(Chapter 6, Box 25 Action)
In gathering information about Camp Pokagon for Girls, I found a lot of terms used by former campers. For instance:
Pow-Wow The end-of-camp newsletters issued by Herman Phillips--"Phil"--the director. I found copies of these newsletters dating from 1966 to 1976.
However, I found many mentionings of camp events and, without explanations, I can only guess from pictures what they entail. For example, I found pictures of whaleboating, Miss Icky, Water Olympics, Kangaroo Court, Pokagon Playhouse, Dew Drop, Horseback Breakfast, and several other events.
I'm awaiting a reply from the former Camp Pokagon for Girls staff, but so far all I've gotten is an automated message that tells me rather enthusiastically that I will be receiving a reply soon. Without an interview, will some of the events be lost, only recorded as random pictures? Here is where our family history project research ties in with service learning research. In both areas of study this semester I've come across great artifacts (pictures, letters, etc.), but have had little luck finding an insider to tell me the stories behind the artifacts.
Due to limited time, what I might have to do is collect as many songs, jokes, and other written oral performances as I can and let those artifacts tell the stories. Afterall, performances reveal at the very least "the everyday rules and rituals that a culture lives by" (337), so I might be able to create narrative materials loosely based on the word choices repeated in songs.
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You wrote: “I'm awaiting a reply from the former Camp Pokagon for Girls staff, but so far all I've gotten is an automated message that tells me rather enthusiastically that I will be receiving a reply soon.”
ReplyDeleteHa!!! This made me grin!
You wrote: “Here is where our family history project research ties in with service learning research. In both areas of study this semester I've come across great artifacts (pictures, letters, etc.), but have had little luck finding an insider to tell me the stories behind the artifacts.”
Hmm, this is interesting. I’d be curious to hear a bit more reflecting about the significance of this crossover between the assignments. Is this a complication of the insider/outsider, emic/edic status, or is it a quality of doing historical research of any kind? In other words, is it a feature of the research methodology of ethnography or historiography?