Baskets

• Cherokee baskets were traditionally coiled from pine needles or river cane. Originally, the only dyes used were black walnut for a brownish color and blood root for a yellowish color. Today, basket materials also include buckbrush, white oak, hickory bark and honeysuckle. Additional dyes have been added, such as butternut for black, yellow root for yellow, elderberries for a rose color and broom sedge for orange. The most popular basket style of the Oklahoma Cherokee today is the "double wall" woven basket.
  
  

Carved Masks

• Traditional Cherokee masks were carved from wood or dried gourds and used for storytelling. This art fell into decline after the forced removal of the Cherokees to Oklahoma. Today, carved masks are again being made by artists, including what are called "Booger," or bogey, masks. The masks originally caricatured the facial features of the Cherokee's enemies and were used in a bawdy and burlesque dance that provided comic relief. Today, the masks depict anything the artist wants to make light of.
  
  

Pottery

• One style of traditional Cherokee pottery is the stamped pot. This style has been used in the southern Appalachian Mountains for at least 2,000 years. Traditional pots were made using native clay, sometimes tempered with mica or crushed shells and coiled onto a base. Potters then used wood paddles carved with designs to "paddle" the clay, which shaped the pot and forced out air bubbles and water. The paddles also stamped the pot with the carved designs. The pots were then baked in an open fire. Differences in temperature, fuel and firing time provided varying colors. Round pots originally were used for cooking, making hominy, carrying water and for storage. Traditional "effigy," or figure, pots were shaped like people or animals, such as fish and birds.
  
  

Clothing

• Cherokee traditional clothing varied depending upon the season. The primary materials for clothing construction were sewn deerskin or woven fibers. Cherokee men wore breechcloths and leggings, while women wore skirts, blouses or sleeveless dresses. Like many Native Americans, moccasins were the typical Cherokee footwear. Today, the Cherokee tear dress is the traditional dress for women of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The dress is shirtwaist style with a full skirt. The bodice attaches to the skirt using an inset waistband, and buttons up the front like a shirt. Men wear a ribbon shirt that slips over the head and has a stand-up collar, full sleeves and ribbon adornments across the chest with ribbon tails hanging loose.