Basket: white oak, ribbed lidded

This undated white oak basket was made by Cherokee basket weaver Minda Hill Sequoyah Wolfe (1897-1983). Given its shape and size, this lidded basket was likely used as a picnic basket. The handle is woven into and beneath the basket to give it strength, allowing its user to carry a hearty lunch or picnic. The white oak was dyed with walnut and bloodroot to achieve the brown and orange colors that are woven into the basket. The basket is rib construction. Wolfe was part an active basket weaving family. Her sister, Alice Sequoyah Walkingstick demonstrated basketry at the Oconaluftee Indian Village. Wolfe taught five daughters to weave: Dinah Wolfe, Lillian Crowe, Annie James, Katie Panther, and Ollie Crowe