Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 02:59 PM

Fair do.

So the 'issue' there, is I suppose, for the Trad-Arts to forge via some genuine internal investigation, regards exactly from whence and for what purpose their traditions arose?

As I've said repeatedly on other threads, please kindly indulge my ignorant newby status.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 02:46 PM

Keeping English tradarts from contamination and potential hijacking by those with warped political agendas is a completely different ballgame from having them diluted and emasculated by those with weird ideas of what is going to affront or otherwise offend those whom they are unqualified to speak for.

In other words, I sign up to the first but not the second.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 02:30 PM

"Let's leave this forum to bland MOR tripe and those who want to wish each other 'happy birthday' and other such inane irrelevancies!

Yes, a point well made.

But how do we retain the historic integrity of English Trad-Arts, while simultaniously ensuring their freedom from contamination from those contemporary political agendas which would seek to usurp them and utitise them to their cause?

Excuse me for sounding like a numbbnuts. I probably am one! ;-)

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 02:12 PM

Not speaking for Howard, but I'm pretty damn sure he knew that.
But as the deceased equine creature said, let's give up Morris and indeed any sort of tradarts (we're English after all and not supposed to care about these things, are we?)
Let's leave this forum to bland MOR tripe and those who want to wish each other 'happy birthday' and other such inane irrelevancies and waffle on about their tedious, empty (especially of music) lives. That's what they want. Sure as hell isn't what I come here for.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 01:49 PM

"I used to see a car around here and the last part of its registration number was WOG. The driver was black. So I suppose that's OK,"

Howard Jones, perhaps you are unaware of the practice of concsious re-appropriation of derogatory terms? This practice of 'owning' and effectively disembowling the aggression implicit in a usually abusive term, is one that the Black community have been actively engaged in for decades. Hence the 'Wog' numberplate you cite. It's important to be aware of potential irony, when observing a commmunity in the process of re-possessing a familiar term of abuse.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 01:35 PM

Dead Horse,

I have tried to keep to the point - some people are offended they don't decide to be offended, it's what happens.

White people blacking up and mocking black people has a very long and deep history in the American and English theatre. It's not funny it's racist.

I know, and have continually said so in this thread, that almost all Morris dancers are not racist.

Can you not accept any of our concerns?

Les

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Dead Horse
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 01:26 PM

Let us just ban the morris anyway.
It's obviously a form of racism and white supremacy and it offends people, so we shouldn't do it.
I bow to the stupidity of (some of) my fellow men.
Bigots win.
I am out of here, too.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: GUEST,Howard Jones
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 01:24 PM

Ruth, I'd seen references to Derek's article but as you say the piece itself is not on line. He is obviously an authoritative source. Nevertheless, if I'm understanding the parts you quote correctly, there appears to be a "black hole" (forgive the metaphor) in the record for the period between 1750 and the mid C19, precisely the period which is most relevant.

It sounds as if it's an important article, and given the amount of misunderstanding and misinformation which is spouted on this subject, it would be helpful if Derek or EDS could be persuaded to put it on line. The subject needs some scholarly background and not just speculation.

Whatever the origin, I think any connection there may once have been with the minstrels has long been lost. I doubt whether any morris dancers think they are representing or ridiculing black people when they black up, and I would be surprised if many people seeing a morris side would make that connection, as the overall appearance has nothing else to do with black culture, either in its contemporary form or as caricatured by the minstrels.

I think it does matter today. If we are to defend blacking up as part of an English tradition without racial connotations then we need to be sure of our ground. If it does originate from the minstrels, then many people will need to change their perceptions and decide how to deal with it.

Personally, I don't feel too strongly that the make-up has to be black, rather than any other colour. But I understand that some sides do, especially the Coconut Dancers for whom it is a long-standing tradition.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 01:12 PM

Oh FFS, exactly WHO is this 'politically correct BRIGADE', this pejorative shorthand is beginning to get on my friggin tits!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Megan L
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 01:11 PM

Why should I be offended by someone blacking up my uncles were all miners. By the way do people still do the cakewalk

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 01:09 PM

Villian,

is you last post a response to my last post?

I have been pointing out that some people offended by blacking up and asking them think about that.

Les

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Rasener
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 12:58 PM

I think I am going to back outof this thread.

