Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Mary Ulmer Chiltoskey

  • wcu_cherokee_traditions-662.jp2
  • This 1996 photograph, by an unknown photographer, is of Mary Ulmer Chiltoskey (d. 2000), who served as a teacher and librarian in the Cherokee community for many years. Born in Alabama, Mrs. Chiltoskey relocated to Cherokee, North Carolina in 1942 to teach. She developed an interest in revitalizing Cherokee culture and became known as a respected author, historian, and storyteller. She is known for her telling of the Cherokee story, "The Legend of the First Woman" and her publications, "Aunt Mary, Tell Me a Story," "Cherokee Words With Pictures," "Cherokee Plants," and "To Make My Bread," a cooklore she and her husband, woodcarver Goingback Chiltoskey, co-published. In 1989 Mrs. Chiltoskey was named an honorary member of the Eastern Band for her many years of service to the Cherokee people.