The Spirit of the People

Excellent documentary about the career of Shelby Adams. I was born and raised in Leslie County Ky. I most of the people in this documentary. I was raised and have spent time with some of them. These people are embedded into the area through family that originally settled the area. Long term residents. I've listed to the stories from the elders about how they walked the creeks in order to get to their home places. How they were dependent on raising their own vegetables. Raise chickens, hogs, cows. How they would barter with their neighbors and trade one good for another. Growing up was so peaceful. It is a laid back lifestyle. Yes, it's true many were less fortunate and struggled more than others. One thing is for certain we made due with what we had. Through the years shows like the Beverly Hillbillies truly did a disservice to these people and they are very aware of how they are perceived. I experienced prejudice and false perceptions by America during my military service. It was a fact of life, it was surviving and enjoying what little you have. Shelby describes the culture perfectly. These people were swindled out of mineral rights and left to survive. Big coal and oil came into the area and brought outsiders into the area. Those who joined the ranks of big corporations thrived. The old timers struggled. I've been back through the years and it is true the culture is dying. The dialect is disappearing. It is still home to me. I have graves there. Let me explain something. If you were raised in the USA and moved to Germany. You learn the German language. If you return to the USA. You speak English again. When you are raised speaking a dialect and move away you pick up a new dialect. When returning to your home area you dialect kicks back in. This is evident with Shelby. It is the same way with me. This is a beautiful documentary.