An exploration of the relationship between life in a holler and the feeling of hollowness told through self-reflection in hollow logs. Look at what a holler is and what it means to the people of Appalachia, the visceral feeling of hollowness in different settings, and the strength of community.
The Old Home Place
A holler is a valley tucked between two mountains, you’ll likely to find a creek running down it, always with a head and mouth. Many hollers are called home by a single lineage. This starts when a large plot of land is purchased by a family looking to plant their roots. Over time, the plot is broken up and spread out amongst the extended family. The holler represents a haven, a place claimed and shaped by its people. That is where you will find the “old home place”.
As Blue as the Mountains
Life in the mountains can leave you feeling gutted and hollow at times. That feeling of hollowness can manifest as a sense of loneliness, confusion about life and goals, or a lack of motivation to pursue anything in life- like there is simply nothing inside. As empty as a valley between two mountains waiting to be filled with the warmth a family brings.
Alone Together
While cities offer more modern conveniences for people, the feeling of hollowness lingers. You can be surrounded by tall buildings, miles of traffic, and hordes of people, but a soul can feel all alone – lost and drifting through the crowd. The nothingness in a rural setting is quite literally the absence of everything, but that doesn’t mean mountain folk have nothing. They have the strength and enduring bonds of family built into their communities.
A Hog Killin
There are communities of practice, interest, and place; Appalachian embodies all three. The interest in culture, the practice of self-preservation, and place in the hills enrich the people who call it home. It’s more than the absence of what makes up a typical town, it’s a place where your neighbors are family. Even in the toughest of times, you always have each other.
Supper with the Family
If you ask an Appalachian why they love it, they might tell you a hundred stories, but what that boils down to is the feeling of “full” they get from it. The family, the community, the memories, all feed their sense of self. Being Appalachian is about more than being in a place, it’s about embodying the spirt that lives on in the mountains.
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