Interwoven: Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), & Yuchi Baskets

Learn about Tulsa’s interwoven history with the Muscogee (Creek), Yuchi, and Cherokee people, who share the ancestral art of basketry. For thousands of years, basketmakers wove forms with rivercane, white oak, honeysuckle, and other plant materials. These practices continue today. From food processing to freedom of expression, a basket’s purpose is a continuance of tradition and identity woven with ancestral memories.

Interwoven presents historical and contemporary baskets from these communities, highlighting their deep connections to a classical art form gifted by the land.

Images:
Shan Goshorn (Eastern Band Cherokee, 1957-2018). Reshaping the Journey, 2018. Arches watercolor paper splints printed with archival inks and acrylic paint (acrylic interference paint, silver leaf, and artificial sinew), 4 × 4 × 5″. Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bequest of Beverly Bryan Family Trust, 2024.11. © Shan Goshorn

Nancy Wildcat (Cherokee, 1913-1995). Twill plaited basket with handle, c. 1941. River cane, 12 1/2 × 10 1/4 × 11″. Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gift of Clark Field, 1948.39.187. © Nancy Wildcat