Ever try to define “authentic,” especially as it relates to a culture or a way of life? It’s a complicated task, though passing judgment on what isn’t authentic usually comes pretty easily.
This issue of Smoky Mountain Living jumps right into topics we believe fall into the category of authentic, at least as it relates to Appalachian life. Take, for instance, the story on heirloom apples by Watauga County writer Leigh Ann Henion. The self-sufficient mountaineers depended on their apple orchards for survival and for sweetener. Since most apple seeds are sterile, the only way growers could promulgate a particularly great tasting species was to graft a limb onto another plant.
This also means many varieties of old-time apples have vanished. One expert says more than 1,000 apple varieties have disappeared. Growers like Bill Moretz in Watauga County, who works land that has been in his family for generations, appreciate the beauty and the vagaries associated with this true mountain fruit.
While the early settlers and all things associated with their hardy lifestyles are what most consider authentic, how about those who called these mountains home for thousands of years prior to the arrival of the Europeans? The Eastern Band of Cherokee and their ancestors developed a unique, complicated culture that included stories and myths about creation. Writer and mountain native Keith Parker of Brevard has collected many of those stories in a recently published book called Ancient Appalachian Wisdom: Cherokee Stories We Live By.
One of Parker’s conclusions is that the cultural and creation stories of the Cherokee have parallels in other cultures and faiths. In other words, it is possible for today’s Cherokee and other Native Americans to embrace Christianity or other faiths along with their own beliefs and not be forced to live with a kind of cultural schizophrenia. The article on this topic by Suzanne Comer Bell is a fascinating read.
Speaking of different cultures, most people don’t think about African Americans as a part of the Smoky Mountain culture. But Asheville’s YMI Cultural Center is one of the oldest community centers for African Americans in the country. It was built by George Vanderbilt for the black workers who helped build his palatial Biltmore Estate in the 1890s, and it still serves a vital role in offering programs and historical preservation. Susan Le Pord’s article about the YMI highlights this little-known aspect of regional history.
The Smoky Mountain region has always been a magnet for artists of great talent and eclectic tastes, and Eric Legge and his father definitely fall into this category. When I visited Eric’s studio in north Georgia a couple of years ago with writer Gary Carden, I left amazed at the quantity and quality of the paintings he produces, along with a great admiration for his unique artistic vision. I saw an old turntable littered with album covers from the likes of Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, and in every square inch of a huge garage-like studio were paintings, some the size of notebook paper and others that would cover an entire wall. It was obvious that Eric’s life was his art. Carden’s article about the Legges captures some of the magic of these well-known folk artists.
Of course mountain music is always a fertile ground for creativity. Kentucky writer Silas House, himself a musician, penned an original short story for this issue of Smoky Mountain Living. In “Don’t Forget This Song,” a young woman who calls East Tennessee home uses the power of music to overcome some of her own struggles. The girl’s grandmother is also a memorable character, one I particularly identified with.
And not to tip our hand, but the winter issue that comes out Jan. 1 will have an original work by Robert Morgan, the author of the bestseller Gap Creek and a renowned poet who was born near Hendersonville. Morgan’s contribution will follow that of Ron Rash in the summer issue and House in this one. As we work to establish Smoky Mountain Living as the premier publication about the life, the arts and the history of this region, we’ll continue to bring you original work by the very best Appalachian writers.
We promise to keep our focus on topics that reflect what’s authentic about Appalachia, even as we make changes that we think improve Smoky Mountain Living. Please take time to write us and tell us how we’re doing.
Scott McLeod
Publisher