Gourd Carving

Cherokee beadworker, gourd carver, basketmaker

Robbinsville, NC (Graham County)

Shirley Jackson Oswalt does beadwork, carves designs on gourds, and makes white oak baskets. She demonstrates these crafts at festivals and schools, and can also teach hands-on workshops. She can also lecture about Cherokee crafts in general, for example, explaining how blowguns are made. Shirley grows the gourds that she carves as well as the corn beads she uses in beadwork. Other natural materials such as vines and seeds are incorporated into her work. A native speaker of the Cherokee language, she can lecture on and provide workshops about the language.

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