Giving — An Attribute of the Appalachian Woman

Abstract

/» I) h ? ^¿wfia— .vin ,jaM^wte o¿ the t^é^uda^mn by Elmer Gray Perhaps no voluntary act of mankind has been more universal throughout history than that of giving. Early in the Biblical account of man's creation, Eve gave the forbidden fruit to Adam. The giving of gifts as an expression of affection or gratitude has been accepted generally as an ethical and a pious act. Thus, the practice of giving is not unique to the people of Appalachia. However, the giving of gifts has a particular place in the lives of those mountain people—especially in the lives of the women. The purpose of the present treatise is to depict the exceptional role which giving has in the life of the Appalachian woman. The importance of giving will be considered within the broader realm of hospitality . Since much of the Appalachian area lies in the Southern Region, its people have contributed to the renowned "Southern Hospitality." In 1899, Frostl gave hospitality a high ranking among the social virtues of the southern mountaineer. A quarter of a century later, Raine2 described the mountaineer's hospitality as "free and lavish," "not strained or forced," and "whole hearted." In more recent writing by Jones3 and Weiler^, the mountain people were commended for their hospitality, neighborliness, and generosity. Hospitality includes all the acts of kindness involved in being generous and cordial in welcoming guests; whereas, giving of gifts, as ascribed to the Appalachian woman, is only a part of being hospitable. The role of giving in the lives of Appalachian people is exemplified most vividly 21 by the women. The Appalachian woman of the 1920's was portrayed by Raine as follows : The "woman"—that is, the wife—tends the garden after it has been plowed and fitted. She raises onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, beans, tomatoes, and sometimes squash. She raises a few chickens and geese, and fattens a few hogs. She dries apples and corn and shucky beans. The latter she strings with a needle and thread, and hangs overhead. She cans tomatoes and blackberries, raises a patch of sorghum and makes molasses. She barters eggs and honey and feathers at the store for sugar, salt, coffee, needles, thread, and various feminine trinkets.5 Although the "woman" presently being characterized for her habit of giving is one, two, or three generations younger than the woman described by Raine, she still restricts her work to the home and has many of the same responsibilities. Anyone who has lived or visited in the Appalachian area has likely witnessed the act of giving by mountain women. The gifts are not expensive monetarily. In fact, the gift objects have never been priced and have never been sold across a store counter ("brought-on"). Rather the gift objects represent a product of the woman's toil and labor ("home-made"). The giving usually goes against the economic gradient since the giver is poorer, economically, than the receiver. Although the gifts may include many different objects, each gift is unique to the giver. A visit to the home of a neighbor or friend during the garden season often results in a present of a "mess" (quantity enough for a meal) of green beans, summer squash, apples or other fruits and vegetables. The garden products represent a fruit or vegetable which the woman grows with pride and one which likely has been grown by the family for a long period of time. One of the most frequently given objects is ajar ofjelly, jam, fruit, or vegetable which represents the end product of growing and preserving food. There is an art, and each woman has her own procedures, in canning fruits and vegetables to preserve their natural color and taste. Home-canned foods are popular gifts because they demonstrate the skills of the woman and may be stored until needed to share with an unexpected guest. Cuttings of prized house or yard plants are used as gifts. The cuttings may be made during the visit and given to the guest, along with appropriate instructions for rooting and growing. On other occasions, the cuttings have been made and are in the process of rooting—just waiting for the...