39

Shan Goshorn
2012
10 ½ X 10 ½ X 14 1/4”
Arches watercolor paper splints, first printed with archival inks, acrylic paint

This traditional Cherokee double-weave style basket is woven from splints printed with the Indian Removal Act of 1830 (which gave President Andrew Jackson the power to negotiate land trades with SE tribes for lands “out west”). When tribes declined these offers, Jackson forced them to walk to Oklahoma, Indian territory.

The 39 pair of moccasins represent the federally recognized tribes now located in Oklahoma. Family and friends sent me photos of their footwear, sometimes while at dances and pow wows via smart phone technology. This basket has proved to be the most challenging one that I have attempted to date because the moccasins/treaty were a flat document that had to join perfectly in a continuous spiral when woven. (This was especially tricky because the splints in a double-weave are woven on a diagonal.) The movement of the moccasins demonstrates our collective marches to this unknown land and how we remain connected to each other and our homelands. I especially appreciate the dichotomy of the traditional moccasins being used today, but shared with me in a high tech manner for this project.

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art Collection