cherokeeindigenousart

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POST-COLONIALISM ARTWORK 3 This artwork titled Honoring Our Sacred Earth is created by Cherokee artist Sara Bates, it is an installation made in 1997 with mixed media materials. There is rich detail applied with the use of naturally sourced materials, which are feathers, pinecones, shells, seeds, earth pigment, seed pods, maize, and stone (Power 2007, 241). Through symbolism and use of natural materials Bates is simultaneously replicating and honoring the traditional art of her ancestors within a contemporary context. Honoring Our Sacred Earth is bringing back indigenous worldview of connectivity and harmony with nature. The artist Bates states that part of her work as an artist and creating her installations is in the importance of the media she uses, which includes gathering and honoring of the materials (Power 2007, 241). Power states that “the history of Cherokee art parallels the cycles of cultural loss and recovery” (Power 2007, 243). This work is a prime example of indigenous resurgence as it paves a way for appreciating and implementing traditional Cherokee art practices and replicating the respect that they have for the natural environment. While the presentation of her work coincides with contemporary fine art practices, the symbolism and conceptual qualities of her art lie within her ancestral heritage (Power 2007, 246). This artist works primarily with philosophical ideals and focuses on “honoring ancient Cherokee symbols” (San Francisco Arts Commission). This installation uses an ancient Cherokee Cross-in-Circle motif which dates to the early Woodland period, which represents the chief that is interpreted as the “earth descendant of the divine sun”, and the cross in the center composition signifies the four world quadrants that reside in the world circle, amplifying the sense of connectivity to the environment and it’s surrounding forces (Power 2007, 241). Described by Power, her work “appear to move beyond preconceived forms. Yet, her works, like those of many other Cherokee artists – east, west, and beyond – embody poignant elements of rich historical precedents” (Power 2007, 246). “The evolution of Cherokee art attests to its value and resilience” (Power 2007, 127). Sources: Honoring Our Sacred Earth. 1997. In Susan C. Power Art of the Cherokee : Prehistory to the Present., pg. 242, Athens, GA ; University of Georgia Press, 2007. Power, Susan C. Art of the Cherokee : Prehistory to the Present. Athens, GA ; University of Georgia Press, 2007. “Sara Bates.” San Francisco Arts Commission. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://kiosk.sfartscommission.org/artist-maker/info/1944?sort=3.

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POST-COLONIALISM ARTWORK 2 This artwork is titled Commodity, by Cherokee artist Roy Boney Jr, and was made on acrylic on board in 2010. This work is a recognition of the influences that settler colonialism and capitalism had on Cherokee people, leaving them feeling used and commodified. This is in part to the colonial attempted erasure of their culture, but also to the theft and eventual destruction of their land due to growing industrialization and the improper use of natural resources which is heavily tied into product commodification.   The yellow background serves to bring compositional focus to the shoe Roy draws to the eye through a linear perspective from the right corner, depicted in vivid detail the shoe is easily observed and representative of popular footwear brand Converse, but instead of the customary company logo Roy paints the Cherokee Seal, approved in 1871, the seal is meant to signify “early government structure, and the eternal endurance of Cherokee Indians” (Five Civilized Tribes). In the middle of the seal rests a seven-pointed star, representing both the seven clans of the Cherokees as well as the seven characters of Sequoyah’s syllabary (Five Civilized Tribes). Surrounding the star is a wreath of oak leaves, meant to signify the sacred fire that the Cherokee people kept burning in their land (Five Civilized Tribes). As another artist who chooses to merge contemporary culture with traditional Cherokee culture, Roy Boney Jr. is emphasizing the effects that settler-colonialism has had on Cherokee people – through visual recognition. This painting shows the connections between settler-colonialism and capitalism in regard to how product commodification is easily associated in relation to how people are commodified, through the exploitation of labor and unfair labor practices, as well as emphasizing the relationship between government and corporation in contemporary times.

Sources:

Boney Jr, Ray. Commodity. 2010. https://www.royboneyart.com/gallery/commodity.

“Cherokee Seal.” Five Civilized Tribes. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.fivecivilizedtribes.org/Cherokee-Seal.html.

