SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

Name the Regions
Utilize a map of Mississippi and have students locate the Delta, the Piney Woods, the Red Clay Hills, the Black Prairie, the Appalachian Foothills, and the Gulf Coast. Explain that the geography of each region is distinct from the others, giving rise to a diversity in occupations and leisure activities. Have students brainstorm regarding which types of occupations and activities might be specific to one region of the state. (For example: boat building or sailing might be identified as specific to the Gulf Coast or the land along the Mississippi River; hunting might be identified with any rural area; Blues music might be identified with areas with a greater percentage of African American residents; etc.)

Have students brainstorm and discuss the various traditions which people in their communities share and which make their communities unique. Why do people share these traditions? How do these traditions make the community stronger or a better place to live? Why?

Visual Traditions³⁵
Divide a class evenly into three or four groups. Ask the students in each group to think of something that is important to each of them, especially something to do with their families. Have each student draw a simple symbol for this thing or idea.

Have each student pass his/her drawing to a student in another group. Students in the next groups should look closely at the symbol and think what it reminds them of perhaps an important aspect of their own lives. Have these students redraw the symbol so that it is more like this second child's idea about what the symbol stands for.

Repeat the process until each group has had the symbol.

Explain that the process students have just completed highlights how their personal traditions and the meanings associated with those traditions are different. Then have each group of three or four get together to share the different meanings they each attached the symbol and why.

Explain that the designs, patterns, and colors of traditional folk arts have been handed down across generations, but they do not mean the same things today as they did fifty, one hundred, or one-hundred fifty years ago. However, the creativity and expression of the process continues with each generation.

Research/interview/photograph local practitioners of a folk tradition and present work to a public audience
After viewing the exhibit, have groups of students or individual students (depending upon age and ability) identify and interview/photograph an individual in the community whom they feel exhibits the joining of creativity and tradition in a way similar to that highlighted in the exhibit. Students might then write a paper, put together a computer presentation (such as Power point), develop a webpage, construct a visual presentation, or any other appropriate output selected by the teacher. Require that the output 1) explain how the subject they worked with demonstrates folk culture; 2)explain in detail the various aspects of the subject's craft, skill, etc.; and 3) explain why/how this tradition/skill/craft/etc. is important to the local community and its understanding of its heritage.

Develop a "public presentation" of student work:
a) Papers might be compiled in a Foxfire-type publication; incorporated in a section of the yearbook; or utilized as a feature(s) in the school newspaper (or the local newspaper).

b) Photographs with text might be published on an internet website created by students; developed into an exhibit to be displayed in a public place in the school (such as the library or lobby) or in the larger community (such as a bank lobby, the public library, or the storefront window of an empty building downtown).

c) Students might develop dramatic monologues which tell the "story" of their subjects. Have students develop costumes and acquire props to add realism to their dramatic performances, and have them perform before parent groups, other students, nursing home audiences, church groups, or the general public. Charge a small admission fee and have students vote on an arts project or cultural organization to which they would like to donate the funds they have.

Cultural Field Trips
There probably is no greater way to teach students about Mississippi's traditions and heritage than to take them to meet the people who practice traditional arts, to see the places they practice these, and to explore the communities which foster such creativity and expression.

Field trips can be planned locally by locating quilters, musicians, or any other practitioner of a traditional art. For instance, RSVP (Retire Seniors Volunteer Program) offices across the state have quilting groups who are more than willing to share their craft with students. Also, check the community calendar in the local newspaper: often free musical performances are listed in an "upcoming events" or "news about town" public-service format.

Field trips of a grander scale and length require greater organization and time, but the outcome for students will be immeasurably great. Get parents to help out in any way possible - perhaps even arranging for lodging if a trip will be overnight.

An incomplete list of possible field trip sites follows it is by no means complete, rather it is intended to whet the appetite for the adventurous!

a) Mississippi Delta
* "Birthplace of the Frog" Exhibit in Leland tribute to Jim Henson; Mississippi River levee (have a Levee Board Member speak); Doe's Eat Place (or any Tamale restaurant); McCormick's Bookends in Greenville (readings); Greenville Writers Exhibit at Greenville Public Library; McCarty Pottery in Merigold; Cotton Gins / Cotton fields; Tennessee Williams Walking Tour in Clarksdale (and Tennessee Williams Festival); Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale; numerous BBQ restaurants or rural stores which serve meals; Blues murals in Tutwiler; Uncle Henry's on Moon Lake (Williams' Moon Lake Casino); Mississippi Delta Museum in Friar's Point; Hirschberg's Store in Friar's Point (Jewish commercial impact on state); Numerous Blues juke joints; Catfish farms; Cotton Row - Greenwood

