go wheat boy go

3/5 done, the one on the left is going to go up for sale.

I don't quite like that they're not All uniform but something I've learned about working with round or essentially cylinder reed is that because of the shape, it can be more difficult to repeat exact dimensions. With flat reed it's square and linear so you can simply measure and cut so many times over. There's not too many places to measure exactly with round reed and coil weaving is essentially building through a spiral therefore it's going to be uneven in places and can be difficult to replicate.

On the other hand, this is a set for five sisters and not all sisters are the same!

Sequoyah Indian Weavers' Association memorabilia, date unknown, creator unknown

Cherokee National Collection, Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Honcho Special Report: the Leather Scene, 1978

“a little Cherokee in me”

Clan Masks, Roger Cain, Cherokee National Treasure.

They want buckskin and face paint, drumming, songs in languages they can’t understand recorded for them but with English subtitles, of course. They want educated, well spoken, but not too smart. Christian, well behaved, never question. They want to learn the history of the people, but not the ones that are here now, waving signs in their faces, asking them for clean drinking water, asking them why their women are going missing, asking them why their land is being ruined.

They want fantastical stories of Indians that used to roam this land. They want my culture behind glass in a museum.

AND

"you have to put some effort into friendships, which can include open communication with your friends about how to make both of you comfortable re: messaging. expecting other people to do ALL of the work ALL of the time, in terms of getting in touch and carrying on the conversation, may make them feel ignored and/or and leave"

Just a reminder that Cherokee is the most claimed tribe, we are a tribe from North Carolina and a large portion of us are in Oklahoma after removal. Part of the reason we are claimed so much is because of the removal, how enrollment went, and the shit that happened with white people moving into Indian Territory.

This statement may or may not be true, but either way its declaration is largely anecdotal, and only acknowledged when it's perceived as beneficial to them, i.e. a job, a scholarship, a new boyfriend's Pocahottie fetish, or as an excuse for why it's ok for them to wear a headdress while half dressed and drunk on Halloween or at a concert, festival, or sporting event.

These folks will go weeks, months or years without considering their Native ancestry and it's certainly not a part of their everyday lives.

That's why they don't care about the tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women, treaty rights, or extreme poverty in Native communities.

While not a “full blood” others with mixed ancestry can and do embrace their Native roots and a sense of ownership takes place.

When they see race based mascots or ridiculous Native caricatures, they don't see some remote extinct group being "honored." They see that they personally are being mocked, and know they are not a buckskin pantied sexbot, or a silly redskinned stereotype.

They know Natives are alive, human and real because they are Native. They also understand that the land and water and our ceremonies must be protected, because it is theirs as well as their grandparent's, and children's, and children's children.

They are not just descendants- they are Native. As such they will seek out the truth of their heritage and you will find them thirsting for knowledge about their people, culture, language, and ways. They become part of the whole- from tiospaye to Oyate."

Southern bull kelp (Durvillaea sp.) in Antarctica