Just in case anyone comes along here who is unfamiliar with the work of Helen Creighton, and for that reason only, I respond to a previous post concerning her: she was a, yes, middle-class (horrors!) woman who devoted her life to collecting folksongs and folklore by travelling to remote and neglected places in Nova Scotia, 1930s to 1960s. Who these superior "folk collectors with ethics and respect for traditional cultures" lauded by the previous poster were, and where they were, I don't know - Helen Creighton was certainly not stumbling over them in the fishing villages and farming communities of the Maritimes.   Perhaps the previous poster can point us to some of their material, as corrective to that published by Helen Creighton. She was certainly not standing in their way, anymore than she was stopping anyone from collecting labour anthems and strike songs - is it really her fault if no one could be bothered?

As for Ian MacKay - he is an academic, with a university professorship, which is far more than Helen Creighton ever had - and, btw, which would make him at least middle-class, would it not? - who is known for nothing other than his weak pot-shots at a distant giant.

As for the previous poster in question - take a look at his posting history to get a sense of what he's about.