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July Issue 2005

Tammy Hutto of Orangeburg County, SC, Completes South Carolina Arts Commission's Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative

"Beads are traditionally part of ritual exchanges. Beads have been valued through the centuries more for the symbolic associations of the form, material, color and other aspects, than for what an item is 'worth' in raw commodity exchange," explained Master Artist, Dr. Will Moreau Goins. "Historically, glass beads helped to change, invigorate and transform traditional ideological, social, and religious systems of Natives... This is still the effect that beadwork and other Native artistic expressions have on our societies, even today!," clarifies Dr. Goins. "This project is reviving an ancient art expression in a people and reviving within them the craft of sewing...bringing back to life in South Carolina, a craft they had mastered many centuries ago... of producing their own traditional clothing and adorning them with beads," Dr. Goins stated.

Tammy Hutto, a member of the Varnertown  Indian community and a resident of Orangeburg County, is learning Native American traditional beadwork from Dr. Goins, a Native American of Cherokee descent. Dr. Goins of the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United Tribes of South Carolina, Inc., under a grant  awarded to the Wassamasaw Indian Tribe of Varnertown by the South Carolina Arts Commission serves the apprentice by imparting his artistic prowess, technique, advisement, wisdom, skills and assistance in learning this ancient form of expression.

The purpose of this grant is to help preserve and maintain South Carolina's traditional artistic expressions. This includes Native American traditional arts in Native American Indian communities throughout South Carolina. In the four months instruction, Dr. Goins addressed the historical, cultural and economic importance of beads, in addition to, the symbolic and design aspects of beadwork in the Native American culture. Several stitching patterns were taught and design elements were employed. This type of beadwork is intricate and time-consuming. 

The Varnertown Indian community is a contemporary Indian community that wants to revive and preserve the Native American Indian culture, traditions and customs that are important to their ancestors legacy and that will help their children and generations in the future. Native American Indian beadwork is one of the finest expressions of Native American traditional cultural arts. Consequently, Hutto and many of the other tribal members are taking advantage of this opportunity, and of visiting with Dr. Goins, by nurturing their beading skills and attending sessions to help fortify their knowledge of Native American beadwork, it's history and applications.

During this project, "The Wassamasaw Indian Beadwork & Apprenticeship Project," this qualified master artist came to instruct the apprentice and pass on tips and methods in Native American beadwork and design from Feb. thru June 2005. Culminating in the completion of a beadwork project by Hutto. This Project celebrates the rich beadworking traditions of Native peoples of the southeastern woodlands through the objects they created for their own use and to sell to others.

Hutto is presently completing work with her recently acquired beading skills that will result in a completely beaded traditional Native American ceremonial outfit. Her distinctive ceremonial regalia (national dress) will consist of a beaded cape collar and cuffs, of floral woodland designs and symbols that she has designed with the assistance of Dr. Goins. The caped collar, cuffs, leggings, ribbon shirt blouse and feather fan ensemble, combine beadwork done in double-curve motifs and South Carolina woodland floral patterns and ancient designs with some ribbon appliqué around the outer border of the collar. The beaded floral motifs are displayed on a background fabrics of black velvet. Each piece reflects Hutto's history, her environment and her ideas about her tribe and her heritage. "I wanted to create something beautiful and bright that incorporated the floral motif, since we are a southeastern woodland people," Hutto explained. "Learning beadwork is an expression of who we are, as an Indian people, it speaks to our continuity of community." 

Native American dancing today is a contemporary American Indian/Native American folk expression that celebrates Native American Indian culture. Through maintaining their traditional movement, and musical traditions they also preserve their culture, because their folkways are vital to the maintenance of their tribal identification as Native American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Also, they continue these traditions and folkways to bring honor to ancestors who struggled to survive and pass on their tribal culture to the future generations. Powwows are the Native American people's way of meeting together, to join in celebration of their ancestors, in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships and make new ones.

Dancing has always been a very important part of the life of the American Indian. The outfits worn by the dancers, like the styles of clothing today, evolve over time. It is not a stagnant culture but a vibrant and changing way of life. While powwows allow vendors to make money off arts and crafts, they also have deep spiritual, traditional and social aspects. The songs and dances are prayers and medicine. "I figured that it was a good time to construct, design and create my dance regalia...I wanted my regalia to be authentic, representative, fresh, new and NOT like the tacky Hollywood cinema depictions of Native American Indian attire...I wanted mine southeastern and Iroquois culturally," said Hutto.

"It was a great pleasure to learn these tips and skills from a person that has retained this wisdom and skills, there are so few of these experts available in South Carolina that knows this stuff," stated Hutto. Master Artist, Goins, is practicing one of the surviving art forms of his ancestors, beadwork. These skills he has developed over many years, and was originally inspired by his great aunt Corrie Allen Sisney (1893-1987), who was a famous artist that did beadwork in various different artistic mediums. Inspired by her work and the handicraft of his grandmother Amanda Allen Taylor (1907-2004), Dr. Goins has dedicated much time to sharing these traditions and knows the importance of preserving and passing on his cultural traditions and art forms.

Dr. Goins inherited a rich tradition of craft-making from his ancestors, whose skills were passed down from generation to generation among members of his large extended family. He is also a Cherokee basketweaver, Singer, Performing Artist,  Storyteller and cultural presenter who is active in the Columbia arts community. By the age of fifteen, Dr. Goins himself, was teaching younger children and exposing them to a wide variety of Cherokee art forms at a Junior High School's summer program. He has worked with Native American people, organizations, and agencies for over 27 years and has an integral role with the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois, and United Tribes of South Carolina, Inc., a non-profit organization "dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of South Carolina Native American history, culture and heritage."

