Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • - Innovation & Tech
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • STEAM Learning Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Office of Equal Opportunity
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Programs
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Children's Area

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

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.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1503512423841-1503512423859-5
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk51df061ed-093f-49ab-88b1-0a72b7ec1474

Related Content

  • Online Finding AidSmithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1979 Festival of American Folklife

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top