Entertainment: Catch Tale

Catch Tale Designed to Make Listener Ridiculous and/or Surprised:

Speaker: "I can make a match burn twice."

Listener: "How?"

Speaker: "Watch."

Speaker lights match and then blows it out, whereupon he quickly touches the skin of the listener with the still hot match, thus making it "burn" twice.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [B667] crossed out. F536 written next to it.

Where learned: Myself

Keyword(s): Catch Riddle ; CATCH TALE ; Diversion ; Entertainment ; MATCH ; MATCHES ; RIDDLE

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Entertainment: Catch Tale

TELL VICTIM YOU CAN MAKE A MATCH BURN TWICE. LIGHT MATCH, AND BLOW
OUT. THEN STICK THE TIP INTO THE VICTIM'S HAND.

Data entry tech comment:

Edited on 11-30-2010/ added Motifs,Keywords,BN. -TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): CATCH ; Catch Riddle ; CATCH TALE ; Diversion ; Entertainment ; MATCH ; MATCHES ; MOCK EPIC FIRE

Date learned: 11-16-1968

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Custom

Bicycling:

In Belgium, where bicycles and bicycle racing is still very popular, it is very common to see people walking beside very nicely decorated bikes during a parade. Decorations could consist of colored paper, ribbons, or roses which might be interwoven in the spokes of the wheels, etc. This custom is continued for the spectacle and unique designs which appear.

Submitter comment:

Recorded on Tape.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [M247.6] crossed out and replaced with F536.

The word Bicycling is written across the top of the entry.

Where learned: PENNSYLVANIA ; RESIDENCE ; Marcischak, Mrs Helen ; 335 Fidelity Dr ; PITTSBURGH

Keyword(s): ADORNMENT BEAUTIFICATION ; Belgium ; Bicycle ; Bicycling ; CUSTOM ; Decorate ; ETHNIC ; Parade ; Ribbons ; Roses

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Superstition: Academics

Belief:

Don't shave from the time of studying for an exam until the student takes the exam.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P880] crossed out and F537 is written next to it.

Where learned: SCHOOL ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ; Myself

Keyword(s): Academics ; BELIEF ; Books ; EDUCATION ; EDUCATION ADVICE ; GROOMING ; jinx ; Shaving ; Studying ; SUPERSTITION

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Graffiti

When you're up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember that your primary objective was to drain the swamp.

Submitter comment:

Graffiti regarding final examinations and the purposes of education.

Data entry tech comment:

BN and Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Upper left hand corner, the name JIM: is written.

Bottomright hand corner, the name Dick Kowalczyk is written.

Where learned: UNKNOWN

Keyword(s): Alligators ; EDUCATION ; EDUCATION ADVICE ; GRAFFITI

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Ethnic: Native American

The Pipe:

The place to start in liturgical adaptation is to use the Sacred Pipe as a prayer instrument. This will probably in time lead to the Pipe as an official sacramental like holy water. The Pipe is a wonderful symbol of Christ because it is the instrument of the mediator in the Sioux Religion just as the Sacred Humanity is the instrument of Christ the Mediator in our Christian Religion. Christ fulfills the Pipe rather than destroys it since He does in a more perfect way what the person praying with the Pipe does in an imperfect way. The Pipe, then, is the great Sioux foreshadowing of Christ in HIs Priestly Office. A person who understands and appreciates the Sacred Pipe will be disposed and not hindered from accepting Christ. I have found this true from experience. The Pipe must be purified, even exorcised if necessary like Holy Water and "baptized." When this is done, it is no longer the same Pipe which the early missionaries condemned. Once a person, whether Indian or non-Indian had this vision, he can no longer pray with the Pipe in exactly the same way as before. This is most important to remember: we are no longer talking about the same exact Pipe as the early missionaries because they did not see it in this way.

The Sacred Pipe is the religious symbol which is at the center of every traditional religious ceremony which all Indians of the Plains performed. It would be well to read one book, The Sacred Pipe, by Joseph E. Brown, Oklahoma Press (republished this year). In this account of Nicholas Black Elk, one of the great Catholic catechists on the Pine Ridge Reservation, we see all that the Pipe might stand for. If we want to grasp and summarize all the true cultural religious values of the Sioux Religion, then we must make our approach to adaptation beginning with the Sacred Pipe. If someone would build a Gothic Church, sing (a) Gregorian chant and wear Roman vestaments and at the same time reject the Sacred Humanity of Christ, this would be faulty acceptance of the Catholic Religion. The same is literally true of adapting the externals of the Sioux Religion such as language, music, beadwork, etc. without the Pipe. Whatever is said of the Sioux Religion is true of all the Plains Indians.

