Page 6 RAIN January 1977 Endan·gered Sk.i-lls There are very few people in this country today who know the steps and calls of all of the square dances, or who have · been to a barn-raising, or who can card and spin wool, or cure venison, or who remember the words and tunes of our traditional music. If decentralization is our goal and a.t. our doctrine, then the return to the use of simple skills and the appreciation of the arts of the past seems most appropriate. There is an entire constellation of sue~ "endangered skills," gifts of inestimable social value from our great-grandparents which are now being lost to posterity. The Seattle Folklore Society is trying, along with lots of other folks, to save _America's endangered skills and has established a Traditional Arts Booking Service (TABS). TABS doesn't yet generate enough income to pay staff salaries (that sounds familiar!) but does provide some very worthwhile services. They let colleges, civic organizations and club-owners know when traditional music-ians are available, publicize the concerts and plan tours for nationally famous performers. They also act as a consultant for bluegrass and folk festivals, fiddle contests and more. Perhaps best of all, TABS actively seeks out local, young and ethnic musicians; sometimes they are featured in big-name concerts, and a few have college and coffeehouse tours arranged for them. TABS' efforts are extremely valuable and could serve as an example for more, badly-needed organizations around the country, but·they only touch on one aspect of the overall problem. In order to see to it that America's endangered skills are preserved, they must first be well-defined. The people who are practicing them should be identified, as should the level of expertise and the regional, ethnic and cultural contexts in which the skills are being practiced. Then their social, economic, historic_al and aesthetic values can be assessed, and work can be focused where it is most badly needed. Ideally, by the time our children are grown, there will qe a substantial number of people who are absolute experts in each of the traditional skills and who will be able to train the next generation. And many more.Americans will have accepted, or a.t least been exposed to them. The greatest and most basic concern is that there should always be a sufficient supply of performers. Young musicians must be encouraged to adhere faithfully to tradition an.d to learn as much as possible from the "old masters." Perhaps incentives such as grants from the National Endowment for the Arts are necessary. We should also take full advantage of those "old masters" while they are still here. The Japanese recognize the importance of their traditional artists by des,ignating the best of them "living national treasures," a policy which enables the masters to live comfortably on a steaay income whil~ they perform regularly for the public and teach others. Thorough film and taped doc~mentation of performances would see to it that nothing is missed. It would certainly be a tragedy if the songs and knowledge died with their possessors. While having people who know and can teach the skills is important, we would still be in trouble if there was no way for them to share them with the rest of us. Here again the inevitable question of finances is forced on the issue. TABS does an excellent job, but four to six additional full-time booking services in ot;her areas could increase the number of traditional music performances Fen times. For the next few years at least, they would have to be subsidized directly or indirectly, perhaps by making them the official administrators of private and government grants for tours and festivals. Federal or foundation support could also help other organizations such as local folklore societies, coffeehouses, ethnic societies, folklife centers and festivals to broaden their programs and audiences. Finally, improvements like the legaliza-. tion of street singing, availability of training in the traditional arts in public schools and increased radio and television exposure of the master perfo,rmers would all contribute to the movement and would strengthen America's consciousness of its unique cultural heritage. Adapted by Lau'ri deMoll from a proposal, "Toward a Long Range Plan to Perpetuate Endangered Skills" by johnS. Ullman. Copies of the complete proposal are available from him at: 2518 S.£. 17th Ave., Portland, OR 97202.
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