Folklore

Deaf folklore is best understood by first grasping what folklore is, who or what constitutes a folk group, what defines lore, and what purposes folklore serves.

Contrary to the popular notion that folklore refers to false truths or merely to the quaint traditions of unenlightened people, folklore actually forms the very heart of all cultures. It is through folklore that we give meaning to our lives. From naming practices at birth to burial practices at death, and throughout much of life in between, folklore is at the bedrock of understanding ourselves as individuals, as communities, and as cultures. It is an integral part of how we understand the world and our place in the world. It is inextricably linked to our identity, our self-image, and simultaneously acts as a guidance system to navigate the outside world. For these reasons, it is difficult to sum up folklore in a simple definition.

Alan Dundes, a pioneer in the field of Folklore Studies, explains folklore by first defining the folk and then looking at what constitutes lore. For Dundes, folk can refer to “any group of people whatsoever who share at least one common factor. It does not matter what the linking factor is—it could be a common occupation, language, or religion—but what is important is that a group . . . have some traditions that it calls its own.” Family, gender, language, religion, occupation, sport, club, nationality, region, school, and ethnicity are just a few of the many factors that characterize groups to which we may belong. A folk group may refer to as few as two people but most folk groups are comprised of many individuals. Each of us is a member of many different folk groups simultaneously. Some shared factors are inherent, such as gender or nationality; some are acquired, such as an occupation or school affiliation. The common factors or shared experiences that determine our membership may be as broad as a language group or as narrow as an immediate family or a hobby club.

Take, for example, a Jewish American woman who is a soccer mom and a teacher. She already belongs to several folk groups. Add that she is a Deaf trilingual in ASL/English/Hebrew, from a deaf family, and a graduate of California School for the Deaf and Gallaudet University (where she was a member of PKZ sorority), and we can appreciate some of the deaf-specific folk groups to which she belongs.

[Page 422]Deaf people by their very nature constitute a folk group. They are set apart by the shared deaf experience and by a common signed language. Where, then, do we find Deaf folk groups and the loci of transmission of Deaf folklore?

Examine the Deaf world and you find it is incredibly well organized, on local, national, regional, and international levels. Deaf civic associations, community clubs, schools, sports teams, and associations abound. Gallaudet and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf have alumni associations, sororities, and fraternities. Students come together in dorm groups at state schools. Within all these groups we find shared Deaf traditions and experience.

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