We’re talking, of course, about George Went Hensley and the serpent handlers of Appalachia. This group of folks, diffuse mostly among the Southeastern US, read literally into a passage from Mark 16:17-18. In following the words, practitioners handle deadly snakes and take swigs of water poisoned with strychnine, a bitter chemical used as a pesticide. If bitten by a snake, believers aren’t allowed to see a doctor. The Bible text reads:

And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Most states have outlawed snake handling, and biblical experts have suggested that the passage in question was added only in later versions of the text. Still, serpent handlers risk jail time, ridicule in the wider community, and even death from the snakes in their arms. Despite the fact that some 70 people have died during services over the years, the faithful remain so, in opposition to all outside pressure. In this case, faith triumphs over most everything.

A believer, interviewed in a 1992 audio documentary prepared by Sound Portraits Productions (now StoryCorps), explained that there was no room for doubt in reading the Bible:

“If man could have written that part of God’s word, he could have written any of it. And if I doubted that part of God’s word, then it’d give me a reason to doubt the rest of it.”

Meet Hutaree, a modern day Christian militia.  Everything was going great for the group until its members hatched a plan to kill police officers.  Bad idea.  Pretty soon, the FBI got involved, and now nine of the group’s members are behind bars and awaiting trial for seditious conspiracy and attempting to use WMD.

What’s interesting about this story is how deep the members’ commitment to  the group was.  Below are some Facebook photos taken at the wedding of Hutaree leader David Brian Stone.  Both David and his wife Tina have since been indicted.  (BTW, are those camouflage ceiling tiles!?  I guess guns make any wedding funner!)

Read more about the history of American militias from the Anti-Defamation League.

by Danila

What happens when you combine a rip-roaring fast chainsaw, giant logs, and the majestic art of sculpture? Pure awesome, in the form of chainsaw art. Like the ancient Greeks, who whittled great hunks of marble into perfect statues, chainsaw artists carve down hunks of wood into polished (well, not that polished) pieces of art. Instead of a hammer and chisel, the tool of choice is a chainsaw with a special “carving bar” that’s narrowed at the tip to prevent kickback.

Although this makes the process safer, the art form is still dangerous as hell. After all, the artist is using a tool that could easily slice into flesh at the slightest slip up. Take that, ancient Greeks!

Common themes include bears, more bears, eagles, other animals, Native American-ish totems, and mermaids. Oh and more bears.

So is the artform a subculture, a hobby, or both?

The world of chainsaw carvers is interconnected. Artists don’t simply create their masterpieces in isolation, but compete in regional fairs and carving contests. Information and tips are shared, and there is some sense of shared destiny.

There are even two guilds that strive to bring chainsaw sculptors together, the United Chainsaw Carvers Guild and the Cascade Chainsaw Sculptors Guild. Chainsaw art is as such an experience to be shared, with a community of peers. In its mission statement, the UCCG sums up its identity:

Our purpose is to promote the art of chainsaw carving and serve as an artistic reservoir for the cultural exchange of this art.

So how do people transition into a life of chainsaw art? It might start with a love of the forest, an affinity for sharp dangerous tools, and a moment of inspiration. Something seen at a lumberjack competition, or at a state fair. Then the idea hits: Who knew that the same coarse tool used to take down trees could also create beauty? To make art in a way that joins rugged work with a creative outlet?

Thrill-seekers and artists, daredevils and outdoorsmen, all united with the love of a whirring chainsaw, the smell of gas, the flying wood chips, and a beautiful result. Not to mention fire, since many chainsaw sculptures are finished with a blazing torch.

The craft is young still, with a birthday sometime in the 1950s, when light chainsaws became more readily available. As quick handed-salesmen demonstrated the superiority of their saws at county fairs, the public took note and imaginations sparked. The artform and community around it has since grown by leaps and bounds. It has evolved into an art that is brawny, at times kitschy, and at times spiritual.

And to close, how to carve a chainsaw bear, FAST:

–
More resources:
Wikipedia
Cherie Currie, Chainsaw Chick

Photo from Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets. The caption reads-"Clothing is also good to make spore prints on. Such "mushroom wear" is increasing fashionable amongst a group of West Coast mycophiles."

by Lea LSF

Fungophilia and mycophilia in America are growing fast. Trust me, I am a a budding enthusiast.

Who are the fungo-mycophiles?

Most generally, they are people who forage for wild mushrooms, identify species and eat them, but it doesn’t stop there!

What’s the difference between fungophilia and mycophilia?

Amongst the true-true enthusiasts the term of choice is not fungophilia, but mycophilia. The myco refers to mycelium, the underground micro-rhizomatic root system of which the mushrooms are the fruit.

I will use the term mycophilia, because it acknowledges the whole network, rather than just a part. Really though fungophilia and mycophilia are a very similar enthusiasm/subculture.

