Anthropology Commons^™

Traditional Elements In The Selected Columns Of Allan M. Trout, J. Vaughn Webb

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The first and last three months of Allan M. Trout's newspaper column "Greetings" were analyzed to show Trout's use of traditional material in that feature. An overview of previous scholarship concerning folklore in literature revealed a lack of study of the modern newspaper as a transmitter of folk items. The type of feature which Trout wrote was shown to have developed from pre-Civil War journalism. Trout's conception of folklore as a rural, kinetic process was presented through quotations from his books and columns, and "Greetings" was defined as a part of that process rather than as a static literary work. …

The Price Of Folk: The Progression Of Two Decoy Makers’ Work From Folk To Non-Folk, Benjamin Vincent

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Applying the standards for delineating folkcraft developed by Japanese scholar Soetsu Yanagi to the work of two Maryland decoy makers, Lem and Steve Ward, revealed that the Wards’ work followed a progression from folk to non-folk. A Hearst newspaper chain article on the two carvers plus winning first place at the New York Decoy Show brought publicity far beyond that usually encountered by the average folk craftsman. These events also exposed the two brothers to a range of wealthy collectors. When the Wards began to experiment with ornately carved birds, they had a waiting, and financially capable market. The extremely …

Fandom Is A Way Of Life: A Folkloristic Ethnography Of Science Fiction Fandom, David Axler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A science fiction (“sf”) fan is an individual whose interest in this literary genre has extended past reading into involvement in such things as local science fiction clubs, fan magazines (“fanzines”), and sf conventions (“cons”). Science fiction fandom is the loosely-structured, geographically-dispersed organization of these fans. Drawing on both written sources and field interviews with eight informants, the history, composition and structure of sf fandom is examined from a folkloristic viewpoint. The forms of folklore which serve to bind the individual fan to the larger social entity of fandom are detailed.

Despite its literary orientation, fandom is primarily a social …

A Folkloric Perspective On Traditional Auctioneering, Daniel Steed Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

To date, the auction as a type of folklore performance has not been adequately researched. In order to place auctions in perspective as folklore, chapter one of this thesis reviews the history of auctions in the United States. Chapter one further presents the idea of the auctioneer as a folk occupational specialist. The second chapter is concerned with the skills of an active Kentucky auctioneer, who offers, during a series of interviews, insights concerning his performance skills. The third, and final, chapter attempts to construct a theoretical base for researching auctions as folklore performance. The criteria by which any given …

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 3, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 2, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

Ua62 Grapevine, Vol. I, No. 1, Wku Gordon Ford College Of Business

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the Bowling Green College of Business & Public Affairs.

• Jenkins, William. The Dean's Soapbox
• The Word on the Paper Itself
• This is US - The Dean's Doings
• Business Administration
• Business Education & Office Administration
• Economics
• Government
• Mid-Management & Distributive Education
• Public Service Institute
• Sociology & Anthropology
• The Editor's Ramblings

Ua62/2 Grapevine, Vol. 1, No. 1, Wku Gordon Ford College Of Business

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by the Bowling Green College of Business & Public Affairs which is now the Gordon Ford College of Business.

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 1, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

I Love Ta Plow: The Role Of Traditional Farm Women In Peytonsburg, Kentucky, Linda White

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study is a development of the work roles of traditional farm women in Peytonsburg, Kentucky. Peytonsburg is a relatively isolated area along the western border of the Appalachians. Traditional processes such as broom-making, chair-making, quilting, spinning and traditional farming are still practiced there.

Taped interviews were conducted with seven women ranging from sixty-five to eighty-eight years old. The women were questioned concerning their house and field cores as well as their philosophies and attitudes toward their life styles. It was revealed in this study that the traditional farm women of this area work throughout the year to keep the …

The Use Of Architectural Drawing In The Documentation Of Log Folk Housing, Ira Kohn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In order to remedy the shortcomings of past log structure documentation efforts, six proficiencies were established as necessary for the folklorist: (1) knowledge of, and use of, aerial photographs and topographic maps, (2) familiarity with usage of the compass, steel measuring tape and alidade, (3) accuracy in building measurement techniques, (4) the ability to competently compile a field notebook using standardized architectural notation, (5) operation of the camera as a recording tool, and (6) the production of measured drawings using the techniques specified by the Historic American Buildings Survey. The Rigsby House, a log structure in Warren County, Kentucky, served …

The Paper Repertoire Of The Students In One Elementary School, Ruby Rufty

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This collection project is concerned with traditional paper objects made by students in fifteen classes in one elementary school in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Chapter I describes the school and classroom environments and the procedures followed during the collection project. Chapter II differentiates between the play and ornamental items collected, describes the different items and their variants made by the students, and attempts to show what persons (relatives, teachers, other children) or other factors (mass media, the students' environment) affected the paper items made by students. Chapter III statistically evaluates the collected paper items according to the sex, race, and grade …

The Reliability Of Selected Weather Beliefs, Judith Sadewasser

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Thirty Kentucky weather beliefs--twenty of which were considered to be scientifically valid while ten were not--were annotated, documented and discussed. It was shown that the weather beliefs which had scientific explanations were usually concerned with forecasts associated with rain and that most often they were based on observable atmospheric conditions. It was further shown that those beliefs which were not considered scientifically valid usually had an element of truth but were not considered plausible for one of the following reasons. First, there was evidence that some of these weather beliefs had been garbled during the process of oral transmission. Second, …

If I'D Been Polish, I Guess I'D Be Playing Polkas: An Examination Of The Social Contexts Of Traditional Irish Music In Rochester, New York, George Stoner

