TEXAS FOI,KI.IFE FESTIVAL
A CHILDREN'S GUIDE
TEXAS FOI.KI,IFE FESTIVAL
I
A CHILDREN'S GUIDE
Written and illustrated by Kathy Wicks
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author-illustrator Kathy Wicks is an environmental educator and artist,
who resides in Bryan, Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree
from the Recreation and Parks Department at Texas A&M University,
specializing in Natural Resource Interpretation. She is currently pursuing
a Master of Science degree in Education Curriculum and Instruction.
STORIES FOR YOUNG READERS
The following books are designed specifically for school-age readers and
contain historical fact, interesting information and dynamic accounts of
Texas history which both entertain and inform:
With Domingo Leal in San Antonio, 1734; Who Are the Chinese Tex­ans?;
Our Mexican Ancestors, Volume One; A Personal History: The
Afro-American Texans; and Colorful Texas, an Institute coloring book.
Texas Folklife Festival: A Children's Guide
Written and illustrated by Kathy Wicks
©1987 The University of Texas
Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio
John R. McGiffert, Interim Executive Director
International Standard Book Number 0-86701-035-5
Printed in the United States of America
What is a Texan? Texans are people of many cultures, traditions and
talents. The Texas Folkllfe Festival teaches us about Texans and their
ways of life. It teaches us about our different ancestors and tells us about
the one thing we all have in common. We are all Texans.
Each summer The Institute of Texan Cultures holds a Folklife Festival,
which honors the different ethnic groups in the State of Texas. At the
Festival you can see the crafts, listen to the music and taste the food
of Texans sharing the traditions learned from their ancestors. Let's go
to the Texas Folklife Festival!
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Within the State of Texas there are smaller groups of people. These
groups are called ethnic (ETH-nik) groups. Each ethnic group is differ­ent,
and each tells us about traditions from another country or state.
Where do traditions come from? Traditions are passed from generation
to generation by family and friends. Within the State of Texas there
is a large variety of ethnic traditions.
The Czechoslovakians (chek-o-slo-VAH-kee-uns) are one of the
largest ethnic groups in Texas. Many Czechs came from Europe in the
19th century and settled in Fayette County. Their folk costumes are
colorfully decorated with fine needlework. Visit the Czech food booth
and try a sisky (SIS-kee), a cottage cheese dumpling coated with sugar
and cinnamon.
Watch the Polish folk dancers show how they would celebrate a suc­cessful
harvest in song and dance. The square red hats worn by the
men are decorated with peacock feathers, which represent good luck.
Their wide, red-and-white-striped trousers and high black boots remind
us that Poland was once a horse-riding nation.
Vitace Knam
Have you ever heard of an ethnic group called the Wends? They came
to Texas from Central Europe in the 19th century and established the
town of Serbin in Lee County. At the Wendish booth you can learn
how to prepare their delicious egg noodles. Noodles are a Wendish
tradition and are served at almost every meal. The Wends give a fond
"Witace Knam," or "Welcome," to all Festival visitors.
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This triangular musical instrument from Russia is called a balalaika
(ba-la-LI-ka). The balalaika has three strings, which are plucked, and
a small sound hole, which gives the instrument its unusual sound. Often
a group of people who play the balalaika will form an orchestra. At
the Folklife Festival you can listen to the Houston Balalaika Orchestra.
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Here are the lively Ukrainian (yu-KRAY-nee-un) folk dancers doing
their scissor dance. The Ukrainian homeland is in the western part of
Russia near Poland. In Texas there are Ukrainian settlements in Dallas,
Houston, Bremond and Schulenburg.
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FOLKLIFE.
F"ES1NAL
Join the circle! The Texas Indian Heritage Society will teach you their
friendship dance. The steady "Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!" of the
drum used in their music is like the Indian's heartbeat. The Indian heri­tage
is beautifully shown in their beaded garments made of soft leather.
An important part of the Lebanese culture is their delicious food. A
favorite salad is called tabooli (ta-BOO-lee). Tabooli is made of chopped
tomatoes, green onions, mint, parsley and cracked wheat. It takes many
years of practice to learn how to perform the traditional Lebanese dance
called dabke (DOB-kee). Now, everyone form a line, join hands and
dance to the music!
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Many things in Texas have been influenced by the Mexican culture­food,
ranching, clothes, even the names of our streets and towns. At
the Festival the Texans at the Mexican Market say "Bienvenidos" (byen­ve-
NEE-thos) to welcome all to share in their colorful heritage.
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Nederland, a town on the Neches River, was established by Dutch
immigrants in 1897. They named their town after their native homeland
in Europe, the Netherlands. The wooden shoes, or clogs, worn by the
men and women were used for everyday wear and work. It was a
custom in the Netherlands for young men to give hand-carved clogs
to their future wives as wedding gifts.
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Do you know who the Khmers (ka-MARES) are? The Khmers were
early settlers in the part of Indochina which is now called Kampuchea
(Cambodia). After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, many Khmers
left their homeland and moved to the United States. In Texas we are
lucky to have them share their Southeast Asian culture with us!
