Wampum Art by Karen Coody Cooper
Watch Karen’s 15-minute talk “History of Cherokee Wampum” from the 2020 Cherokee Nation’s Community & Cultural Outreach Conference, followed by a discussion.
This piece hangs in the new Cherokee Nation office addition, and depicts George Lowery displaying our ancient Cherokee belts during the 1843 conference in Tahlequah.
One Fire: Four Directions (14.5" x 14.5") was selected for installation in the OSU medical building in Cherokee Nation.
In 2012 Cherokee Nation announced it was accepting proposals for decorating a bevy of guitars to represent early Cherokee history for its Hard Rock Casino. I was researching Cherokee use of wampum and decided to embellish a guitar with quahog shells and replica wampum beads. My proposal was accepted and my working with wampum relating to Cherokee history began.
The name is And They Came Into Our Land. It's 3 feet long, and uses over 4,000 beads.
This modern belt features tomahawks and peace pipes. The entire belt is shown across the top, while the lower portion of the photo is a close-up. (Photo via Tahlequah Daily Press)
This 41 inch long wampum belt won honorable mention in the traditional category of the 2013 Cherokee National Holiday Art Show.
I did this 1000+ bead piece for Art Under the Oaks show at Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee. The Cherokee syllabary letters say awi for deer.
Chokers, sold in Cherokee Nation's Spider Gallery.
My response to a call for submissions of early crafts by Cherokee Nation Entertainment.
Christmas ornament made from wampum beads.