Basket: honeysuckle, trays

This undated set of baskets was made by Cherokee basket weaver Lucy George. The tray was a common basket form among the Cherokee. Trays were traditionally used for gaming or to serve food. In this set of three, the honeysuckle was woven over wide white oak splints. The rims appear to be honeysuckle wrapped with white oak as well. The honeysuckle was dyed with bloodroot to yield a pale orange. Bloodroot, used by Cherokee basket weavers to make dye, is a plant native to the region. Lucy Nola George (1897-1978) was raised in the Birdtown community on the Qualla Boundary. In a departure from traditional Cherokee ways of learning, Lucy George did not learn basket making from mother. In the 1930s, as a grown woman, she learned the craft from Julia Taylor. She developed her own methods, weaving baskets from honeysuckle. She also taught others and demonstrated her craft