The People:
Watty Chiltoskie

Not as much is known about Watty Chiltoskie, Goingback’s older brother. Born in 1897, he was ten years older than his well known brother and older than any of the carvers profiled here except for Will West Long. Raised in the Piney Grove section of the Qualla Boundary, Wahdih Chiltoskie was more often called Watty. Like his parents, he spoke only Cherokee, learning English later in life. While still a young man, he started carving. I started with a kitchen knife,” he recalled, then graduated to a pocketknife. Now I use woodcarving tools,” he said in an undated newspaper interview. The brothers shared a love of carving.

Read more about Watty Chiltoskie on the Cherokee Traditions website.