ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — An Athens County resident is part of a team that received a grant to capture traditional stories of folk medicine before they’re lost to time.
Talcon Quinn and Morgantown, West Virginia-based journalist and filmmaker Clara Haizlett received $10,000 from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s Central Appalachia Living Traditions Folk and Traditional Arts Experiences program to produce a short documentary film about the Ohio River Valley and southeast Ohio.
Under the working title “Rooted Traditions,” the film will feature stories of traditional, herbal and folk medicine from people who grew up “in an era that lacked widespread access to reproductive or sexual health care,” Haizlett said in an email.
“We are looking for folks who identify as women and folks who just happen to hold knowledge regarding herbs used for reproductive and sexual health, or folkways,” Quinn said in an interview. Quinn said they are specifically looking for people over 65.
From hormonal regulation to coping with miscarriages, the project seeks to hear from people who lived in Appalachia before modern healthcare became widely accessible.
“We want to find folks who lived through that era who have these traditions, or stories, to talk to,” Quinn said. “There’s a history of people needing these services; this is something we’ve always needed and have done.”
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Home or folk remedies for reproductive and sexual health care was in Quinn’s periphery as she was growing up in Athens County. She was aware of women older than she who organized women’s groups that focused on health and wellness, along with emotional wellbeing.
In her 20s, Quinn began to participate in such groups herself. They would research signs and symptoms of common ailments, along with home remedies.
But both Quinn and Haizlett acknowledged that sexual and reproductive healthcare was not always the most acceptable, accessible topic.
“A lot of us didn’t grow up with families who spoke about [this subject], or even friends who felt comfortable talking about that,” Haizlett said. She described the topic as “under-documented.”
For Haizlett, film makes a topic more accessible to a public audience, compared to an academic study. “The goal is that it makes these stories and information more accessible to people, so they don’t have to do this work themselves,” she said.
Plus, there is a magic to seeing one’s community represented in film, she said.
“Having that connection to people who look like you on the screen and people who are from your area and … garnering wisdom from older women who have experienced things that you might be still experiencing—that’s really important to me,” Haizlett said.
She hopes the documentary empowers people to talk about reproductive health folkways, and along with Quinn, believes in the value of preserving culture.
“We both really enjoy talking to older people and [harvesting] these stories,” Haizlett said. “We’re trying to use this project as a way to bridge some of those traditions and stories into the modern generation.”
Quinn describes herself as an eighth-generation Athens County resident, “Appalachian folk artist” and “lifelong activist.” Her mediums include jewelry, baskets and leather. They two met while Haizlett reported on hide tanning for “Inside Appalachia” — a tradition Quinn not only practices, but teaches.
“Rooted Traditions” is a part of Quinn’s “life work,” she said. She worked on another documentary prior to this upcoming project, “Roots of Athens County,” that featured the story of three Appalachian Ohio elders.
“Rooted Traditions” is “a piece of the holistic picture of what I’m trying to do to help cultivate a more positive viewpoint of Appalachia,” Quinn said. “In the larger scope of practicing folk art and collecting stories and carrying stories on, whether it be in film or … through my teaching of different crafts, it’s [trying] to rekindle a more beautiful view of where we’re from.
“Because a lot of us have been made fun of,” she continued. “We might say that we’re hillbillies, like pride and joking, but it’s also been very derogatory, for a lot of people. People are made fun of because of the way they talk, or certain words that they use, or foods they eat. And I don’t think that way about it,” Quinn said.
“I think that where we come from is really beautiful. It’s a mesh of a lot of different cultures, which is incredibly fascinating. And I want to be a part of creating a place that honors and respects those traditions.”
Quinn acknowledged that reproductive and sexual health is a vulnerable subject for many people, especially older folks who may have experienced the topic’s “taboo” more severely.
“With the phone interviews, I’ve been spending like an hour or more on the phone,” Quinn said. “When you get through that gate of hesitancy, about talking about things that are so taboo, you’re in a very sacred space and it’s amazing. It’s full of laughter and tears and knowledge and it’s just so deep and rich and beautiful. And it’s already been super inspiring to me to be in those spaces and working with Clara, already.”
Stories and folkways featured in the film are not medical advice, Quinn and Haizlett noted.
The two have all year to work on the project; its title and focus may change before it is completed, as “Rooted Traditions” becomes more refined.
“I don’t know what we’re gonna find,” Quinn said. “We want to dig deeper. We want to get past the taboo and … start sharing what has been so closed and not readily available to everybody, [while] being respectful of culture and people’s identities.”
This project is currently seeking folks aged 65+ who use/used herbs, folk remedies or alternative approaches in regards to their sexual or reproductive health. It is not medical advice. Please email reachout@talcon-quinn.com or haizlettclara@gmail.com if you or anyone you know would be interested in participating in this project.
