| Collection Name: |
Lutheran Family Folklore/Folklife Oral History |
| Repository Name: |
University of New Mexico. Zimmerman Library. Center for Southwest Research [Repository Details] |
| Repository Location: |
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States |
| Local Identifier: |
MSS 627 BC |
| URL: |
http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/NmU/nmu1%23mss627bc/nmu1%23mss627bc_m3.html |
| Dates Spanned: |
1985-1986 |
| Description: |
The purpose of this oral history project, conducted by Roma Kempe, was to determine how the families of Albuquerque's St. Paul Lutheran Church have struggled to preserve their culture. The families are descendants of Norwegian, Swedish, German, Danish, and Finnish cultures who, during the earlier part of the twentieth century, were all members of the Lutheran Church. A problem arose in the church over what language the sermons and prayers should be conducted in. The Church wanted to "assimilate" the different ethnic groups and provide English services because many of the children did not understand the languages of their parents. As a result, language and culture began to be over-taken by the new American culture. Many churches tried to maintain their ethnicity, but during World War I, legislation was passed prohibiting the public use of foreign languages, especially German. This further limited the Church members' ability to maintain their ethnic traditions. |
| Estimated Total of Interviews: |
20 |
| Broad Subjects: |
Religion; Intellectual life |
| ASP Subjects: |
Albuquerque, NM; Culture; Family--History; Folklore; Lutheran Church; New Mexico; Oral history; Traditions; United States |
| Collection Code: |
OHC0000223 |
