Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Basket: rivercane, storage

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  • This large upright storage basket was made by Lizzie “Nannie” Stamper Youngbird (1903-1967), a Cherokee woman of western North Carolina. Baskets such as these were made to store domestic goods, from dry foodstuffs to clothing. The natural aeration of the single weave allows the stored goods to remain dry. The basket is woven from rivercane that was dyed with walnut and bloodroot, plants native to the region. The walnut-dyed rivercane is dark brown; the fainter orange cane runs up from the bottom. The lip is marked with bloodroot and walnut stained bands in a linked Chain design. The design in the body of the basket is Double Chief’s Daughters; the daughters represented by two small crosses within each interlocking square. The date of this basket is not known; the date span represents the time the basket maker was active.