IAH FINAL

Folk Groups

A group of people who share something in common—beliefs, practices, activities, occupation, location, identity, interests, etc.

Variation

Folklore always changes as it moves between people.

Tradition

Something passed down, taught, or transmitted in a group over time.

Function

What folklore does for a group (the practical or social purpose).

Meaning

What folklore means to the people who practice it.

Purpose

Why a piece of folklore exists or why a group keeps practicing it.

Text

The item of folklore itself (story, joke, costume, handshake, amulet).

Context

Where, when, and why the folklore occurs; the situation.

Texture

The style or presentation—tone, delivery, materials, sound of voice, design, etc.

Transmission

How folklore is shared or passed between members of a folk group.

Anti-colonialism

A movement or ideology actively resisting colonial rule and seeking liberation.

Post-colonialism

Study of how cultures rebuild after colonialism and how colonial structures remain embedded.

Implicit Coding

A type of coded message where the coding is not obvious, and the meaning is understood through shared experience within an oppressed group.

Rite of Passage

A customary celebration marking a major life change: birth, marriage, graduation, coming-of-age.

Calendar Customs

Repeating yearly traditions tied to a calendar date.

Tricksters

Folklore characters who have less societal power and use lies, tricks, disguise, wit.

Oral History

Recorded personal accounts of lived experience; informal, first-person memories preserved in archives.

Things We Say

One of the four categories of folklore, relating to jokes, legends, stories, rumors, sayings.

Things We Do

One of the four categories of folklore, relating to rituals, customs, dances, handshakes, pilgrimages.

Things We Believe

One of the four categories of folklore, relating to supernatural beliefs, folk medicine, superstitions.

Things We Make

One of the four categories of folklore, relating to crafts, quilts, amulets, handmade or decorated objects.

McNeill's Questions about Folklore

Meaning, purpose, and function.

Examples of Tricksters

Rumpelstiltskin, Clever Gretel, Coyote, Anansi, Reynard the Fox.

Function of Folklore

Teaching a lesson, bonding a group, expressing identity, coping with fear.

Reynard the Fox

A popular trickster character in Medieval Europe, often depicted as clever and deceptive.

Djinn

Spiritual beings in Islamic theology, also present in folk beliefs.

Coyote

A trickster character in Native American folklore, known as a lone wanderer.