Upper Cumberland Country

by Montell, William Lynwood

• ISBN13: 9780878056316
• ISBN10: 0878056319
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-08-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Mississippi

Summary

Tucked between Appalachia and the Deep South, the Upper Cumberland region straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee line along the banks of the Cumberland River. Here, dating from the days of the nation's earliest history, is one of America's richest repositories of folklife. Rather than revealing an artifact, however, this comprehensive study of the Upper Cumberland reveals a living tradition whose roots in the past continue to nourish the present.Documented here in descriptive text, photographs, and interviews are varieties of folk cultural expression in music, architecture, crafts, schools, religious life, folk medical practices, and customs surrounding birth, puberty, marriage, and death.Upper Cumberland Countryexplores the spectrum of folklore from yesterday and today--from pioneer life and early folk architecture to teens "cruising" and women deer hunters. In a region filled with relics, modern voices from the Upper Cumberland speak directly of the living traditions that give the region its unique character. Though rooted in pioneer heritage, the folklife here springs into the present with resonant meanings for contemporary times.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Historical Perspectives	p. 1
A Rich Legacy	p. 3
The Old Way of Life and New Beginnings	p. 27
Folklife and Self-Sufficiency	p. 29
The Family in Community Perspective	p. 53
Schools and Churches as Community Social Agents	p. 75
Matters of Life and Death	p. 101
Times Just Aren't the Way The Used to Be	p. 123
Folklife of Contemporary Youth	p. 125
Social, Generational, and Gender-Bonding Activities	p. 143
Conclusion	p. 173
Bibliographic Notes	p. 175
Index	p. 185
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