Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Basket: honeysuckle, storage

  • wcu_craft_revival-6019.jpg
  • It is not known for certain who made this storage brightly dyed basket in the permanent collection of Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual. The basket may have been made by Cherokee basket weaver Lucy George. The basket is honeysuckle woven over white oak splints. The basket shape begins with a round base and was woven upward and outward. Traditionally, storage baskets were made to store domestic goods, from dry foodstuffs to clothing. The natural aeration of the weave allows the stored goods to remain dry. The honeysuckle was dyed with walnut to yield the brown color. Walnut, used by Cherokee basket weavers to make dye, is native to the region. The date of this basket is unknown.