Ozark Country

This study of folklife in the Ozarks surveys one of America’s most fascinating regions and shows its distinctive cultural imprint. The living heritage of Ozark country is detailed here beside the history of its earliest settlements and its unique folkways. Although many who pioneered in the Ozarks migrated from southern Appalachia, Ozark is not “Appalachia West,” for the flavor of Ozark culture is rare and particular. This book is an expression of that lasting distinctiveness. The folklife of the home (its foodways, crafts, and folkways), of the workplace (its architecture and its crafts), of Ozark leisure (music, dance, folksongs, ballads, games, and narratives) are given special attention here so that the singular nature of life in Ozark country can be revealed as an ongoing tradition rather than a static preservation. In the Ozark region, perhaps as in no other place in America, the essential character of the people is stamped with this combination of what is past and what is present.