Mississippi Folklore Society and Center Publish Mississippi Folklife

The partnership between the Mississippi Folklore Society and the Center continued in June with publication of Mississippi Folklife magazine, formerly Mississippi Folklore Register. Believing the revelation of Mississippi's richly layered folk culture breathes life into our society's history, the Folklore Society and the Center cooperated to produce a publication that reflects that state's vibrant folk traditions. Mississippi Folklife explores common experiences in lives of Mississippi people and serves as the major forum for the discussion and presentation of ideas, research, and images about Mississippi folk culture.

The biannual Mississippi Folklife is supported in part by a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Debra Boykin, director of the Folk Arts Program for the Mississippi Arts Commission, said about the project, "Mississippians represent a wonderful diversity of folk and community traditions. Mississippi Folklife offers its readers a window to their own traditions and those of their neighbors."

To better showcase the state's rich folk heritage, the publication has been converted to a magazine format, more photographs and illustrations have been added, and the editors are working to widen distribution. Chuck Yarborough, a recent graduate of the Southern Studies M.A. program, serves as managing editor for the publication.

"We are striving to present material in such a way to expand its appeal outside of academic circles. We hope native Mississippians will realize how very valuable their traditional culture is and the importance of preserving their folklore and folklife," said Tom Rankin, editor of Mississippi Folklife and associate professor of Art and Southern Studies.

The first issue of Mississippi Folklife examines a wide variety of elements from Mississippi culture through articles, reviews, and documentary photography.

Articles include "Down Around Biloxi," the first of a two-part series by Aimee Schmidt exploring the diversity of maritime traditions in Biloxi. Schmidt, a folklife specialist with the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, looks at the rich cultural identity of the coastal city's seafood industry reflected in traditions such as boat building, the annual Blessing of the Fleet, and the annual selection of the Shrimp King and Queen.

"Going Inside: Transformation of Fox Hunting in Mississippi" examines traditional fox hunting practices. Wiley Charles Prewitt Jr. looks at the shift in fox hunting as a result of reversals in wildlife populations, altered interpretations of property rights, and changing rural lifestyles. Prewitt uses oral history to demonstrate how changes in hunting practices reflect a change in the way people relate to the land and their environment.

"The Persistence of Children's Gamesongs in North Mississippi" analyzes the prevalence of songs in Mississippi children's play. The author, Abbott L. Ferriss, collected folk songs in Mississippi in 1939, recording children in Amory, Brandon, Byhalia, Greenville, Tupelo, and Vicksburg. In 1990 Ferriss returned and surveyed sixth-grade children from the same area to compare their recognition of older songs to their recognition of songs from contemporary popular culture.

"Paternalism's Demise: Blind Jim Ivy and Ole Miss, 1896-1955" by Anthony James explores the role one African American, Jim Ivy, played for an all-white student body and alumni, and how his symbol can reveal much about race relations.

The Mississippi Folklore Society was formed in 1927 for the collection, study, and preservation of folk traditions of Mississippi. The organization meets annually, and membership is open. Memberships and subscriptions to the journal are $10 per year. For more information, call 601-232-5742 or write Mississippi Folklife, Center for the Study of Southern Culture, The University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi 38677.

Ellen M. Gentry

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