Arts and Media Basics:
Folklife Resources

Folklife is a word made up of two words: folk and life. The word "folk" usually means people or refers to a particular group of people. The word "life" includes all of the daily activities people do in their lives. "Folklife" means the daily traditional activities, information, and art forms of a particular group of people.

Traditions are part of every person's life. We learn traditions from people in our families, on the job, at church, in our neighborhoods, and from members of our ethnic groups. Customs, beliefs, stories, dance, music, games, foods, celebrations, and crafts are types of traditions.

Mexican Americans are one of eastern Oregon's largest ethnic groups. People of Mexican heritage move to Oregon from Florida, Texas, New Mexico, California, Mexico, and other places. They come to find work and live in this region of the country. They bring many traditions with them. Traditions play a major part in the daily lives of Mexican Americans.

This is a study of Mexican American traditions in Oregon. This will help each person understand his or her own traditions as well as those of your neighbors. It is a celebration of every group's identity.

Activities

Activity 1: In order to understand the concept of groups, have the students create a Group Grid that identifies the elements that people can share and that give a group its identity. Choose groups that students might be member of: athletic teams, scouts, church youth groups, etc. Get students to place group names along the top, then list downward in the grid squares the features of each group. They will see that some of the groups will have the same features (several groups might be made up of all boys or girls, for instance). It is important to show elements or features that distinguish one group from another. This helps students understand that, while groups can have certain features alike, certain features set one group apart from one another and help define them.

Activity 2: Everyone-including students-has folklife. There are many traditions that take place each day in a school setting. A class-produced "Student How To Book" is a way for students to arrive at an understanding of folklife. Students should include things they learn informally at school. By brainstorming on the chalkboard, the class can come up with many customs, beliefs, stories, dances, music, games, food, celebrations, or crafts that a new student would not know, but an "old timer" would. Students may work individually or in groups on sections of the book. The book need not be an elaborate finished product, just a concrete way to understand the concept of folklife. An alternative project might be a "Family How To Book" that gives students an opportunity to explore traditional daily activities within their own families.

Activity 3: Students can also create an Ethnic Group Grid. Here, they will want to list the specific features that define an ethnic group: place/country or origin, language, and particular traditions (religion, art and craft forms, music, dances, foods, and celebrations are some examples). It might be useful for students to investigate the ethnic groups mentioned in the student magazine. What makes Filipinos different from Germans and Scottish ethnic groups? Or, what were the differences between the Native American Indian tribes living in Oregon before Europeans arrived?

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Traditional Crafts
Ethnic Communities
Folklife Resources Index