Western Carolina University WCU University of North Carolina Asheville UNCA

Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

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WCU - Craft Revival

Basket: rivercane, storage

  • wcu_craft_revival-5556.JPG
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  • This storage basket with a flared top edge was made by Lizzie Youngbird, a Cherokee basket weaver of western North Carolina. Baskets such as these were made to store domestic goods, from dry foodstuffs to clothing. Large baskets that taper inward like this one are sometimes called "corn baskets." The natural aeration of the single weave allows the stored goods to remain dry. The basket was woven upward from a rectangular base with an overall design set on the diagonal. The circumference of the basket tapers inward before flaring out again at the rim. This basket was made from rivercane that was dyed with bloodroot to achieve the bright orange color. The design in the basket is Man in a Coffin (or Man in a Casket) with the "man" and "casket" lying on the diagonal. The neck of the basket is defined by a double band that takes the form of a linked Chain design. Lizzie “Nannie” Stamper Youngbird (1903-1967) was part of an extended family of basket weavers. Her mother, Sally Ann Stamper, made baskets and her sister-in-law, Lottie Queen Stamper (1907-1987), taught basket weaving. Lizzie Youngbird's own children were all boys; her son, Edmund Youngbird (1922-1995) was a basket maker, a unique vocation among Cherokee men.

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Craft Revival

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mountain craftsmen formed the cornerstone of a revived interest in things handmade to create a movement known as the Craft Revival. During the Revival...

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