Digital Commons Network^™

Tinker, Robert Rush (Fa 1149), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1149. Student folk studies project titled “Playground Language: [Newburg, Kentucky]” which includes survey sheets with a brief description of playground rhymes in Newburg, Jefferson County, Kentucky. Sheets may include rope skipping rhyme, group game, informant’s name, and text classification.

Warren, Kaye (Fa 1150), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1150. Student folk studies project titled “From Slavery to Freedom for the Negro Race in Logan County [Kentucky]” which includes survey sheets with a brief description of African American life in Logan County, Kentucky. Sheets may include interviews, written records, photographs, informant’s name, age, and address.

Duros, Robert C. (Fa 1148), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1148. Student folk studies project titled “Collection Project on Coach Diddle” which includes tales about legendary basketball coach E. A. Diddle at Western Kentucky University. Project includes tales about Coach Diddle, informant’s name, and tale classification.

Sparks, Willard (Fa 1147), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1147. Student folk studies project titled “Frontier Log Structures,” which includes descriptions of different frontier log structures and their construction in Taylor County, Kentucky. Project includes illustrations of log structures and tools, a description of the structure or tool, and definitions related to log construction.

Among The Palms1, Lee Haring

Publications and Research

Born out of the convergence of intellectual traditions and owning a borrowing capacity analogous to the one that engenders creole languages, the study of folklore, or folkloristics, claims the right to adapt and remodel political, psychological, and anthropological insights, not only for itself but for the humanities disciplines of philosophy, art, literature, and music (the “PALM” disciplines). Performance-based folkloristics looks like a new blend, or network, of elements from several of those. What looks like poaching, which is a common practice for folksong and folk narrative, can be examined in the PALM disciplines under names like intertextuality and plagiarism. Nation-oriented …

Forgotten Fairies: Traditional English Folklore In "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Alexandra Larkin

The Criterion

While the fairies shown in the play would have been known by Shakespeare’s audience, there was a clear difference between the fairies of traditional folklore and the fairies that Shakespeare describes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In traditional English folklore, fairies were “made” for, and by, the middle and lower classes; their stories were most believed and the most encounters were experienced by these people. Fairies in folklore were alternatingly deadly and wildly helpful, giving humans who stumbled upon them presents or death. In the play, Shakespeare departs from more traditional depictions of fairies and instead characterizes these magical creatures …

Ledden, Paul (Fa 1146), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1146. Student paper titled “Drag Racing Lore” in which Paul Ledden interviews his close friend Larry Lock, a drag racing enthusiast from the Chicago area. In his interview, Lock details the different types of racing tracks, car building and safety concerns, notable races, and superstitions related to the drag racing circuit.

Hoyt, Roy (Fa 1145), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1145. Student paper titled “Upholstery – A Folk Occupation” in which Roy Hoyt speaks with Frank Black, a resident of Burgin, Kentucky and “the last of the true ‘tufters’ in his portion of Kentucky.” In the interviews conducted by Hoyt, Black, who had been a craftsman for more than three decades, details the tools, materials, and processes used to upholster furniture. The paper also includes occupational anecdotes and color photographs of Black’s workshop, machines, and finished products.

Killed A Bird Today: The Emergence And Functionality Of The Santeria Trickster, Eleggua, Megan Gauck

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Recognizable by their cunning exploits and gray morality, tricksters can be found in mythology, folklore, and religions throughout the world. Two tricksters were familiar to the Yoruba people in West Africa, Ajapa and Eshu, and their stories and abilities provide insight to the functions fulfilled by trickster characters. Upon the introduction of Regla de Ocha (or Santeria) to Cuba following the transatlantic slave trade, a new figure emerges, known for his tricks and adaptability. Due to the West African influence in Santeria religious practices, the original roles and traits of Eshu and Ajapa are analyzed for comparison, but Eleggua, the …

Constraints Of Haunted Heritage Tourism In Logan, Utah, Kylie Schroeder

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

It has become common in Salem, Savannah, New Orleans, Edinburg, or Gettysburg, to witness groups of people being led through the darkened streets as part of a ghost tour or haunted history walk. An altered form of commercialized legend tripping, these companies offer guided tours, feature spooky stories, and often showcase local history. However, the trend of haunted heritage tourism, especially in the form of ghost walks and haunted history tours, has spread beyond places with national or international reputations for hauntings and is now growing in small towns whose stories are rarely shared beyond the local populace.

