After a friend and fellow Cherokee artist suggested he apply for one of Eighth Generation’s 2021 Wool Blanket Design Contests, Cherokee Nation citizen Bryan Waytula did just that.
TULSA â Cherokee National Treasure Vivian Garner Cottrell will demonstrate how Cherokee people gather and process river cane to make baskets at noon on March 16. The free presentation will be a virtual event broadcast using Facebook Live and was rescheduled from February due to severe winter weather.
Gilcrease Museum is hosting the event and the program is sponsored in part by the Cherokee Nation. This project is also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.Â
Cherokee basket weaver Vivian Garner Cottrell credits her late mother, Betty Scraper Garner, for teaching her how to make Cherokee baskets the way they were made in ancient times. Her mother, who was named a Cherokee National Treasure in 1993 for basketry, taught her how to make baskets using white oak splits and honeysuckle and buck brush ârunnersâ or reed. The duo also gathered natural dye materials to color their baskets.Â