Nikitas Tsimouris making a tsabouna

Arts, Greek

Greek Americans

Tsabouna

Musical instruments

Hides and skins

Demonstrations

Craft

Folk festivals

Special events

Bagpipes

Musical instrument maker

Thirty-eight color slides; two proof sheets with 59 black and white images (plus negatives). Tsimouris making a tsabouna, a Greek bag pipe made out of sheep's skin. More images of Tsimouris at the festival can be found in folder 6, S 1672, box 1. The festival was held June 24-25, 1989 to celebrate Tarpon Springs heritage of sponge diving, a practice that dated back to the 1890s. By 1905, when 500 Greek immigrants answered an ad to be sponge divers, the town acquired a distinctive Greek flavor, as the Greek Americans thrived in the sponge industry. At one point, Florida provided 95% of the nation's sponges. Although today over fishing and synthetic materials have undercut the sponge diving industry, the tradition lives on in Greek families, and through tourism.

State Archives of Florida, Series S1672

1989-06-25

Florida Folklife Program

slides (photographs)

Still Image

S1672

1

5

Sponge Industry Folk Arts Festival

Marshall, John

Tsimouris, Nikitas, 1924-2001

Greek American

2395

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