Edward D. Ives
Encyclopedia
Edward Dawson Ives (September 24, 1925-August 1, 2009 http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/114269.html) was a folklorist. His work concentrated on the oral traditions of Maine
and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, particularly, as he said, "on local songs and their makers but also on cycles of tales about local heroes." He founded the Maine Folklore Center in 1992 and was its director until his retirement in 1998.
, served in the Marines, studied literature in college and, beginning in 1955 he taught English at the University of Maine
. In 1962 he obtained a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University
and in 1964 he became a professor of Folklore at the University of Maine.
He performed as a folk singer to supplement his income as a lecturer. This introduced him to the lumber camp singing tradition of Maine, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island and he soon found his calling. In 1957, he organized the Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History at the University of Maine. The next year, he founded the Northeast Folklore Society and began editing the monograph series Northeast Folklore. His Folkways Records
album, Folk Songs of Maine, was released in 1959.
For more than forty years, he continued to explore the northeast oral tradition, publishing his findings with some regularity. Several of his books focus on individual subjects, whose names found their way into the titles of his books. This personalized approach permitted him to offer a deep exploration of the material and the subject, and himself. A reviewer has commented: "His books on Gorman, Scott, and Doyle … are personal accounts of discovery, as much as studies of regional and occupational singing traditions. Ives’s focus on the singers who gave him texts and on his own adventures in the field have made his studies models of contextual and reflexive scholarship."
In his work in New Brunswick he was closely associated with Louise Manny
.
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, particularly, as he said, "on local songs and their makers but also on cycles of tales about local heroes." He founded the Maine Folklore Center in 1992 and was its director until his retirement in 1998.
Biography
He grew up in White Plains, New YorkWhite Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
, served in the Marines, studied literature in college and, beginning in 1955 he taught English at the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
. In 1962 he obtained a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and in 1964 he became a professor of Folklore at the University of Maine.
He performed as a folk singer to supplement his income as a lecturer. This introduced him to the lumber camp singing tradition of Maine, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island and he soon found his calling. In 1957, he organized the Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History at the University of Maine. The next year, he founded the Northeast Folklore Society and began editing the monograph series Northeast Folklore. His Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
album, Folk Songs of Maine, was released in 1959.
For more than forty years, he continued to explore the northeast oral tradition, publishing his findings with some regularity. Several of his books focus on individual subjects, whose names found their way into the titles of his books. This personalized approach permitted him to offer a deep exploration of the material and the subject, and himself. A reviewer has commented: "His books on Gorman, Scott, and Doyle … are personal accounts of discovery, as much as studies of regional and occupational singing traditions. Ives’s focus on the singers who gave him texts and on his own adventures in the field have made his studies models of contextual and reflexive scholarship."
In his work in New Brunswick he was closely associated with Louise Manny
Louise Manny
Louise Elizabeth Manny was a New Brunswick folklorist and historian. She was born in Gilead, Maine but her family moved to New Brunswick when she was three...
.
Honours
- Honorary LL.D., University of Prince Edward Island (1986)
- Kenneth Goldstein Lifetime Achievement Award in Academic Leadership, American Folklore Society (1992)
- Elected into Fellows of the American Folklore Society (honorary organization) (1980)
- Harvey A. Kantor Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Oral History in (1979)
- Marius Barbeau Medal from the Canadian Folklore Studies Association for outstanding lifetime contributions to the field of folklore (1991).
- Award of Honour, Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation (1998)
- Guggenheim fellowship
- In 2007 six of his interviews from 1958 were named to the National Recording Registry.
External links
- Maine Folklife Center
- Text of a 2000 interview
- Folk Songs of Maine Album Details (Folkways, 1959)
- An Oral Historian’s Work (video)