Ruben Cobos, Elvira Cobos, recorders, 1975
File — Box: 4, CD: 399 B
Scope and Content
From the Collection:
The collection consists of 591 recordings of folk songs, folklore and local histories collected by Ruben Cobos from 1944-1974 in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Also included in the collection are about 270 additional recordings of selected music - a few from New Mexico, many from Mexico and Latin America, and others from Spain, Europe and the U.S. The recordings vary in quality between good, fair, and poor. They contain both musical and spoken content. Most recordings are in Spanish, however, a few are in English. Others are Bilingual or represent the use of Spanglish.
The informants are mainly from New Mexico and Colorado, with a few from California, Texas and Mexico. The collections focuses heavily on spoken Spanish, with examples of poetry, riddles, proverbs, legends, anecdotes, folk tales, mysteries, prayers, nursery rhymes, games, jokes, language use, tricky words, tongue twisters, memories, local history and family history. The Spanish songs include alabados, entriegas for weddings and baptisms, inditas, corridos and ballads, pastores, posadas, love songs, folk dance music, etc. Traditions of Los Juanes and Los Manueles, Penitente morada practices, including women Penitentes, Holy Week songs and activities and the role of the church, santos and fiestas in the lives of the people are also included. There are also several lectures on folklore, music and culture by Cobos and other scholars, including Fray Angelico Chavez, Charles Briggs, Alfonso Ortiz, Arthur Leon Campa, Marta Weigle, Guadalupe Baca Vaughn, Anita Thomas and others. Included also are autobiographical accounts by Ruben Cobos and his wife Elvira.
Songs and stories about and for children, their health and education are included. Although the majority of the information is about Spanish and Hispanic traditions, the collection also provides some materials by and about non-Hispanics and the relationship between the races. A small amount of stories and songs relate to Apaches, Navajos, Pueblos, Mexicanos, African Americans, and Anglos (gringos).
Songs and stories by or about males show them in every walk of life, as rich and poor, old and young, as husbands, widowers, fathers, sons, relatives, compadres, friends, orphans, opponents, collaborators, kings, princes, commoners, giants, ranchers, cowboys, shepherds, farmers, woodcutters, shoemakers, vendors, railroaders, hunters, priests, doctors, teachers, politicians, attorneys, meteorologists, soldiers, witches, simpletons, gamblers, murderers, drunks, adulturers and thieves.
Recordings by and about women add value and perspective to the collection. Females are rich and poor, old and young, girl friends, lovers, adulteresses, wives, widows, mothers, comadres, church attendees, housekeepers for priests, nuns, princesses, queens, teachers, curanderas, cooks and witches. Some of the characters found in the collection are Cinderella, Genoveva de Brabanate, Goldilocks, Delgadina, La Llorona, Doña Cebolla, Dona Fortuna and the Virgin Mary, as well as San Antonio, San Pedro, Bartoldo, Don Cacahuate, Juan Charrasqueado, Pedro and Juan de Urdemalas, Ali Baba, Don Dinero, Tio Botitas and others.
The collection contains descriptions, traditions, local history and songs for New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Mexico. There are references to the Civil War in New Mexico, the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. Stories tell of superstitions, supernatural, unexplained phenomenon, balls of fire and light, lightening, a comet, the sun, moon, finding treasure, ghosts, devils and magic. Additional topics include traditional food and cooking, health and home remedies. Included also are stories and references to insects, animals, birds, fish and snakes, as well as floods and storms, and automobiles and airplanes.
The informants are mainly from New Mexico and Colorado, with a few from California, Texas and Mexico. The collections focuses heavily on spoken Spanish, with examples of poetry, riddles, proverbs, legends, anecdotes, folk tales, mysteries, prayers, nursery rhymes, games, jokes, language use, tricky words, tongue twisters, memories, local history and family history. The Spanish songs include alabados, entriegas for weddings and baptisms, inditas, corridos and ballads, pastores, posadas, love songs, folk dance music, etc. Traditions of Los Juanes and Los Manueles, Penitente morada practices, including women Penitentes, Holy Week songs and activities and the role of the church, santos and fiestas in the lives of the people are also included. There are also several lectures on folklore, music and culture by Cobos and other scholars, including Fray Angelico Chavez, Charles Briggs, Alfonso Ortiz, Arthur Leon Campa, Marta Weigle, Guadalupe Baca Vaughn, Anita Thomas and others. Included also are autobiographical accounts by Ruben Cobos and his wife Elvira.
Songs and stories about and for children, their health and education are included. Although the majority of the information is about Spanish and Hispanic traditions, the collection also provides some materials by and about non-Hispanics and the relationship between the races. A small amount of stories and songs relate to Apaches, Navajos, Pueblos, Mexicanos, African Americans, and Anglos (gringos).
Songs and stories by or about males show them in every walk of life, as rich and poor, old and young, as husbands, widowers, fathers, sons, relatives, compadres, friends, orphans, opponents, collaborators, kings, princes, commoners, giants, ranchers, cowboys, shepherds, farmers, woodcutters, shoemakers, vendors, railroaders, hunters, priests, doctors, teachers, politicians, attorneys, meteorologists, soldiers, witches, simpletons, gamblers, murderers, drunks, adulturers and thieves.
