We are a Cherokee Citizen owned and operated Art Co-op out of Oklahoma. We began in 2015 when Cherokee Artist Joshua Cooper began weaving baskets while working for Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare in Catoosa, OK. He worked as an "out-of-district" Child Welfare specialist covering northcentral and northwestern Oklahoma counties. He used basket weaving as a way to help the foster children in his
cases better connect with the Cherokee culture. During his time working for CN he began offering classes to private groups and at CN ICW events. He he has been featured in the Cherokee Phoenix and has told baskets through his Etsy site all over the world. After leaving Cherokee Nation he attended OCU Law in Oklahoma City, OK and has again has been offering basket classes in the Tulsa and OKC, Oklahoma areas. Although he himself hadn't considered himself as being raised "Traditionally Cherokee" he has realized in his adulthood where he was taught traditional values and stories not realizing they were Cherokee until he was older. Each basket leads is meant to bring understanding and accuracy to the students regarding the significance of the history and tradition that surrounds the process. Cooper's Cherokee Citizenship is gained passed through families that arrived both before and during the Trail of Tears. These families settled in the Park Hill, Tulsa, and Texanna Communities in Oklahoma. Tribal sovereignty and cultural integrity is important to him and his purpose in life and as a Cherokee Basket Weaver.
