Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage

In a crystal dish, beside a plate of pancakes, butter formed in the shape of a lamb with a red ribbon around its neck, red flag sticking out from its back, and a black peppercorn for an eye.

Behold the Butter Lamb of God: A Polish Catholic Easter Tradition Beloved in Buffalo, New York

A butter lamb has taken center stage on my family’s Easter table for as long as I can remember.

Hilly green farmland with sheep grazing in the foreground and a few farm houses in the distance. Low gray clouds descend on the hills.

'Hardwired for Folktales': An Evolution of Storytelling in Ireland

The perseverance of the Irish people in maintaining their language, history and values created a world of oral tradition filled with both mythical adventures and practical wisdom

Three men, two holding acoustic guitars, pose in front of a festival tent.

A Life in Folklore: Frank Proschan’s Community Work and New Internship Endowment

After fifty years in culture work, Proschan has gifted his research as a folklorist and anthropologist to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections.

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'Dressing Like a Human' to Honor Uzbekistani Art and Identity

Uzbekistani artisan and businesswoman Lola Sayfi is hopeful for the future of artisans

A young girl pulls strands on an oversized, multicolor basket.

The 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Guide for Kids and Families

Dive into sports, crafts, and more!

Two children and an adult sit on three swings in a dry landscape with trees in the background.

Filmmaker Billy Luther Explains How Frybread Face and Me Was a Labor of Love

Luther’s narrative feature debut opened the 2024 Mother Tongue Film Festival at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

In the foreground, a lineup of mannequins each with colorful embroidered garments. At the end of the line, out of focus, a woman dresses a mannequin.

A Global Tapestry of Craft: Championing Women Artisans of Central Asia in a New Lookbook

On Friday, March 8, marking International Women’s Day, we shared the result of a year-long collaboration.

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How I Visit with Houma Relatives in the Smithsonian’s Archival Collections

When I visit the Smithsonian’s National Anthropological Archives, I always try to view the same item: NAA.PhotoLot.76, Houma collection.

From behind, a person walks through a street filled with gray rubble, toward run-down buildings with graffiti in Turkish on the walls.

How Living Heritage Heals the Invisible Fractures of the Soul in Eastern Türkiye

On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake fractured the lives of over 13.5 million people across ten eastern provinces in my home country.

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Finding Balance Is a Global Experience at the 2024 Mother Tongue Film Festival

In a world that often feels on the edge of instability, the 2024 Mother Tongue Film Festival theme is profoundly resonant.

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The Millville Rose: Artifacts of Whimsy and Art in Industry

The “Millville Rose” represents the refined skills of factory glassblowers who toiled in an industry in which they had little say in what they made.

A dining table set with more than a dozen dishes of food, including white rice, meat on skewers, stewed vegetables, and sliced cucumbers.

Top 5 Folklife Stories from 2023

This year, Folklife Magazine published a sprawling diversity of stories—from Armenian protest movements to young Asian American farmers.

Two protesters hold signs saying "You're on Abenaki land" and "This is Abenaki land."

This Land is Whose Land? Interrogating the Shortcomings of Settler Protest

In order to dismantle this nation’s blind spot for Native struggles, we must examine how ignorance about Indian Country and anti-Nativism are disseminated.

A beautiful rust colored hill against a blue, cloudy sky.

The Power of “Bears Ears” and Indigenous Place Names

What’s in a name? It’s an important part of our identity, our existence, connecting us to our cultural and social realms.

An illustration of an Asian woman with various symbols above her head including an American Flag, an "I voted" sticker, a ballot box, and a Chinese character.

The Weight of the Asian American Vote

When Asian Americans adopt a new nation, how might voting serve as a means for expressing our varied senses of identity and community?

Various cobs of multicolored corn.

How Seeds Tell Stories

In the past century, there has been a seventy-five percent decline in agricultural biodiversity. When we fail to prioritize biodiversity, we risk erasing cultural diversity as well.

A row of people lines up playing flutes. Most are young students, and in the middle is an older man with a long gray braid.

A Lesson About North American Indigenous Flute and Authenticity

North American Indigenous Flute vs. “Native American Flute”: What is lost when the difference between the two traditions is blurred?

A woman wearing traditional Armenian dress bends down to tend to an outdoor stove while preparing a meal.

Collaboration and Community: Working Together for the Future of Armenian Festivals

Festivals allow for pauses in our fast-paced routines to celebrate human creativity.

Bowls of citrus fruits including lemons, limes, and oranges, are arranged on a striped, bright green table cloth. Behind the bowls are jars filled with various superfoods including Goji berries.

La Cultura Cura: How Latinos Are Reclaiming Their Ancestral Diets

Whole Foods certainly didn't invent chia seeds.

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