Frankie Tear Drops Halloween tradition in Northern Inuit community

[Nose]

Hey Tom, just wanted you to know that you’ve inspired a Halloween tradition up here in the community of Nain, Labrador Canada. I teach at the school here and last year (Halloween 2013), I told a few of my junior high and high school music classes about the Frankie Teardrops challenge. The challenge was the talk of the school that year and sparked some interesting discussions about fear etc. The challenge also made it’s way down to the elementary and primary grades (which made me a little nervous considering the content…..it’s a very small school). Anyway, this past Halloween, the a lot of the students brought up the idea of doing the challenge again, seeing as how some didn’t complete it the first time around. Also, I’ve recommended your show to my students. I felt fine doing that, considering there is no turlit talk on your show.

Best,

- Nose

[TrapNeuterReturn]

Don't you Newfies have enough fear with mummering?

[Nose]

The mummer song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E86bcriRtW8


It's actually funny you that you mentioned scary because I'm not on the island, but far up north in Nain, Labrador where the Inuit have a tradition similar to that of the mummers in Newfoundland. On old Christmas day (Jan 6th) the people of the town all convene at the high school to kick off Nalujuks (Na-loo-yooks) night. Some people wear seal skin outfits with masks (often made of seal skin) and also carry a stick. They come out and pass out candy out to the kids in the gym and then ...everyone goes outside, all over town and the Nalujuks run around chasing people with the sticks!!. If they come up to you, and ask you to sing a traditional song, and you don't know the words, they hit you with the stick. The kids apparently get a kick out of trying to outrun them. It's all in good fun. Still kind of scary though lol.

Here is a pic:

http://www.hvgb.net/~sedna/nalajuk2.jpg
 

[Nose]

This link explains it better.

http://www.thelabradorian.ca/Community/2015-01-07/article-3999599/Terrifying-fun/1

Also I spelt Nalujuit wrong.

[TrapNeuterReturn]

That looks terrifying. I read somewhere that the mummers used to actually whisper threats and attempt to intimidate to a degree. Something about building trust in isolated communities.

[TrapNeuterReturn]

If people are using snowmobiles to escape the Nalujuit, than it is high time the Nalujuit get a snowmobile. That is real terror.

[Nose]

I think mummering is actually illegal now. There may have been cases of "mummers" going into peoples homes and terrorizing them, being violent, robbing them etc.

Haha yeah, Nalujuit has gotta get with the times.

[buffcoat]

There used to be "mummers" down here in the South, too. They'd come to people's houses at night.

No happy songs about those guys, though.

[Denim Gremlin]

There used to be "mummers" down here in the South, too. They'd come to people's houses at night.

No happy songs about those guys, though.

you mean the Klan right?

[buffcoat]

Yeah. Thankfully those guys usually have only protesters show up at their rallies these days. And they've mostly moved to the Inland South and the "heartland."

The last big Klan thing in NC was a shootout between the Klan and the Communist Party in Greensboro in 1979. Think of how ridiculous that sounds.