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The people of Scotland are known for their colorful plaid skirts, called
kilts, and musical instruments, called bagpipes. These two dancers are
performing a popular Scottish dance called Shepherd's Crook. The
woman is wearing a long, white country dress used for formal dances,
decorated with a rectangular plaid shawl over one shoulder. In front
of the man's kilt hangs a leather or fur pouch called a sporran (SPORE­an)
. A dagger is tucked inside one of his stockings.
Listen to the jingle of the spurs on the black boots of the Hungarian
(hung-GAR-ee-un) dancers as they stomp their feet in time with the
music. Their colorful costumes are among the most beautiful in Europe.
The women's flowered skirts cover several layers of starched white petti­coats.
Wide, white linen trousers, called~ (GAY-tas), are worn
by the men along with bright red vests decorated with gold braid. At
the Hungarian food booth, try the meat and vegetable soup called
goulash (GOO-Josh).
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New Braunfels was among the early German settlements in the State
of Texas. To celebrate their heritage and fine German food, the people
of New Braunfels hold a Wurstfest. At the German food booth, the
Wurstfest Association invites you to sample their tasty sausage and
sauerkraut (SOWER-krowt). While you eat, listen to the happy sound
of the tuba playing traditional German oompah music.
Line up your crawfish at the Cajun booth and get ready for a wild
race! The Cajuns are one of the most exciting and spirited cultures in
the State of Texas. Their French heritage brought them from Nova
Scotia, Canada, to the swamps and bayous of Louisiana and then to
east Texas. Along the way they developed their own spicy style of cook­ing
taken from the Indian, African and Spanish cultures.
TREEN WARE WEAVING PICKLES
KITE MAKING LYE SOAP SILHOUEITES
RUSH CANDLES BOBBIN LACE STENCILING
Crafts play an important role in telling people about ethnic traditions.
Demonstrations of activities from everyday life show us less familiar
cultural traditions. In the Festival "Back Forty," dozens of skilled people
are willing to share their crafts with you. And don't forget to stop and
visit the chickens, geese, horses, sheep and other animals on the way.
Have a seat on a bale of sweet-smelling hay and listen to one of the
Festival storytellers. Rest your feet and enjoy tales of pioneer folklore
at the same time!
At the fishin' hole, learn how to make a fishing pole using a soft green
willow branch. Our pioneer ancestors made some of their tools with
materials that were available from the land.
What is a hoecake? Hoecakes, or johnnycakes, are a type of com bread.
The pioneers cooked hoecakes by pouring the com meal batter on the
flat side of a garden hoe. The hoe was held over hot coals until the
outside of the hoecake had formed a golden crust. If you would like,
you can cook and eat your own hoecake at the Festival.
Whittlers can carve small pieces of wood into works of art. Using a
pocketknife, this whittier is creating a buttonhole flower for a lucky
Festival visitor.
This basket weaver is making a hive for bees, using small bundles of
hay bound together with long strands of reed. Many baskets are made
from flexible tree branches, such as wisteria.
Pioneer Texans did not buy their clothes- they made them. At the
Festival you can help prepare the fleece from sheep for weaving or
knitting. Before wool can be used, it must be made free of lumps by
a process called carding. The square cards brush against each other
over and over until the wool is fluffy. After carding, the wool is spun
into one continuous strand on a spinning wheel.
Under the arbor, gospel singers entertain everyone with lively spiritual
music. Gospel music came from the hymns and songs sung at camp
meetings by whites and blacks in the 19th century. Come clap your
hands and sing along with the Duckens Family gospel singers!
If you mix shredded cabbage with salt and sugar, what will happen?
Through a process called fermentation, the ingredients will become
sauerkraut (SOWER-krowt). At the Festival you can learn how to make
your own sauerkraut to put on your hot dogs at home.
The buildings in the Festival "Back Forty" are examples of those once
used by Texas pioneers. Take a seat at one of the wooden desks in
the one-room schoolhouse. The teacher will show you how to improve
your penmanship. Push-pull goes your slate pencil across your slate.
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The frontier fort is an example of a military headquarters used in Texas
between 1865 and 1875. You can watch volunteers demonstrate what
a typical day was like on a frontier outpost. After many hours of march­ing
drills and roll calls, the soldiers end their day with an evening dress
parade and a trumpet round called "Taps."
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Usually barns are used to shelter livestock and store tools and crops.
But the bam in the "Back Forty" is alive with the foot-tapping music
of a band called Saint James's Gate. The flat, stringed instrument resting
atop a thin pole is called a hammered dulcimer (DULL-seh-mer). The
delicately carved "hammer" is used to tap lightly on the instrument's
wire strings.
DRAWKNIFE
BROADAXE
FRO E.
ADZE
Many pioneer families lived in log houses with dirt floors. To build a
house, each log was cut and shaped by hand, using an adze, drawknife
and broadaxe. With the help of one of the Festival builders, learn how
to split a wooden shingle with a mallet and froe.
What is a Texan? Texans are people who llve in the State of Texas.
They share a proud heritage, a rich landscape and a variety of traditions.