Martha Berry: Cherokee Beadwork Artist

Post-Pandemic: Finding a New Direction

Beaded Bandolier Bag By Martha Berry

• Winner: First Place, Beadwork and Quillwork, Southeastern Art Show and Market (SEASAM), Chickasaw Nation, Sulfur, OK, Sept. 30, 2021.

• Winner: Second Place, Beadwork and Quillwork, Cherokee Art Market, Tulsa, OK, Dec. 6, 2021.

Size: Approx. 36 in. H x 16 in. W x 3/4 in. D

Materials: Glass seed beads on wool stroud, cotton, silk, wool yarn. To the extent possible, all materials are period authentic to c.1820.

Notes: This bandolier bag required 366 hours to produce and was completed on 9/19/2021. This item is available for purchase.

The image on the pouch flap (shown at right) is a map of Serpent Mound in Ohio. The long, curving mound represents the body of a snake and was built to align with true North, sunrise on both equinoxes, sunrise on both solstices, and sunset on the summer solstice. Archaeologists disagree on when the mound was built, anywhere from 1100 AD to 300 BC. They all agree that the mound was constructed by ancestors of modern Indigenous Americans.

The strap motifs are variations of designs found on Mound Builder pottery. To the extent possible, all materials in this bag are period authentic to c. 1820.