111789

Page 141

p l a n s o r o v e r t l y e n c o u ra g e d t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a p a r t i c u l a r h o use form o r s h a p e . Thus, f o l k h o u s in g p a t t e r n s were much l e s s s u b j e c t t o o f f i c i a l p r e s c r i p t i o n th a n were t h e more g e n e r a l a s p e c t s o f s e t t l e m e n t , and t h e y c o u ld , t h e r e f o r e , t h e o r e t i c a l l y d i f f e r c o n s i d e r a b l y from one Mormon community t o a n o t h e r i n r e l a t i o n t o th e d i f f e r e n c e s i n t h e e t h n i c b a c k ­ g rou nd s o f t h e o c c u p a n t s . T h is s t u d y shows t h a t , w h ile b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s d i f f e r e d from p l a c e t o p l a c e i n Mormondom, th e e le m e n ts o f h o use form o r s h a p e became s i m i l a r th ro u g h o u t t h e c u l t u r e re g io n , i n d i c a t i n g t h a t an a s s i m i l a t i o n p ro c e ss o ccu rred in f o l k h o u s in g c o n c e p ts and t h a t a common m a t e r i a l f o l k t r a i t complex em erged. The p r o c e s s e s f o s t e r i n g th e e v o l u t i o n o f a r e a l s i m i l a r i t y i n f o l k h o u s in g a r e o n ly i n d i r e c t l y r e l a t e d t o t h e s e t t l e m e n t p o l i c i e s o f t h e h i e r a r c h y o f t h e Mormon C hurch, and r e s u l t e d d i r e c t l y from t h e d i f f u s i o n o f c o n c e p ts and f o l k s k i l l s u n d e r f r o n t i e r c o n d i t i o n s . Scope and D e f i n i t i o n s Two m a jo r a s p e c t s of f o l k h o u s in g a r e d i s c u s s e d i n t h i s s tu d y : b u i l d i n g mode and b u i l d i n g form. B u i l d i n g mode, t h e p r i n c i p a l s u b j e c t o f C h a p te r I I , has r e f e r e n c e t o t h e p r e p a r a t i o n and u s e o f c o n s t r u c t i o n m a t e r i a l s . I m p l i c i t in a l l f o l k h o u s in g i s t h e f a c t t h a t t h e b a s i c b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s a r e o b t a i n e d from a l o c a l s o u r c e and a r e p r e p a r e d m a in ly by hand l a b o r . A d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e Mormon methods o f p r e p a r i n g and u s i n g t h e v a r i o u s b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s s e r v e s t h e aim o f Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.