Amanda Swimmer

Amanda Swimmer (born 7 October 1921) is a Cherokee potter. Swimmer's career focused on traditional Cherokee pottery, and she worked to determine the name and function of these vessels. She has been recognized in North Carolina for her contributions to the state's artistic and mountain heritage, and in 2018 she was named a Beloved Woman by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Early life and education

Swimmer was born to Molly Davis Sequoyah and Running Wolf Sequoyah on 7 October 1921 in the Qualla Boundary in North Carolina.[1][2] As a child, she lived with her family in a log cabin in Big Cove, part of the Qualla Boundary. Her family was self-sufficient, and grew all of its own food.[1]

Pottery

Swimmer was one of the first individuals to propose different uses and names for traditional Cherokee pottery.[3]

Swimmer uses traditional Cherokee pottery techniques that fell into disuse in North Carolina after the Cherokee were forced to move from their homeland to lands in the American West. She creates her pottery using traditional Cherokee techniques, and has not used a potters wheel to create any of her work. Instead, she creates all of her pottery with her hands, and uses various types of wood to fire it, and the final color of her pottery is determined by the type of wood that she uses.[4]

Recognition

Swimmer was named a recipient of the North Carolina Heritage Award in 1994. In 2009 she received the Mountain Heritage Award from Western Carolina University for her work in traditional pottery.[4] In 2018 the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians honored Swimmer as a Beloved Woman, the highest award the federally recognized tribe can bestow on one of its members. At the time it was awarded, she was one of three living recipients.[2]

Personal life

She married Luke Swimmer.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Amanda Swimmer". Cherokee Traditions. Western Carolina University. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 Kays, Holly. "Amanda Swimmer named Beloved Woman". Smoky Mountain News. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  3. ↑ King, Duane H. (1977). "Vessel Morphology of Eighteenth Century Overhill Ceramics". Journal of Cherokee Studies. II (1): 155.
  4. 1 2 "88-year-old potter honored". Asheville Citizen-Times. 4 October 2009.
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