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POST-COLONIALISM ARTWORK 1 This contemporary work by Cherokee Jeff Edwards is called Tsalagiopoly. This artwork was created digitally in 2013, on archival inkjet print on paper, this artwork depicts a modern-day board game Monopoly converted into Cherokee syllabary.

The writing is identified as Cherokee syllabary, and in the middle of the board game are two cartoon representations of Sequoyah. While everyone can distinguish the designs on the game board itself, only the Cherokee will be able to understand and comprehend what each platform on the game board means.

This work is highly introspective when placed in the context of a post-colonial lens. In a different perspective, the board game could symbolize in a more contemporary context the inhumane treatment that government officials had treated the Cherokee nation during the Trail of Tears, and how the forced removal of their Cherokee ancestors and the government’s blatant disregard for human rights is striking similar to how an individual would handle a character in a board game, moving them around on a whim for their own self-serving purposes.    It also could be possibly interpreted as a metaphor to how the Cherokee people have had to navigate themselves into reasserting their culture in the face of settler colonialism, and how the “Properties” owned in monopoly is another analogy to how the government had stolen and subsequently capitalized their land for profitable gain.

This artwork is likely up to personal interpretation, though by incorporating the iconography of contemporary pop culture and Cherokee syllabary speaks directly to indigenous resurgence and the cultural revival that is rapidly increasing though still adding subtle ques to the injustices that have been cast upon the Cherokee nation in the past. While it is important to acknowledge the wrongdoings against their culture, Edward’s primary focus as a Cherokee artist is language revival and incorporates it into all of his artwork (Solomon 2021). Sources: Edwards, Jeff. Tsalagiopoly, 2013, https://www.ashevilleart.org/work-of-the-week/digital-works-by-jeff-edwards/. Solomon, Lindsey. “Digital Works by Jeff Edwards.” Asheville Art Museum, December 15, 2021. https://www.ashevilleart.org/work-of-the-week/digital-works-by-jeff-edwards/.

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ACTIVE SETTLER-COLONIALISM ARTWORK 3 The Ornamented Cap of a Cacique is made by an unknown artist, dated from 1750-1810. It is made out of either bear or buckskin, adorned with silk ribbon and beaded ornaments. A Cacique translates to an indigenous chief, so it is likely that this would be worn by someone prestigious in the community (Merriam-Webster). The “composition of symbolic color, media, and objects of particular configuration identified the wearer according to rank, status, and authority” (Power 2007, 45). For the Cherokee, when assigned chief, they would dye yellow their leather shirt, breechclout, and belt with tassels (Power 2007, 45). In villages, there would be two assigned chiefs to deal with separate issues (French and Hornbuckle, 1981 6). There was a “red” chief, who dealt with issues surrounding war, and a “white” chief, who would preside over domestic affairs (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 6-7). The cap possesses an adept ability in beadwork and weaving, there are traditional geometric motifs beaded in the tassel, red dyed animal hair is strung through metal combs along the ends while the other tassels across the cap are richly decorated with a pattern of red and white beads accompanying it.   This cap is an example of the evolution of materials that were crafted during the time of settler-colonialism, as this cap was made with combined elements of traditional animal skin and incorporates indigenous weaving skill with new materials that would be acquired as a result of eighteenth-century trade (Power 2007, 43-44). Sources:

“Cacique Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cacique. French, Laurence, and Jim Hornbuckle, eds. “The Cherokees—Then And Now.” In The Cherokee Perspective: Written by Eastern Cherokees, 3–43. Appalachian State University, 1981. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1xp3kws.7. Ornamented Cap of a Cacique. 1750-1810. In Susan C. Power Art of the Cherokee : Prehistory to the Present., pg. 44, Athens, GA ; University of Georgia Press, 2007. Power, Susan C. Art of the Cherokee : Prehistory to the Present. Athens, GA ; University of Georgia Press, 2007.

