Through gospel and shape-note singing, fiddling and the blues, Mississippians join culturally in a dance to which we know common steps. Mississippians put their hands together to make music, but they also use their hands to make artifacts which reflect traditions within their communities. Pottery, baskets, and bottle-cap birdhouses, along with game calls, woodcarvings, and other handmade objects join creativity with the natural world in ways which Mississippians recognize and celebrate as their own. Hands also open the pathways to creative outlet in maritime traditions which spring from the occupations of the seafood industry. Building boats, sewing nets, or constructing models of maritime vessels past or present, Mississippians pursue creations which express the connection of their communities with the bounty of the Mississippi Sound.
Hands figuratively wrap loved ones in a warm embrace in the form of the quilt.
No longer made of necessity for cover on a cold night, quilts demonstrate the creativity of Mississippians throughout the state who utilize this form to commit memory for posterity through pattern, color, and utility. The tie that binds each creative tradition that Mississippians celebrate must be the Oral Tradition . The willingness of Mississippians to tell their stories and demonstrate their ways enables the passing of traditions across the generations. Consequently, the spoken word is a thing of value in communities across the state. The preacher conveys meaning through speech and chant, and the storyteller shares lessons through humor or dramatized horror.