b) Natchez/Southwest Mississippi
* Natchez Trace Parkway sites; Claiborne County Courthouse, "No Easy Journey" Exhibit - Port Gibson; Mississippi Cultural Crossroads Center - Port Gibson; Mississippi River from Bluffs; Schaeffer House and Civil War sites - Port Gibson; Ruins of Windsor; Alcorn State University - historic buildings - Lorman; Emerald Mound of the Natchez Indians; Grand Village of the Natchez Indians; Historic Homes in Natchez; Tamales, BBQ restaurants; Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro-American Culture; Norman photographic collection at First Presbyterian Church;

c) Gulf Coast
Walter Anderson Museum - Ocean Springs; Realizations, the Walter Anderson Shop - Ocean Springs; Shearwater Pottery, founded by Peter Anderson - Ocean Springs; George E. Ohr Exhibit, Biloxi Public Library - Biloxi; Maritime and Seafood Museum - Biloxi; Shrimp boats/ Harbor; Any barrier island; Pass Christian beachfront - historic buildings; Old Town Bay St. Louis - artists/shops; Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis Shrine - Biloxi; Fort Maurepas - Ocean Springs; Biloxi National Cemetery; Palestinian Gardens - George County; Sailing; St. Rose de Lima Church - mural - Bay St. Louis; Harbors/shrimpboats

d) Vicksburg area
*Earl's Art Gallery - Bovina; Margaret's Grocery - Hwy. 61 N, Vicksburg; Old Courthouse Museum - Vicksburg; National Military Park - Vicksburg; Southern Cultural Heritage Complex; Army Corps of Engineers Center; Balfour House; Cedar Hill Cemetery; Dr. W.H. Lindley's Home; Holy Trinity Church - Tiffany Stained Glass Windows

e) Piney Woods
*Jimmie Rodgers Museum - Meridian; Lauren Rogers Museum of Art - Laurel; "Free State of Jones"; University of Southern Mississippi - Oral History Collection; Piney Woods School; Lumbermills; DeSoto National Forest; Camp Shelby; Crosby Aboretum

f) Black Prairie
*Historic homes - Columbus and Aberdeen; Friendship Cemetery - Columbus; Tenn-Tom Waterway - parks; African American and Jewish heritage sites in Columbus; Columbus/Lowndes County Library Local History Room; Mississippi University for Women; Cotton farms/ cotton gins

g) Red Clay Hills
* Oxford Square; Square Books (readings); Rowan Oak - Home of William Faulkner; University Museums (Theora Hamblett, Sultan Rogers, etc.); numerous Faulkner sites in Oxford; Taylor Grocery; Holly Springs and Oxford - historic homes; Graceland Too - Holly Springs; Center for the Study of Southern Culture; University of Mississippi campus; Thacker Mountain Radio Show (Thursday nights at Off-Square Books)

h) Appalachian Foothills
*Birthplace of Elvis Presley - Tupelo; Tupelo City Museum; Borroum's Drug Store - Corinth; Battle of Corinth sites; Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center; Northeast Mississippi Museum - Corinth

Guest speakers/performers
Field trips are not the only way to have students exposed to expression and creativity in our communities. Many practitioners of traditional arts are generous with their time when it comes to educating young people about their community's values and traditions.

Identify (or have your students identify) local practitioners of tradition and ask them to visit your class for a talk with students. Be sure to prepare students for the guest by offering a reading from the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture or some other reference which provides insight into the tradition to be presented. Have students prepare questions in advance which they may ask of your guest, and be sure to have students write thank you notes after the visit.

Tips for finding speakers/guests:
a) seek local figures who offer insight into broader traditions (remember those RSVP quilters!)

b) watch for traveling speakers coming to nearby colleges/universities

c) check with nearby colleges/universities to see if there is a faculty member willing to address a class on a familiar tradition

d) ask colleagues at school, church, etc. for suggestions for "engaging" guest speakers

e) look for local amateur musical performers who might be willing to perform for your class (a trip to a local free performance and a few well placed questions can get you on the right track here)

f) contact your local newspaper for potential speakers/performers. Often the "lifestyles writer" or "local scene" writer can offer you the names of local people who practice particularly interesting art or other traditions.

Have students write a response to each guest speaker/performer, answering the following questions: 1)Explain how the subject they worked with demonstrates folk culture; 2)Explain in detail the various aspects of the subject's craft, skill, etc.; and 3) Explain why/how this tradition/skill/craft/etc. is important to the local community and its understanding of its heritage.

Connection and Community Events
Many of the cultural traditions which Mississippians have practiced over the years have involved community gatherings where people of all sizes, shapes, and ages interacted with one another and demonstrated folk traditions. Boatbuilder Bill Holland describes seafood celebrations such as the "Blessing of the Fleet" which impacted his relationship with other members of his community and which conveyed meaning to him.