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ACTIVE SETTLER-COLONIALISM ARTWORK 2 This Cherokee bandolier bag that is currently located in the Denver Art Museum was made around 1840, by an artist unknown. The materials used in the construction of this bag are leather, wool, glass beads, and silk. The bandolier bag is seen in other nations as well, the Denver Art Museum states that these bags could possibly be an indigenous perspective take on a recreation of similar bags that were worn by British soldiers in the 1700s (Denver Art Museum). The bandolier bag provides a rich design that blends a fabric with a vivid colour palette including intricate beadwork that creates an array of visually pleasing motifs to accentuate a sense of motion throughout the entire object. Cotherman states that the most important bags had contained more designs embellished on them, that were used typically to store sacred objects (Cotherman 2010, 28). By the mid-nineteenth century, bandolier bags would lose their functional purpose and become more ceremonial in function, playing a fundamental role in the maintenance of intertribal relationships, many would be given as friendship gifts, complete with more gifts inside of the bag (Cotherman 2010, 30-31).   The decorative elements on objects were also a symbol of wealth prestige for indigenous people, which could be assumed for this bag as well given the amount of attention to detail and the striking colour palette (Cotherman 2010, 28). The beads utilized in the construction of this bag would be a direct result of the fur trade and settler contact (Cotherman 2010, 30). For the Cherokee man, this bag would be a symbol of his wealth as well as an acknowledgement of his wife’s artistic skill in beadwork (Cotherman 2010, 30).

More traditional bandolier bags contained beadwork motifs that were more geometric in appearance (Cotherman 2010, 31). The designs would diverge to more floral and earthly shapes as a direct result of settler colonialism, as it is speculated that the switch in design elements may have been influenced by mid-nineteenth century Victorian-era culture and aesthetics, speculated to resemble European embroidery techniques (Cotherman 2010, 31). This Cherokee bandolier bag in particular represents more of a traditional and cultural construction, as the design laid out is more purely geometrical and the symbolism on the left strap in particular resembles some characters from early Cherokee syllabary which was developed around that period.

Though the bandolier bag still holds traditional values through the function as well as the design. This bag in particular holds strong cultural beliefs to the Cherokee. The designs on this bag resemble earlier more traditional bandolier bags which were more geometric in appearance, also containing elements on the left side of the bag strap in between the shapes which closely resemble the letters in the Cherokee syllabary, which was developed by a Cherokee man named Sequoyah in 1820 (Brown 1947, 490). It was especially useful when during the government’s expulsion plan, there were a number of Cherokee people who had already been sent out West and Sequoyah had wished that his syllabary could be utilized for those sent away to keep in contact with one another (Brown 1947, 493). A possible interpretation seen on this bandolier bag are the symbols “qua” and “da”.

Sources:

“Bandolier Bag.” Denver Art Museum. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/object/1971.406. Brown, Marel. “Sequoyah.” The Georgia Review 1, no. 4 (1947): 490–99. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41397575.

COTHERMAN, STEVE. “Art Traditions of the Anishinaabe Bandolier Bags From the Collection of the Madeline Island Museum.” The Wisconsin Magazine of History 93, no. 4 (2010): 28–37. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27870393.

Cherokee Artist. Bandolier Bag. Hide, wool, glass beads, and silk. 1840. Denver Art Museum. April 18, 2024. https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/object/1971.406.

French, Laurence, and Jim Hornbuckle, eds. “Cherokee Arts And Crafts.” In The Cherokee Perspective: Written by Eastern Cherokees, 170–205. Appalachian State University, 1981. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1xp3kws.12.

Sequoyah’s Syllabary Cherokee. n.d. https://jstor.org/stable/community.13739163.

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ACTIVE SETTLER-COLONIALISM ARTWORK 1 This Cherokee Booger Mask was made in the early 19th century by an artist once known. The materials are all naturally sourced and are repurposed directly from the environment. The mask is made primarily from a mixture of carved gourd, feather, and string. The Booger mask would be seen used in ceremonial and social dances, and a man would dress himself up in ragged clothing, putting on the Booger mask he would then approach the dancers, and in costume would proceed to instigate and frighten the crowd (Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian). The individual who wore the Booger mask would also afterwords perform his own solo dance as a part of the tumultuous performance (Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian). Additionally, there was also a Bugah or Booger dance, which was a winter event where masked dancers would celebrate gender and role reversals, in attempts to “weaken the harmful power of alien tribes and races, either living or dead, who may cause sickness or misfortune (Power 2007, 150-152).      

