Rooted in Tradition
by Bruno Seraphin, Folklore Graduate Student McKenzie River Fishing Guide and storyteller Robin Alexander relayed this story to me. The central character here is a fellow who lived by the McKenzie in the late 1800’s and claimed to be the “real” Huckleberry Finn from Mark Twain’s famous book. There are a number of outlandish… Continue reading A McKenzie River Legend
by Adrienne Decker, Folklore Graduate Student On May Day, two fisherpoets arrived in Eugene to introduce our community to songs, stories, and poems about the lives of the men and women working in the commercial fishing industry. Jon Broderick and Jay Speakman, both organizers of the annual FisherPoets Gathering, lead a poetry workshop and evening… Continue reading Two Fisher Poets in Eugene
by Adrienne Decker, Folklore Graduate Student While many in Western Oregon don’t often have much opportunity to venture east of the Cascades, the high desert of Oregon is full of a rich cultural and historical heritage that should be of interest to our local lovers of artistic and homesteading traditions. As we learned on our… Continue reading Folklife Survey of Southeastern Oregon: Harney and Malheur Counties
by Julie Meyer, Folklore Graduate Student On a drizzly Thursday afternoon in March, I threw my camping gear into my car and headed north towards Port Townsend, Washington, with my dog and my recorder in tow. During the long car ride I could feel the adrenaline of conducting my first solo fieldwork expedition motivating me.Only… Continue reading Words Washed in with the Tide: FisherPoet Fieldwork in Port Townsend