David Comingdeer (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma)
Cherokee Ball Stick Maker
Cherokee Citizen [Echota Ceremonial Tribal Town]
Flint District of the Cherokee Nation (Stilwell, OK)
“Being a Taproot artist will allow me to continue creating ball sticks, and teaching others to master the skill. Many of the elder stick makers have passed away, so I have a duty to perpetuate what they taught me.”
David Comingdeer
Photo by apprentice Stick Maker
Cherokee Ball Sticks made for a public school in the Cherokee Nation. Photo by David Comingdeer
Photo by apprentice Stick Maker
Hickory staves that were carved into Cherokee ball sticks. Photo by David Comingdeer
Photo courtesy David Comingdeer
Multiple ball sticks, used by different tribes. Photo by David Comingdeer
of 6
Cherokee National Living Treasure
David Comingdeer is a citizen, by blood, of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. He has spent over 30 years of his life carving traditional ballsticks for Cherokees, Muscogee Creeks, Seminoles, Yuchis, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and any one else who needs ballsticks. For many years David has produced ballsticks for public schools, and community organizations inside and outside the Cherokee Nation boundary. He spends part of his time passing on his skill to others, in an effort to create more stick makers. In 2014, the Cherokee Nation recognized David for his master skill in ball stick making, and designated him as a “Cherokee National Living Treasure”. He continues to produce sticks from his home in the Flint District, Cherokee Nation.
What does the Taproot Fellowship mean to you and how will it affect your practice?
Being a Taproot artist will allow me to continue creating ball sticks, and teaching others to master the skill. Many of the elder stick makers have passed away, so I have a duty to perpetuate what they taught me.
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