Folkways

Historic preservation conference 2001

Folkways and Artist

Weaving Painting Woodworking Pottery

South Carolina Indians Today

NATIONAL Native American Indian Organizational LINKS:

National Congress of American Indians

American Indian Movement

Office of American Indian Trust

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

First Nations Development Institute

National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development

Department of Labor, Native American and Indian Programs (Welfare to Work, TANF)

Department of Defense and Native American Programs

National Indian Policy Center (George Washington University)

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Council of Energy Resource Tribes

Native American Rights Fund

National Indian Telecommunications Institute

Native American Cultural and Educational Authority

INTERNATIONAL LINKS:

International Indian Treaty Council

Center for World Indigenous Studies

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs

UN Documents on Indigenous Peoples

Inuit Circumpolar Conference

Economic Development and Cultural Change

Weaving

The Cherokee women of the upcountry were certainly a part of their culture around the turn of the twentieth century. They like many of the women of their time continued with the handicrafts that had been passed down from generation to generation. The Crazy Quilt was a favorite among the Upcountry Cherokees, because it was similar to the Cherokee "rag-cloth" of ancient times which utilized the scraps from many different sewing projects. These quilts were all hand sewn, unlike the contemporary quilts of today which employ the use of sewing machines. The Crazy Quilt, Indian Star Quilt, Patchwork Quilt, and Wedding Ring Quilt, are among those represented in this exhibition. One affect of the economic depression that struck South Carolina in the 1920s and 1930s was the use of quilts for gifts.

In the upcountry, with it's cold temperatures in the winter, the quilt was originally made for keeping warm in the winter. Necessity was the reason for all of the early utilitarian quilts, intended for use as bedcovers which contained woolen, cotton, and other heavier fabrics. Many different types of hand stitching was employed in the making of these quilts, 'including briar, feather, outline and blanket, just to name a few. A master quilter, such as Cherokee Clan Mother, Amanda Stegall Allen's work has lasted over a hundred years. This tradition is continued by her daughter, A. Felicia Taylor.

Turtle Clan & Star Pattern Pillows
Hand Designed, Cotton & Valor 12 "X 12 " 1980
Artist: Elsie Taylor Goins

Pottery

Traditional Cherokee pottery forms are primarily devoted to simple utilitarian shapes. Using Native clay, their fingers and a few old type tools for scraping and polishing, Cherokee potters shape cooking pots, storage jars, water jars and other types of dishes. The ancient way of shaping a vessel is to start with a small disk at the bottom and build up the walls with coils. Coils of clay are molded by hand and decorated by pressing or incising designs with smooth stones, wood or bone paddles and, other natural hand tools. To give the natural clay a dark, black hue, it is fired with softwoods like poplar that produce a thick smoke. Contemporary Cherokee potters use ancient methods, as well as, a variety of contemporary methods and designs in the creation of their pots, sculpt pieces and art objects. Traditional and contemporary aesthetic and technical demands are use in today's creations of clay pots, ceramics and art pieces in the clay medium.

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Woodwork & Wood carving
Work with wood has always been a part of Cherokee culture. Ladles, dishes, trays, drums, bows & arrows, masks, "Stick Ball" sticks, and furniture are all items made by Cherokee woodcarvers. Today still wood workers are very skilled in their crafts and in the items that they make for sale like furniture. "False Face Masks" are one of the most widely know art objects that collectors buy from Cherokee woodcarvers. These "chiseled out" Masks are hung in exhibitions and as decorative pieces in many homes, and art galleries, even though there were and are actually worn and used with dance with surrounding the Cherokee ceremonial dances and rituals.

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Cherokee Rag Rugs
A Traditional Cherokee art form, the "Rag Rug" is a fine example of the respect that the Cherokee have for everything in creation, including scraps of material. Nothing was thrown away, everything had a purpose and could be used. This is why Native Americans used every part of the animal in ancient times, because all was sacred and serviceable. When fabric was introduced, the Cherokee continued with this philosophy. The "rag cloth" and the "Rag Rug" was developed to use the extra scraps of cloth that were left after sewing, reminiscent of the Cherokee "rag cloth" of the famed Sequoyah jacket. These rugs are often found in Cherokee household as door mats and are very durable and can be washed in the washing machine.

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Doll Making
Like most civilized culture, the Cherokee made dolls for their children. Cherokee doll makers have become a long-standing favorite crafts person. The Cherokee doll makers create dolls dressed in the various fashions of their ancestors. Each doll maker has his or her own artistic design and technique. Cherokee dolls have become a valuable acquisition in many doll collections. Many of the dolls tell the stories of Cherokee myths.

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Finger Weaving
Cherokee weavers continue to use the "loose-warp method inherited from their forefathers. Known as "finger weaving" some present day artists work with as many as eight strands at one time, to create the vivid color combinations and designs handed down from generation to generation. Without the use of a loom, and with only a stick to hold one end of the woven materials, dexterous Indian women weave sashes, scarves, headbands, and turbans from yarn. They originate their designs and the master weavers often handle thirty-six to forty-eight strands at one time, using only their hands to hold and guide the intricate process.

Photography & Painting
Since the ancient Native petroglyphs or the early Catlin paintings, painting has been a part of Native American Indian culture and certainly Cherokee culture. Today, Painting and Photography still have an important place in the art of the Cherokee people.

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