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Resources to
help you with Appalachian Culture
A land shaped by the people.
A people shaped by the land.
Click on each title for more information.
These three DVDs will help you prepare your mission team for their
mission trip into Appalachia.
The
Appalachians
 A
film (DVD) on the history and culture of Appalachians that features
Johnny Cash in his last film interview. Also features Rosanne Cash,
Loretta Lynn, Little Jimmy Dickens, Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs and
others.
Appalachia was America’s first frontier. The pioneers brought their
folkways and music from the old country. Mountain life was isolated and
traditional culture was preserved. The old ballads and fiddle tunes were
handed down through generations.
Appalachian mountain people are songwriters and storytellers. To tell
their history, the producers use mountain songs as an integral part of
the film. The lyrics tell the story of their lives, their emotions,
their loves and their fears.
The story of Appalachia is about the struggle for and with the land. But
through their struggles the people of Appalachia held on to their love
of land and family. Music continued to be an important part of their
lives, and they adapted old, traditional ballads into songs that told
the story of their lives in America — their triumphs and their sorrows.
Out of the culture and history, we will reveal the vivid unforgettable
faces of the land and the people. The Appalachians is a portrait framed
with truth, passion, and respect for the Native Americans and the people
who came to this land from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Italy,
Hungary, Poland, Africa, Mexico — and virtually every other part of the
world.
Above
article taken from the promotional material for The Appalachians.
For
more information click here
To
purchase click here
The
DVD comes with a free Study Guide. To download click here. The
file is in Adobe format.
Appalachian
Culture
 The
Appalachian mountaineers have been discovered and forgotten many times.
They first attracted national attention during the civil War. Their
primitive agriculture disrupted by foragers and incessant guerrilla
warfare, thousands of them straggled out of the mountains in search of
food and shelter. Their plight was brought to the attention of President
Lincoln, who promised that after the war a way would be found to aid the
poor mountain people whom the world had bypassed and forgotten for so
long. The war ended, President Lincoln was assassinated, and Appalachia
was forgotten.
Appalachian people are considered a separate culture, made up of many
unique backgrounds - Native Americans, Irish, English and Scotch, and
then a third immigration of Germans and Poles - all blended together
across the region. The mountains also figure into the uniqueness of
Appalachia. The mountains kept Appalachia isolated from the rest of the
country and from other people's involvement in their lives that they
developed a distinctive culture.
Appalachians are very independent, they are very contented with the
places that they live, they are very close to nature, they have a deep
sense of a belief in God, and they have a deep sense of being friendly
and kind to one another and helping one another, and taking care of
everyone else in their needs. Appalachians also have a strong sense of
what is right and what ought to be and a deep mistrust of anyone who is
new, anyone who is a stranger. They resist change.
Appalachia has a very long history of exploitation. The struggle
continues as each new chapter is written. The area is extremely rich in
natural resources, one of which might be considered its people. However,
though fabulous wealth has been generated in Appalachia, the
mountaineer's share in it has been held to a minimum.
This
beautiful region of steep wooded hills, narrow valleys, and winding
streams is a land of contradictions and tragedy. Appalachia has become
synonymous with destitution and illiteracy, containing some of the
poorest counties in the nation.
Appalachian culture is a real and functioning culture that is revealed
through its arts and crafts, traditional music, traditional foods, its
customs, its traditions, and its somewhat common language. Traditional
foods such as greens, potatoes, and beans with cornbread and biscuits
are the norm.
The
Appalachian culture that we witness today is one that has been preserved
mostly by the families and the churches. The constant attempts by the
"outlanders" to change this culture are testimony to the determination
and strength that persists in this culture. This culture is based on
subsistence agriculture and hunting, not on industrial class structured
ways of existence. The two key factors of the culture of Appalachia are
the independence displayed and the constant mutual aid provided to
others in the region. There is a sense of equality that exists between
the people; this is of course in sharp contrast to the inequality and
elitism that exists in other areas of modern society.
Culturally, there are four distinctive people groups in Appalachia. To
fully understand Appalachia, it is important to recognize this
diversity. One of the people groups consists of descendants of the
original pioneers who settled in the region during the westward
movement. These people tend to be landowners, politicians, and business
people. The characteristic traits of this group are self-reliance,
independence, hard working, stable, and strong family ties.
A second
group is composed of the hard working coal miner, logger, or factory
worker. They average worker has little education, few skills, a large
family, no wealth, and few choices of vocation. While, for example, coal
mining continues to be the largest financial contributor to the economy
of West Virginia, poverty in the coalfields remains a daily and
depressing reality.
The
third group is the profession group. These are individuals and their
families who have moved to Appalachia due to the profession (i.e.
bankers, lawyers, teachers, ministers, etc.). Members of this group are
usually not readily accepted by the Appalachians.
