Children's Area
Object Details
- Introduction
- In the United States, public schools have become an extraordinary force in the folklife of children. On school playgrounds children have been brought together in large numbers. Physical education teachers have taught organized sports that the children have taken up in their neighborhoods. In classrooms a counter culture has developed, characterized by children's organized efforts to subvert the educational process. Fights, friendships and flirtations (some of the performances of children's folklife) often preoccupy students to the detriment of the learning process. To counter children's counter culture, public schools have offered activities throughout the year that are designed to answer children's social needs. Among these are birthday parties, religious and secular celebrations, and innovations such as field days and "school breakings" (elaborate commencement days). Such events have frequently incorporated folk traditions and in time have become traditions in their own right, anticipated and practiced each year. The guardians and developers of these traditions are school administrators and teachers. This year the Children's Area presented aspects of two such school-sponsored events, Halloween and May Day. Halloween traditions from four cities were celebrated, as found in schools, churches, and neighborhoods. The May Day celebrations of the Lumbee Indian schools of Robeson County, North Carolina were also re-enacted on the National Mall. Kate Rinzler served as Children's Area Coordinator, and Marta Schley as Assistant Coordinator.
- Participants
- Barrett Elementary School, Vietnamese games, Arlington, Virginia David Barton, Lumbee May Day participant, Walkula, North Carolina Tom Bledsoo, musician, Snowflake, Virginia Boys Football League, Washington, D.C. Susan Brewer, Lumbee May Day participant, Walkula, North Carolina Brightwood Elementary School, Hispanic American games, Washington, D.C. Anthony Brooks, Lumbee May Day participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Sonya Canady, Lumbee May Day participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Pemperton Cecil, 1927-, limberjack maker and player, storyteller, Wileyville, Virginia Terry Chavis, Lumbee May Day participant, Walkula, North Carolina Tony Chavis, Lumbee May Day participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Deep Branch Elementary School, Lumbee May Day, Lumberton, North Carolina Beverly Emanuel, Lumbee May Day participant, Lumberton, North Carolina George Mason Junior High School, Halloween traditions, Falls Church, Virginia George Mason Senior High School, haunted house, Falls Church, Virginia Sylvia Grider, folklorist, Bryan, Texas Terese Hunt, Lumbee May Day participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Interplanetary Committee, Gaithersburg, Maryland Robert (Stu) Jamieson, story teller, musician, San Pedro, California Elizabeth (Bessie) Jones, grass doll maker, games leader, story teller, St. Simon Island, Georgia Key Elementary School, Vietnamese games, Arlington, Virginia Anita Locklear, Lumbee May Day Participant, Walkula, North Carolina Bryan Keith Locklear, Lumbee May Day Participant, Walkula, North Carolina Iris Locklear, Lumbee May Day Participant, Walkula, North Carolina Laura Locklear, Lumbee May Day Participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Lucy Locklear, 1919-2004, May Day games and activities leader, Pembroke, North Carolina Mary M. Locklear, 1906-2002, May Day dialogues and games, Pembroke, North Carolina Long Branch Elementary School, Vietnamese games, Arlington, Virginia Magnolia Elementary School, Lumbee May Day, Lumberton, North Carolina Delana Maynor, Lumbee May Day participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Ricky Maynor, Lumbee May Day Participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Barry Myers, photographer, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Oxendine Elementary School, Lumbee May Day, Walkula, North Carolina Oyster Elementary School, Hispanic American games, Washington, D.C. Douglas Quimby, 1936-, games leader, story teller, Brunswick, Georgia Frankie Quimby, games leader, Brunswick, Georgia Tony Raby, Lumbee May Day Participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Scott Revels, Lumbee May Day Participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Betsy Nadas Seamans, harvest figure maker, photographer, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Joseph Seamans, photographer, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Keith Sims, 1962-, musician, Hiltons, Virginia Amanda Smith, Lumbee May Day Participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Beecher Smith, 1911-1981, musician, Nickolsville, Virginia Delane Strickland, Lumbee May Day Participant, Lumberton, North Carolina Peter Whiteman, 1944-, carnival costume maker, Hyattsville, Maryland Edna Faye Young, 1942-, doll maker, Westminister, Maryland
- Collection Creator
- Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1979 Festival of American Folklife
- Archival Repository
- Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
- Identifier
- CFCH.SFF.1979, Series 3
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1979 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
- Collection Rights
- Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
- Record ID
- ebl-1503512423841-1503512423859-5
- Metadata Usage
- CC0