The traits in this artwork are comical and crass, bordering on the margins between humor and terror. The mask has a long, elongated nose perhaps meant to exhibit attributes that more commonly appeared in European settlers (Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian). The exaggerated facial features are made to appear more or less human, but the application of over emphasis is utilized also to instill a sense of fear and unease in the viewer (Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian). The Booger mask served a performative purpose to the Cherokee, but also as a stern reminder of the dangers of outside forces that threatened the community (Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian). The National Museum of the American Indian states that Cherokee beliefs revolved around the notion that illness originated from the outside of their settlements, and the Booger mask and the character it portrayed in performance enacted the threat of external forces (national museum of the American Indian). Booger masks would also vary in that they could portray a variety of expressive features (Power 2007, 150).

This artwork was created during active settler colonialism, as one of the primary purposes of this Booger mask and its overall character and demeanor was to represent a warning of the outside forces (Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian). In this case, one of the primary outside forces that this intruder depicted was the Europeans settlers. The Booger Mask is a direct recognition in which the Cherokee had embodied and presented the fear and distress that they felt for their people during active colonialism. Its purpose and function posed as a dialogical deterrent, the performance of the ceremony with the Booger mask was a mode in which they communicated the past and present consequences that the European settlers were actively creating against indigenous people.   Sources: “Cherokee Booger Dance Mask.” Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://americanindian.si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/woodlands/237839.html. Power, Susan C. Art of the Cherokee : Prehistory to the Present. Athens, GA ; University of Georgia Press, 2007.

Unknown. Booger Mask with Long Nose. Early 19th Century CE. Mask: carved gourd with feather and string, Height: 9 in. (3.5 cm). National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, New York, USA; North Carolina, USA. https://jstor.org/stable/community.11677591.

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PRE-SETTLER CONTACT ARTWORK 3 The Stone Duck Effigy Pipe dates approximately 1200-1600 CE and is located now at the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. This pipe is richly detailed for its small size of 8 inches. Carved from steatite, the duck is seen at the forefront of the pipe, in the center is a raised cavity for what would be smoked in the pipe. The bowl itself carried significance and is perceived as possessing a feminine energy, similar to that of the earth (Paper 1988, 644). Smoking held an important ceremonial and ritual function in Cherokee culture, though would change its position and purpose in ritual customs over time (Power 2007, 105-106). Stone pipes would be carved from green or grey steatite, grey-black shale by metal tools, typically pocketknives (Power 2007, 106). An effigy animal would be depicted in full relief (Power 2007, 106). This animal, whether it took the form of “frog, turtle, bird, animal, or human image, had sacred significance in itself” (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 173).    

In pipe ceremonies, the pipe is at the centre of the cosmos, and passed around a circle of people (Paper 1988, 643). It was commonly used in the past as a ceremonial function to conduct negotiations and would be used to assure that all participants taking place in the ceremony were to remain honest and truthful during the conversation (Asikinack 2024). Tobacco is added to the pipe, each time a pinch of tobacco is added it is signifying a dedication to the sacred elements and directions (Paper 1988, 643). The Four Directions are “the Above”, “the Spirit World”, “the Below” otherwise known as Mother Earth, and “the Centre” also known as all living things that are connected within us (Asikinack 2024). There is usually a primary smoker, who will direct the offering of smoke to the recipients present at the ceremony by offering the stem of the pipe (Paper 1988, 644).  The primary smoker would be the host of the ceremony and direct the circle throughout the ceremony (Asikinack 2024). Sources: Asikinack, William. “Pipe Ceremony.” Pipe Ceremony - Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia | University of Saskatchewan. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://teaching.usask.ca/indigenoussk/import/pipe_ceremony.php. Effigy Pipe (Duck). 1200-1600. Mineral.; Talc (mineral); Steatite., Length 8 inches. Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. https://jstor.org/stable/community.14625956.

French, Laurence, and Jim Hornbuckle, eds. “Cherokee Arts And Crafts.” In The Cherokee Perspective: Written by Eastern Cherokees, 170–205. Appalachian State University, 1981. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1xp3kws.12.

