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Folk culture refers to a culture traditionally practiced by a small, homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation from other groups. Historically, handed down through oral tradition, it demonstrates the "old ways" over novelty and relates to a sense of community. Folk culture is quite often imbued with a sense of place. If elements of a folk culture are copied by, or moved to, a foreign locale, they will still carry strong connotations of their original place of creation.
Examples of American folk cultures include:
- Native tribal regalia
- The cakewalk
- Louisiana Creole cuisine, music, and language
- Handmade quilts
- The Hawaiian hula, leis, a pantheon of nature gods, and the concept of aloha
- Shaker architecture and furniture
- Whale-hunting with traditional spiritual rites of some Alaskan tribes
- Hand-gathered Wild rice gleaned in the traditional manner in the United States' northwoods
The above-mentioned have entered mainstream consciousness to varying degrees, but none have been so distorted from their original form as to have lost their culturally specific sense of place. In contrast, blue jeans and McDonald's are cultural icons which have been made so internationalized they have lost their original sense of place, and they are no longer part of folk culture. Similarly, Federalist architecture was created in the United States, but in a style influenced by, and meant to appeal to, outside interests.
Folk culture has always informed pop culture and even high culture. The minuet dance of European court society was based on the dance of peasants. More recently, the archetypal costume of the cowboy has been reinvented in gleaming silver by disco dancers and strippers, and the consciously hubristic culture of the Amish has been portrayed for comic value in Hollywood films and reality shows.
It is the emphasis on looking inward without reference to the outside that separates folk culture from pop culture.
- Rubenstein, James (2011). The Cultural Landscape. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. p. 510.