FOLKLIFE IN FOCUS – Occupational Folklore

Welcome to the Follow the Folklorist blog! Founded by Rebecca Snetlesaar and currently led by Nevada State Folklorist Brad McMullen, our blog is dedicated to exploring the rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and celebrations that make Nevada such a vibrant state. Through our two main topics, Folklife in Focus and Notes from the Field, Brad will share his unique insights and experiences, providing a captivating glimpse into the diverse and fascinating world of Nevada folk traditions. Join us on this exciting journey as we delve into the stories, customs, and heritage that shape our state’s identity. Get ready to be inspired and amazed! 

Occupational Folklore

There’s a lot of different categories of folklife out there, and all of them are part of what I’m here to promote as the Folklife Specialist at the Nevada Arts Council. When people think of the folk and traditional arts, art forms connected to ethnic groups tend to be the first that come to mind, but there’s plenty of other groups that people belong to that have their own sets of traditions. One of the big ones is occupational groups – what someone does for a living. Different jobs all have different traditions, customs, and even art forms that are connected to what they do, and this bundle of unofficial activities and practices make up occupational folklife. 

While we tend to associate occupational folklife with more blue collar, outdoors based jobs–traditions and artforms like cowboy gear, cowboy poetry, logging tales, fishing stories, etc … – but every job has something. Back in the ’80s and ’90s there was Xerox lore sent from office to office, as well as early chain emails that have been replaced with inside jokes and memes about email jobs. Retail and food service workers tell each other stories of bad customers and worse managers, and many jobs have off-the-books rules and customs that get passed on to newcomers to help them acclimate to their new workplace. 

There’s plenty of Nevada specific occupational folklife out there. The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering features plenty of folk traditions associated with cowboying, ranch life, and rural occupations in general. Mining, the economic bedrock of the state, has plenty of stories and art forms associated with it, as does everyone associated with the states other major economic driver, the casinos and resorts. Every job from the housekeepers to the reception staff, card game dealers to showgirls, has its own set of stories, songs, customs, practices, and art forms that get passed along from veterans to newbies, bringing them into the group. 

If you’re interested in learning more about occupational folklife, the Library of Congress’ Occupational Folklife Project is a great place to start! Managed by the American Folklife Center, the project began in 2010 and documents American workers in all sorts of fields from around the country, including gold miners in Nevada. Or check out our Home Means Nevada interviews with Tom Martinet about the language of gambling or Mark Dahl about bits and spurs. 

What kinds of traditions do you have at your workplace? Any particularly bad customers stand out? Any unique traditions you have to ensure your shift goes smoothly or a luck feather you make sure in in your boa? Let me know! 

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Visit the Nevada Folklife Archives on Flickr