A new state folklorist will soon begin cataloging traditions and customs from around West Virginia.
The West Virginia Humanities Council recently hired Emily Hilliard, a folklorist and former marketer for the Smithsonian Institution's record label, to conduct a statewide survey of folk activity around the state. She'll also preserve and promote community-based traditions in the Mountain State.
When asked to describe folklore, Hilliard said it's difficult to define.
"It's not just fiddles and banjos," she said, adding that folklore is much more than quilt-making and myths people tell.
"I often describe folklore as a way for a group to express itself creatively," she said.
Whether that be through food, music dance, stories or architecture, Hilliard says it's all important.
Folklore also is broader than old, white traditions, Hilliard said, later referencing modern graffiti artists and hip hop culture in urban areas.
Hilliard also will study West Virginia's many ethnic groups, including immigrant populations.
The position, until now, did not exist in any official capacity.
"West Virginia has never had a folklorist," said Hilliard, who started in November.
And it's a big job, said West Virginia Humanities Council Executive Director Ken Sullivan. Hilliard composes a staff of one.
"Every state needs someone to take an interest in its folklore," Sullivan said. "There's arts, dance, tales we want to survey."
The position is being funded, in part, by a National Endowment for the Arts grant that gives money to states to hire a folklorist. The Humanities Council pays for what the grant doesn't cover.
While Hilliard won't start working in the field until February, she said she's already mapping out duties for the next year.
"I'll be documenting folk activities around the state," she said, adding that she'll tackle the job by dividing West Virginia into eight folk regions.
Following her survey, Hilliard will develop a program and collaborate with other organizations to help promote and preserve the state's heritage and living traditions. Programming may include starting concerts, festivals, heritage trails, exhibits, podcasts and master-apprentice initiatives that teach amateurs traditional arts or crafts.
"In addition to being a preservationist," Sullivan said. "She'll also promote the wonderful traditions of folk practice here."
Hilliard said West Virginia folklore is diverse and waiting to be presented to a larger audience.
"We're still in a place where West Virginia and Appalachia is portrayed negatively," she said. "This is a way to change that."
The National Endowment for the Arts grant funds the position for three years, but Sullivan said he expects the council to employ a folklorist for years to come.
"For us, this is exciting," he said.
As part of her duties, Hilliard will update the Humanities Council's online encyclopedia with many of the traditions she catalogs. She said the state currently lacks an archive of folk traditions.
Hilliard has a master's degree in folklore from the University of North Carolina and an undergraduate degree in English and French from the University of Michigan. In addition to working for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, she worked for a museum in Maryland, the National Council for the Traditional Arts and the North Carolina Folklore Society. She's also an old-time musician and dancer, and familiar with West Virginia through her work with the Coal River Folklife Collection at the American Folklife Center and other trips to the area.
The West Virginia Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization that supports humanities programs around the state.
Reach Samuel Speciale at sam.speciale@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-7939 or follow @samueljspeciale on Twitter.