- 



'ioUc 



lolklife encompasses the totality of a 

 people's traditions — their occupations, 

 material culture and food, as well as their oral 

 traditons. Folklore embraces a culture's verbal 

 literature— jokes, stories, songs, myths and 

 legends,'" Mansfield explains. 



Folklore is not a relic from the past, but a 

 part of everyday life — an ongoing process, 

 he says. 



Mansfield spent the better part of a year 

 enjoying Hyde County hospitality while 

 gathering stories for the North Carolina Arts 

 Council's Folklife Program. He was one of 

 three folklorists conducting a research survey 

 of traditional culture in northeastern North 

 Carolina. Results of their work were published 

 in the North Carolina Folklore Journal. 



That, in essence, produced the seed for 

 Mansfield's book. A single article couldn't 

 tell the full story. So, with the Partnership for 

 the Sounds, Mansfield proposed continuing 

 the research. 



For Beverly Patterson, director of the 

 Folklife Program, Mansfield's work fills a 

 void. She recalls that the council's grant 

 review panel found Mansfield's proposal 

 compelling. "This is one of the first regions to 

 be settled. It has a long history, yet little has 

 been written to document some of the oldest 

 folklife traditions in the state, and the country 

 for that matter." 



Yes, Patterson says, 

 filling in missing 

 cultural pieces for 



archival records is important. But, it's more 

 important to reinforce Hyde County's sense 

 of pride, and let the people know that their 

 traditions are greatly valued. 



"Bill is passionately in tune with the people 

 and genuinely interested in them, and I think that 

 comes across in his work." Patterson says. 



The decision to publish the book was 

 not difficult, says Andy Scott, publisher- 

 director of Coastal Carolina Press. "Bill's 

 work fit into our mission of preserving 

 history and tradition by telling the stories of 

 the people and places from the coastal 

 communities. And Scott Taylor was the 

 perfect choice to visually tell the stories. 

 ... He has a feel for the coast." 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 13 