Paper, Jordan D. “The Sacred Pipe: The Historical Context of Contemporary Pan-Indian Religion.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 56, no. 4 (1988): 643–65. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1464457.

Power, Susan C. Art of the Cherokee : Prehistory to the Present. Athens, GA ; University of Georgia Press, 2007.

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PRE-SETTLER CONTACT ARTWORK 2 This small Cherokee pottery vessel is undated, made by an artist once known and considered an archeological object found at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Cherokee pottery had not been recorded until 1884, though it had been made and practiced by Cherokees for several centuries earlier (King 1982, 176). This pottery vessel is extremely small in stature and likely used for ritual purposes, complete with adornments consisting of soft geometric forms that surround the entire object.

Pottery held a utilitarian purpose as well, most household objects would consist of ceramic bowls that were finely detailed and artistically created, used also for cooking and storing water (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 172). These vessels would be constructed strictly from materials that were resourced from the earth, mounded from clay that was typically resourced from a pond or water bank (King 1982, 178). “Cherokee potters used a special white clay with high concentrations of kaolin from deposits along the banks of Cowee Creek, near the Iotla community, in North Carolina” (Power 2007, 49).

Pottery vessels would be made entirely by hand (King 1982, 177). The early Cherokees would use a coil technique to make pottery, which involved placing ropes on a flat disc of clay on top of another until desired height and molding the coils together with their fingers (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 180). The decoration and designs would be predetermined by the artist before construction of the vessel (King 1982, 181). Designs are carved usually with a tool or done by impression (King 1982, 181). The textures would consist of “curvilinear and rectilinear complicated stamping, check stamping, basket impressing” (Power 2007, 48). This centuries-old craft also carries much significance to cultural tradition, Cherokee legend states that they had learned how to make pottery from didanisisgi, the mud dauber (Cromwell 2021). This story involves a girl who was carrying a bark bucket for water and then finds a mud dauber stuck in the mud nearby (Cromwell 2021). In fear of being stung, uses a stick to help free the dauber out (Cromwell 2021). On her way, she trips and falls, the bark bucket smashes into pieces (Cromwell 2021). The mud dauber, remembering her good deed shows her how to utilize the mud and create clay pottery for storing water in hopes that the girl to teach her people (Cromwell 2021).   Sources: Cromwell, Sara. “Cherokee: Make a Pinch Pot.” Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology, July 20, 2021. https://lammuseum.wfu.edu/2020/06/cherokee-make-a-pinch-pot/#:~:text=Cherokee%20pottery&text=The%20Eastern%20Band%20of%20Cherokee%20Indians%20have%20the%20longest%20continuing,create%20rectilinear%20and%20curvilinear%20designs.

French, Laurence, and Jim Hornbuckle, eds. “Cherokee Arts And Crafts.” In The Cherokee Perspective: Written by Eastern Cherokees, 170–205. Appalachian State University, 1981. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1xp3kws.12. KING, HARVEY E. “CHEROKEE POTTERY MAKING IN OKLAHOMA USING THE ANCIENT METHOD, WITH ANNA B. MITCHELL.” Central States Archaeological Journal 29, no. 4 (1982): 176–85. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43138329. Power, Susan C. Art of the Cherokee : Prehistory to the Present. Athens, GA ; University of Georgia Press, 2007. Small Pottery Vessel with Incised Designs. n.d. Ceramic, 6.8 cm x 8.2 cm. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. https://jstor.org/stable/community.20420799.

