American Folk Culture

Chapter Four: Culture:

Folk Culture

Folk culture is practiced by dances and festivals every day. At each festival, there is always an Indian dance which can consist of a man and woman dancing together or separately depending on the dance. During every dance, the dancer normally sings the song and there is someone else who plays an instrument. Each dance has a separate rhythm and costume, the costumes are usually very colorful with many jewels and designs. There are different dances practiced in many different parts if India. In Central India, Gaur is a very popular folk dance. Men have head-dresses with cowries strung off the sides and peacock feathers all over as they make their way to the dance floor. Women have brass fillets, bead necklaces and tattoos all over there body and also join the dance. In East India, Chhau is most commonly practiced. This dance is only performed by men and boys, and is performed with energy and strength. Everybody dancing holds swords and shields, and the stages are

One example is music. Hip Hop music originated in the South Bronx, New York in the late 1970s. It then spreaded to Oakland and Atlanta in the late 1980s, then to the larger cities in the South, Midwest and West. Hip Hop became one of the most popular types of music around the world. Another example is sports. Soccer, in particular, was originated in England between 1018 and 1042. The transformation of football from an English folk custom to global popular culture began in the 1800s. Many things have also originated in India and diffused to the rest of the world. One example is rulers. Rulers were first used by the Indus Valley Civilization around 1500 BCE. As they became more used and popular, they diffused everywhere. Another example is cotton. Indians started cultivating cotton during the 5th and 4th BCE in the Indus Valley Civilization. It spreaded to the Mediterranean and then was used all around the