...Faith Ralph Anthro 205-508 4/26/2012 Putting Anthropology to Work to Preserve Appalachian Heritage Thought Question: The Appalachian coal miners represent a vanished way of life. Why should we, in the modern world, care about understanding and preserving knowledge about this lifestyle? In the early 1900’s coal mining was the main resource that drove the economy throughout The Appalachian Mountains. Coal mining was a way of life for most everyone in this area. These coal miners were a close knit group of people that all contributed to this way of life. While coal mining is still a way a life, it had major declines between the 30s and 50s and was virtually diminished by 1970. Sadly this way of life is often times forgotten about but thanks to efforts from many, many people this heritage is being preserved. Undergraduate students at Radford University have recently worked with The Appalachian community and created The “New River Valley Coal Mining Heritage Project”. This project is a collection of elders’ memories from their coal mining pasts. The university also did a second project named the “Coal Mining Heritage Park Project” that has developed plans for a park that will commemorate the mining heritage. I strongly believe that we too should care and understand this lifestyle and help preserve the past. Thomas Monson once said “The past is behind, learn from it.” Which is something I really believe in. Although I may not know a lot about coal mining, other than...
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...The Moonshining Culture INTRODUCTION Who here has either seen or heard of the show Moonshiners off the Discovery channel? In the show these moonshiners refer to what they do as part of their “heritage and culture.” I being a big fanatic of the show have decided to research this “heritage.” It turns out, the people in the show were right. Moonshining is a very vast and unique culture that’s roots date back to the early 1800’s. Moonshiners have their own region, lifestyle, and mark on history. BODY I. The moonshining culture and practice all started and remains in the Appalachian Region of the United States. A. There are some reasons behind the choosing of this location. 1. For one, it is a region that is mostly rural and covered by woodlands. a. Because the practice is illegal. The trees and low population gives moonshiners the advantage of being undetected by people and the law. 2. Along with the advantage of being discrete. This land is also perfect for making moonshine. a. First off, the ingredients to making moonshine can be grown naturally within the land. 1. These ingredients include corn meal, yeast, water, malt, and sugar b. The second advantage to the landscape is the vast amount of flowing rivers found within the region. 1. These flowing rivers are necessary in order to both cool down and run through the stills. II. Moonshiners also have a very unique lifestyle. A. They are strong believers in their values. 1. They are a very hard working...
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...(Online Etymology Dictionary, 2017). While the New York Journal uses the state of Alabama in their definition, the word hillbilly has actually been used to describe anyone in the hills mentioned by the New York Journal: the Appalachian Mountains. As defined officially by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Appalachian mountain range extends from northern Mississippi and Alabama up to southern New York. However, as the region grew and developed, the locations to which isolated hillbilly stereotypes could be applied shrank to what ARC classifies...
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...Some short stories are for an escape from reality, while some short stories make the reader face reality. Hit and Run is a story about two young women meeting while in the hospital and bonding over their shared experience. Mary, the protagonist, is hit by a vehicle while a pedestrian and almost loses her leg. Nora, a supporting character, is diagnosed with terminal cancer and is still attempting treatment as a last chance at life. This short story is an example of how naturalism and realism can be used in literature to reflect life. A few parallels to life are made in aspects of this short story, such as : the dialect and culture found within and being subject to the whims of our environment. The writing style exhibits knowledge of Southern...
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...factors and assist the family in influencing healthy behaviors within their family. (Edelman & Mandle, 2010) One resource utilized to assess heritage’s influence on health is a 29 question heritage assessment tool that examines who you are, your heritage and how closely a person identifies with their traditional heritage.(Spector, 2009) “This tool is very useful in setting the stage for assessing and understanding a person’s traditional health and illness beliefs and practices and compare them to one’s inconsistent heritage, the greater the number of positive responses, the greater the person’s identification with a traditional heritage.” Heritage consists of four major components that affect one’s health care beliefs socialization, culture, religion and ethnicity. (Spector, 2009) Upon completing the heritage assessment tool, I realized I do not practice currently in the cultural foundation my parents promoted for my family. I was raised in a religious home with my parents practicing Pentecostal religious beliefs. Even though my family had a variety of ethnic groups blended thru out my ancestry of Native American, Swedish and German none of the ethnic cultural traditions were passed down. We were in most aspects a traditional American family. Most people do continue to follow practices from their childhood into adulthood; however I became an adult and formed my own foundation of traditions and health care beliefs...
