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Show Folk Material Culture 145 ences, and that the symbols used in burial and housing are symbols of the dominant English-Mormon culture, not the Scandinavian subculture. I am not suggesting in my theory of vernacular regression that the Scandinavians of Sanpete-Sevier were a downtrodden, exploited group— although that is always partially true of a subordinate group that tries to exist within the confines of the dominant culture. Whatever the reason or reasons for their loss of native symbols, the Scandinavians were quick to adopt new modes of living and new styles of building as part of their process of adapting to the Mormon frontier. For the Scandinavians of Sanpete-Sevier, the loss of native symbols made impossible a life that focused on the mores and habits of northern Fig. 21. Typical stone house in Manti. |