The reason being that

1. I am not rascist
2. I don't like people telling me what I should or shouldn't say or do, simply becuase it isn't politically correct.
3. I will never bow to PC stuck up your arse people.

However if I continue, I am likely to start flaming and I don't want to do that.

We all have our opinions, but please don't offend me by telling me what I should or shouldn't say.

I treat people the way i expect to get treated myself, unless they offend me and then I will fight my own battle. It's all to do with morality (which has now't to do with religion). My daughters know all about morality and they respect it and that pleases me as I know they will respect people as they go through life.
I wish a few more would concentrate on morality and less on words. We would all have a happier life.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 12:45 PM

Villian, I may have said this before, I don't think most Morris dancers are being intentionally racist.

Please read the words of the songs associated with "Minstrelsy" they made black people figues of fun.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Rasener
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 11:57 AM

>>Blacking up has been used theatrically to mock black people and demeans those who do it<<

Come on Les, that is not correct.

I remember my Mom & dad couldn't wait for the Black & White Minstrels to come on each Saturday when I was young. They loved it, but there was never a thought to it being rascist. I never ever dreamt that it could be that way.

I never ever thought "Blacking Up" as being rascist, becuase it never entered my head to think of rascism.

I am one for keeping "Blacking Up" becuase as far as I am concerned its a tradition, not a rascist thing to me.

Of course I don't support rascism, but I object to PC brigade putting those ideas in my head.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 11:31 AM

Millions and millions of black Africans were taken into slavery, this country made massive financial gains. Those people and their kin have been exploited and discriminated against, often on the bases of their skin colour, in this and other countries ever since.

This is no trivial matter. Blacking up has been used theatrically to mock black people and demeans those who do it.

It is offensive and you know it.

many sides have changed all sorts of things in the last 40 years. Do the decent thing.

Best wishes

L in C

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: pavane
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 10:22 AM

The essence of the argument, fully generalised, seems to be that we need to avoid giving ANY offence to ANYONE, whatever we do, even if unwittingly. And must change what we do to ensure this is the case.

Showing the soles of the feet is offensive to Muslims, so we should never take our shoes off on the beach in case someone is offended?

A hand gesture which is fine in some parts of the world is very offensive in others, so do we avoid making any hand gestures in case someone is offended?

So do continue we deal with it on a case by case basis, or just drop the whole and ultimately futile exercise?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 10:19 AM

No it's not. The question is.

Is the blacking up done with malice aforethought?
Answer.....NO
Has it by regular use become part of the tradition?
Answer.....YES

Next question

Should traditions be changed solely to satisfy raised consciousness?
Answer.....NO

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 10:11 AM

There was a more recent discussion about this issue here:

Blacking up discussion from 2007




Here's a post that I made at the rtime, referencing an article in English Dance and Song magazine about blacking up:

Les, a lot of Cats's points simply reiterate folklore and have no historical evidence.

I'm quoting from the article, written by Derek Schofield (EDS summer 2005):

"Forty years ago, the only English traditional, or revival, dance group who blacked up were the Britania Coco-nut Dancers from Bacup."

"There are references to people blacking up as a form of disguise in popular custom, although in Heaney and Forrest's book 'Annals of Early Morris', there is only one reference to black-faced morris dancers in the period they studied (up to 1750), and that is from the mid-sixteenth century."

The article goes on to discuss how black-faced minstrelsy took hold in America from the early 19th century, and eventually made its way to Britain and enjoyed huge popularity here by the turn of the 20th century: "no village concert was complete without a few minstrel songs."

The piece goes on to discuss the incorporation of blacking up into "traditional" events: "There would seem to be little doubt that the black faces of the traditional morris dance groups of the Welsh Border counties were at least influenced by minstrelsy. The occasional use of banjoes, bones and tambourines in these morris dances cannot be mere coincidence."

I apologise for the brief and piecemeal nature of these quotes, and for the lack of context (especially to Derek) - sadly the whole article is not available on-line. But I can tell you that it makes a pretty convincing case for the influence of minstrelsy on blacking up.

So then the question is, if blacking up and minstrelsy were once intrinsically linked, does it matter today?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Dead Horse
Date: 13 Jan 09 - 09:43 AM

"In a six-man team, how about one blue, one red, one green, one black, one yellow and one multicoloured?"
That would give the impression that the colours represented races, which they definately do not.
If you see ignorance, you should educate, not cow down and accept it.
Even having this discussion reinforces the stupid idea that there is any racial connotations in blacking up.
There isnt. Now go forth and inform the ignorant.

