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230 As p e rm anen t h o u se s and o u t b u i l d i n g s emerged on th e l a n d s c a p e , Mormons moved f r e q u e n t l y and t r a v e l e d from one community t o a n o t h e r ; t h i s m o b i l i t y , t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e s o c i a l and c u l t u r a l i s o l a t i o n e n c o u ra g e d b y t h e C hurch, p e r m i t t e d t h e p e r m e a ti o n o f a commonly s h a r e d s e t o f f o l k c o n c e p ts t o t a k e e f f e c t on t h e c o l l e c t i v e Mormon m ind. As a r e s u l t , a h ig h d e g re e o f r e g i o n a l u n i f o r m i t y and d i s t i n c t i v e n e s s e v o lv e d t o form t h e Mormon c u l t u r a l la n d s c a p e . U n if o r m ity o f f o l k b u i l d i n g form s e x i s t s , b u t g r e a t v a r i a t i o n i n b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s accom p an ies them. L e a rn in g t o p r e p a r e and u se th e v a r i o u s m a t e r i a l s i s s e e n h e re a s an im p o r t a n t s t a g e i n th e a s s i m i l a t i o n and a c q u i s i t i o n o f f o l k s k i l l s , and most p i o n e e r s became f a m i l i a r w ith t h e u se o f th e a v a ila b le c o n s tru c tio n m a te r ia ls . R e g io n a l v a r i a t i o n i n t h e u s e o f l o g , a d o b e, s t o n e , b r i c k , o r lum ber i s p r i ­ m a r i l y due t o a v a i l a b i l i t y o f m a t e r i a l s , c o s t , and a c c e s s i ­ b i l i t y r a t h e r th a n +n c u l t u r a l p r e f e r e n c e s and a s s i m i l a t i o n and d i f f u s i o n p r o c e s s e s . T h is b e l i e f i s s u b s t a n t i a t e d by t h e f a c t t h a t t h e two m a jo r a s p e c t s o f f o l k h o u s in g — t h e b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l s u t i l i z e d and t h e form o r sh ape of t h e b u i l d i n g — a r e in d e p e n d e n t v a r i a b l e s ; t h u s , t h e employment o f s t o n e , b r i c k , o r w h a te v e r b u i l d i n g m a t e r i a l n e v e r d i c ­ t a t e d t h e employment o f a s p e c i f i c f l o o r p l a n , o r v ic e v ersa. F i n a l l y , t h o s e e le m e n ts o f Mormon f o l k h o u s in g t h a t a p p e a r t o be r e g i o n a l l y u n ifo r m a r e p r e c i s e l y t h o s e t h a t d e m o n s t r a t e th e e x i s t e n c e o f a s h a r e d s e t o f m a t e r i a l f o l k Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.