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...February 20, 2015 Cultural Artifact Assignment Artifact: antique quilt from rural Appalachian village in West Virginia from 1890, currently on display in the Heritage Farm Museum of cultural artifacts in Huntington, West Virginia. Appalachian Quilts For this assignment I have decided to focus on quilts and their cultural and historic importance. One in particular caught my eye, which is a multi-colored antique quilt that I discovered while researching the Appalachian people of rural West Virginia. While there are many different cultural artifacts that are a part of the history of the Appalachian people, this is one that has deep roots in that often times quilts get passed down from generation to generation. It is a patchwork quilt that was first started by the grandmother of a coal miner, Leanne Thomas in 1890 who left the quilt unfinished in order for her children to add patches to it and then continue the tradition. The colors featured are cream and red. The prints used also feature yellow, blue, orange, purple, green, black, tan, and brown. It is hand-sewn with triangle pieces that are attached together with pieces of yarn. The quilt has an abstract geometric pattern that is made by altering the direction and placement of both blocks and rows. Each particular patch was said to signify an important event such as a birth or death that occurred, as well as to represent a member of the family. This specific quilt is unique because it was said to be one of the original...
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...English Shelby Lee Adams is a well-known and credibly acclaimed American photographer, who has both advocates and critics. He is particularly focused on capturing the Appalachian lifestyle, in areas such as Kentucky, because he wants to give a glimpse of the impoverished lifestyle of his subjects. While it is interesting to see the disparity between our culture and theirs, it’s also shocking to realize that people live like this every day. Although he denies it, Adams’ photographs are frequently seen as exploitive because they create a distorted image of society for his own personal gain. The photographs’ dismal qualities seem to display a lifestyle where the people look distraught amidst a culture of despair. Despite the controversial appearances of his photos, his finished works still make an impression on society, whether it’s a good or bad one. The photographs are professionally done, and they reveal his prowess as an artist and photographer. While the photography of Shelby Lee Adams is widely criticized for being exploitive of the Appalachian culture, it should be valued for its validity in the eyes of his subjects and artistic qualities. While Adams has been criticized for faking his camaraderie with the people of Appalachia in order to gain their trust, his link to the area cannot be disputed. He was born in Hazard, in eastern Kentucky and after moving around from place to place, he returned to Hot Spot, KY where he attended high school. He accredits his childhood experiences...
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...ocial and economic stratification in Appalachia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Areas included within the Appalachian Regional Commission's charter. The Appalachian region of the Eastern United States is home to over 20 million people and covers parts of mostly mountainous areas of 13 states, including Mississippi, Alabama, Pennsylvania, New York, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, and the entire state of West Virginia.[1] The near-isolation of the area's rugged topography is home to communities with a distinct culture, who in many cases are put at a disadvantage because of the transportation and infrastructure problems that have developed in the area.[1] Appalachia is often divided into 3 regions—southern (portions of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia), central (portions of Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, and Tennessee), and northern (parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, and West Virginia) Appalachia.[1] Though all areas of Appalachia share problems of rural poverty, inadequate jobs, services, transportation, education, and infrastructure, some elements (particularly those relating to industry and natural resource extraction) are unique to each sub-region. For example, Appalachians in the central sub-region experience the deepest poverty, partially due to the area’s isolation from urban growth centers.[2] Appalachia is particularly interesting...
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...High Risk Nutritional Behaviors within Cultures Denise Harper Grand Canyon University Abstract The objective of this paper is to compare and contrast high-risk behaviors of various cultures. The cultures that will be outlined are (African American, Amish, Appalachian, Arab, Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and, Russian). Influencing factors such as; education, family roles, and health care practices will be discussed in order to give a better picture of the high risk behaviors of the cultures mentioned. High Risk behaviors can create a hardship on health care professionals and each culture behaviors will be evaluated to show these hardships. It is the responsibility of heath care professional to understand the behaviors of their patients and this paper is an attempt to bring awareness of such behaviors. There are many influencing factors that form the high risk behaviors of a culture. Some influencing factors to high risk behaviors can be education, family roles and, health care. The history of a culture can also be an influencing factor. The level of education can determine what a culture identifies as “good health”. In most cultures family is key and most family gatherings include lavish meals. There are many different health care practices that are adopted by cultures, some can be harmless but some can be harmful. High risk behaviors can cause a hardship on health care professionals and understanding them could prevent these hardships...
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...Metamorphosis In An Appalachian Community Carla Landes Eth/125 11/04/2011 Kimberly Long Metamorphosis In An Appalachian Community An influx of diverse ethnicities, races, and cultures in the last decade have benefited, and to some degree, stressed what was until only a few years ago a relatively homogenous Appalachian community. Moorefield, West Virginia, a predominantly White community, of which I am one, is historically a town driven by factories and food industry, has become a destination for those seeking entry-level employment in the United States. Moorefield is a small rural farming and agricultural community in Hardy County, West Virginia. Moorefield is the county seat of Hardy County. "Moorefield was originally chartered in 1777 and named for Conrad Moore, who owned the land on which the town was built. Hardy County falls along the border that split the state of Virginia into two when in 1861, forty counties in Western Virginia choose to succeed from the state of Virginia" (Visit Hardy County, 2011, pp. 1). For a hundred years or so, Moorefield has been a predominantly white, Anglo-Saxon community with only a few (less than 1%) African American families that were the single other ethnic race that resided in this community. According to the United States Census in 2010, "there were 4,820 people, and 626 families living in Moorefield. The racial makeup of the town was 98% White, 1% African American, 0% Native American, 0% Asian, 0% from...
