Folk from "Off" - The Role of Outsiders in the Preservation, Creation, and Perpetuation of Traditional Craft and Music in Stone County, Arkansas

Abstract

Stone County, Arkansas has been under the lens of folklorists since 1959 when Alan Lomax visited the town of Timbo to record traditional folk musicians such as Almeda Riddle, Carlos “Bookmiller” Shannon, and others, some recordings of which were later released as an LP under the Southern Journeys collection. Examining the evidence to verify popular claims regarding the transmission of both craft and music in the area since then, this paper’s conclusions reveal moribund cultural practices, and the role of cultural interventionists, government anti-poverty programs, and young, idealistic back-to-the-landers in the re-creation and perpetuation of a folk heritage, in a culture not originally their own.