SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL -
The Roots of Virginia Culture

National Mall, Washington, D.C.
June 27-July 1 and July 4-8, 2007

By exploring the roots of Virginia's contemporary cultural traditions, Roots of Virginia Culture marked the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States. The program brought to Washington performers, artists, musicians, dancers, storytellers, cooks, farmers, and craftspeople to help explain, demonstrate, and celebrate cultural traditions. 

Delegations from Virginia's eight Native American tribes, West Africa, and Kent County, England, represented the Native, African American, and English roots of the state. Fruit growers and wooden boat builders from Virginia and Kent; peanut farmers and pottery makers from West Africa and Virginia; and African, Native, and Virginian blacksmiths worked side-by-side. Other participants sang gospel songs, ballads, blues, and bluegrass; demonstrated horse skills and crafts; discussed historic restoration; and cooked with Virginia's products. For the first time, an English county participated in the Folklife Festival.

For more information, see http://www.folklife.si.edu/festival/2007/index.html