ARTIFACT: Smokey Bear SIZE: Various. See U.S. Forest Service’s Guide for proper use. FOLKLIFE: Occupational folklore, storytelling, advertising, land use, politics by Kimi Eisele Chances are, if you’ve ever set foot on public lands in the United States (or even into a gift shop near a national forest or wilderness area) you’ve seen Smokey ... [Continue Reading]
El Molino
ARTIFACT: Electric corn grinder, molino SIZE: 5 x 3 x 4 ft FOLKLIFE: Food & foodways, kitchen tradition, gender roles, occupational folklore Illustration: Cara Gibson Story by Mele Martinez My father’s kitchen was an old, car garage in El Presidio neighborhood of downtown Tucson, Arizona. Outside, small plastic bags of ... [Continue Reading]
The Ubiquitous Virgin of Guadalupe
by Jim Griffith, guest contributor Editor’s note: December 12 is the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, observed by Mexicans of the Catholic faith and many others, during which celebrations and fiestas are held in her honor. In Mexico City, those venerating her make pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe where her image is displayed. Here, ... [Continue Reading]
La Santa Muerte: The folk saint who asks no questions
by Jim Griffith, guest contributor La Santa Muerte (“Holy Death” or “Saint Death”) is an extremely popular Mexican folk saint who is not recognized by the Catholic Church, even though her devotion shares much of its structure, behavior, and worldview with Catholicism. A personification of Death, she is frequently represented as a robed and ... [Continue Reading]
Hello Kitty in Kimono: Exhibiting the Everyday Lives of Master Traditional Artists
If there’s such a thing as a “master curator,” Leia Maahs qualifies as one. As the program manager of the Southwest Folklife Alliance, she handles a lot of people, information, and cultural expressions. And for the past few months, she’s been curating a special exhibit for Tucson Meet Yourself to showcase master traditional artists along with their ... [Continue Reading]
An Ordinary Act: Bicycles as Vehicles for Change
When Tucson native Vanessa Cascio was living in Chicago working long, odd hours as a social worker, she couldn’t always rely on public transit. So she bought a cheap, beat-up cruiser bicycle. The only problem was, she didn’t know how to ride a bike. “It’s not that I wasn’t allowed to ride growing up, but I had brothers and they were the ones who ... [Continue Reading]
Low & Slow: The Duke’s Car Club Preserves a Lowrider Culture
It’s a late April afternoon on Tucson’s Southside and the sun glints off the Kelly green paint job of a 1939 Chevrolet. Alfred Teran, Jr. gets in and plugs his phone into a portable set of speakers. Barry White sings his 1974 “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” and a pair of plush dice sways from the rearview mirror. As Teran, Jr. pulls away from the ... [Continue Reading]
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