Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
Folklore is commonly identified by many people with rural settings, and New Jersey is basically urban, suburban, and industrial. There are indeed some rural areas in New Jersey - the truck farms of "the Garden State" and the Pine Barrens of South Jersey - but the former are fast disappearing and the latter survive only because they are preserved by the state. Most New Jerseyans live and work in the densely populated corridor that cuts across the mid-section of the state. But folklorists today recognize that there is also a folklore of the factory, a folklore of the city, and a folklore of ethnicity, and New Jersey provides a rich source for their study.
The streets of New Jersey's cities abound with traditional life as practiced for generations. One need only to walk through Hoboken or Bayonne to see children playing stick ball, hop scotch, and Double Dutch jump rope. New Jersey is populated by a large number of ethnic groups, many of which have clustered in city neighborhoods. There is a Cuban community in Union City, a Portuguese community in Newark, a Hungarian community in New Brunswick, and a Japanese community in rural Seabrook Farms. For many ethnic groups folk traditions are their symbols of identity. Their ethnicity is expressed in foodways, language, music, dance, and festivals (often in ethnic costume). Music such as Ukrainian trio music, once performed informally at weddings, is now formally presented on a stage at a public festival with dancers in folk costume. Craft traditions that used to be a vital part of rural economy in the mother country are now miniaturized and made into a hobby.
The 1983 Festival program brought a panoply of presentations from New Jersey to the National Mall, ranging from ethnic celebrations of African Americans, Japanese Americans, Italian Americans and others to craft demonstrations featuring skills and techniques of silk weaving, herbalism and glassblowing, and on to the diverse occupations associated with maritime trades and the sacred songs of menhaden fishermen.
The New Jersey Program was made possible through many generous corporate and private donations to Festival New Jersey '83!, a nonprofit corporation established and chaired by Governor Thomas H. Kean to fund New Jersey's participation in the 17th Annual Festival of American Folklife.
Sue Manos-Nahwooksy served as New Jersey Program Coordinator.
Participants:
Agriculture
Joan Sorbello Adams, farm life, Mullica Hill
Anthony Catalano, produce sales, Salem
Toni Catalano, produce sales, Salem
Mary Sorbello, produce sales, Mullica Hill
Susan Sorbello, produce sales, Mullica Hill
Celebrations
Alabama Day
Thelma Britt, Afro-American cooking, Newark
Glennie Davis Franklin, 1933-2003, shape note singing, Hillside
Mabel Jackson, shape note singing, East Orange
Mary Alice Phillips, shape note singing, Elizabeth
Mabel Upshaw, shape note singing, East Orange
Bon Festival
Iddy Asada, cooking, Bridgeton
Sandy Ikeda, drums-New York, New York
Fusaye Kazaoka, 1930-2006, embroidery, Bridgeton
Shigeko Kazaoka, 1902-1992, crafts, Bridgeton
Ellen Nakamura, 1919-2000, obon dancing, kimono making, Elmer
"Doc" McKenzie and the Gospel Hi-Lites -- "Doc" McKenzie and the Gospel Hi-LitesMarvin Bradshaw, bass, PatersonDarryl Henley, guitar, PatersonGreg Herbert, organ, PatersonAbraham McKenzie, vocals, PatersonDavid McKenzie, vocals, PatersonMilbert "Doc" McKenzie, 1949-, vocals, PatersonHenry Redmond, drums, PatersonWilliam Wribbee, vocals, Paterson
Pure Water -- Pure WaterCharles Banks, Jr., vocals, NewarkJoe Briscoe, vocals, NewarkTerrance Forward, vocals, NewarkWayne Johnson, vocals, IrvingtonJohnny Shipley, group leader, Newark
Silk
Joseph Grauso, 1916-1997, weaving, Elmwood Park
Roy Harris, 1920-1990, weaving, Bensalem, Pennsylvania
Prince Hatley, 1916-1991, weaving, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Traditional Medicine & Pharmacology
Fred Anderson, glassblower, Sun City, Arizona
Evidio Espinosa, herbalist, West New York
Louis Molinari, 1931-2004, glassblower, Stirling
Efrain Osorio, herbalist, Newark
Alvin Segelman, pharmacognosist, Piscataway
Collection Restrictions:
Access by appointment only. Where a listening copy or viewing copy has been created, this is indicated in the respective inventory; additional materials may be accessible with sufficient advance notice and, in some cases, payment of a processing fee. Older papers are housed at a remote location and may require a minimum of three weeks' advance notice and payment of a retrieval fee. Certain formats such as multi-track audio recordings and EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) may not be accessible. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1983 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Elizabeth Ann Goldin, (American, 1814–1896) Search this
Medium:
Medium: silk embroidery on wool foundation, pencil Technique: embroidered in cross, stem, chain, back, and four-sided stitches on plain weave foundation Label: wool embroidered with silk in cross, stem, chain, back, and four-sided stitches
Linda Gutwirth's proposal ("The Role of Haitian Vodun Healers in the Mental Health of Minority Populations in the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan Area")
Certain materials in this series are restricted due to the presence of personally-identifiable information (PII). The restricted materials are noted in the following inventory and have been removed to box 59.
