Folk Culture Importance

Importance of Folk Cultures

Folk cultures are the backbones that shape and mold every individual during their lifetime. It is a blend of traditions and skills, foods, beliefs, heritage and shared values that are taught and/or passed down from generation to generation providing a common identity or direction for people within a family or community. With our modern day technology and ever changing society, it is important to keep folk cultures alive and not allow them to slip away. As Rose stated, “It is the harmonic convenience of our food, our music, our creativity, our eccentricity, our neighborhoods, and our joy of living. All at once” (129).

The preservation of traditions and skills is an important part of our community and family history.

Whether it be the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Park or the Friendship Festival in Social Circle, local artist and craftsmen come together to display and sell their handmade items. Ranging from patch worked quilts to bird feeders to hand smocked children’s dresses, there is always a story behind each item. Whether their grandma, grandpa, aunt or cousin taught them, their skill was learned from someone older who wanted to preserve the art. Sure, we can buy all of these items at Home Depot or Walmart. But rest assured they are made overseas, out of plastic or in mass production and none of them have “a story”. These festivals in all their glory reiterate what Rose wrote about New Orleans when he said, “The social and celebratory nature of this event defines this city” (127). My mother often tells a story of how she would sit in my Maw Maw’s (her mother’s) lap while Maw Maw made her clothes. She would sit

The island is shared by land owners and visitors with a common goal of preservation. With undeveloped beaches, dirt roads and feral horses that roam the island, Cumberland maintains a cultural destination for residents and tourists. Whether a local family or a visiting family, each must that take a boat ride to the island. With an abundance of island history, tours are provided to visit Plum Orchard, the old cemetery and the remains of the Dungeness mansion. Visitors learn about the island’s history and culture from the park service employees or from the land owners themselves. Cumberland’s culture is one that remains simple and relaxed. I have had the privilege to take vacations on Cumberland Island many times. I am always amazed at the family traditions and stories that have been passed down through the generations. I have learned the stories of the ghost “Bunkley” that resides in the old hotel and of the ghost “Jessie” that lives in Kitty’s house. I have learned how to go clamming, crabbing and seine net fishing just as the generations before me. I watch, listen and learn, hoping one day to be able to pass all of these experiences on to my