Big Cove Dancers

Description

This 1932 photograph from the Smithsonian's National Anthropological Archives shows a group of men known as the Big Cove Dancers from Big Cove on the Qualla Boundary. Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, they are on the Big Cove Stomp Grounds preparing for the Eagle Dance. The dancers carry a number of traditional dance implements including a drum, gourd rattles, and dance wands that are decorated with Eagle feathers. The dancers are led by Will West Long (1870-1947) beating the drum. Goliath BigJim is wearing sunglasses behind Long to the left. His son, Allen Long, is behind Long to the right. Morgan Wolfe is second from the right. Will West Long was an authority on Cherokee culture and folklore, especially concerning medicine and spiritual practices. Long was a talented woodworker who was known for his hand carved wood dance masks. The name of the photographer who captured this shot is unknown.
Details
- Creator
  - Unknown
- Contributor
  - National Anthropological Archives
- Format
  - Photographs
- Type
  - StillImage
- Date
  - Date original: 1932
  - Date digitized: 2009-01-13
- Extent
  - Dimension: 8" x 10"
- Subject - Topic
- Location
- Source institution
  - Western Carolina University
- Source Collection
  - Photograph Collection
- Identifier
  - MCI_CH_081
- Repository
  - Museum of the Cherokee People

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