Oral Storytelling: How an Antiquated Art Form Still Makes Waves in Modern Appalachia
Like many aspects of Appalachian culture, folktales are often misunderstood by people outside the region. Oral storytelling is seen as a primitive art form, a relic of the past that lingers due to the lack of progress in the region. To outsiders, telling stories of ghosts and mythical creatures might seem like a sign of lack of education and awareness. In reality, storytelling’s continued relevance in Appalachia is more an avenue for Appalachian people to take pride in their past and their communities than a sign of resistance to change. With the advent of the industrial era, which threw away much of what made Appalachia Appalachian, people used and continue to use storytelling as a means to cling to the moral values and sense of community that shaped the region prior to industrialization.
Storytelling has been deeply rooted in Appalachian culture since the arrival of European settlers in the 18th century. In particular, Scotch-Irish Appalachian settlers, who practiced storytelling prior to their arrival in America, were the main purveyors of folktales in the region. Entire communities would gather in a public area just to listen to and tell stories. Folktales dealt with topics concerning various values important to Appalachian people from cleverness to hospitality. Interpersonal relationships, exploration, and man’s interaction with nature are among the most common elements in Appalachian storytelling. Perhaps the most common genre of Appalachian folktale is the “Jack tale,” a series of stories that center around a protagonist, “Jack,” an enigmatic character representative of the average Appalachian person. Storytelling created social bonds between people, and embodied the communal, united nature of pre-industrialized Appalachia. As an art form that any person could participate in and contribute to, storytelling was the ideal channel for Appalachian people to express their sense of semblance, even when that sense was challenged by societal changes in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Most historians cite industrialization as one of the most dramatic socioeconomic turning points for the US as a whole, and Appalachian society changed perhaps more than that of any other region in the country. Economically, Appalachia shifted from an independent agrarian society to an industry-based society that relied primarily on outside investment. Much of the region’s population could not continue to live off their own land, and were instead forced to commute to industrial plants outside their communities. Appalachia, which had retained an almost legendary sense of solidarity and independence from outsiders, was now becoming fragmented and, at the same time, homogenized with the rest of the country. Storytelling became one of the only remaining bastions of artistic self-expression in the region, and one of the only ways for Appalachian communities to remain connected. Afraid that their cultural values would be lost to the coming wave of societal change, many Appalachian people turned to storytelling as a way to carry those values through the inevitable changes to their society.
Today, folktales continue to be cherished as a cornerstone of Appalachian culture. Numerous festivals and organizations throughout the region have been established to celebrate and preserve storytelling. The National Storytelling Festival, one of the largest of such events, annually draws over 10,000 people to Jonesborough Tennessee. Events like these are indicative of the fact that storytelling is as important to Appalachia as ever. Modern technology has further dulled the sense of community in Appalachia, and storytelling is one of the few remaining cultural mediums through which that solidarity can continue to exist. Storytelling’s relevance in Appalachian culture persists because it is a dynamic art form, capable of delivering its messages and emotions regardless of any societal changes.
Below is a compilation of performances of Appalachian folktales. These clips feature different performers and various types of audiences, but are all centered around moral values associated with the region.
Works Cited:
Hufford, Mary. “Folklore and Folklife in Appalachia.” Web. 11 Apr. 2018.
Hyde, Gene. “Handbook Describes Storytelling Traditions.” The Appalachian Voice N.p., 2006. Web. 28 Apr. 2018.
Speer, Jean Haskell. “Folk Tradition and Industrialization in Appalachia.” Journal of the Appalachian Studies Association 1990: 11–20. Web. 12 Apr. 2018.
Straw, Richard Alan, and Tyler Blethen. High Mountains Rising : Appalachia in Time and Place. University of Illinois Press, 2004. Web. 28 Apr. 2018.
Tull, Annalee. “Telling Tales as Oral Performance: A Cross- Cultural Comparison of Storytelling in Ireland, Scotland and Southern Appalachia.” n. pag. Web. 28 Apr. 2018.
