Downtown in Asheville in Buncombe County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

This Is Cherokee Basketry

Photographed by Mark Parker, August 31, 2025

1. This Is Cherokee Basketry Marker

Inscription. Cherokee people have been practicing the artform of weaving for at least 17,000 years. The two most commonly used materials for basket making is white oak and rivercane, rivercane being considered by many basket makers as the most traditional material. After European contact in the mid 1500's, Cherokee people began what would be a long history of trade with various colonizing European powers, making basketry one of the main sources of income until the Removal Period in the 1830's. The extensive trading caused the depletion of both white oak and rivercane, which is still affecting Cherokee weavers today. It is estimated that only 1% of the original rivercane patches remain, making sustainable harvesting essential to carrying on this intergenerational tradition.

(The upper block of text is written in the Cherokee language)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce.

Location. 35° 35.847′ N, 82° 33.154′ W. Marker is in Asheville, North Carolina, in Buncombe County. It is in Downtown. It is on Broadway Street (U.S. 25) south of Woodfin Street, on the right when traveling south. Located at the Cherokee

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Basketry Display Area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 59 Broadway St, Asheville NC 28801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Mountains. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: We Are Still Here (here, next to this marker); This Is Cherokee Language (here, next to this marker); This Is Cherokee Land (here, next to this marker); Legacy of Design (within shouting distance of this marker); Thomas Wolfe Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Marketplace (about 400 feet away); Crafting Our Culture (about 400 feet away); Thomas Wolfe House / Dixieland (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Asheville.

This Is Cherokee Basketry Marker at the Cherokee Basketry Display Area image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, August 31, 2025

2. This Is Cherokee Basketry Marker at the Cherokee Basketry Display Area

Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 72 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.