1. DESIGNING AN APPALACHIAN FOLK ART MUSEUM

2. What is Appalachia?
Geologically: mountain range in Eastern North America
Politically: 406 counties in 13 states

3. What is Appalachia? Unique culture Crafts Music Cuisine Heritage
Believes
Specific ethnic group

4. Map of Appalachia

5. Appalachian Mountains
Oldest mountains in the world
Created million years ago when the North American and African tectonic plates collided

6. Before 1700 Area settled by Native Americans
The Cherokees of North Carolina were the largest group.
They farmed and hunted.
Sequoyah, a Cherokee chief, invented an alphabet for his people.

7. 1700s
Settlers from England, Scotland, and Ireland began moving into the area.
Cumberland Gap
Major passage through mountains
Where Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet
Discovered by Daniel Boone by observing buffalo

8. Revolutionary War 1775-1783 1777 Battle of Saratoga
1780 Battle of King’s Mountain
British defeated in both battles

9. Trail of Tears 1830 Cherokees, main Appalachian tribe
Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act
Forced march to Oklahoma

10. Civil War Most Appalachians didn’t own slaves
Most Appalachian regions allied with the Confederacy
Many cases of brother fighting brother

11. Late 1800s
Businessmen recognized wealth in mountains: timber, coal, and natural gas
Many Appalachians sold their “mineral rights” for 50 cents an acre
Some Appalachians were hired to work on their former property digging coal, cutting timber, drilling gas

12. 1940s More industrial mechanization Fewer jobs
Communities broken up as Appalachians move to industrial centers

13. 1950s
Since World War II, 4 million Appalachians have moved out of the area for economic reasons
In Ohio 34% of Cincinnati’s population, 40 % of Dayton’s, and 60% of Hamilton’s of Appalachian descent

14. Ten Values Common to Appalachians
by Loyal Jones, scholar and co-founder of the Berea College Appalachian Center
Individualism, Self-Reliance, Pride - most obvious characteristics; necessary on the early frontier; look after oneself; solitude; freedom; do things for oneself; not wanting to be beholding to others; make do
Religion - values and meaning to life spring from religious sources; fatalistic (outside factors control one's life, fate, believe things happen for a reason and will work out for the best); sustains people in hard times

15. Neighborliness and Hospitality - help each other out, but suspicious of strangers; spontaneous to invite people for a meal, to spend the night, etc.
4. Family Solidarity or Familism - family centered; loyalty runs deep; responsibility may extend beyond immediate family; "blood is thicker than water”.

16. 5. Personalism - relates well to others; go to great lengths to keep from offending others; getting along is more important than letting one's feelings be known; think in terms of persons rather than degrees or professional reputations
6. Love of Place - never forget "back home" and go there as often as possible; revitalizing, especially if a migrant; sometimes stay in places where there is no hope of maintaining decent lives

17. 7. Modesty and Being Oneself - believe one should not put on airs; be oneself, not a phony; don't pretend to be something you're not or be boastful; don't get above your raising
8. Sense of Beauty - displayed through folksongs, poems, arts, crafts, etc., colorful language metaphors, e.g. "I'm as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs."

18. Sense of Humor - seem dour, but laugh at ourselves; do not appreciate being laughed at; humor sustains people in hard times
10. Patriotism - goes back to Civil War times; flag, land, relationships are important; shows up in community celebration and festivals

19. Mountain Arts & Crafts Painting Doll making Quilts
Wooden toys and other objects
Pottery