Whitney Swaim - Folklife Festival (Outside Topic 1)

Blog 1
In October I attended the Newport News Festival of Folklife. As soon as I arrived, I noticed that the whole event was centered around an important topic from class, how indigenous peoples cultivate relationships with their local land. Perhaps the most interesting part of this festival was visiting the various exhibitors. The festival was set up in a walk-through fashion, and there were numerous tents along the path that you could visit. Many of these tents featured local craftsmen and artists who handmade various goods and decorative items. One woman was making rugs out of materials she grew and dyed herself. She was using a simple peddling machine at the festival, continuing to make new products to sell. I was in awe of the detail of these rugs, and I respected the woman greatly for taking so much time to complete each one. This reminded me of primal peoples who are in touch with their local land. The rug woman, as well as many other sellers, took pride in her creations, no matter how simple they appeared. I was glad to see that in such a modernized society there are still indigenous local artisans who share a relationship with the earth.