To understand a culture one must first attempt to
understand the people that make up the culture. In the current age those that
reside in the Appalachian Mountains are not much different from any other
American living on either coast, or anywhere in between. Thanks to the current
age being the electronic/information age the culture of Appalachia has changed
drastically. Of course, the change hasn't always been for the worse. Appalachia
has long been in a horrible recession, but recession isn't even the right word.
There was no recession or great impact on the people in the mountains when the
stock market crashed. The mountain people didn't wake up one day to find they
were suddenly broke because they were always broke. The men, women, and children
in the central to southern Appalachian mountains have been poverty stricken for
most of the time that they have inhabited these mountains.
The Appalachian people, like all poverty stricken
peoples, are hard working, loyal people. For many years the men and some women
trudged off to the mines where they worked 10 miles underground with no safety
precautions being taken to improve their likelihood of avoiding a cave-in or a
flood. Many families would be moved out of the farm land they had grown up with
into small mining camps which would eventually turn into small towns.
(Mining has been a family tradition for most every family
in the mountains. Mine included, and the following picture is of a coal camp
that my great great uncle lived in back in the 1930s)
Work, however, is not the only event in the mountaineer's
life. Faith and religion played a large role. Church life is where the
community came together; men, women, and
children could meet to talk and share one another's burdens. The Appalachian
region is probably one of the most diverse areas for religious freedom under
the banner of Christianity. Nowhere in America is there as many different sects
of Baptists as there are in the mountains. Just a small example of this...there
are The primitive Baptists, The old regular Baptists, Freewill Baptist,
missionary Baptist, united Baptist, full gospel Baptist, and then you have the
different charismatic Christians that include Pentecostals and holiness faiths.
(Source:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snake-handling-lejunior-pentecostal-ky2.gif)
Looking from the outside an observer might wonder if the
entire population is involved in some form of Christianity why are the people
so superstitious? It would seem to be a simple explanation of heritage. A large
portion of the population in the mountains come from ancestors who were either
Scot or Irish. The other major ethnicities that made up the area when it was
being settled are Italian, Dutch, German, and of course Cherokee. It becomes
apparent looking into some of the old-wives tales and superstitions that the
original settlers brought their old country beliefs with them across the great
vast ocean.
However, that still doesn't fully answer the question as
to why the people still hold onto these folk beliefs if they are as faithful to
a faith that seems to condemn some of the old superstitions. For most people
living in a harsh climate and cruel landscape will find and accept solace where
it can be found. Many early settlers found that comfort and answers in their
old customs, beliefs, and mores. The settlers brought with them the belief in
the "little people", and fairies, as well as haints (ghosts),
witches, and special home brews to cure illness, and ways to foretell the
future. Then as now the people living within the mountains saw both beliefs as
complimentary. Heaven is the reward for living the good Christian life, and the
old customs made the earthly realm a more tolerable place to live.
Within this blog I will post and explain different
aspects of Appalachian culture, Appalachian witchcraft, folk lore, herbal
remedies, and more.
Please feel free to check out the website:
or email me at appyfolkmagic@gmail.com
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