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PRE-SETTLER CONTACT ARTWORK 1 The Doubleweave Lidded Basket is a striking piece of functional Cherokee art by an artist once known. It is dated from pre-settler contact, this basket in particular is thought to be the earliest known Cherokee basket introduced as it was brought to London in 1725. (Power 2007, 56).  As per its name, the basket is constructed using a double weave technique with rivercane strips, dyed red and black with pokeberry and walnut. It is made with strictly organic materials found from the earth. The double weave technique itself was a skillful practice that involved weaving one basket inside of another (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 178).  Serving both a utilitarian and aesthetic purpose, woven baskets were an integral part of daily Cherokee life and would serve to gather, store, and prepare foods” (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 172). There would be a variety of different baskets that would be used to store a variety of different materials that would be found amongst Cherokee homes, such as bread baskets, fish baskets, pack baskets, hanging baskets (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 172).   Basket weaving had important spiritual value tied into it as well. The Spider-Dwelling-In-The-Water story revolves around a spider who constructed a basket to be able to provide fire to the people (Cromwell 2023). Basket weaving in Cherokee dates back to nearly 10,000 years (Cromwell 2023). The art of weaving was considered to be a practice done solely by women, their craft would be perceived as sacred work, as women were believed to be “makers of containers essential to life” (Hill 1996, 119). It helped manifest a sense of connection and tradition among Cherokee women as it was passed down through generations from mothers to daughters (Cromwell 2023). “Cherokees considered weaving to be natural to women and essential to society” (Hill 1996, 119). Though the patterns and techniques of basket weaving would be passed down and shared, ultimately each basket made would be unique and distinctive in its own creation (Cromwell 2023). Sources: Cromwell, Sara. “Cherokee Basket.” Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology, November 1, 2023. https://lammuseum.wfu.edu/2023/11/cherokee-basket/. Doubleweave Lidded Basket. Pre-1725. In Susan C. Power Art of the Cherokee : Prehistory to the Present, pg. 57,. Athens, GA ; University of Georgia Press, 2007. French, Laurence, and Jim Hornbuckle, eds. “Cherokee Arts And Crafts.” In The Cherokee Perspective: Written by Eastern Cherokees, 170–205. Appalachian State University, 1981. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1xp3kws.12.

Hill, Sarah H. “Weaving History: Cherokee Baskets from the Springplace Mission.” The William and Mary Quarterly 53, no. 1 (1996): 115–36. https://doi.org/10.2307/2946826. Power, Susan C. Art of the Cherokee : Prehistory to the Present. Athens, GA ; University of Georgia Press, 2007.

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An Introduction

The Cherokee nation is the largest nation found today in the United States, with more than 450,000 tribal citizens worldwide (Cherokee Nation Website). Known also as the Tsalagi, though refer to themselves as the “Ani-Yun-Wiya”, which translates to “Real People” (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 3). They had originally inhabited the mountainous landscapes of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Carolina, although would eventually be forcefully removed from their homelands to Oklahoma by the United States Government in 1838-9 as one of the many devastating effects of settler-colonialism (Oxford University Press 2021).  This forced removal would be henceforth titled “The Trail of Tears”. The depressing name is given due to the conditions that the Cherokee people had suffered during this journey as a result of the treat by the United States government, as many scholars have claimed that over 4000 Cherokee men, women, and children and many more which are estimated to have gone unrecorded, would unfortunately pass away (Satz 1989, 431).   The Cherokee operated on a matrilineal level, women had as much power and authority due to their respective position in the domestic sphere, also contributing to war councils, and those not affiliated with a clan would refer to their mother’s (French 1981, 7). They hold a clan structure which they identify themselves with, prior to settler-colonialism there were seven clans, wolf clan, deer clan, bird clan, the red-paint clan, the blue paint clan, the wild potato clan, the long hair or twister clan (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 7). The art style prevalent to this nation expert craftwork consisting of basketry, wood and stone carvings, pottery, beadwork, sash weaving, mask carving, bowl making and jewelry (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 170).  The crafts created and their methods which have been passed down generations share many benefits to the practice for the Cherokee that exceed beyond the utilitarian purpose, “they do serve four important functions today: economic, therapeutic, recognitional and cultural” (French and Hornbuckle 1981, 175). Sources:

“Cherokee.” The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press, 2021. Cherokee Nation Website. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.cherokee.org/.

French, Laurence, and Jim Hornbuckle, eds. “The Cherokees—Then And Now.” In The Cherokee Perspective: Written by Eastern Cherokees, 3–43. Appalachian State University, 1981. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1xp3kws.7.

Satz, Ronald N. “The Cherokee Trail of Tears: A Sesquicentennial Perspective.” The Georgia Historical Quarterly 73, no. 3 (1989): 431–66. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40582012.

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT To begin my journey for the timeline of Cherokee art, I would first like to acknowledge that I am on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnnaabeg people who are the original inhabitants and protectors of this land.