Death and Dying in Central Appalachia: Changing Attitudes and PracticesJames Crissman explores cultural traits related to death and dying in Appalachian sections of Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia, showing how they have changed since the 1600s. Relying on archival materials, almost forty photographs, and interviews with more than 400 mountain dwellers, Crissman focuses on the importance of family and "neighborliness" in mountain society. Written for both scholarly and general audiences, the book contains sections on the death watch, body preparation, selection or construction of a coffin or casket, digging the grave by hand, the wake, the funeral, and other topics. Crissman then demonstrates how technology and the encroachment of American society have turned these vital traditions into the disappearing practices of the past. |
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Contents
Introduction | |
Familism Neighborliness and the Death Watch | 7 |
Preparation of the Body | 20 |
Burial Receptacles and Grave Digging | 40 |
The Wake | 64 |
The Funeral Service | 75 |
Burial Customs | 97 |
Grave Markers and Other Forms of Memorialization | 116 |
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Common terms and phrases
American became body Brothers burial buried called carried casket cemetery central Appalachia century ceremony changed church close clothes coal coffin constructed container corpse County culture dead death deceased died dressed dying early earth elderly embalming especially example family members final flowers friends funeral home gathered grave grave markers graveyard ground hair hand held Hill History important interment interviews Kentucky killed later less living longer looked loved major memorial miners mining minister mother mountain mourning neighbors never night North occasionally passed past performed person placed popular practice prepared present Press procession Recorded relatives residents singing social society someone sometimes songs Southern stone taken Tennessee told took traditional usually viewing wake watch West Virginia woman women York
Bibliographic information
| Title | Death and Dying in Central Appalachia: Changing Attitudes and Practices Death and Dying in Central Appalachia: Changing Attitudes and Practices, James K. Crissman |
| Author | James K. Crissman |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | University of Illinois Press, 1994 |
| ISBN | 0252063554, 9780252063558 |
| Length | 247 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |