Little Pinky
Type of art: Basketry
Natural black ash and commercially dyed black ash splints woven into a petite, round basket with lid. The points are created by twisting and turning black ash splints over each pink dyed weavers. The knob is natural black ash splint wrapped around a pink dyed black ash splint and bound into the top of the basket lid. Sweet grass is used for the finishing of the basket and lid.
Materials: Black ash, sweet grass
Technique: Twilling
Size: H 4 1/2" from base to top of knob W 5 1/4"
Price: $300
Vivian
Cottrell
Cherokee Nation
(405) 471-7587
vivcott@sbcglobal.net
I am a generational basket maker. I follow my mother, aunts, grandmother and great grandfather who were weaving baskets, not so much to sell, but times to trade for other items or for use in daily living. Basket making has been an opportunity to educate the public as I travel throughout the United States attending National Indian Markets and Shows.
Preparing weaving materials for 48 years, I made a commitment to our Cherokee culture in basketry at an early age. Weaving baskets and selling them to the Cherokee Gift Shop and other gift shops within the Cherokee Nation reservation was my first job. I was an entrepreneur in high school. I continued making baskets and selling them while I earned my degree in accounting. Traveling across Oklahoma working as an auditor, I would bring my materials and weave baskets during the evenings and weekends.