotypes and thus should perhaps not be told any more.