The roots of culture grow very long, and change comes slowly into traditional societies. Despite pressures of modernization and three centuries of adaptation to a new land, there are remarkable survivals in the material culture of the Appalachian region. Using slides, folklorist Charlotte Ross argues that the way mountaineers prepare their meals, use their land, and build their homes closely resembles Celtic patterns in Western Europe. Ross asks that we consider these survivals, not as artifacts, but as ideas. When an idea reflects a deeply held core value, it has the ability to survive societal changes, to span continents and centuries, and to manifest itself in artifacts. This program explores the cultural values behind these remarkable survivals in Appalachian folklife. Audiences may choose one of the following as the focus for the program: foodways, farm plans and land use, architecture, or folk art, such as quilts, pottery, baskets and toys.

In the 1930s and the 1940s, a triple whammy of outside forces arrived in Appalachia and reconstructed our mountain society forever. These forces were the Great Depression, World War II, and the chestnut blight. Dr. Ross explains why the chestnut blight had as large an influence on Appalachia as did the Depression or perhaps even the War. By examining the social, economic, cultural, and environmental roles of this one tree from frontier days to 1940, Dr. Ross will view the chestnut and the traditional society and subsistence economy which flourished around it as a paradigm for an older way of life. The chestnut blight, the Depression, and the War will be examined as catalysts for a paradigm shift which led to sudden, rapid, and dramatic changes in the 1940s and 1950s.

The Social Function of Narrative in Appalachian Society

All mountaineers tell stories, and mountain women tell them best! More importantly, women tell stories for a purpose. Their stories reaffirm shared cultural values, establish community, give children a sense of place and history, serve as memorials, and teach life's hard lessons- all in the guise of entertainment. Drawing upon the more than 3,000 stories she has collected from mountain women, Dr. Ross discusses the social function of narrative within the context of Appalachian society.