folklore

• any group of people set apart by identifiable culture within or without the larger mainstream culture;

• the group retains that culture and identity long enough for a body of folk expressions and behaviors to develop;

• members express that identity through consistent interaction with each member of the group

Folk

“any bit of knowledge handed down from generation to generation, which describes or depicts the beliefs and lifestyle of the ancestors of a chosen ethnic group, is rendered unique to that group, and is respected” (Damiana Eugenio)• study of folklore is a relatively new endeavor,

started sometime in the 19th century• Started by the Grimm brothers, Christian

Andersen

folklore

The Grimm BrothersJacob and Wilhelm

Hans Christian Andersen

Original French version of Little Red Riding Hood (by Charles Perrault)

Original version of Little Mermaid by Andersen

Snow White (1857) by Grimm Brothers

Sleeping Beauty (1696 ) Original French version (by Charles Perrault)

Cinderella by Grimms brothers

• from Latin trado meaning “I give”; • tested by time (at least 60 years or three

generations) and space • Culture undergoes diffusion, or the spread of

culture is influenced by other cultures and languages

• Chabacano language becomes extinct, the need to preserve it is even more significant

Tradition

categories of folklore

1. Prose: oral narrativesA. Fairy tales/magic tales/aswang stories-results of man’s fascination of the supernatural and the unknown-example “Ibong Adarna”B. Novella/Romantic tales-realistic tendencies; emphasis on human frailties; hero is a human being who relies on his wit, wisdom, strength to overcome his adversaries; fate cannot be escaped-Oedipus Rex

C. Religious tales• has close relationship to our Christian beliefs,

the fight between Good and Evil and the former triumphs over the latter; the saints are humanized; stories handed down by the Church and the folk

-started during Medieval periodD. Simple tales• jokes, anecdotes, tales of lying, numskull

E. Legends• stories used by folks to explain occurrences,

phenomena, etc.• loose in structure; localized stories that the folks are

familiar with; almost an authority of history related to places and other things; they are didactic or educational, serving to inform children about the things around them; are used to warn them of dangers; what is it? Why is it so? What can be done?

• *Check the book Legends of the Sto. Niño• -Collect the legends of Fort Pilar, of barangays, • -stories about phenomena and sicknesses• -stories based on folk faith or religious worship

F. Autobiographical talesG. Myths/Epics

2. Physical FolklifeA. Folk architecture• -how traditional people build and arrange their houses and

buildings, • -some manifest influence of feng shui (e.g., door facing

another door; oro, plata, mata; cardinal directions; etc.)B. Folk costumeC. Folk cookery• -traditional domestic cooking, the food itself, preparation,

preservation, and ramification• -document the psychological and morphological aspects• -food habits, food names, names of meals, food served every

mealD. Arts & crafts

3. Social Folk Customs• -celebrations, festivals, games, religion, folk

medicine• *Document the way the informant tells it and

not the way you want it; present the data from the informant’s point of view,

4. Performing Folk Arts• -dance, drama, music

documentation process

• Informant: source of open data– a tradition bearer both active (who knows and

practices) and passive (who knows but does not practice)

• Fieldworker: the one collecting, documenting• Fieldwork: collecting of raw data from the field

• keep in mind the purpose of documentation

preservation of the language and the informants are

collaborators of this endeavor; don’t get carried away

In doing field work, the field worker must do the following:

1. prepare materials in advance, practice using the equipment,(recorders and cassettes)

2. check if the equipment is functioning3. familiarize with the language of the informants (folks) you wish

to interview4. consider the daily activities of the informants5. check himself if he is fit and healthy physically, mentally, and

even emotionally6. show a humble demeanor as the informants can easily tell

whether the former is sincere or not7. learn how to establish rapport with possible contacts; ask from

them information about the informant

8. Before doing the fieldwork, make sure to establish contacts. The contacts may take you to the leads (informants)9. -know the habits of the informants10. -ask permission from the informants if the collection can be done; 11. -appeal to their sense of pride12. -show importance to them 13. -check if there are previous collection on the areas you wish to research on14. know those who served as informants in previous research; they can also be your informants, but know about their experiences

15. -prepare an annotated bibliography before starting the research and check if these are available16. -after recording, make sure to label the tapes properly. You can start by introducing what is about to be recorded (introductory comments); 17. -work with pairs; take turns who will interview and who will record

Don’t interrupt. Let the informant share continuously. Treat your

informant with utmost reverence.

SUMMARY

• Prepare a list of contacts (e.g., barangay officials, media men, people in the markets, parks, barbershops, etc.)

• Prepare equipment to be used; non-directional recorder

• Practice with relatives (FOLLOWING THE TIPS ON HOW TO INTERVIEW)

• For performances, make sure these are captured through video cameras.

• in folk song, field recording is useless unless fully documented

• minimal information for recording: 4Ws, where, when, who, what

• the information is for labeling purposes as well• if possible, ask more information about the

song, the instruments, the process in making the instruments, etc.

What to do?

• 1. Look for possible informants in your barangay. He/she must be knowledgeable about folk stories, songs, etc.

The informant must meet the following criteriaa. Must be 60 years old and aboveb. Born and raised in Zamboanga Cityc. Fluent in chabacano language (monolingual if

possible)d. Physically, emotionally, mentally able for interview

2. There must be three (3) members per group. Preferably, the group must have somebody who speaks chabacano. There must also be male in the group. Decide who will interview, write and document (camera, record)3. The group must submit 1 documented folklore every week. This is equivalent to 1 long exam. This will be collected every second meeting of the week.4. The documentation includes the form, pictures, video, and the transcription.