Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (21) View all

Basket: white oak, storage

  • wcu_craft_revival-5914.jp2
  • It is not known who made this undated large storage basket. The tapered basket is made with white oak splits. Woven upward from a square base, the basket bulges outward before necking in to a small, rounded rim. The shape of this basket resembles a fishing basket used by Eastern Band Cherokee who would harvest fish from the region’s many rivers. The narrow opening of the basket would allow fish to swim in but not out, trapping them. The basket strips are not dyed, leaving natural the color of the white oak.