The
fourth group is the returning Appalachians. This group consists of those
who grew up in the mountains, moved away for employment, and are now
returning to Appalachia. Many of them find it difficult adjusting to the
lifestyle they left as a teenager.
Appalachians expect other to respect their freedom. Independence and
self-sufficiency are very important characteristics of the people in the
region. The friendly greetings and helping hands offered to strangers by
the majority of Appalachians will impress the short-term visitor. One
should not be misled by their friendliness. Mountain people as a whole
are resistant to change, slow to accept outsiders, and are very
reluctant to accept authority.
This
region called Appalachia stretches from Pennsylvania to Mississippi and
encompasses many cultures, all of which have some common values. The
cultures are self-sufficient and independent. They have survived
influxes of "outlanders" seeking coal, timber, natural beauty for
recreation, and cheap labor. Many barriers exist within this culture
when it comes to business support.
Entrepreneurship often suffers because of geography, the learning styles
of entrepreneurs from this region, the workforce quality, the perceived
negative attitude toward success, the regional insularity, and the
general information available about capital.
Some
notable elements of our Appalachian culture still survive. Many cultural
traditions still survive like group games, homemade objects,
storytelling, home and herbal remedies, clogging and flat foot dancing
(a form of dance where the rhythm of the music is beaten out with the
feet), tool making, basket making, quilting, and traditional music
played on handmade instruments such as banjo, fiddle, and dulcimer. Many
elements have been lost due to urban influences, changing times, or the
mere facts of embarrassment or shame.
Many
modern day Appalachians try to distance themselves from the "hillbilly-ness"
that is associated by "outlanders" to the inhabitants of this region.
Many young people try to forget the traditional ways and notions and
adopt the new ways of thinking.
The
language spoken in Appalachia is unique also. It is thought to be a
blend of Scottish flavored Elizabethan English directly related to the
migration patterns of early settlers from these regions. American film
and television have done much damage to the image of the Appalachian
culture. Displayed by such films as "Deliverance", and such television
shows as "The Beverly Hillbillies" and by the comic strip, "Li'l Abner",
Appalachian people were viewed as hopeless but proud, desperate but
industrious, noble first generation frontier people, yet somehow
ignorant and degenerate. This was in strong contrast to the way this
region was originally described in the 1890s in terms of romantic
wonder.
The word
Appalachia is an old Indian word and it has a real definition - "endless
mountain range." The Indians thought the Appalachian Mountains went on
forever and ever and ever.
Today,
Appalachian people are more diverse than ever, both rural and urban.
Nevertheless, they share a common pride, common values, and a common
heritage. The people in this region have suffered from industries such
as oil, coal, mining, timber, and others. Having extracted the resources
from this region and enjoyed many years of prosperity, a lot of of these
industries have left, leaving the landscape scarred yet beautiful,
exploited yet underdeveloped. Even after all this, you will still find a
people that are proud of strong family values, self-reliance, and pride.
The
federal government today defines Appalachia as parts of West Virginia,
New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. It
incorporates 397 counties in 13 states, covers a total of 195,000 square
miles, and has a current population of over 20 million.
While religion is important in Appalachia, the reality is that better
than 65% of the region is unchurched. Some counties are as high as 80%
unchurched. Culture and religion are interwoven, and while mountain
people believe the Bible, respect the church, and welcome anyone who
comes in the name of the Lord, the organized aspects of religion have
not been important factors to the people of Appalachia.
I hope
you enjoy getting to know this new culture. An excellent resource to
read in preparation for during ministry in Appalachia is
Yesterday's People: Life in Contemporary Appalachia by Jack E.
Weller and published by The University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
You can order the book through most bookstores.
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Mountain Talk
 A
unique portrait of the language and life of the Southern Appalachian
Mountains.
The true story of Appalachia is told through candid interviews and
performances. The songs, stories, and candid interview convey a shared
sense of place and identity that continues to define mountain people,
even as their culture seems to be disappearing into the modern world.
For more
information on purchasing the DVD click here.
October Sky
 In
Coalwood, West Virginia, all the boys grow up to be coal miners and
Homer Hickam has no reason to think he'll be any different. Too small to
earn a football scholarship, Homer has no way out of his predetermined
life -- until the soviet satellite Sputnik flies over the October sky
and changes everything. It's 1957 and Homer's world just got a lot
bigger. Though his father is mine superintendent and has no greater wish
than to see his sons follow in his footsteps, Homer embarks on a mission
to build and launch his own homemade rockets with the help of his loyal
band of friends. Though their frequent mistakes nearly get them shut
down, their successes inspire the whole town to believe that miracles
can happen even in Coalwood, and there's nothing wrong with shooting for
the stars.
For
more information on purchasing the DVD or VHS click here. |
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