Voices on the Radio

With an emphasis on letting people speak in their own voice, we continue a New York Folklore Society mission to promote understanding across cultural boundaries.

We believe understanding of diversity leads to tolerance and compassion.

New York Folklore Society
P.O. Box 764
Schenectady, NY 12301
518/346-7008
Fax 518/346-6617
nyfs@nyfolklore.org

Voices of New York Traditions New York Folklore Society’s Folklife Radio Documentaries Interviews now available on-line. Look for mp3s on this page.
The New York Folklore Society has produced a number of five-minute radio documentaries featuring the folklife (skills, traditions, stories, music, dance, folk art and material items) found in New York State. With eleven documentaries, they will are being presented as a collection to public radio stations on a local and national level.	Cover Design: JENNIFER WILKERSON/AURORA DESIGN Illustration: POLLY M. LAW, 2003

The New York Folklore Society developed the folklife radio series to celebrate the people of New York and the art they create in their everyday lives—their traditional art forms, unique community life, and the sense of order and aesthetics that pervades both work and play. The series taps the cultural riches found in the folklife of a state that, perhaps more than any other in the Union, is the product of many cultures.

Each documentary features one master of a traditional art form recorded on location. In their own words—the voices of New York traditions—these tradition bearers describe how they learned their skills, whether from family members or from elders handing traditions down to a new generation. The series seeks to show the strength and power of folk traditions and how they affect people’s lives and shape their identity. It demonstrates that traditions can remain remarkably similar over time, change from outside influences, or become vehicles for personal expression as people infuse tradition with their own artistic sensibilities.

The radio series provided a unique opportunity for folklorists around the state to partner with professional radio producers. We had successful collaborations with Joyce Kryszak of WBFO in Buffalo, Lamar Bliss from Potsdam, NY, Robert Brown of WMHT in Schenectady, and Ginger Miles of New York City. The project was executive produced by Dale Johnson and Lamar Bliss.

The features are "evergreen"—they are not tied to a specific date, season, or holiday and can be heard anytime—and exemplify traditions found in various regions of New York State. They are intended for all ages and are free for nonprofit use. Included in each documentary are an introduction and funding credits to be read by radio stations’ local announcers. For more information on these documentaries, please e-mail us or phone 518/346-7008.

James Donato: Out of the Woods This documentary explores the art of chain saw carving, told by carver James Donato from Altamont, NY. James discusses his feelings about being an artist and looks at the process that goes into making a chain saw carving, mostly of animals and fishermen. Read excerpts from the transcript from this documentary published in Voices, Fall-Winter 2000. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY	Polka Music in Western New York State Polka has long been a strong tradition in the Polish Community of Buffalo, NY and the surrounding region since the early 1900’s. Brought by immigrants from Poland, the music is part of the identity of descendants that celebrate heritage through music and dance. This documentary has interviews with performers Joe Macielag and Jerry Darlak about the mechanics and the significance of polka music. Read a transcript from this documentary published in Voices, Spring-Summer 2001. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY
Mark Hamilton: Old-Time Fiddler and Square Dance Caller The late Mark Hamilton is considered one of the finest old-time fiddlers from New York State. This documentary uses narrative and interviews to discover this man’s life and music, and reveals the historical perspective of old-time music and square dance seen through the eyes of this much missed tradition bearer. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY	Shad Fishing on the Hudson Shad fishing has been an occupation on the Hudson River for many years. Almost destroyed by pollution, shad fishing is making a comeback. Producer Ginger Miles interviewed fisherman Everett Nack about the folkways of this occupational craft. Read a verbatim transcript of the documentary. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY
Bill Smith: Traditional Storyteller and Adirondack Basket Weaver Bill Smith is a well-known storyteller and basket maker who tells traditional tall tales of the Adirondacks as well as stories of his growing up in the North Country. He mixes narratives about the humorous antics of relatives and community members with song to present portraits of life in this region of the State. Read a transcript of this documentary from Voices, Fall-Winter 2001. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY	Sara and Colleen Cleveland: A Rich Legacy of Folk Song Sara Cleveland was a folk song collectors dream, singing a vast repertoire of British ballads and American folk songs dating back hundreds of years. Her contribution to the recording and preservation of these songs as documented by folklorists leaves a chronicle of the music traditions of early New York settlers. Now her granddaughter Colleen continues this tradition of folk song, and she and her father Jim describe their family heritage of music. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY
Square Dancing in Western New York This documentary shows that dance traditions developed by early Americans from European styles were retained and practiced in New York State as well. Interviews with square dance callers and musicians give a glimpse into the celebratory life of community members in the region and how these traditions have changed as well as continued over time. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY	Edith Cutting: Folklore Collector A pioneer collector of Adirondack folklore, Edith Cutting grew up in Essex County near Elizabethtown, NY, where her family had farmed the land since the early 1800’s. In the 1930’s she attended the Albany Normal School and took classes from folklorist Dr. Harold Thompson, a co-founder of the New York Folklore Society. She was inspired by a class assignment to collect stories from her family and community, some of which appeared in Thompson’s book, "Body, Boots and Britches." Later she published her own book "Lore of an Adirondack County." She continues to collect and teach folklore. Read the interview as published in Voices, Spring-Summer 2002. Read a verbatim transcript of the documentary. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY
Akwesasne Iroquois: Native-American Basket Making Traditions Baskets made of sweetgrass and Black ash splints have an important place in the Mohawk Iroquois tradition at the Akwasane reservation located on the US-Canadian border along the St. Lawrence River. Baskets of varying sizes were an everyday item used for storage, food gathering, and organization in the home. In the 19th and 20th centuries the baskets took on an increasingly economic importance and became more innovative and decorative. The Voices of New York Traditions looks at the souvenir basket trade. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY	African-American Quilts and Their Makers Ora Kirkland and Virginia Hall speak about their art as African-American quilt makers. Africans brought to America a long tradition of working with textiles. They added their own aesthetic to quilting techniques, overturning rules of geometry, balance, and order to create a unique blend of cultural designs, serving both form and function. Read a verbatim transcript of the documentary. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY
La Quinceañera Dress Making: Francisca "Panchita" Davila Seamstress Francisca Davila was born into a family of farmers in 1934 close to the town of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She learned the art of crochet and tailoring from her mother Mercedes Torres. "Panchita" moved to Amsterdam, NY in 1961 and worked in a handkerchief mill. Today, she is known throughout Amsterdam’s Latino community as a local quinceañera dress maker and party planner for Latina girls. La Quinceañera is an important event in every 15 year old girl’s life. It is a celebration of her birthday as well as her journey into adulthood. Family and friends gather at the symbolic party where the dresses and even the shoes, songs, and sermons represent the coming together of community by maintaining an important cultural tradition, the celebration of a young girls passage into womanhood. Read a transcript of this documentary that was published in Voices, Fall-Winter 2002 issue. HEAR THE DOCUMENTARY