Appalachian Culture

Appalachian Mountains The name Appalachian (App-a-latch-i-an) came from the word Appalachee from the Appalachee Indians. The Appalachian Mountains are the second largest mountain system of North America. The mountains begin at the south easternmost tip of Canada, and end in Central Alabama, stretching 1,500 miles.

The states of the southern region of the Appalachians are eastern Kentucky, southeastern Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

The People Appalachia was America’s first frontier. The pioneers brought their folkways and music from the old country (mostly England, Scotland, and Ireland). The mountains kept Appalachia isolated from the rest of the country, so the traditional culture of their ancestors was preserved. Others refer to the mountain people of Appalachia as hicks, rednecks, and hillbillies. The region does contain some of the poorest counties in the nation. Mountain people had to make do with what they had.

The region's culture includes a strong oral tradition (storytelling and music), self-sufficiency, and strong religious faith. One of the biggest industries in Appalachia is coal mining. Farming is another important way mountain people make a living in Appalachia.

Many cultural traditions still survive like storytelling, clogging, basket making, quilting, and traditional music played on handmade instruments such as banjo, fiddle, and dulcimer. The old ballads and fiddle tunes were handed down through generations. John Cohen (banjo) and Jean Ritchie (dulcimer)

Bluegrass Music After World War II, Kentucky musicians – most notably Bill Monroe – took the traditional Irish fiddle tunes (“old-time” music) and created another new art form called “Kentucky Bluegrass.” The name comes from the “Blue Grass Boys”, the name of Bill Monroe's band, named for his home state of Kentucky. Monroe is often called “the father of bluegrass.”

Unlike mainstream country music, bluegrass relies mostly on acoustic stringed instruments, such as the fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, and upright bass. Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys (1979) Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys (1939)

Old-time music gained new popularity with the release of the 2000 film “O Brother, Where Art Thou”. The soundtrack from the movie was performed by well-known bluegrass musicians Ralph Stanley, John Hartford, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch and Dan Tyminski. Krauss is a bluegrass/country singer and fiddle player who has won 27 Grammy’s—more than any other female artist.

Clogging Appalachian clogging is a blend of dances brought by early settlers to the Appalachian region. Clogging was social dance in the Appalachian Mountains as early as the 1700s. Some clogging steps include a stomp thought to come from the Cherokee Indians, who lived in the area when European settlers arrived. English immigrants were dancing the Lincolnshire Clog dance. The Irish were step dancing and hard shoe dancing to such folk tunes as “Cotton-eyed Joe,” “The Irish Washer Woman,” and “Shady Grove” played on the fiddle. The German immigrants brought a folk dance called the polka, characterized by fancy footwork and high kicking. Blacks contributed their high-kicking buck dance. Today, traditional clogging is accompanied by “old-time” music. Bluegrass music developed from old-time music.

Clogging is the official state dance of Kentucky and North Carolina.

Appalachian Folktales The stories told in Appalachia were often derived from European fairy tales. Ex. Jack and the Beanstalk Technical Elements Very few props, makeup, scenery Some costumes and sound effects Performance Elements In Appalachia, drama and storytelling concentrates on enticing the listener with performance elements Lots of vocal expression and gestures

Speaking Style In Appalachia, people have a strong dialect (accent). Linguists call it Southern Mountain dialect. Dates back to the 1600s and their Scotch-Irish ancestors When they immigrated to America, they kept their accent You will hear this dialect in their storytelling and dramatic performances

Examples of Speech Add r’s to their words Winder instead of window Yaller instead of yellow Holler instead of hollow Add a’s to the beginning of verbs and drop the g’s at the end of the verbs A-fightin’ instead of fighting A-workin’ instead of working

Jack Tales Jack Tales are traditional Appalachian folktales. The hero is always named Jack. He is usually a poor boy living with his widowed mother. Many of the stories focus on Jack as he sets out on a journey to seek his fortune. He encounters difficulties but always triumphs, sometimes through cleverness, sometimes through will or luck.

Bibliography Information and images from the following websites were used in the creation of this PowerPoint presentation: Photo of Smoky Mountains: http://www.smokyphotos.com Information on Appalachian culture http://www.arministry.org/appalachianculture.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachia http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0310443/Appalachian%20Culture.htm Photo of Jean Ritchie: http://www.nyfolklore.org/images5/ramblers.jpg Photo of dulcimer: http://www.cybozone.com/luthier/instruments/dulcimer.html Photo of Bill Monroe: http://www.mkoc.com/Stars/Reviews/Bill%20Monroe/bill-portrait.jpg Photos of Bluegrass Boys: http://www.candlewater.com/BLUEGRASS_NEWSLETTER/June2003/ http://www.coutant.org/morecele/monroe.jpg Image of DVD cover: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_brother_where_art_thou Photo of Alison Krauss: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alison_Krauss_MerleFest_2007_01.jpg Information on clogging: www.fireonthemountaincloggers.com/Clogging.html http://www.clogon.com/Clogging_History.html Tennessee Fiddlers Championship dancers video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbvkvn6IApA Scenes from IBMA 2008: This presentation was created by: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQnPYBRLLiw Sally Horowitz, Librarian Clogging Demo 2006 Northside Elementary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9DABqqOpNw Midway KY Updated Feb. 3, 2010