Oklahoma Traditional Crafts                     What About Folk Art?

Textile Arts

• Quilts               Oklahoma Quilt Guild and other links

Circle Saw Quilt Made by Mary Ann Scott Bass in the late 1800s. The muslin backing was dyed with walnut hulls and "set" with vinegar and salt. Ms. Bass was born in 1868 to a "Freedman" family in Indian Territory. From the Lula Anderson Collection at the Oklahoma History Center.	Click for larger image "Crazy Quilt" This example was made by Mrs. Ola Harris in 1919. Mrs. Harris was living in Cloudy, Oklahoma, when she made the quilt. The H.H.H. are the initials of her eight-year-old son. Most of the material is wool.
Do you have a quilt you want to share with others?

Weaving

Basket Weaving

Mavis Doring, Cherokee basket maker, members of Mrs. Doring's family came to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears More on Mavis Doring (opens in new window)

Wheat Weaving Woven Wheat Wreath

Crochet & Knitting Crocheted Heart Knitted Doll Dress

Pottery

Chris Hanna, Cherokee, of Creek County is an exceptional coil pot maker. Many of her designs are from tradition. The bowl shown reflects ancient Caddoian cultures of Oklahoma. Traditional arts often look to earlier arts for design ideas.

Wood Crafts

This is a redwood burl wooden bowl turned by Nathan Hart, an Oklahoma Cheyenne. Wood turnings are usually considered fine crafts. So many Oklahomans learn to do turnings by closely observing experienced crafts people like Nathan. Learning by observing, asking questions, and then trying the craft yourself is a form of apprenticeship. In Oklahoma, Nathan's tribal heritage adds identity and special value to the bowl."

Musical Instruments

Flute Doc Tate Nevaquaya, Commanche flute maker More on Doc Tate's Flute Making (opens in new window)

Fiddle J. C. Broughton of Sapulpa, Oklahoma plays "swing" fiddle and builds fiddles! The fiddle is "white" because the finish hasn't been applied.