McKissick Museum Folklife Programs
What is Folklife and Where Do
You Find
It?
| The
state of South Carolina contains roughly
30,000 square miles of land. While it is one of the smallest
states
in land area, South Carolina is a remarkably diverse place, both
culturally
and geographically. From the Appalachians to the Sea Islands,
communities
ranging in size of Honey Hill to Columbia are rich sources of
tradition
and lore. Rooted in family and community
activities, folklife
involves song, speech, and dance... belief, ritual, and custom...music,
craft,
and cookery...expressive forms of all kinds, communicated directly by
observation,
imitation, or verbally. |
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 |
This
sharing of information can occur
in many different group
settings--familial, occupational, religious, social, educational--the
possibilities
are endless.
The traditional aspects of culture are not static. Folklife
is dynamic by nature, a part of a community's history that continues to
develop
every day, with every generation.
Folklife is not a remnant
of the past, a quaint
reminder of the old days that are fading from contemporary society's
memory.
It is an
inseparable
part of all our lives, encompassing aspects of culture that provide a
connection
with the past, identity in the present, and continuity for the future.
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For
additional information, please contact:
Saddler Taylor, Curator of Research and Folklife, or his assistant,
at McKissick Museum's Folklife Resource Center via email at: taylors7@gwm.sc.edu;
or telephone at: 803-777-7251
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