Ch 4.2 Why is Folk Culture Clustered?

• Isolation promotes cultural diversity

- Himalayan art – even though these groups live in the same environment their isolation from each other in this mountainous region caused them to adopt their own unique art- Japan historically closed itself off to the world pre WWII which allowed them to develop their own unique culture, similar but still different than

other East Asian countries.

Ch 4.2 Why is Folk Culture Clustered?• Influence of the Physical Environment

Environmental Determinismthe environment determines or influences a cultural group’s food, clothing, shelter

Distinctive FOOD Preferences-“terroir” – French word for the “taste” based on the location’s distinctive physical features- The climate, fuel sources, religious beliefs, etc. all influence what you grow and how you prepare it.- Examples: quick stir-fry if fuel is scarce, slow-cooking in colder forest climates with trees (doubles for heat)

Ch 4.2 Why is Folk Culture Clustered?• Influence of the Physical Environment

Food taboos – restriction imposed by social customs (Muslims and Jews/Hebrews don’t eat pork/pig)

Ch 4.2 Why is Folk Culture Clustered? Folk Housing - influenced by environment

-distinctive building materials determined by what’s available in the environment (wood, mud, bamboo…)

-design influenced by environment (steep pitched roofs in snowy climates, flat roofs if hot and dry

-distinctive form and orientation (religious reasons for

the way a house is oriented, “feng sui”, east=birth/goodness and west=death/evil)

HOUSING: Nigeria (folk) people live in mud

houses In Nigeria, where the weather is hot and dry, the. Thick walls help to keep the houses cool. Because of the peoples’ adaptation to the weather, this would be a Nigerian folk custom

HOUSING: Colombia (folk)

This house in Colombia is built on stilts and stays dry even when the water rises. This is another example of how the people have grown accustomed to their surroundings and have created a folk custom.

Ch 4.2 Why is Folk Culture Clustered?

U.S. Folk House Forms – 3 major hearths/nodes

-New England: New England to Great Lakes -Middle Atlantic: West to Ohio Valley, SW to Appalachia-Lower Chesapeake: South along Atlantic coast

Ch 4.2 Why is Folk Culture Clustered?

New England – 4 major house types

-Salt Box: 2 story, mostly in Canada, center chimney-Two-Chimney: like salt box-Cape Cod: 1 story, like center chimney salt box

-Front Gable & Wing: 2 parts, became most common as spread westward

Ch 4.2 Why is Folk Culture Clustered?

Middle Atlantic “I” house: 2 story, 1 room deep, 2 rooms wide, gables at side

Lower Chesapeake 1 story, steep roof,

chimneys at each end,1 room deep, often raisedon piers or brick foundation

https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/Portals/0/Heritage/Nash-Front-After.jpg

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27482/27482-h/images/illus-064.jpg

Ch 4.2 Why is Folk Culture Clustered?

Why don’t houses today reflect certain regional distinctiveness?Houses are usually mass produced, but the wide availability of different resources allows individuals to choose designs that don’t need to use local materials.