In the meantime, I am off to Dixie to inform the Ku Klux Klan that instead of wearing capuchons they should black up instead.
A much more effective way of displaying their prejudices, huh?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Howard Jones
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 05:41 PM

I used to see a car around here and the last part of its registration number was WOG. The driver was black. So I suppose that's OK, although I was a bit surprised the DVLA had issued it in the first place (I can also claim to have seen the famous FU 2 numberplate, but that's a whole different subject)

When I was a child it never occurred to me to make the connection between golliwogs and black people. They were just a toy.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 04:35 PM

There is indeed something 'sad' about the loss of loved traditions, especially innocent ones to which we have nothing but fond associations.

Was the Robertsons Golly innocent? My own assumption without further information, is that he is indeed an innocent figure, as innocent as my own deeply loved 'Golly' was when I was a child.

I do however feel that the pejorative term 'Wog' is better lost. A soft cuddly black dolly isn't intrinsically offensive - and neither is it's image. But the language of abuse to which it is unfortunately firmly associated, may be. And this is the situation that we find ourselves forced to address, with sensitivity and honesty.

It's a difficult one, because language, 'tradition' and commonly understood symbolic cultural shorthand, is an ever evolving thing. To what extent is it appropriate for cultural traditions to adapt to contemporary cultural contexts?

No doubt this is a subject which has been done to Hades and back again, and yet it is clearly one which nevertheless also remains perrenially pertinant.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 04:28 PM

In a six-man team, how about one blue, one red, one green, one black, one yellow and one multicoloured? Let's start a new tradition.

The use of minstrel tunes in trad music has very little to do with disguise. Tunes were appropriated/assimilated from all manner of sources. Here's a good example, 'Buffalo Gals' has long been a traditional tune for 'Flamborough Longsword' under the guise of 'Old Johnny Walker'. I don't remember Flamborough ever using disguise even when they had their original military type uniform in the nineteenth century. A few miles away early twentieth century ploughlads were blacking up at New Year and singing 'We're the N's from the South Ya ha' but I'm certain the idea of using that particular minstrel song simply came to them because they were already blacking up to drag the plough round, and the disguise was very necessary because if the rich people didn't give them the appropriate response their lawns were ploughed up!










Stir, stir!

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Joybell
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 04:11 PM

Because it's come up -- again -- I feel it should be noted here that "darky days" refers to days and not people.
Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Howard Jones
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 04:04 PM

Ruth, certainly some morris tunes came from the minstrels, but it wasn't just border - there are quite a few Cotswold tunes but there's no tradition there of blacking up. They were the pop songs of the time and it's not surprising they were adopted by folk musicians.

But that was the reason behind my OP, to try to establish whether there was actual evidence that sides blacked up before the minstrel craze. I'm told there is, although no one has said exactly what evidence.

However it is also apparent that other colours besides black were used, which suggests to me that they simply used whatever was readily available, including not only soot and burnt cork but also raddle, and that the actual colour was less important - which supports the view that it was a disguise and nothing to do with the minstrels.

In which case Les has a valid point, why should modern sides object to changing to a colour which is less open to misinterpretation?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 04:03 PM

I used to save up scrap pictures of golliwogs from jam jars and send them away to get enamel golly badges.
Till somebody told Robertsons that such an image was racist and stopped them from supplying the badges.
And took the golly pics off the jars.
Sad.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 04:02 PM

Me neither Les but people are offended and that's not to be disagreed with is it?

Les

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 04:01 PM

Given the history of the British and other European Empires, slavery and the treatment of black people in this and other European countries this is not likely to be an equal exchange.

Cheers

L in C

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Rasener
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 04:01 PM

>>What a sad world we live in. "

Not so Morris brings much joy and would bring a little bit more if they stopped blacking up

Cheers

L in C <<

Sorry Les. I don't want to fall out with you, but I don't agree.

Les in Faldingworth

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 03:58 PM

Well how about the understanding going both ways for a start?

We understand your concerns
You understand our traditions

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 03:57 PM

Villain

"Well I am definately not rascist."