This thesis …

Many Faiths, One Beginning: Universality In Norse, Maya, Greek And Celtic Faiths

Symposium of Student Scholars

Numerous religious faiths have pervaded the world for much of known human history, but these belief systems often have significant variation in their core tenets, especially with those that have no contact. Religions which are in close proximity to one another tend to have some degree of syncretism, such as having comparable deities, due to having some transmission of their cultures. One group of similar base beliefs is the Indo-Europeans, with its members having been studied for parallels before. To contend with these previous studies, this project will look at the beliefs of the Norse, Greek, and Celtic cultures, all …

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bosnia Oral History Project (Fa 1137), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1137. Collection of interviews, transcripts, photographs, and additional materials, gathered by the Kentucky Folklife Program in partnership with the Bowling Green Bosnian community, relating to the 2017 International Year of Bosnia and Herzegovina sponsored by Western Kentucky University.

Ivey, Janice (Fa 1144), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1144. Student paper titled “Folklore Study: Paul Bunyan,” in which Janice Ivey collects traditional oral narratives relating to famed folk icon Paul Bunyan. Ivey, who gathered stories from family members, also touches briefly on the claims of authenticity surrounding Paul Bunyan and his relationship to lumber camps in the early 20^th century.

Lawless, Vickie (Fa 1143), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1143. Student paper titled “Steamboat Tales” in which Vickie Lawless describes the importance of riverboat commerce and transportation in Russell County, Kentucky from the early 19^th century through the mid-20^th century Lawless also discusses the three most common steamboats during this period, the Albany, the Burnside, and the Rowena, and the folklore surrounding their pilots, crews, and landing sites. Lawless collected her information from former riverboat captains, engine room workers, family members, and residents of river communities

Walker, Jane (Fa 1139), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1139. Student paper titled “Ghostlore” in Jane Walker collected supernatural stories, most of which had some form of local variant. Walker gathered tales from family and friends in person, over the phone, through written letters and recorded stories.

Walton, Robert H. (Fa 1141), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1141. Student paper titled “Collection of Death Beliefs” in which Robert Walton details various superstitions, practices, and assumptions concerned with death and dying. Walton gathered together stories and sayings from students on WKU’s campus, family, friends, and Bowling Green locals.

Butler, Beverly (Fa 1142), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1142. Student paper titled “The Supernatural” in which Beverly Butler collects personal encounter narratives relating to “ghosts, spirits, or hanks.” Butler collected her stories from family members and friends.

Laude, Jan (Fa 1140), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1140. Cassette recordings of the "Attunement for Healing" and "Exploring Your Dreams and ESP" conferences sponsored by the Edgar Cayce Association for Research and Enlightenment held in Virginia Beach, Virginia from 12 July 1981 to 24 July 1981. The recordings, collected by WKU folk studies graduate student Jan Laude, were used as source material for Laude’s Master’s thesis titled “A Contemporary Female Psychic: A Folkloristic Study of a Traditional Occupation,” which was published in 1982. Because the Department does not have consent forms or own copyright to these tapes, they may be used …

Clarke, Kenneth Wendell, 1917-2012 (Mss 635), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 635. Manuscripts, notes, publisher’s correspondence, and photographs relating to the scholarly work of WKU English and folklore professor Kenneth W. Clarke, principally "Bud Long: The Birth of a Kentucky Folk Legend" and "The Harvest and the Reapers." Also includes reel-to-reel tape discussing home burial and casket - coffins, African American discussing race relations, singing in Barren County, Kentucky. See also digitized reel-to-reel tape T (T) -7-71-16 discussing cockfighting.

Clayton, Louis Craig (Fa 1138), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1138. Student paper titled “The Harpending House” in which Louis Craig Clayton details the history related to theconstruction of Asbury Harpending’s sprawling mansion built near Eddy Creek in Princeton, Kentucky in 1873. Harpending, known for his financial exploits along the western coast of the United States, spent more than $65,000 to build the estate which featured more than 20 rooms, a swimming pool, gas heating, and indoor plumbing. In his paper, Clayton speaks with Mrs. Eldred, a leading historian at Princeton and wife to John Eldred. Harpending’s great-nephew. Clayton also speaks with Ina …

Ramsey, Bonita (Fa 1136), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1136. Student paper titled “Proverbs and Comparisons” in which Bonita Ramsey arranges proverbs alphabetically by keyword. Ramsey gathered her information from family members, friends at WKU’s Downing University Center and at a private dormitory, the College Inn, and from visitors at work.

