OK Folklife Month

June Officially Proclaimed Folklife Month in Oklahoma

Gov. Brad Henry has officially proclaimed the month of June as Folklife Month in Oklahoma. The declaration was presented during a ceremony at the Oklahoma History Center, which included performers from various festivals slated for June.

During that month, Oklahomans will have the opportunity to celebrate the state’s diverse heritage with a variety of festivals and events, including Red Earth in Oklahoma City; OK Mozart in Bartlesville; the Oklahoma Folklife Festival in Oklahoma City; the Oklahoma Celtic Music and Heritage Festival in Stillwater; Juneteenth in Tulsa; Jazz in June in Norman; the American Heritage Music Festival in Grove; and the Spirit of Oklahoma Storytellers’ Festival in Seminole.

“People often think of the culture of Oklahoma as primarily that of our Native tribes and Western heritage—these are certainly part of our identity, but there’s more,” Henry said. “Oklahoma has ties to cultures from around the world. This declaration is aimed at bringing attention not only to those events held in June, but to folklife celebrations that take place throughout the year.”

The governor’s proclamation was presented by Oklahoma Historical Society Director, Dr. Bob Blackburn. The Oklahoma Folklife Council is an organization working in partnership with folklife programs within the Historical Society. These institutions aim to educate Oklahomans about the state’s rich cultural heritage. During Friday’s event, Blackburn unveiled a poster commemorating Oklahoma’s first official “Folklife Month.”

“I think it’s very appropriate that the design is based on a patchwork quilt, each piece representing one of the many cultures in Oklahoma, whether it is the tradition of Bluegrass music, Celtic Heritage, Jazz, German, Italian, Czech, Asian, Latino or African-American, all are connected and are part of the fabric of Oklahoma’s identity,” Blackburn said. “The celebrations of these cultures are family-friendly, and a perfect way to learn more about the sights, sounds and tastes of the many backgrounds that are all part of Oklahoma.”

To learn more about Oklahoma folklife, including festivals and celebrations, visit the Oklahoma Historical Society or Travel OK.

LINKS for More Information:

Oklahoma Folklife Program

Oklahoma Folklife Poster

Storyteller Teresa Black

Who is the Oklahoma Folklife Council?

The Oklahoma Folklife Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Oklahoma. Principally, the Council is an educational and cultural entity. It works to supporting, encouraging, and coordinating folklife activities for education and cultural enrichment of the people of Oklahoma and people from outside the state. Folklife or traditional arts programming is vital to the State of Oklahoma for two reasons. First, the traditional arts reinforce the common heritage of communities and their residents. It promotes cultural understanding across generations. Secondly, traditional art forms promote cultural diversity and understanding among the population of the state. By highlighting the artistic expressions of various ethnic, racial, and other culturally distinct groups, Oklahomans become aware of unique qualities and assets of those groups as well as become familiar with aspects of communication, preference, and belief that they share in common with the groups. All of this is at the heart of what the Oklahoma Folklife Council works to provide with its programming.

The Oklahoma Folklife Council activities include collecting and preserving Oklahoma folklife; promoting and sustaining interest in folklife through festivals, lectures, exhibits, performances, and publications; and cooperating with other state, regional, or national agencies with similar purposes and goals. Prior to its incorporation in 1988, the Council operated as an academic organization under the title Oklahoma Folklore Society. Since the late-1920s, members of the Society engaged in individual research on topics ranging from traditional music and storytelling among European descendents to traditions present in African and Native American communities. During the centennial of the 1889 Land Run, the reorganized council expanded the original society's scope by becoming an active presenter of traditions in public, non-academic contexts. Such activities included Traditions '89, Tribal Songs Project, documentation of Black-Towns of Oklahoma, Cheyenne-Washita Oral History Project, a recently completed documentary videos of Oklahoma traditions, and the annual Oklahoma Folklife Festival.