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Folklife in the Museum - Folk Medicine

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Object Details

Introduction
In 1979, the Folklife Program inaugurated a new kind of exhibition, under the rubric Folklife in the Museum. It grew out of the Festival's long experience in the presentation of folklife traditions and was designed to complement Smithsonian museum collections. This new program had several components: indoor displays and demonstrations by tradition bearers making objects like those in the collections, presentations by scholars of the folklife traditions defined by the people and their objects, and films that portrayed living traditions in their natural settings. Together, these components were mobilized to create events designed to function within museum walls: living environments, symposia, and film and lecture programs. Of course, in previous years folklife programs had been held in the museums during the Festival. However, this year's set of events marked the first time the indoor Folklife in the Museum Program was separated in time from the outdoor Festival of American Folklife. Smithsonian organizers came to realize that museum presentations had potentialities and problems different from those of a festival. They were deemed worthy of special attention in their own right rather than as components of a larger event, and the 1979 activities - focused on Folk Medicine - were considered as a pilot for future presentations of folklife traditions within Smithsonian Institution walls. Activities were of three types: in the National Museum of History and Technology's Medical Sciences hall, traditional healers, curers, and herbalists discussed and demonstrated living traditions in American folk medicine for the three days of the program. A symposium, "Folk Medicine: Alternative Approaches to Health and Healing", was held in NMHT on September 29 and 30. Finally, a film festival presented documentary films about folk medicine in the Museum's Carmichael Auditorium. Jack Santino served as Program Coordinator, assisted by Pamela Ow. Steve Zeitlin coordinated the film program, assisted by Barr Weissman.
Presenters
C. Jason Dotson, Glenn Hinson, Barbara Reimensnyder
Consultants
Brooks McNamara, Douglas Elliott, David J. Hufford
Symposium speakers
Richard M. Dorson, Norman Farnsworth, Joe S. Graham, Wayland D. Hand, David J. Hufford, Barbara Reimensnyder, Robert T. Teske, Andrew Weil, Don Yoder, James Harvey Young
Participants
Maude Bryant, 1894-, midwife, Moncure, North Carolina Dora Darden, 1934-, practitioner of traditional home remedies, Indianapolis, Indiana Marjorie Darden, 1957-, practitioner of traditional home remedies, Indianapolis, Indiana Clyde Hollifield, 1944-, herbalist, Old Fort, North Carolina Burlah C. Largen, 1893-1981, black gum toothbrush maker, Hillsville, Virginia Hattie Mae Lee, 1914-2007, herbalist, Moncure, North Carolina John Lee, 1910-2005, herbalist, Moncure, North Carolina Hawk Littlejohn, 1941-2000, Native American traditional healer, Pittsboro, North Carolina John H. Persing, 1941-, physician, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Donald A. Troutman, 1932-1999, pharmacist, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Barlow J. Wagman, 1931-, dentist, Riverdale, Maryland Ernestine Weddle, 1932-1988, practitioner of traditional home remedies, Indianapolis, Indiana
Collection Creator
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
See more items in
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1979 Festival of American Folklife
Date
September 27-30, 1979
Archival Repository
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
Identifier
CFCH.SFF.1979, Series 4
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-1503512423841-1503512423864-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk56e8e6973-e0a7-4bee-868e-1a9e908117d7

Related Content

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

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