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...Many people are unfamiliar with their home state of Maryland and its beauty. From the Appalachian Mountains to the beaches of Ocean City, citizens are blessed with the options. In fact, one could believe it could be two different states in itself. Maryland is a state split by the Chesapeake Bay offering two different sides that have their own unique cities, culture, landscape, and politics. The western shore of Maryland is the larger half of the two sides. Many more cities are on the western side including Baltimore and Annapolis. This makes the western half much more populated than the eastern shore. Next, the culture is different and the people are much faster paced. Also attending clubs, bars, and sporting events is very common. In Baltimore, the home of the Ravens and Orioles make a huge impact in daily discussions. Thirdly, the landscape is very unique on the western shore marked by miles of shoreline...
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...Must one argue that America was built on the values of freedom? If this is true, which history has already proven it is, then why are we stripping the rights of our youth by requiring them to participate in mandatory volunteering? Before one can even begin to answer this they must also ask what is volunteering? In short it is offering to do something “freely”. Schools should not force our students to participate in volunteering, because they are inevitably causing the youth to be rebellious and devaluing the appreciation for true volunteering. While volunteering may be a seemingly good thing, mandatory volunteering causes young adolescents to rebel against community service and volunteer work. According to the Cognitive Evaluation Theory study, people tend to resist and lose interest in what is being asked of them when they feel they are being controlled by an outside source because of the human nature of individualism(Pearce 1).This is already seen in other school situations, such as with homework. Many children will often refuse to do rudimentary or simple homework assignments. Throughout history, volunteering has evolved into a cultural connection; a common characteristic of humans on a local, national, and global level is the desire to help one another. Although this statement is not necessarily true for every individual, most people feel an urgency to assist friends, family members, coworkers, and/or strangers in need or in crisis. Why should we volunteer? Many people...
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...general purpose foundation with an initial gift of $10 million, part of the fortune she inherited upon the death of her husband, Russell Sage, in 1906. Mrs. Sage directed the new foundation to pursue research and programs for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States of America.” (Russellsage.org) The setting up of the Russell Sage Foundation paved the way for the John C. and Olive Dame Campbell to embark upon the research that they were destined to do. John C. Campbell was born in Indiana in 1867. He graduated from Williams College in 1892. After receiving a bachelor of divinity degree, Campbell accepted a position as an administrator of an academy in North Alabama. This was his first introduction to mountain culture. The passions for the region John developed that first year remained with him for the rest of his life. In 1901 John was appointed to a superintendent’s post at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. He soon was elevated to dean and eventually became president of the...
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...about my life I would have to choose Daido and Aeneas, Appalachian Spring, 帝女花之香夭 (Fragrant Sacrifice), 上海灘(Shanghai Bund), and 紫水晶 (Purple Crystal). I chose Daido and Aeneas composed by Henry Purcell, to be the first the first song in my soundtrack, because I have always been interested in opera. It always fascinated me how composers can make stories into songs. I especially like Daido and Aeneas because it reminds me so much of the Cantonese Opera Fragrant Sacrifice. In both operas two lovers who are immensely in love are willing to die for one another and that living without one another is too painful to bear. The second piece of music I would add to my soundtrack is Appalachian Spring composed by Aaron Copland. When I first heard this piece, I was transfixed. As a big nature lover I was in awe at how Aaron Copland can use music to create such imagery of the Appalachian wilderness. This piece of music is perfect for others to understand how much I like nature 帝女花之香夭 (Fragrant Sacrifice) is a...
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...not consider all of the different ways they can be identified. There are countless different things I would use to describe myself and taking this course has added numerous more descriptors to my identity. The widely accepted definition of culture from Devito does a wonderful job including the things I would use to define my culture. The definition states: “Culture is a relatively specialized lifestyle of a group of people (values, beliefs, artifacts, behaviors, ways of communicating)”. Those are all examples of different aspects of my life that I would use to describe myself. For me, my values and beliefs are a strong sense of who I am. I am also very openly supportive of my values and beliefs. I am not afraid to inform people about how I feel about an issue, whether it is politics or something in athletics. If there is something that I strongly support or I am strongly against people know. I feel that many other people would use my values and beliefs to describe me as well since I make them so known. Co-cultures do a brilliant job of helping to identify one’s culture. They each describe a different part of one’s identity and combine to form each person as a whole. I can define myself by using several different co-cultures: (I am a 20 year old, Caucasian, and Christian female. I am from Appalachia. My parents are still married and achieve a sizable income together. I am heterosexual but I do support gay rights. I work a part-time job and I am a full-time college...
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