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Anthropologists, folklorists and popular writers have, in general, neglected to describe. the social contexts in which traditional Irish music is played. Although the dance was probably the most important context for traditional Irish music in Rochester, as elsewhere in the United States and Ireland, interest among Irish-born Americans and Irish- Americans in traditional dancing has waned. At present, the most important social contexts for Irish music in Rochester are the session, the Feis, and various representational contexts. The session is by far the most important, and has developed as interest in the dance has declined. Unlike the dance, it is …

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 4, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

The Oral Folk History Surrounding The Life Of William Bernard "Big Six" Henderson, Peggy Boaz

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The oral folk history of William Bernard "Big Six" Henderson is unique in that Henderson himself has been a contributing factor in keeping the tales of his moonshining experiences in the oral traditions of distinct areas of Kentucky, especially Cumberland County. Interviewing Henderson and apprehended and non-apprehended moonshiners allowed speculation into the concept that Henderson was indeed a folk hero. Using Dixon Wector's requirements for heroes, the hero performing unselfish service, acquiring a nickname, obtaining sympathy for handicaps, struggles, and failures, and reaching hero status after death, and providing examples of Henderson's encounters with moonshiners, verifies Henderson's hero status, except …

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 3, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

An Interpretation Of The Florida Ex-Slaves' Memories Of Slavery & The Civil War, Dianna Zacharias

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study is an analysis and interpretation of oral folk history preserved in the Florida Narratives, one state collection of ex-slave narratives from the larger Federal Writers' Project collection compiled in the 1930s. Fifty-four tales were extracted from this state collection and used as a basis for this study. These personal reminiscences, called memorates by folklorists, fell into two categories: slavery and the Civil war. The tales about slavery were compared to the theses and conclusions regarding slavery held by sociologists and The tales about the Civil War and emancipation were gathered by historians.

The comparison revealed that there …

Interview With Sarah Gertrude Knott, 1895-1984 (Fa 317), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Oral Histories

Transcription of interview with Sarah Gertrude Knott conducted by Patricia “Patty” Harrington in March 1976. From a University of Virginia English class student project concerning Knott and the history of the National Folk Festival. The audio interviews are archived in the Sound Archives.

What Are They Saying? A Study Of The Jargon Of Hilltopping, David Lyne

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Taped interviews, fox hunting magazines, and a questionnaire were primary sources for collecting approximately 290 of the specialized terms employed by pedestrian fox hunters known as "hilltoppers." Once the terms were collected, they were co,pared with the terms related to formal fox hunting. The comparison revealed that hilltopper jargon and formal fox hunting jargon contain many identical terms, yet the former body of terms is significantly larger and more varied. In order to determine whether or not the jargon of hilltopping qualifies as an aspect of folk speech, methods of dissemination, patterns of innovation, speaker response to social and technological …

Ua1d Kenneth Clarke, Wku Human Resources

WKU Administration Documents

Personnel file of professor Kenneth Clarke, includes correspondence and newspaper clippings.

The Carter Family: Traditional Sources For Song, Margaret Bulger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The recorded repertory of the original Carter Family was analyzed for traditional influences. Of the 119 songs examined, it was found that fifty-five, roughly one-fourth of their total repertory, have definite roots in one or more traditional sources. The Carters employed traditional texts within their repertory throughout their professional career. Three genres of song were analyzed: sentimental songs, religious songs, and ballads. Of these, sentimental songs was the largest category with 113 songs. These songs were found to be remarkably similar in thematic content and moral sensibilities to Victorian parlor songs (ca. 1860-1910). The religious songs were shown to be …

Tobacco Farming: The Persistence Of Tradition, Eugene Umberger Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The culture of tobacco has been associated with the history of Kentucky almost from the beginning and remains to this day a vital force in the state’s economy. In this age of scientific and technological advances – of increasing automation – we find that in tobacco farming, hand labor still figures prominently in the production of a major staple crop. This has resulted in the retention of traditional method, technology and terminology, long since lost in the culture of other crops which lent themselves more easily to mechanization.

The study is divided into three parts. Chapter I deals briefly with …

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 2, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

Chester Cornett: A Study Of The Effects Of Culture Change On A Traditional Kentucky Craftsman, Roger Beatty

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The problem considered was the nature of traditional Appalachian chairmaking in a northern metropolis. The subject was an Appalachian migrant who moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Culture change was viewed through the sociological, socioeconomic, and cultural effects of urbanization. Fieldwork focused on interrelated factors of individual personality, style and creativity, and chair production. Information on the chairmaker's background was extracted from Michael Owen Jones's, "Chairmaking in Appalachia: A Study in Style and Creative Imagination In American Folk Art" (Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1970).

Dramatic changes in the folk art tradition occurred as a result of culture change. Given economic solvency and …

Ua68/1 Forum, Wku Potter College Of Arts & Letters

WKU Administration Documents

WKU Potter College of Arts & Letters faculty newsletter regarding faculty research and publications. This issue includes:

• Clarke, Kenneth. Snake Handling & Plato: Identifying Academic Folklore
• Mayhew, Larry. John T. Stahl, obituary

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 1, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

The Cedar Grove Community In Oral Folk History, Ada Parker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The thesis was originally done for the Center for Intercultural & Folk Studies which no longer exists.

Ua68/14/3 Newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 5, Wku Folk Studies Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU Folk Studies Society regarding upcoming events and student activities.

The Hensley Settlement: An Oral Folk History Of Its Material Culture, Michael Morse

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A number of aspects of the life style and material culture of a mountain settlement in Eastern Kentucky are studied to provide a portrait of life in that region in the early part of this century.

The Hensley Settlement was established about 1903 when two families, the Hensleys and the Gibbonses, moved onto a 509 acre survey on top of Brush Mountain near Middlesboro, Kentucky. luring the course of almost forty—eight years on the mountain, the settlers multiplied into a community of over eighty people and constructed in excess of 100 log buildings. They had their own school, gristmills, and …