Georgia folklife includes a wide range of community-shared,
informally learned traditions, from the African American
Although Georgia folklife belongs to a larger regional heritage,
certain traditions have been emphasized in, or shaped by
historical forces peculiar to, the state. These include
Georgia's role in commercializing southern folk music, the
importance of folk pottery, and the creation of the Sacred Harp
shape-note singing tradition. Early study of Georgia folklife
was spotty, but since the 1970s public awareness has been
heightened by a growing number of publications, festivals, and
exhibits. The historical folk culture of Georgia's frontier era
was shaped by five foundation groups: Native American, British,
African, Irish, and German. Blending of traditions from these
groups mainly occurred farther east, in the Carolinas and
Virginia. The resulting frontier folklife—which carried the
value system, provided the survival skills, and supported the
quality of life for early Georgians—included communit