12/04/2023
This is Home
A Beautiful blue sky
Tall straight trees
Rolling hills
Swift running rivers
Slow meandering creeks
Imposing mountains
These things and many more make up the landscape
But it’s not what makes this place so special, beautiful, mystical, magical
The makeup for this place is found in its people
The woodworkers and cabin builders
The stone masons and bridge workers
The basket weavers and broom makers
The blacksmiths and metal smiths
The potters and musicians
The farmers and hunters
They’ve come from all over the world
Bringing their trades with them
But upon arriving these trades and skills have evolved into something unique
These people are the ones who are the foundation of this region
Yet they are looked down upon by so many
They are considered to be uneducated and even backwards
But how can one be uneducated when they can form objects out of raw metal
To take strips of wood and craft beautiful baskets
To process unassuming broom corn and create something useful and artistic
To know the land and let it speak to what will grow best in different areas
To be so in tune with wildlife, as to know when and where they’ll be
To understand stone, to work with it, to form dams and foundations that have lasted multiple generations
To use something to unassuming as clay to form countless useful pieces
To be able to reuse and repurpose things deemed unnecessary or unusable to better their daily lives
To create their own instrument and a form of music all their own
No, these people are far from uneducated
But sadly, this place is folding into history
Even as I write this
These once mystical mountains are falling silent with a life that once thrived
Now it is quickly being replaced with the sounds of industry, technology, and outside influence
The smoke from chimneys are no longer scattered amongst the ridges
Now it has been replaced with the smog of industry
There is hope, however
For there are those who refuse to let these things fade out into history
These individuals are few but mighty
They are keeping these arts and trades alive for this generation and for generations to come
We cannot thank these people enough
For without them our heritage would be something found in a history book
They are reforging this heritage into modern times
This is home
This is Appalachia
They are Appalachia
