The People:
Lizzie and Edmund Youngbird
Basket weaving among the Cherokee is a tradition customarily passed from mother to daughter. Through years of shared traditions, certain family names have become associated with the craft. Like her mother before her, Lizzie Stamper Youngbird (1903-1967) was a basket weaver. Her son, Edmund Youngbird (1922-1995), learned to make baskets from his grandmother and became known for his work in rivercane baskets and mats. When he first entered his baskets into competition, he entered them under his mother’s name. As a male basket weaver, Edmund Youngbird had a unique place among the Eastern Band Cherokee.
Read more about Lizzie and Edmund Youngbird on the Cherokee Traditions website.
