Amanda Swimmer facts for kids

Amanda Sequoyah Swimmer (October 27, 1921 – November 24, 2018) was a talented potter from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She was known for making traditional Cherokee pottery using a special coil-building method. Amanda worked hard to understand and share the history of these ancient pots. She was honored in North Carolina for her amazing art and for helping to preserve mountain traditions. In 2018, she received the highest honor from her tribe, being named a Beloved Woman.

Early Life and Learning

Amanda Mabel Sequoyah was born on October 27, 1921. Her parents were Molly Davis Sequoyah and Runningwolf Sequoyah. She grew up in a place called Qualla Boundary in North Carolina. Amanda was the youngest of 12 children.

Her family lived in a log cabin in a community called Big Cove. They grew all their own food, so they were very self-sufficient. As a child, Amanda went to Big Cove Day School.

Becoming a Potter

Amanda Swimmer taught herself how to make and fire clay pots. She found special clay near her home in Big Cove. She started selling her first pots to tourists. A park ranger knew about her work and would bring visitors to her home.

When she was 36, Amanda began working at the Oconaluftee Indian Village. There, another potter named Mabel Bigmeat taught her more about Cherokee pottery methods. Amanda showed visitors how to make pottery at the village for over 35 years. She often made more than a thousand pots during a summer! Amanda was one of the first people to suggest different names and uses for traditional Cherokee pottery.

Amanda was very important in bringing back old Cherokee pottery skills. These skills had almost been lost after many Cherokee people were forced to leave their homes in 1839. This event was called the Indian Removal. Amanda never used a potter's wheel. Instead, she shaped all her pottery by hand. She used different types of wood to fire her pots. The kind of wood she used would change the final color of the pottery.

Honors and Lasting Impact

Amanda Swimmer received several important awards for her work:

• In 1994, she was given the North Carolina Heritage Award.
• In 2009, she received the Mountain Heritage Award from Western Carolina University. This was for her dedication to traditional pottery.
• In 2018, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians honored Amanda as a Beloved Woman. This is the highest award the tribe gives to one of its members. At that time, only three people were living who had received this special honor.

Family Life and Passing

Amanda Sequoyah married Luke Swimmer when she was 16 years old. Luke was 11 years older than her and already had a daughter named Mary Ellen. Amanda became a step-mother to Mary Ellen. Amanda said they met at church.

Together, Amanda and Luke Swimmer had nine children. They had six boys and three girls.

Amanda loved her home in Big Cove. She once said, "I wouldn't take nothing to leave out of here. I'm 81. I've been here since I was born, and I don't tend to go nowheres. I just want to leave this world right here where I was born."

Amanda Swimmer passed away at her home in Big Cove on November 23, 2018. She was 97 years old.

See also

• Jeremiah Wolfe
• Myrtle Driver Johnson