Description
This piece is a memorial to those ancestors who walked the Trail of Tears. Made of ribbon and heavy cotton, the shawl has approximately 250 names displayed on it, as well as blue tears that reflect the various family members who were lost during the forcible removal from our homelands in the east. The bandolier bag has approximately 50 more names on it. All the names were taken from the Drennan Roll. The skirt is a wrap and the top piece is a trade shirt.
Materials
Cotton, heavy cotton, satin ribbons, bone beads, silver rings, wood circle and tear shaped cutouts.
Dimensions
Women's Size 8
Jennifer McAffrey
Cherokee Nation
About the Artist
Jennifer McAffrey is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Jennifer grew up in the Oklahoma City metro area, about two hours away from her family’s Cherokee community. She has been an artist her whole life, and in 2018 earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts. In January of 2019, she learned to sew, and in 2020, won the Grand Prize in the Cherokee Nation’s 25th annual Homecoming Art Show. Designing and constructing indigenous clothing has given her an outlet for activism and celebrating her nation’s culture. Since 2023, her designs have been featured in 4 different indigenous fashion shows. My goal is to design clothing that indigenous women can wear in the general public, feeling modern while at the same time celebrating one's culture.
