Singers and Storytellers Page: 74
v, 298 p. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
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SINGERS AND STORYTELLERS
War Chief for an interpretation of these signs. Hopis believe
that they must not look back at the lake where they have
gathered salt lest they die soon and their souls be trapped
in the lake.
The man of reasonable faith is an idealist. The extreme,
unreasoning idealist, however, refuses to recognize dangers,
either real or imaginary. He is like the ostrich with his head
in the sand. They say it's bad luck to run and look out the
window when you hear a siren. But you'd better; you may
be personally concerned. They say, also, that if you look back
at a funeral procession and count the vehicles, you will be the
next to die. There is a common saying, "Don't look now, but
somebody is following you." This seems a roundabout way of
dealing with a possible troublemaker. Like the three monkeys,
you must hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Ignore it, and
it doesn't exist.
The realist knows better. He will not stick his head in
the sand when there is real, external danger. He will be even
more wary if it comes from behind. Traditionally, whenever
Wild Bill Hickok entered a saloon, he would always "side"
around the room so that its walls were always to his back and
its patrons to his front, where he could keep his eye on any
potential enemy. Only once did he get careless-and that was
when Jack McCall shot him in the back in a saloon in
Deadwood, Dakota, in 1876.
Cadets in the Air Force at Randolph Field are taught cau-
tion by means of what appears to be an absurd practice.
Whenever a cadet walks to a street corner or whenever else
he must change direction in his walking, he must extend his
arms (simulating wings), come to a stop, and perform a seem-
ingly ridiculous ritual. He turns his face to the left and says,
"All clear on the left." After repeating this procedure for all
other directions, he finishes with what is considered particularly
important. He bends over and looks backward between his legs
and says, "All clear behind." Though many consider this74
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Singers and Storytellers (Book)
Collection of popular folklore of Texas, including personal anecdotes about storytellers and singers, as well as folk songs, myths, and ghost stories. The index begins on page 295.
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Boatright, Mody C. Singers and Storytellers, book, 1961; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc67655/m1/80/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.