I don't doubt it

"However I love morris dancers blacking up and am not offended or even thought of it as being rascist"

Some people are offended

"until the politically correct brigade came along."

this might be true. Lenny Henry appeared in the Black and White Minstrel Show. He says he was young and didn't understand the significance of at all but wouldn't do it now.

What a sad world we live in. "

Not so Morris brings much joy and would bring a little bit more if they stopped blacking up

Cheers

L in C

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 03:49 PM

Howard, I feel fairly certain I've read that many of the tunes appropriated by border sides came out of minstrelsy, and that there was little evidence that these sides had ever blacked up before minstrelsy. I think this is where the origins come into question.

What if morris gets into the opening ceremonies of the Olympics? Would everyone be happy to see blacked-up sides dancing for a world-wide audience?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Rasener
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 03:20 PM

Well I am definately not rascist.

However I love morris dancers blacking up and am not offended or even thought of it as being rascist until the politically correct brigade came along.

What a sad world we live in.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 03:09 PM

Thanks Howard - lots of salient points. It gives offense, thats it really. It's not the intention and it's not the fault of the dancers if they don't know it gives offense.

I think I will say it one more time, as I think you did yourself elsewhere, the Morris has changed in many many ways. Why are they so reluctant to change their faces?

Cheers

Les

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: GUEST,Howard Jones
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 02:56 PM

Firstly, this thread is about blacking up for morris - Padstow Darkie Day is something rather different and has been discussed at length elsewhere.

The question of whether blacking up by modern sides may give offence is a tricky one. There is nothing else in the costume, music or dancing to even suggest any reference to black people.

Les, with respect I am a little surprised at your blanket taking offence at blacking up, regardless of circumstances. I understand it where it is clearly in imitation of a black person, but I should have thought you would have been able to differentiate other situations. What about military camouflage? What about a recent TV programme where two people used make-up to change race, to experience the other's situation? Since there is no racial element, what is different about morris?

It is true that some local authorities have raised objections, but they are notoriously quick to see imagined offence to ethnic minorities when none is actually taken (compare with nativity plays, carols and "Winterval" for example).

On the one hand, my instinct is to be defensive about our own traditions when people try to stop them on the grounds of a misunderstanding of the basis for blacking up. I don't think we should necessarily give in to the PC brigade.

On the other hand, we must recognise that we now live in a multi-racial society and that we should try to avoid giving offence, even where the offence is based on a misunderstanding. If someone is offended by seeing blacked up morris dancers they are unlikely to stick around for an explanation. Also, it is clear from the responses on this thread that the actual colour was of less significance than the masking aspect, so perhaps we shouldn't get too hung up over using black rather than other colours.

I think it is up to individual sides to decide whether to continue blacking up or to use another colour, on the basis of the response they receive from their audiences. The experience of a side based in a multi-cultural town or city is likely to be rather different from that of a rural side in a predominantly white area.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 02:43 PM

My apologies for unintentionally misquoting you there Ruth.

There has been some highly enlightening discussion on this board regards the appropriation of English traditions by right-wing Nationalists.

Personally I see a threat to English traditional arts, arising from contamination by association to such groups, whose political agenda in 'blacking up' (amongst other things), may be quite utterly other than the innocent guising practice from which it origionally arose.

The question for me here, is about context. Our modern England is not the same place that it once was, and the symbolic language of our modern England is also not what it once was.

Holding to *some* traditional practices, may possibly muddy the tradition in a contemporary context, where such practices may be open to abuse of the most ugly kind.

Should folk traditions adapt to current contexts, in order to actually preserve their *integrity*?

This is an exceedingly interesting thread which addresses some very pertinant and current issues. I hope it will remain so.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 02:27 PM

Yes, we have all been here before. I feel sure that in keeping something alive that has survived for 500 odd years people are reluctant to change things. But I have seen Border Morris sides with bands that seem closer to New Orleans Jazz Bands than anything else and they still wont change from black to green/ red/ rainbow or a few of each.

You response is your response based on who you are and what you have experienced.

I taught in almost all white Gorton when I danced with Gorton, Northwest, no blacking up, and kids I taught saw me dancing and were always polite and interested and never gave me any trouble in school. I later taught in Hume in a school that was about 50/50 white and Afro-Caribbean. I think I know what the Black Kids would have had to say if I had danced blacked up.

