To the future and the memory of my late brother Philip Hunter Coristine.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS 

In a process that has taken far longer than I ever imagined there are many people who contributed in various ways to this final manuscript.  I would like to briefly acknowledge and thank them for their help, patience and understanding.  These include, friends (Gian, Mikel, John, Cat, and Sheilagh), family (my mother, the Flookes, Seymours, Taylors and Pritchetts), and the following individuals:

• My Informants - for their generous contributions;
• Dr. Martin Lovelace - for encouragement, support and helping me come to the end of a long journey;
• Dr. Gerald Pocius - for getting me started;
• Dr. Philip Hiscock - for his broad knowledge of everything Newfoundland;
• the Secretaries of the Folklore Department (Sharon, Cindy, and Karen) - for their calming influence and capable assistance;
• Parks Canada, Canadian Heritage, and the Historic Sites Association - for several summers of employment and many photo opportunities;
• Robert Hunt - for his endless charm and story-telling abilities;
• Karen Rehner - whose generosity provided me the space and solitude to finish my final draft;
• John Bodner and Wendy Welch - for being helpful roommates and colleagues;
• Anna Guigne - for walking a similar path and providing an interesting final footnote;
• those individuals who suggested or provided me with poems and prose;
• the various individuals from the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador as well as MUN‘s Center of Newfoundland Studies who assisted me in my research;
• the various individuals from MUN’s Digital Media Centre who assisted me with the scanning and printing of this thesis;

and last, but not least, Ian Brockie - for his love, encouragement, keen listening and editing skills.