Above: Cherokee Word of the Week: "Osiyo", which is Tsalagi (Cherokee) for "hello". (Visit Cherokee Nation 2012)
Basket weaving is deeply intertwined with the overarching culture and gender relations of the Cherokee (Tsalagi). Women remain the primary stewards of culture amongst and for the Tsalagi, and by examining the lore of basket weaving, one can–even if they are, themselves, born of Western culture–begin to understand the makeup of the matrilineal and matriarchal culture. During the last 500 years, Tsalagi culture has been deeply mediated by colonial constructs, from those whose aim was genocide amongst Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. Yet, Tsalagi culture remains defiant to Western constructs. This research not only examines the cultural patterns exemplified in basket weaving before, and during colonization–which, from an Indigenous perspective, is ongoing–but exemplifies it. Herein, as a Cherokee woman, I will weave for you the tale of my place in Tsalagi society through a look at the art, craft, and importance of basket weaving and how it exemplifies Tsalagi values of connection to all living things, stewardship of culture and land (connected as it is to gender norms), and the importance of story.