Herndon, Bernice (Fa 1135), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1135. Student paper titled “Negro Spirituals” in which Bernice Herndon gathers together 21 hymns sung by congregants at several African American Baptist churches located in Bowling Green. Herndon also collected spirituals from family, friends, and neighbors.

An Adventure Concerning Identity: The Use Of Folklore And The Folkloresque In Murakami’S Hitsuji Wo Meguru Bōken (A Wild Sheep Chase) To Construct A Post-Colonial Identity, Jessica Alice Krawec

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis examines the use of folklore and the folkloresque in Haruki Murakami’s novel Hitsuji wo meguru bōken, or, as it is translated by Alfred Birnbaum, A Wild Sheep Chase. Murakami blends together Japanese and Western folklore to present a Japan that has been colonized by a post-national, global capitalistic force. At the same time, Murakami presents a strategy to resist this colonizing force by placing agency onto the individual and suggesting that it is still possible to craft a meaningful identity within the Japanese/Western blended, globalized society in which these individuals now exist.

Alongside examining the use of folklore …

On Being Trans: Narrative, Identity, Performance, And Community, Chloe Jo Brown

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis focuses on various topics related to transgender identity and culture. Through a combination of ethnographic and secondary research, I studied transgender coming out narratives, trans media representation, transgender performance and identity, and conceptualizations of group and chosen family in a community of trans students, the WKU Transgender and Non-Binary Student Group.

The three chapters of my thesis address some of the traditional milestones of a trans person’s acculturation: coming out, constructing one’s newly discovered trans identity, and finding community. Chapter 1 explores coming out as transgender, and the way in in which coming out is valued and discussed …

Classroom Cannibal: A Guide On How To Teach Ojibwe Spirituality Using The Windigo And Film, Brady Desanti

Journal of Religion & Film

This paper is intended as a pedagogical guide on how to teach elements of Ojibwe religious and philosophical beliefs using the windigo and its depictions in the films Wendigo and Ravenous. The windigo complex is exceedingly complex and remains an enduring component to the cultures of Ojibwe and several other Algonquian-speaking communities in the United States and Canada. While the windigo enjoys exposure in a variety of popular entertainment sources, film remains one of the most useful methods to incorporate in the classroom to help students comprehend how an anthropophagus “monster” directly relates to Ojibwe ideas of personal balance, …

Archbold, Annie And Barbara Dubczak (Fa 379), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 379. A reel-to-reel audiotape recording of a program titled “Documents in Sound: A Sample in Folk Arts,” which was sponsored by the Barren River Regional Arts Council with funds from the Kentucky Folklife Foundation. According to the tape summary, the program includes five separate features, which can be played as individual vignettes or as a full 29-minute program. Features include traditional artists and cover topics such as woodworking, broom making, basket making, weaving, and drawn work.

Collins, Sara (Fa 1134), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1134. Student paper titled “Ghost Stories on a College Campus” in which Sara Collins gathers together tales of the supernatural. Collins places the stories into four main categories: “true” (classic), “memorate” (personal experiences), “regional” (local), and “other campuses.” Stories were collected by Collins from friends and fellow classmates.

Thomas, Fonda (Fa 1133), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1133. Student paper titled “Tombstone Motifs” in which Fonda Thomas documents cemeteries in southern Warren County—specifically Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church, Hardshell Baptist Church, and Old Union Missionary Baptist Church—to describe popular carvings found on gravestones. Thomas, who has familial ties to two of the church cemeteries, describes motifs such as rosebuds, doves, and variations of hands and offers possible theories as to the meaning of each. The collection also includes crayon rubbings of tombstones, which have been placed in a folder separate from the paper.

Nicks, Sarah Elizabeth (Fa 1132), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1132. Student paper titled “Quilting: Past and Present” in which Sarah Nicks details the components of traditional quilt making. Nicks discusses piecing together patterns and the various motivations behind quilting. Information was collected by Nicks from family and friends. The collection contains color photographs of handmade quilts, a questionnaire related to quilting practices, and a sample piece of a quilt patch.

Community Heritage Day - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Fa 1130), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1130. Collection contains flyers and digital photographs taken at the Community Heritage Day event held on 4 November 2017 at the Kentucky Building in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The event—sponsored by the Kentucky Folklife Program, WKU Library Special Collections, the Kentucky Museum, and a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage grant—invited the general public to bring in items that were “significant to your family or our community story.” Materials were digitized, uploaded onto flash drives, and given to participants for personal, long-term accessibility. Note that Item 29 and Item 30 are duplicate images.