Explain to students or have them research how the Quilting Bee, the House Party with Blues or Fiddle Music, the All-Day Singing, or other community gatherings offered members of different generations the chance to interact with one another and learn about their shared culture. Ask students to brainstorm about gatherings in their own communities which have this impact on the community. What serves as the center (physical or emotional) for the gathering? How do people interact there? Why do they come back?

Have students write an original essay 1) describing the gathering in as much detail as possible and 2) explaining how the gathering reflects their community and its cultural values and traditions.

Essays might be published (see potential publishing forums above) or placed on a bulletin board titled "Community Connections and Tradition."

Creative Writing Variation
Using descriptions in the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, have students write a fictional story set at a Quilting Bee, a Blues or Fiddling House Party, an All-Day Singing with Dinner on the Grounds, or Religious Gathering.

Paper Quilts
Have students draw scenes from material (people/events/characters/etc.) covered in class on 8-inch square pieces of paper. Have students work in small groups, discussing what they are constructing, to imitate the social discussion/activity of a quilting bee.

Once completed, have students explain the significance of their drawings and their reasons for choosing the imagery they created.

Place the "quilt blocks" on a bulletin board over a quilt background.
Explain that quilts can convey information and memories in much the same way that their paper quilt explores a place, event, character, etc.

Cigar-Box Fiddle
Have students use a cigar box, strings, and piece of wood to make a cigar box fiddle. The student whose fiddle seems to play better than the others can describe his/her construction technique. Explain that in musical communities, the success of this student would be imitated and then improved upon by those who wanted to practice the same art. This is an example of tradition at work.

Dinner on the Grounds
Have students plan a "dinner on the grounds" which would include homemade foods popular within their community. Discuss whether the foods selected would differ from those of another community in another region of Mississippi. Why? (The dinner might be held, "pot luck" style, for lunch one day.)

The Real Easy Brown Bag Basket³⁶
Take one brown bag, cut it in strips from the top to the bottom of the bag. Do not cut into the bottom. Leave the base of the bag intact. When you cut your spokes from the top of the bag to the bottom of the bag, trim away a little on each side of each strip to leave space for your weavers.

Cut long narrow strips from another bag or some colored paper. Decorate the strips with colors, shapes, and/or symbols.

Using paste glue, start waving with the strips you decorated into the cut spokes, in front of one, behind one, gluing as you go. Do this once around only, then start your next row of weaving. You will only be going around once with each strip of decorated paper.

With the next row of decorated paper, alternate the strips behind or in front of the paper spokes. If the previous row was placed as front/behind, the next row should be placed as behind/front.

When the sides are as tall as you like, trim off the brown paper spokes and secure the last row of decorated paper with glue.

Personal Traditions
Read selections from A Boy in Rural Mississippi by S. G. Thigpen. Have each student write "A Boy/Girl in ___________, Mississippi" describing something he or she commonly does and how this practice has been shaped by traditions passed across the generations.

Word Weaving Poetry³⁷
Quilts provide quilters a great deal of enjoyment, and consequently, many quilters feel great emotions toward the art. Expression of these strong feelings can be mimicked using phrases which connote quilting to express feelings and thoughts of students through poetry.

Copy the list of quilt-related phrases below. Make as many copies as necessary for each student to receive five phrases each. Cut apart the sheets of phrases and distribute at least five to each student. Have student arrange phrases in an order which make poetic sense to them, and encourage students to fill, delete or repeat words in order to add personal meaning to their poems. Have students add a title.

Post poems on a bulletin board with a quilt pattern or publish the poems.

old clothes cut in pieces

wrap up

warm and cozy

enduring love and faith

colors bright and varied

exciting patterns

mixing colors, darks and lights

lifted up the quilt

the needle in the cloth

leftover pieces of fabric

crazy quilt

quilt blocks

soft and thick batting

a place to dream

a place to listen

the stitches form a path

ladies gather

sharing stories and love

patience is the key

watch carefully and learn

tiny stitches

leftover scraps

tell a story of life

cutting more squares

patches stitched together

laughter and talk

imagine the pattern

the best quilts take time

flowered cloth from mother's dress

plaid from daddy's old work shirt

grandmother's love

held in a frame

women gather and work

covered and calm

patchwork

piecework

hands all around

quilts save memories

needle and thread

dreaming bright colors

ripping out a row

stitches form a trail

handmade and beautiful

working together

skilled hands shape their art

voices understand the beauty

cold winter night

Christmas chill


[sample poem-Word Weaving Poetry]

The Storyteller

Patches stitched together
holding together my imagination

I climb under to find a
place to dream
to tell my life story
for the next explorer

Because quilts don't forget.
m.h.p.

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