Cheers

Les

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 02:24 PM

I thought you were the ghost of Kenny Everett . . .

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Dead Horse
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 02:20 PM

So do we stop referring to cowards as "yellow"?
Is it wrong to call a defect a "chink"?
Is it racist to call sludge "gook"?

It soon will be if The Yellow Peril ever gain supremacy - nuke 'em now!

err       :-)

(just in case you thought I was serious)

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 01:29 PM

what I meant, Les, is that I draw a connection, knowing what i do, between the BNP membership of two of the members and the fact that the side blacks up. My feeling is, it's bad enough they're morris dancers. That it's a black-face side seems to compound the insult.

But maybe my respose is totally inappropriate. I just don't know. I remember taking part in another long thread about Darkie Days, and minstrelsy, and blacking up, which didn't come to many conclusions...

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 01:18 PM

Ruth, this is an emotional thing, if it disturbs you, what does it do for all sorts of other people?

The BNP are evil racists. I am not suggesting for a second that Morris Dancers who black up are racists - I simply do not know.

Cheers

Les

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 01:08 PM

"A recent press report (Sunday Telegraph (28 Dec. 1997), 17) states that sweeps can earn £60 for this, as against £25 for a cleaning job,"

If someone can direct me to a sweep who will do my chimney for £25, I will be very grateful.

Just to clarify Rosie's point, the side I have spoken about in the past has two BNP members - it would be wrong of me to characterise it as "a BNP morris side", as I'm not sure the other members approve of the racism in their ranks. I do feel fairly sure they know about it.

I have to confess that I find the fact that this is a side that blacks up rather disturbing. Am I right to?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 12:37 PM

True enough Greg, Black People use the term Black to describe who they are. But I am not sure how that relates to Morris sides who are prepared to change all kinds of things except the one thing that a number of people have pointed out offends some of us.

Cheers

Les

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: greg stephens
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 12:29 PM

You are quite right, Les, that Red Indians are not actually red, but black people are not generally really black, either.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 06:37 AM

Pavane,

I have tried my best to put the case simply.
1. Morris has been changing for 500 odd years its what happens.
2. Some of us are offended by white people blacking up.
3. We are no more gender or PC Police than dancers are racist.
4. Although as you can see from the post above we need to be careful.

Native Americans are not red they, like most people are variations of brown

Cheers

L in C

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 06:34 AM

Rewriting history is a power game.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: pavane
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 06:28 AM

Which colour to use? Surely someone will take traditional "redding up" as an insult to native Amercians.

But is it the description, or the actual activity of Blacking up which is being questioned? Or both?

I see no good reason why this traditional activity should be affected by a SUPPOSED or IMAGINED link. Are we going to prevent childrens face-painting, actors make-up, clowns, and all similar things?

It is similar to the thinking of the PC "gender police" who tried to ban the word MANAGER because it looks like it contains MAN.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 06:27 AM

Goog point Kev.

or some other colour that does not have racist undertones (!)."
L in C

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 06:27 AM

Morris are so colourful, it seems that to slightly adjust the traditional 'sooty face' for something more creative which a) cannot be misconstrued by the casual observer, and b) which could also help to prevent any misappropriation of the tradition by 'undesirables', whilst c) nevertheless still fully remaining anchored in the spirit of the guising tradition, would be a pragmatic move?

A fellow poster here, told me of her villages BNP Morris Side... One wonders if the opportunity for such abuse of the tradition, is worth it's strict maintenance in pure historic form?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: melodeonboy
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 06:25 AM

"My point was that if Morris can evolve as it clearly has can it please evolve from blacking up to greening up or some other colour that does not have racist undertones (!)."

I must protest most strongly at the blatantly racist practice of "greening up". I intend to report you forthwith to the inter-galactic authorities.

Kev the Martian

Subject: RE: Folklore: Blacking up for morris - origin?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 06:23 AM

The whole business of sensitivity in our country is tricky. I have Jewish friend who is very funny and can tell a good story in mixed company making fun of aspects of his own origins and culture and no one one takes offense or feels uncomfortable. But he feels distinctly uncomfortable when watching the Britannia Coconut Dancers.

This is not about crimes against humanity but blacking up offends some people.

L in C