By adapting the Pipe we are getting at the natural starting point in their own minds. When you have taken the Pipe into the Catholic Church, you have taken in the essential good of their religion. Does this mean that we need to take in all their religious values without careful examination? No, some of these must be purified or even rejected. The advantage of starting with the Pipe as a prayer instrument (which it always was in their tradition) is that it creates a frequent occasion for dialog with the Indian people and for becoming involved in conversations which were closed to one before. It is most important to talk to the Indian people in an atmosphere of sympathetic acceptance to learn what the Pipe really means to them.

There will be good Catholic Indians who will not want to accept the Pipe because it has been condemned by some Fathers. It is important here to give time for new ideas to seep in. It took three or four months for one of my good Catholic full bloods to accept the use of the Pipe by the priest because of past condemnation. But when the idea finally got across that we are "baptizing" the Pipe, he said with great joy that he "wanted to be the godfather." It wasn't that he did not love the Pipe, but rather he rejected whatever the Fathers told him was bad regardless of how dear it was to him. A person could have taken his first reaction to the Pipe during those first several months as an argument against using the Pipe. But as it turned out, just the opposite is true. In fact, the injustice on our part for denying him the use of his own religious culture which he valued becomes evident. That is why the only way we can continue to discuss liturgical adaptation of Indians culture and make decisions concerning it, is to actually use the Pipe, begin a dialog and give sufficient time for honest reactions to become known.

One great advantage to using the Pipe for many communities is that it does not necessarily involve the Lakota language or Indian language of any Plains Tribe. If a community is almost entirely Indian speaking, using the language is good. But if the community is split, then the Indian language drives the full blood and the mixed bloods into the disunity of the ghettos. I don't think it is advisable to have a Mass just for Indian speaking people and one for non-Indian speaking people. This will never create the Christian Community. On the other hand, the Pipe is a symbol and a symbol can mean different people. [sic]  To many full bloods it still has a very literal appeal because they are still living in some way in the traditional world. These people have often been leading double lives. There are probably more Indians going through the sweat lodge and making a fast or vision quest on top of the hill than most people realize.

However, to the non-Indian speaking mixed blood the Pipe should be a symbol of his Indian identity and help enable him to accept his Indian identity with pride. Fr. Bryde's thesis is that there is a social pathology involved in today's Indian Culture and the place to start for everyone, full and mixed blood alike, is to build a pride in their Indian identity. This is what the use of the Pipe in the liturgy can do as well as to unite a fragmented community. In comparison to the above approach, the singing of a white man's son[g]s translated to the Indian was a useful but very weak approach to adaptation. It served its purpose in its own time.

In conclusion, the starting point is to use the Pipe as a prayer instrument and be prepared for open dialog with the Indian People. This use is in complete conformity with our Catholic Faith and should requite [sic] the permission of a local superior only. Eventually, it may become an official sacramental requiring the permission of the Bishop. Thus we are putting the Pipe in a very precise place that we can easily defend and explain so that we can have confidence that we know what we are doing. This is a small beginning since we can hardly do less. If we never go any further than this, we still have enriched the Catholic Church with a wonderful cultural gift and we have allowed the Indian people to accept their Indian identity at least to some extent when they become Catholic. However, when this step is taken, other developments will appear. I use the Pipe as a prayer instrument because I pray with more meaning and greater sincerity. The prayers and rituals will follow.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: CANADA ; Tekakwitha Conference ; Steinmetz SJ, Paul B ; WINNIPEG ; MANITOBA

Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; BELIEF ; CATHOLICISM ; Colonialism ; Essay ; ETHNIC ; Native American ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS ; SYMBOL

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Ethnic: Native American

Indian Burial Custom:

Informant noted a ritualistic use of pipe smoking in Indian Burial practices which - he bleived - is a co-mixture of Indian and Catholic beliefs.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT ; Fr Walters S J, Ted

Keyword(s): AMERICAN INDIAN ; BURIAL ; CATHOLICISM ; CUSTOMS ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Funeral ; Native American ; RELIGION ; RELIGIOUS

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Custom

Slate:

When the informant was of grade-school age, it was mandatory to come to school with a slate and a sponge wet enough to last for the whole day.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [M243] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; PENNSYLVANIA ; 935 FIDELITY DR ; Marcischak, Mrs Helen ; PITTSBURGH

Keyword(s): CUSTOM ; EDUCATION ; Learning ; Objects ; SCHOOL ; TOOLS

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Ethnic: Belgium

Homework Law:

In Belgium, where 5^1/2 days of school per week is the rule, there is a law which limits the amount of homework to 2 hours per day for any student.

