Cherokee Traditions: From the Hands of our Elders
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Arts And Crafts: Chief's Daughters

Chief's Daughters pattern
Chief's Daughters pattern

Baskets like this one were made to store domestic goods, from dry foodstuffs to clothing. The natural aeration of the single weave allows the stored goods to remain dry. Large baskets that taper inward like this one were often used to store corn. This basket was woven upward from a rectangular base to a circular circumference at its upper edge. The basket tapers inward before flaring out again at the rim. The colors in this basket are from walnut and bloodroot, plants native to the region. The walnut-dyed rivercane is dark brown; the fainter orange cane runs in bands around the basket. The diamond-shaped design is a variation of the Chief's Daughter. The neck of the basket is defined by several bands that take the form of a linked Chain design.


 

Cherokee Traditions:
A project of Hunter Library Digital Initiatives at Western Carolina University
Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual
Museum of the Cherokee Indian

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