2. Folk
• any group of people set apart
by identifiable culture within or
without the larger mainstream
culture;
• the group retains that culture
and identity long enough for a
body of folk expressions and
behaviors to develop;
• members express that identity
through consistent interaction
with each member of the group
3. folklore
“any bit of knowledge handed down from
generation to generation, which describes or
depicts the beliefs and lifestyle of the ancestors
of a chosen ethnic group, is rendered unique to
that group, and is respected” (Damiana Eugenio)
• study of folklore is a relatively new
endeavor, started sometime in the 19th
century
• Started by the Grimm brothers, Christian
Andersen
8. Tradition
• from Latin trado meaning “I give”;
• tested by time (at least 60 years or three
generations) and space
• Culture undergoes diffusion, or the spread of
culture is influenced by other cultures and
languages
• Chabacano language becomes extinct, the need
to preserve it is even more significant
9. categories of folklore
1. Prose: oral narratives
A. Fairy tales/magic tales/aswang stories
-results of man’s fascination of the supernatural and
the unknown
-example “Ibong Adarna”
B. Novella/Romantic tales
-realistic tendencies; emphasis on human frailties;
hero is a human being who relies on his wit,
wisdom, strength to overcome his adversaries; fate
cannot be escaped
-Oedipus Rex
10. C. Religious tales
• has close relationship to our Christian beliefs,
the fight between Good and Evil and the
former triumphs over the latter; the saints are
humanized; stories handed down by the
Church and the folk
-started during Medieval period
D. Simple tales
• jokes, anecdotes, tales of lying, numskull
11. E. Legends
• stories used by folks to explain occurrences,
phenomena, etc.
• loose in structure; localized stories that the folks are
familiar with; almost an authority of history related to
places and other things; they are didactic or
educational, serving to inform children about the
things around them; are used to warn them of dangers;
what is it? Why is it so? What can be done?
• *Check the book Legends of the Sto. Niño
• -Collect the legends of Fort Pilar, of barangays,
• -stories about phenomena and sicknesses
• -stories based on folk faith or religious worship
13. 2. Physical Folklife
A. Folk architecture
• -how traditional people build and arrange their houses and
buildings,
• -some manifest influence of feng shui (e.g., door facing
another door; oro, plata, mata; cardinal directions; etc.)
B. Folk costume
C. Folk cookery
• -traditional domestic cooking, the food
itself, preparation, preservation, and ramification
• -document the psychological and morphological aspects
• -food habits, food names, names of meals, food served
every meal
D. Arts & crafts
14. 3. Social Folk Customs
• -celebrations, festivals, games, religion, folk
medicine
• *Document the way the informant tells it and
not the way you want it; present the data
from the informant’s point of view,
4. Performing Folk Arts
• -dance, drama, music
15. documentation process
• Informant: source of open data
– a tradition bearer both active (who knows and
practices) and passive (who knows but does not
practice)
• Fieldworker: the one collecting, documenting
• Fieldwork: collecting of raw data from the
field
16. • keep in mind the purpose of documentation
preservation of the language
and the informants are
collaborators of this endeavor;
don’t get carried away
17. In doing field work, the field worker
must do the following:
1. prepare materials in advance, practice using the
equipment,(recorders and cassettes)
2. check if the equipment is functioning
3. familiarize with the language of the informants (folks) you
wish to interview
4. consider the daily activities of the informants
5. check himself if he is fit and healthy physically, mentally,
and even emotionally
6. show a humble demeanor as the informants can easily tell
whether the former is sincere or not
7. learn how to establish rapport with possible contacts; ask
from them information about the informant
18. 8. Before doing the fieldwork, make sure to
establish contacts. The contacts may take you to the
leads (informants)
9. -know the habits of the informants
10. -ask permission from the informants if the
collection can be done;
11. -appeal to their sense of pride
12. -show importance to them
13. -check if there are previous collection on the
areas you wish to research on
14. know those who served as informants in
previous research; they can also be your
informants, but know about their experiences
19. 15. -prepare an annotated bibliography before
starting the research and check if these are
available
16. -after recording, make sure to label the
tapes properly. You can start by introducing
what is about to be recorded (introductory
comments);
17. -work with pairs; take turns who will
interview and who will record
20. Don’t interrupt. Let the informant
share continuously. Treat your
informant with utmost reverence.
21. SUMMARY
• Prepare a list of contacts (e.g., barangay
officials, media men, people in the markets,
parks, barbershops, etc.)
• Prepare equipment to be used; non-
directional recorder
• Practice with relatives (FOLLOWING THE TIPS
ON HOW TO INTERVIEW)
• For performances, make sure these are
captured through video cameras.
22. • in folk song, field recording is useless unless
fully documented
• minimal information for recording:
4Ws, where, when, who, what
• the information is for labeling purposes as
well
• if possible, ask more information about the
song, the instruments, the process in making
the instruments, etc.
23. What to do?
• 1. Look for possible informants in your barangay.
He/she must be knowledgeable about folk
stories, songs, etc.
The informant must meet the following criteria
a. Must be 60 years old and above
b. Born and raised in Zamboanga City
c. Fluent in chabacano language (monolingual if
possible)
d. Physically, emotionally, mentally able for
interview
24. 2. There must be three (3) members per group.
Preferably, the group must have somebody who
speaks chabacano. There must also be male in
the group. Decide who will interview, write and
document (camera, record)
3. The group must submit 1 documented
folklore every week. This is equivalent to 1 long
exam. This will be collected every second
meeting of the week.
4. The documentation includes the form,
pictures, video, and the transcription.
