Culture of Arkansas
On a more abstract level, Arkansas's culture can be seen and heard in its literature, music, sports, film, television and art.
Finally, Arkansas' cuisine is integral to its culture with such foods as barbecue, traditional country cooking, fried catfish and chicken, wild duck, rice, purple hull peas, okra, apples, fried green tomatoes and grits being part of the people of Arkansas's diet and economy.
[1] The present day image of Arkansas has evolved from early diary entries written by the first visitors to the state.
During the frontier period, many were exploring the new western extents of the United States and sending their findings back east.
The travelers also commented on the self-sufficient nature and the wide range of survival skills possessed by the denizens of frontier Arkansas.
[3] This characterization was common among frontier states, but since geography prevented travelers from passing through Arkansas in subsequent years, the early commentary held in the public consciousness.
[4] The image continued to grow when southwestern humor publications played on the backwardsness of poor whites, especially in hill country.
[6] The tale involves gubernatorial candidate Archibald Yell and his party of politicians becoming lost in the Ozarks on a campaign trip and resorting to asking for directions at a squatter's cabin.
The man continues to play his banjo and evade the traveler's questions before feeding the party and allowing them to stay the night.
The presence of the Ku Klux Klan in the years which immediately followed the Civil War and events such as the Elaine Race riot continued to affirm the state's reputation for racism.
[Bill] Clinton, you attended Oxford University in England and Yale Law School in the Ivy League, two of the finest institutions of learning in the world.
[11] Anecdotes of Northern accent-holders disrespecting and dismissing the intelligence of those with Southern dialects are largely the result of popular culture's portrayal of the South, including Gone With the Wind, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Deliverance.
[12] Rosina Lippi, author and holder of a PhD in linguistics, has commented that Northerners use the link to ignorant, lazy Southerners to denigrate the South.
Antebellum pit barbecues in Arkansas were often established around trenches dug in a clearing in the woods, filled with oak and hickory burned down to hot coals, tended by slaves, and served whatever animals the community was willing to offer, including cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, deer, wild turkey and possums.
Several of his songs reference traditional dishes served in Arkansas, including charting singles "Beans and Corn Bread" and "Cole Slaw (Sorghum Switch)".
Little Rock hosts the annual World Cheese Dip Championship, and restaurants across Central Arkansas offer special recipes to diners.
[27] Sugar maples can be found in the hills and hollers of the Ozarks, where people collect sap (although commonly called "water" in the area) from the trees in a method similar to Vermont or Canada.
Although dependent upon weather conditions, January and February are generally the only window when this type of sap harvesting is feasible due to the warm Arkansas climate.
[29][30][31][32][33] In 2017 it was among the three inaugural inductees into the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame, along with Rhoda's Famous Hot Tamales and Jones Bar-B-Q Diner.
Throughout the 1800s three styles vied for dominance: French Colonial, Federal, and Greek Revival, however many structures built during this period do not exist today.
Arkansas was also frequently the subject of Southwest humor pieces, a genre in which exaggeration and hyperbole is used for comedic effect.
Some of these images stuck in the public conscience, and are partially responsible for the "Arkansas hillbilly" stereotype still commonly applied today.
TheatreSquared has received recognition from the American Theatre Wing and focuses on youth arts education in addition to their 100+ performances annually.
[42] The museum is near the Downtown Bentonville and includes walking trails and educational opportunities in addition to displaying over 450 works covering five centuries of American art.
Sports are an integral part of the culture of Arkansas, and its residents enjoy participating and spectating various events throughout the year.
The large supply and cheap production of guns following the Civil War made it possible for many Arkansans to hunt with other men in camps.
Several smaller retirement communities such as Bull Shoals, Hot Springs Village, and Fairfield Bay have flourished due to their position on a fishing lake.
