Lydia “Louise” Goings (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
Cherokee Basket Maker
Cherokee
Birdtown Community on the Qualla Boundary (Cherokee, NC)
“Being selected as a Taproot Fellowship artist is an honor because it recognizes the deep roots of our traditions. Basket making is more than a craft, it carries our history, our connection to the land, and the knowledge passed down through generations. ”
Lydia "Louise" Goings
Photo courtesy Bear Allison / Raven's Eye Media
Photo by Tim Barnwell
Two large "cathead" white oak baskets and three white oak wastepaper baskets with a twill weave with bloodroot and butternut dyes. Bear Allison, Raven's Eye Media.
Trio of white oak purse baskets with maple curls with bloodroot and butternut dyes. Bear Allison, Raven's Eye Media.
Contemporary style white oak burden basket with maple curls and butternut dye. Bear Allison, Raven's Eye Media.
Photo by Lori Blankenship
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A strong connection between weaving & Cherokee values
Louise Goings (Eastern Band Cherokee) of the Wild Potato Clan is a highly respected basket maker who specializes in white oak but also has the knowledge and skill to work with and teach basketry in maple, honeysuckle, and river cane. She has been a juried artist member of Qualla Arts and Crafts for over 50 years. At the age of nine, she observed her mother, the renowned basket maker Emma Taylor, and quickly mastered various techniques herself.
Goings has demonstrated basketry alongside her mother at the Festival of American Folklife at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian. Her baskets have won numerous awards at the Cherokee Fall Festival, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and other venues. She and her husband, Luther “Butch” Goings, were jointly honored with the 2023 North Carolina Heritage Award, the 2023 Mountain Heritage Day Award, the 2016 First Peoples Fund Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Award, and the 2015 North Carolina Community Traditions Folklore Society Award for their artwork and community service.
In addition to her individual accomplishments, Goings and her entire family were featured in the Blue Mountain Living magazine, highlighting their contributions to Cherokee basketry and cultural preservation.
She has demonstrated basket making at numerous schools, the Mountain Heritage Day festival, the Cherokee Voices Festival, Warren Wilson College, and the National Museum of the American Indian. Additionally, she has taught hands-on basket weaving workshops for hundreds of youth through the Cherokee Cultural Summer School and, with the assistance of her grandson, for students at Western Carolina University.
Goings feels a strong connection between her weaving and the preservation of Cherokee values. As a result, she actively mentors several emerging weavers in her community.
What does the Taproot Fellowship mean to you and how will it affect your practice?
Being selected as a Taproot Fellowship artist is an honor because it recognizes the deep roots of our traditions. Basket making is more than a craft, it carries our history, our connection to the land, and the knowledge passed down through generations. I take pride in not only creating but also teaching, ensuring that our traditions remain strong in the community.
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