Recordings by and about women add value and perspective to the collection. Females are rich and poor, old and young, girl friends, lovers, adulteresses, wives, widows, mothers, comadres, church attendees, housekeepers for priests, nuns, princesses, queens, teachers, curanderas, cooks and witches. Some of the characters found in the collection are Cinderella, Genoveva de Brabanate, Goldilocks, Delgadina, La Llorona, Doña Cebolla, Dona Fortuna and the Virgin Mary, as well as San Antonio, San Pedro, Bartoldo, Don Cacahuate, Juan Charrasqueado, Pedro and Juan de Urdemalas, Ali Baba, Don Dinero, Tio Botitas and others.
The collection contains descriptions, traditions, local history and songs for New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Kansas and Mexico. There are references to the Civil War in New Mexico, the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. Stories tell of superstitions, supernatural, unexplained phenomenon, balls of fire and light, lightening, a comet, the sun, moon, finding treasure, ghosts, devils and magic. Additional topics include traditional food and cooking, health and home remedies. Included also are stories and references to insects, animals, birds, fish and snakes, as well as floods and storms, and automobiles and airplanes.
Dates
- 1975
Language of Materials
From the Collection:
English, Spanish
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 13 boxes (12.25 cu. ft.)
General
CD II of II. Nora Tafoya, born 1946, Red Cliff, Colorado. Material similar to CD 362. 1. Superstitions (good recording, medicine, health, remedios, scull, baby soft spot sunken in, home remedies, speaker's father used to say that if someone was sick it was due to too much sun, placed a glass of water on the person's head and the water will boil, when it is done boiling, the person will feel better, empacho, break an egg yolk over the stomach of the child to heal them, speaker explains what ventosa means, bury a piece of meat, spider webs and banana peels used for medicine, for bloody noses, codeswitch into English, Bilingual, Spanish language, Spanglish); 2. Personal information (good recording, speaker is from Redcliff, Colorado, many Hispanics live there); 3. Conversation (good recording, decribes groups, ethnicity, Mexican American, Spanish American, Chicano, Latino, identity, Mexican); 4. Personal experience (good recording, story about an accident with a rifle, girl was killed while searching for pinon, death, muerte, superstitions, f you dream of a girl dressed in a wedding gown, then someone in your family is going to die); 5. Personal information (good recording, about Nora Tafoya, aka Nora Sandoval, born in New Mexico, raised in Colorado); 6. Superstitions (good recording, speaker is superstitious and is scared of consequences, don't share your dreams before breakfast, bird in the home is bad luck); 7. Brujeria (good recording, superstitions, witches, dreams, one put a spell on informant, school classmate jealous of her good grades gave Nora food that made her sick, sick like pregnant but not, could not get well, family took her to curandero in Central, Colorado, prayed over her, curandero said classmate had done it and Nora knew her, gets well, girl tried to curse her again, group conversation, more on pajaros, kinds of birds coming in house, bad luck, el pelo, remedies for dry hair, hair falling out, making hair grow better, for shampoo); 8. Supersitions (good recording, brujeria, witches, curses, evil eye, mal ojo, children, cure, home remedies, health, medicine); 9. Conversation (good recording, discussion between Dr. Cobos, Nora Tafoya and Harold Tafoya, about the well, pozo, when someone has not visited in a long time, dejar la puerta abiera, cola larga, remedios, que rezo yo, describes how to make bunuelos, torrejas, maple syrup, natia, flan, food, cooking, codeswitch into English, Bilingual speaker, Spanish language, Spanglish, natillas, poliadas, cereal, for curing a stomach ailment, curcio, diarrhea, paste for wall paper); 10. Predorio (good recording, both families meet each other, they just wore regular cloths, had dinner, dance, and next day was the wedding, marriage, both sides of the family meet and get to know the chosen girl and the boy, the eldest daughter was supposed to marrry first, then the others, sometime a family would try to switch girls and marry off one of the others, this prendorio custom prevented this from happening); 11. Local traditions, marriage expenses (fair recording, expense of family planning marriage, today bride pays everything, in past groom paid for all expenses, tradition, that he was responsible for taking care of the girl, starting then; when Nora was married the groom covered the wedding dress and ring, and the parents shared the cost of the reception); 12. Predorio (wedding tradition, both families meet each other, they just wore regular cloths, had dinner, dance, and next day was the wedding); 13. Conversation, La Mancuerna (fair recording, conversation, Nora did not know the definition of this tradition); 14. Local traditions (fair recording, las arras, along with ring, a gift of groom to the bride, Nora recites a verse from the entriega about the arras); 15. Wedding day (fair recording, local traditions, conversation, night before wedding, matron of honor slept in home of bride, pressed her dress, fixed her hair, helped with dress; groom is with the padrino, before going to church, groom is given a drink of alcohol, then is taken to the wedding hall and altar).
Creator
- From the Collection: Cobos, Rubén (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository
Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
cswrref@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
cswrref@unm.edu