Alabama Folk
Alabama Folk
Alabama Folklife Association
Lye Soap, Herbs, and Stick Dolls: The Lifecycle of Gee’s Bend
22 minutes Posted Sep 27, 2022 at 12:00 pm.
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Show notes

Betty Anderson grew up watching the women of Gee’s Bend move through the seasons of rural life: quilting, canning, healing with herbs, hog killing, and making jelly, lye soap, and stick dolls. In reflecting on their expertise, Betty pays homage to the local voodoo doctor, the power of communal work, and to a most intimate moment of the lifecycle: its very end.