Collection Rights:
Contact repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Vivian E. Garrison papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Wenner-Gren Foundation.
Young twigs are hairy. Bark is thin with shallow, irregular fissures.
Bloom Characteristics:
1.5-2" in diameter. Has three sepals and six velvety petals which are stiff and curl back slightly. Flowers appear before leaves.
Fall Color:
Yellow
Foliage Characteristics:
Bright green, simple, alternate, obovate leaves with smooth margins and pointed tips. 4-12" long. Coated with fine whitish hairs on top surface and rusty colored hairs beneath. Leaves smell like bell peppers when bruised.
Fruit Characteristics:
Yellowish, green, or brown, fleshy, oblong, and thick fruit which is up to 6" long. Fruit's custardy pulp contains several dark brown seeds. Fruit grows individually, or in groups of 2-4. Ripen in August to October.
Young twigs are hairy. Bark is thin with shallow, irregular fissures.
Bloom Characteristics:
1.5-2" in diameter. Has three sepals and six velvety petals which are stiff and curl back slightly. Flowers appear before leaves.
Fall Color:
Yellow
Foliage Characteristics:
Bright green, simple, alternate, obovate leaves with smooth margins and pointed tips. 4-12" long. Coated with fine whitish hairs on top surface and rusty colored hairs beneath. Leaves smell like bell peppers when bruised.
Fruit Characteristics:
Yellowish, green, or brown, fleshy, oblong, and thick fruit which is up to 6" long. Fruit's custardy pulp contains several dark brown seeds. Fruit grows individually, or in groups of 2-4. Ripen in August to October.
Young twigs are hairy. Bark is thin with shallow, irregular fissures.
Bloom Characteristics:
1.5-2" in diameter. Has three sepals and six velvety petals which are stiff and curl back slightly. Flowers appear before leaves.
Fall Color:
Yellow
Foliage Characteristics:
Bright green, simple, alternate, obovate leaves with smooth margins and pointed tips. 4-12" long. Coated with fine whitish hairs on top surface and rusty colored hairs beneath. Leaves smell like bell peppers when bruised.
Fruit Characteristics:
Yellowish, green, or brown, fleshy, oblong, and thick fruit which is up to 6" long. Fruit's custardy pulp contains several dark brown seeds. Fruit grows individually, or in groups of 2-4. Ripen in August to October.
Young twigs are hairy. Bark is thin with shallow, irregular fissures.
Bloom Characteristics:
1.5-2" in diameter. Has three sepals and six velvety petals which are stiff and curl back slightly. Flowers appear before leaves.
Fall Color:
Yellow
Foliage Characteristics:
Bright green, simple, alternate, obovate leaves with smooth margins and pointed tips. 4-12" long. Coated with fine whitish hairs on top surface and rusty colored hairs beneath. Leaves smell like bell peppers when bruised.
Fruit Characteristics:
Yellowish, green, or brown, fleshy, oblong, and thick fruit which is up to 6" long. Fruit's custardy pulp contains several dark brown seeds. Fruit grows individually, or in groups of 2-4. Ripen in August to October.
