2004 Cherokee Heritage Weekend Classes

STORYTELLING A & B (Driver Pheasant)
Driver shares Cherokee tales and discusses how the storytelling process works and what it means within the Cherokee community. For generations Cherokee tales have been used to teach children and remind adults what it means to be Cherokee. If you are already a storyteller in your own tradition, you may pick up some new ideas, or if you just enjoy hearing Cherokee tales, this session is for you!

FLUTE MAKING A & B (Eddie Bushyhead)
The Cherokee river cane flute has been used for centuries. Made from the cane that grows throughout the southern Appalachians, including the nearby Swannanoa River, this simple flute can produce beautiful and haunting melodies. In this class, participants will be provided with materials for a small fee, and will make their own Cherokee flute.

FLUTE PLAYING A & B (Eddie Bushyhead)
This class will focus on Native American flute playing with an emphasis on the Cherokee tradition. Participants should bring their own flutes and be ready to explore breathing techniques, melodies, and improvisation.

CHEROKEE LANGUAGE A & B (Shirley Oswalt)
This session will begin your introduction to the Cherokee language and provide resources for further study. The Cherokee language is thousands of years old, and is still spoken by Cherokee people in North Carolina and Oklahoma. A complex language based on verbs, Cherokee will be taught in the Eastern or ‘Giduwah’ dialect in this session.

ARCHAEOLOGY A, B, C & D (Dr. Christopher Rodning)
Archaeology sessions will take place at the Archaeology Field School Excavation on the Warren Wilson College Campus, led by Dr. Christopher Rodning. This dig has been going on for a number of years, in partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and explores a village site where people have lived for thousands of years. Participants will learn about the site and about archaeological techniques.

POTTERY (Melissa Maney)
In this all-day class, participants will learn the coiled and pinch-pot methods of building and shaping Cherokee pottery. After the pots dry at lunch time, students will learn traditional methods of stamping and incising the pottery. Directions for drying and firing the pottery at home (no kiln needed!) will be included in the workshop. Materials fee will be $15.

MEDICINE A & B (Richard Teesatuskie)
In this session you will learn about the philosophical aspects of Cherokee medicine, and how it compares with medicine traditions of other tribes. Specific remedies and formulas that are considered sacred knowledge in the Cherokee tradition cannot be shared with the public, but general information and personal experience stories will be part of this presentation, along with the documentary video, Plants and the Cherokee.

DANCE A & B (Bo Taylor)
Cherokee dances “honor the Creator.” In this session you will learn basic dance steps and participate in several traditional Cherokee dances. Different from powwow numbers, Cherokee traditions include dances like The Horse Dance, and The Quail Dance.

CARVING A & B (Davy Arch)
Throughout millennia, carving techniques have produced tools, weapons, ceremonial objects like pipes, and jewelry. Today Cherokee carvers produce masks, free-standing bears and other animals, pipes, and flutes as well as utilitarian objects like bowls and spoons. No prior knowledge of carving is required for this class, but more advanced students are also welcome. Sharp knives will be used.

BASKET-MAKING (TBA)
Participants will learn to make a basket from one of the traditional Cherokee materials; either white oak, maple, or honeysuckle. This all-day class will result in a small, finished basket. Materials prepared in the traditional way and dyed with natural plants, will be provided for a charge of $25 payable to the instructor.