Rowena Bradley (1922–2003) was an

Eastern Band Cherokee The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, ''Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi'') is a federally recognized Indian Tribe based in Western North Carolina in the United States. They are descended from the small ...

basket maker from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Bradley's work has been exhibited at Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in

Cherokee, North Carolina Cherokee ( chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, translit=Tsalagi) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Swain County, North Carolina, Swain and Jackson County, North Carolina, Jackson counties in Western North Carolina, United States, within the Qualla Boundar ...

Early life and education

Rowena Bradley was born in 1922 to Nancy George Bradley (1881–1963) and Henry Bradley, and was the youngest of eight children. She grew up on the Painttown community's Swimmer Branch on the

Qualla Boundary The Qualla Boundary or The Qualla is territory held as a land trust by the United States government for the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who reside in western North Carolina. The area is part of the large historic Chero ...

.. Rowena created her first basket at the age of six. She learned weaving by observing her mother and her grandmother Mary Dobson (''Tahtahyeh'', b. ca. 1857), who were both accomplished basket makers. While neither her mother or her grandmother spoke English, they sold their baskets outside the Qualla Boundary area, including Washington, D.C., and New York. Bradley was also a student of basket maker

Lottie Queen Stamper Lottie Queen Stamper (January 4, 1907 – 1987) was an Eastern Band Cherokee basket maker and educator. Early life and education Lottie Queen was born at the Qualla Boundary, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Her parents were Levi ...

, who taught basketmaking at the Cherokee

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

Method

Bradley crafted baskets from

rivercane ''Arundinaria gigantea'' is a species of bamboo known as giant cane (not to be confused with ''Arundo donax''), river cane, and giant river cane. It is endemic to the south-central and southeastern United States as far west as Oklahoma and Texas ...

and was one of few Eastern Band Cherokee weavers with knowledge of a double-weave technique, which she learned from her mother Nancy Bradley. She quartered, peeled, and scraped the rivercane with a pocketknife. The dye materials she used were derived from local bark and roots such as butternut, black walnut and bloodroot. She wove patterns that she learned from her mother and also made her own designs. Her favored designs are now known as Peace Pipe, Double Peace Pipe, and Chief's Daughter.. Journalist John Parris described the process Bradley used in weaving, "working from memory, she forms the strips into patterns and then into baskets of all shapes and sizes. Early in the process of a double-weave pattern, literally scores of withes seem to fly out in all directions." Bradley devised new types of baskets, including a Purse Basket for sales to tourists.

Recognition

In 1974, Bradley had a solo exhibition at the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in Cherokee, North Carolina. The exhibition was partially funded by the

North Carolina Arts Council The North Carolina Arts Council is an organization in the U.S. state of North Carolina that provides grants to artists, musicians and arts organizations. The group's mission is "arts for all people." It was founded by executive order in 1964 by Gov ...

and the

Indian Arts and Crafts Board The Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior whose mission is to "promote the economic development of American Indians and Alaska Natives through the expansion of the Indian arts and craft ...

. She was recognized as "one of the foremost masters of rivercane basketry and one fthe most talented, creative basketmakers in the United States." Stephen Richmond wrote that Bradley's work was a "new dimension of technical and aesthetic achievement."

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Rowena 1922 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American women artists Artists from North Carolina Basket weavers Eastern Band Cherokee people Native American basket weavers People from North Carolina Native American women artists Women basketweavers 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women