Data entry tech comment:

Motif added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [F574.5, F574.82] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; PENNSYLVANIA ; 935 FIDELITY DR ; Marcischak, Mrs Helen ; PITTSBURGH

Keyword(s): Belgium ; EDUCATION ; ETHNIC ; Homework ; Law ; SCHOOL ; Student

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Superstition: Pregnancy

Cats:

Cats shouldn't be allowed in the same room as a sleeping baby because the smell of milk on a baby's breath will cause the cat to suffocate the baby when the cat attempts to suck the milk out of the baby through the baby's mouth.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P400] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; Lewandowski, Eugenia

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; ASPHYXIATION ; BABY ; CAT ; CHILD ; DEATH ; FEAR ; Feline ; FOOD ; Kill ; Milk ; Newborn ; Offspring ; Suffocate ; SUPERSTITION

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Superstition: Pregnancy

Cats and Babies:

Many mothers will not leace cats in the same room as an infant. They believe a cat can suck all the aior out of a baby's lungs and kill it.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT ; Ciciori, Jim

Keyword(s): ASPHYXIATION ; BABY ; CAT ; CHILD ; FEAR ; Feline ; infant ; Newborn ; Suffocate ; SUPERSTITION

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Superstition: Pregnancy

Cat Belief:

Never place a baby unattended in the same room as a cat, because the cat will leap up onto the child and take hold of the child's tongue and strangle the child.

Submitter comment:

Informant said she saw a cat do this and was able to save the child before the child expired.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P740] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; KALAMAZOO ; Ceru, Mrs. Joseph

Keyword(s): ASPHYXIATION ; BABY ; CAT ; CHILD ; FEAR ; Feline ; infant ; Newborn ; STRANGULATION ; SUFFOCATION ; SUPERSTITION

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Superstition

Cats:

It isn't good to keep a cat in the house while sleeping, for it would soon become fascinated in watching your Adam's Apple moving up and down, would try to catch it and eat it.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P750. P400] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; Lewandowski, Eugenia

Keyword(s): Adam's Apple ; CAT ; Consumption ; Devour ; FEAR ; Feline ; SLEEP ; SUPERSTITION ; SUPERSTITION ; Throat

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Superstition: Pregnancy

Cats:

Never let a Tom Cat sleep in the same bedroom with a child, it will take the child's breath away and smother it, killing the child.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P549] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: OHIO ; VanEwegen, Catherine ; 2747 Bradford Dr ; LUCAS COUNTY

Keyword(s): ASPHYXIATION ; BABY ; CAT ; CHILD ; FEAR ; Feline ; SUFFOCATION ; SUPERSTITION

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Superstition

Bad Luck:

If you see a black cat on ground hog's day, destruction is at hand.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD.

Collector's last name may be: Supenski, Suprinski, Serpenski, Surpinski...

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P880] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT ; Peters, Helene

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Black ; CAT ; Destruction ; Groundhog ; OMEN ; SUPERSTITION

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Superstition

Never cross the path of a black cat becasue bad luck will follow.

Data entry tech comment:

motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P752] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ; Myself

Keyword(s): Black ; CAT ; jinx ; LUCK ; OMEN ; SUPERSTITION

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Ethnic: Polish

House Initiation / Polish Custom:

Put  a cat in a house before you move into it and there will always be good luck.

Submitter comment:

A neighbor came over to borrow our cat for one of their relatives who had just bought a new house. These relatives of ournaighbors had just recently come over from Poland. I don't know the people's names and the neighbor doesn't live around here any more.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [F532] crossed out. Replaced with current classifications.

Message on the bottom of card:

[Please copy this item on the yellow card below so it will ALSO be filed under F686]

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ; Myself

Keyword(s): CAT ; ETHNIC ; fortune ; Good ; House ; Housewarming ; LUCK ; OMEN ; POLAND ; POLISH ; SUPERSTITION

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Superstition

Black Cat:

If a black cat crosses your path to the left you'll have bad luck. If he crosses to the right you'll have good luck.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [B440, P880] crossed out / Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; WINSTON SALEM ; NORTH CAROLINA ; McCoy, Laurie

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; Black ; CAT ; Feline ; LEFT ; LUCK ; OMEN ; RIGHT ; SUPERSTITION

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Ethnic: Roman

Rome is the city of cats, stones and priests becasue all three of these are very plentiful. The cats can be found everywhere and are respected by the people and are feed [sic] by them. Cats are never killed and always cared for because it is said that the Roman spirit is reincarnated in them.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [P752, B440] crossed out / replaced with current classification

Where learned: ITALY ; ROME

Keyword(s): CAT ; DEATH ; ETHNIC ; Feline ; Priests ; REINCARNATION ; Roman ; Rome ; Soul ; STONES

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Ethnic: Egyptian

Belief about Gods:

Cats were considered to be Gods in ancient Egypt.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [B200, P230.440] crossed out. Replaced with current classification

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ; Simpson, William ; 6319 LODEWYCK

Keyword(s): ANIMAL ; CAT ; Egypt ; Egyptian ; ETHNIC ; GODS ; Worship

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