Rowena Bradley facts for kids

Rowena Bradley (1922–2003) was a very talented Cherokee basket maker from the United States. She was known for creating beautiful baskets. Her amazing work was shown at the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in Cherokee, North Carolina.

Growing Up and Learning

Rowena Bradley was born in 1922. Her parents were Nancy George Bradley and Henry Bradley. She was the youngest of eight children in her family. Rowena grew up in the Painttown community, near a place called Swimmer Branch, on the Qualla Boundary.

Rowena made her very first basket when she was only six years old! She learned how to weave by watching her mother, Nancy Bradley, and her grandmother, Mary Dobson. Both her mother and grandmother were excellent basket makers. Even though her mother and grandmother did not speak English, they sold their baskets in many places. They even sold them far away in cities like Washington, D.C., and New York.

Rowena also learned from another skilled basket maker named Lottie Queen Stamper. Lottie taught basket making at the Cherokee boarding school.

How She Made Baskets

Rowena Bradley made her baskets from a plant called rivercane. She was one of the few Cherokee weavers who knew a special "double-weave" technique. She learned this unique method from her mother, Nancy Bradley.

To prepare the rivercane, Rowena would cut it into quarters, peel it, and scrape it with a pocketknife. She used natural materials from local plants to make dyes for her baskets. These dyes came from things like butternut, black walnut, and bloodroot. She wove patterns that her mother taught her, and she also created her own designs. Her favorite designs are now known as Peace Pipe, Double Peace Pipe, and Chief's Daughter.

A journalist named John Parris once described how Rowena wove. He said she worked from memory, shaping the strips into patterns and then into baskets of all sizes. He noted that when she made a double-weave pattern, many strips seemed to fly in all directions! Rowena even invented new types of baskets, like a "Purse Basket" that she sold to tourists.

Being Recognized

In 1974, Rowena Bradley had her own special art show. It was held at the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in Cherokee, North Carolina. This show received some funding from the North Carolina Arts Council and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board.

She was called "one of the foremost masters of rivercane basketry." People also said she was "one of the most talented, creative basketmakers in the United States." Stephen Richmond wrote that Rowena's work showed "a new dimension of technical and aesthetic achievement." This means her baskets were incredibly skilled and beautiful.