MUN Folklore and Language Archive

Here's a #CuriousCure for dull, lifeless hair. Simply soak it in beer!! [MUNFLA 99-084/001] #wednesdaythought #WednesdayWisdom

Barbara Bruce collected this bit of folklore from Mrs. Jim Dunn in 1971 [MUNFLA 71-87] Is anyone else familiar with calling a piglet a bonniff? And as always, can you help us give Mrs. Jim Dunn her name back? #MissusMonday

We’re back with #MissusMonday! Mrs. Gus Bruce supplied this death omen or "fore-runner" to Barbara Bruce in the 1930s. Death omens are also known as tokens. Do you know any death omens? [MUNFLA 71-87]... And as always, please help us give Mrs. Gus Bruce her name back!

APRIL 28 UPDATE: Thanks to the power of social media, we have connected with Gertie’s son, Gary. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who shared our posts, both on Facebook and Twitter, to make this connection possible. CBC Gander is interested in doing a story on this story early next week; stay tuned. - We need your help! ... Due to donor restrictions, we're in the process of deaccessioning a collection of poems written by Gertie Snow (born 1909) of Musgrave Harbour. Before shredding, we hope to locate her family and offer them copies. Can you help us track them down?

Mrs. Connolly is the informant for this week’s #MissusMonday, collected by Catherine O’Brien in 1950 [MUNFLA 67-014] Has anyone’s luck changed after they turned their clothes around? Can you help us name Mrs. Connolly?

Heritage NL’s Folk school webinar is coming up next week; there’s still time to sign up for a free, virtual seat!

Closer was created by Ehsan Mohammadi, one of MUNFLA’s very talented student assistants. Ehsan’s idea was to capture/document the effect of COVID-19 on student life on the Memorial campus in particular. The concept was entirely his and I couldn’t be more proud of the job he’s done!! He enlisted the help of fellow students Karin Murray-Bergquist (narrator) and Yanet Campbell (music), in addition to his friend Amin Mohammadi who edited the video. My heartfelt thanks and congratulations to them all; I think it’s fabulous! If you’ve got a few minutes, have a watch!

Have you heard of the Paddy’s Pot St. Patrick’s Day tradition? For today’s #MissusMonday, we’re sharing this example of a house-visit tradition from Mrs. W. P. Power [64-004] Can you help us give Mrs. W. P. Power her name back?

If you are free tomorrow, Aileen Lambert and myself are Guest Speakers at this years Mummer's Festival in St. Johns. The talk is based around the shared links b...etween the Irish Mumming tradition and that which exists in Newfoundland to this day. This will be an eye opener for some of you and you just need to click on this link and register. Thanks a million. See more

For today's #MissusMonday we have a folk saying from Pennsylvania, provided by Mrs. John Mac Winter [65-011] Can you help us give Mrs. Winter her first name back?

Due to circumstances beyond our control, Christine Davies will no longer be able to moderate this event; we are very pleased, however, that our own Dale Jarvis has agreed to do so in her place - thank you, Dale!

Don’t forget to join us this coming Friday, November 27th, from 2:00-3:00 pm, as Dale Jarvis moderates our all-archives panel - Researching in the Vaults: Unlocking Memorial’s Archives. Join panelists Sonja Boon, Ursula Kelly, and Linden McIntyre as they discuss their experiences using Memorial’s Maritime History Archive (MHA), the Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA), and the QEII Library’s Archives and Special Collections (ASC). Discover how the joys of archival research helped create their fantastic projects past and present. Details on how to join the presentation can be found in the Research Week events calendar: https://www.mun.ca/research/week/2020.php#Friday. Any questions for our panelists can be emailed in advance to [email protected]. Hope you can join us!