What might mycophiles be out there doing?

Mycophiles learn about mushrooms and share their knowledge as if the information is the key to life!

In Ithaca, NY the spike in wild mushroom interest is very noticeable. Expert and super-dude Carl Whittaker teaches an Ithaca Freeskool class called Mushroom Hunt and Idenitification. Watch mycophile-filmmaker Shira Golding’s video documentation on the event in the woods to learn how some mushroom gatherers may interact in the woods!

Mushroom Hunt and Identification – Ithaca Freeskool Distance Learning from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

Mycophiles form groups and go on forays.

Many mushroom enthusiasts form or join mycological societies and attend forays – weekend trips out into the wilderness. During daylight the group collects specimens, and in the evening they eat delicious dinners, hear mushroom related lectures and engage in lively fungafied discussions. Visit for instance this awesome webpage of the Oregan Mycological Society to learn just how deep the American fascination with mushrooms is getting.

Mycophiles make mushroom art- mushroom shelves, spore print clothing, etc.

Mushroom Shelves by Paul Baxendale click on image to reach very the very precise Mushroom Shelf Tutorial on FinderMaker

From "Mycelium Running" by Paul Stamets. Caption- “Mushroom spore prints on a hat, when you wear it you’ll trail invisible spores behind you like fairy dust. From these spore trails mushrooms can emerge long after the traveler has moved on. Mushrooms use us as vehicles for transporting and dispersing”

Mycophiles attribute great importance to mushrooms and their micro-rhizomatic systems of mycelium that run below the ground and can be super-extensive in their reach.

In his popular book, Mycelium Running, Paul Stamets goes as far as to claim that mushrooms and their micro-rhizomatic root systems are sentient and self-aware.

I asked my mycophile friend and professional wild mushroom hunter Carl Whittaker whether he too thinks mushrooms are sentient.

Carl replied-

“Not the way we think of sentient, but there’s something to that idea of communication. Mushrooms, for instance, can mediate between trees, breaking down sugars from one tree and swapping them from minerals with another. In another one of Stamets’ books he describes an eco-system in which some trees are downslope in wetter areas and other trees of the same forest are upslope and needing of water. The network of mycelium can transfer water to where it is needed to help the whole forest. That is a form of communication. There is communication and intelligence, whether they’re sentient and self-aware is another question, but they do certainly communicate.”

I’ve been watching a lot of Star Trek since the latest movie came out. Especially from the original series with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

What makes the franchise so appealing to so many people? And beyond that, what pushes passionate fans onto the next level of devoted fandom? From supporter into trekkie, or trekker.

Perhaps it’s the promise of a better world in the future, where racism, sexism and xenophobia are abolished. Or perhaps the show was the first widespread public medium to dabble with outlandish sci-fi ideas.

In any case, it has inspired a deep and lively subculture of human aliens and self-described Starfleet commanders. It’s the shared experience, the belonging, the common love of something grand. And while Trekkies are often poked fun of by the media and non-trekkie public, they really are a part of giant friendly world. And no one can deny that the Vulcan salute looks awesome.

Live long and prosper, and enjoy the following clips from Trekkies, a light documentary on some of the most devoted fans on the planet.

by Danila

Fiction can be the spark that ignites a movement. A made-up reality that ends up transforming the author’s imagination into something far larger. So it seems with The Taqwacores, a novel by Michael Muhammad Knight.

from the publisher

…this novel explores the twin identities of punk and Islam in their many varieties and degrees of orthodoxy. The story here is primarily with the characters — such as Umar, the straight-edge Sunni; Rabeya, the burqa-clad riot grrl; Jehangir, the dope-smoking mohawked Sufi (who plays rooftop calls-to-prayer on his electric guitar) — and their collective articulation of a heresy-friendly, pluralist Islam.

Since the book first emerged in photo-copy form in 2003, it has inspired a culture of Islam punk rock in the US (and now beyond); a music scene aptly named Taqwacore (a mashup of the Arabic “taqwa,” or God-fearing piety, and “hardcore” for the home-grown punk movement.)

from the New York Times

After reading the novel, many Muslims e-mailed Mr. Muhammad Knight, asking for directions to the next Muslim punk show. Told that no such bands existed, some of them created their own, with names like Vote Hezbollah and Secret Trial Five.

So did the novel create an Islamic punk rock scene from scratch, or did it simply give voice to an identity that was already half-formed and building momentum on its own?

Probably both.

For more, check out some Taqwacore bands, like the Kominas (tagline: I fought Allah and Allah won), and the film based on Knight’s book (currently in post-production).

I want to explore this lush humanity. We’re all immersed in subcultures and we all define the broader culture. What makes us who we are?

image source: German National Archives, via Wikimedia commons.

A project grows.