Merrietta Boachie

Mrs. Pollack

Art IV Honors

15 November 2018

Folklore and Culture

Many elements can help to shape a society over time, and some of these

changes still exist in modern civilization. Art, literature, and storytelling are all ways

for people in the past to keep their ideologies alive; one such method of storytelling is

through folklore stories- traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms

preserved amongst a group of people, usually passed from generation to generation.

Not only are they enjoyable to hear, these stories and the creatures and characters that

they feature are extremely influential, and have played a very large role in shaping the

beliefs and important values of a culture, even to this day.

Folklore has played a very heavy hand in the development of many

civilizations, particularly its cultural values. Bhutan is one of many societies rich with

popular folklore stories, tales which have influenced the culture and the values that

the people within the country embrace. A journal written by author Steve Evans offers

a comprehensive look that the effect that folklore has had on the people of Bhutan,

what they embrace, and the development of their traditional beliefs. According to the

Bhutan National Values assessment, a study conducted by the International Center for

Ethnographic Studies that evaluated the personal and national values of nine

countries, Bhutan as a nation had a healthy sense of identity and community, and was

possibly the best nation in the world in this regard. The survey also measured the
amount of Entropy, or systemic dysfunction, within the nine countries studied.

Bhutan scored only 4% on its entropy levels, compared to 32% in Canada and 53% in

the United States. As stated by the Assessment, the people of Bhutan demonstrate

support for connections with others, are focused on knowledge enrichment, and have

a positive and optimistic outlook about the world and the future. The countries’

current culture promotes values that encourage the gaining of knowledge to better

society, sustainability of resources, being united for a common goal, and other

virtues.

A good portion of the country's success on a social scale can be accredited to the

popular folktales that have been told throughout generations. Bhutan’s top value is

friendship, with the country sporting many values that reflect themes of friendliness

and congeniality; interestingly, one of the most well known folktales within the

nation is The Four Harmonious Friends, a folklore story that promotes friendship as its

core message. The equally famous folktale Meme Haylay Haylay , teaches the value of

happiness over the avarice of gaining material possessions,with Bhutan’s importance

placed on the protection of people’s rights being a reflection of this moral . These are

only a few examples of folktales that have influenced the people- this nation values

folklore as a part of its tradition, and in turn, those folktales that are told influence

cultural beliefs and ideologies held by the people, values that have been proven to be

present by the National Values Assessment.

Not only do the people recognise the importance of folklore and the impact that

it has had on their society, but even government officials have seen the effect of

folktales on the culture of the people, and believe that they must be kept alive. Dorji
Penjore, from the Centre of Bhutan Studies and a outlined the importance of folklore

to Bhutan, and the impact that these stories have had and will continue to have in the

development of the culture and values of his nation, stating that, “Distilled folk

wisdoms like proverbs for example validate values and beliefs, which are reinforced

practically in adult life.” He speaks of how folktales are not only a way to take its

readers into a fun fantasy world, but also present real challenges and morals that can

be learned from, and that through folklore, “[Children are] exposed to knowledge,

experiences, morals, customs, rituals and belief that they are supposed to live through

as adults through tales”.

On a much more simplistic note, folklore has also had a hand in the cultural

development of entertainment. In Puerto Rico, the legend of the Chupacabras, a

horrific looking creature that preys on the livestock of farmers, is gaining popularity

among radio talk shows, clothing venders, and even the locals, who are finding

enjoyment in the terrifying tales and rumor passed around the island. Vendor Tony

Flores reported selling 1,300 Chupacabras themed t-shirts, and a webpage about the

creature created by students at Princeton University has reportedly seen about 20,000

visitors each day. Folklore plays a heavy hand in the growth of entertainment culture,

with these stories bringing increasing fellowship in society with. The Puerto Rican

Chupacabras legend shows how folklore can change a culture in more ways than

morally and intellectually. People are infatuated with this tale, with the myth helping

to develop this country culturally, socially, and economically; people are sharing

stories, sellers are capitalizing on the craze that this legend has created, and people

overall appreciate their Hispanic heritage through this folktale.

 More than simply silly tall tales, folklore provides a way for both children and

adults to learn values that they can apply to the real world, and better society, as

shown by Bhutan’s people, who value the culture as well as the moral importance of

folktales. It can also develop media culture, seen in the affect the monstrous

Chupacabras folktale has had in Puerto Rico. Folklore not only shapes society’s

customs, but it molds our civilizations socially as well- Arthur Frank, author of Letting

Stories Breathe states it quite well; “Stories work with people, for people, and always

stories work on people, affecting what people are able to see as real, as possible, and

as worth doing or best avoided”.

 Works Cited

“Folklore.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/folklore.

Evans, Steve (2010) "The Impact of Cultural Folklore on National Values: A

Preliminary Study with a Focus on Bhutan," Storytelling, Self, Society: Vol. 6 : Iss. 1 ,

Article 3.

HELEN UBINAS Courant, S. W. (1996, May 11). THE CHUPACABRAS CRAZE IN

SEARCH OF A BLOOD SUCKER LEGEND. Hartford Courant Retrieved from

https://login.proxy187.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2

55706261?accountid=14867

Zipes, J. (2012-04-08). The Cultural Evolution of Storytelling and Fairy Tales: Human

Communication and Memetics. In (Ed.), The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and

Social History of a Genre. : Princeton University Press,. Retrieved 19 Nov. 2018, from

http://princeton.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.23943/princeton/97806911

53384.001.0001/upso-9780691153384-chapter-001.