Early European explorers describe indigenous clothing, which was made from hides and furs and decorated with painted motifs, porcupine quills, Deerhair embroidery and shell beads. Prehistoric Native American beadwork was made of shell, bone, teeth, claws, precious stones, clay and other natural materials. Among the trade items Europeans brought with them to North America were glass seed beads, needles, thread, ribbons and cloth. These materials rapidly replaced earlier decorative traditions that relied on the use of bone awls, sinew and painted designs. Native Peoples incorporated not only these new materials, but also new design motifs and decorative treatments from European sources and from other Native Peoples.

Because the dominant culture and religion discouraged traditional practices and beliefs, Native Americans began to incorporate traditional concepts into their beadwork. For example, Arctic tribes transformed tattoo patterns into elaborately beaded parkas; further south, certain colors, symbols and patterns came to have special meanings in Native American beadwork. As glass beads spread across North America, each tribe used them to express their own patterns and traditions. Today, bead artists borrow beading techniques and patterns from each other, as well as maintain their ancient authentic tribal designs. Many create new beadwork patterns based on their specific tribal culture and traditions.

Contemporary Native Americans continue beadwork traditions today using glass beads. Some seed beads used today are so small you almost need a magnifying glass to see their holes. Bright light is always recommended for beadwork. Yellow and white can look very similar under dim light.

A typical modern beadworkers tool kit will include beading needles and the long flexible, nylon or polyester beading thread with beeswax for a lubricant, scissors, a metal or bone awl with a triangular pointed tip, and needle nose pliers are also essential. Beading trays, containers, graph paper for designs, pens and colored pencils are also handy and helpful in creating the beading designs and patterns. A greater range of bead colors and shapes are available today, as well as special beading needles, synthetic threads and other accessories, but the images and dedication behind modern bead embroidery still have deep traditional roots in Native American ancient beadwork. Natives may combine several techniques of beadwork including sewn applique and 'lane' stitch. Many of the same traditional designs are produced using bead and ribbon applique that were originally done with moose hair decoration, porcupine-quill embroidery and painted designs. Some varieties of lane stitch lend a raised relief to the beadwork, producing a 3-dimensional effect, by making the width between stitches slightly closer together than the width of the row of beads. Apprentice, Hutto, employs this method in the creation of her regalia.

The Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians is a Native American group consisting of bloodline members from the Varnertown Indian community. The Varnertown Indians have multiple Native ancestries and cultural heritage, including Catawba, Cherokee, Edisto and other tribal progenitors. The Varnertown Indian Community has over a 150-year history of existence in the Berkeley County area as a Native community. On Feb. 17, 2005, this group became the third group to receive state recognition in the history of South Carolina.

There are five "State Recognized" Indian tribal communities in South Carolina (the Cherokee Indian Tribe of South Carolina-ECSIUT a statewide organization based in Columbia, Richland, Anderson, Greenville, Oconee and Pickens counties, the Pee Dee Indian Tribe of Upper SC based in the Dillon County community of Little Rock, the Varnertown Indian Tribe of Berkley County, the Waccamaw Indian People of Horry County's community of Dimery, and the Chaloklowa Chickasaw Indian People of Marion County. There is also one federally recognized Indian Nation of SC which is the Catawba Indian Nation of York County. Today, the US government recognizes 562 tribes. An additional 296 are pursuing recognition. Of those, 10 are in South Carolina.

State Recognition and "State Status" is a different process, all together. There were four of six entities that received this distinction from those that applied during the first round of recognition since the Legislature approved the process last year. During the second round three groups applied and two groups ultimately withdrew from the process, in fear that they would not successfully make it throughout the rigorous process and in fear that their application was missing necessary documentation. Consequently, only one group made it through the second processing of the tribal community petitions ... the Chaloklowa Chickasaw Indian People of Marion County.

On the federal level, recognition means the US government considers a tribe a sovereign nation - with the right to govern and tax itself - though members of tribes still pay federal taxes. A recognized tribe decides who belongs to the tribe and how its lands will be used. Recognition also entitles a tribe to apply for federal assistance that may only be used for Native Americans - Bureau of Indian Affairs scholarships, for example. Recognition in some cases allows tribes to set up potentially lucrative gaming operations, such as the Catawbas' high-stakes bingo parlor in Rock Hill, SC.

The Catawba Indian Nation is the only federally recognized tribe in South Carolina. There are approximately 27,000 people in South Carolina who have identified themselves as American Indian according to the 2000 Census. On a State Recognition level, little is offered. There are some grants and federal funds that are available to Native Tribal entities that have gained "state status" and there are some laws that include state recognized Indian groups and individuals specifically. Consequently, State Recognition is just a matter of historical fact, a matter of ancestors, a matter of pride.

Historically, the state of SC recognized Varnertown as an Indian community when the Board of Education established a state-funded Indian school in the 1940's. The one room school served the children of Varnertown until 1963, when the State closed its doors and forced the children of Varnertown to integrate into the public school system. Before the Varner Indian School was established, many of the children from this community attended other Indian schools such as the Summerville Indian School (St. Barnabas Mission) and Pine View Indian School at Ten Mile Hill. During this segregated past, the community also established its own local church and the family opened their own stores and bars in the community. Pictures of family member, Geneva Varner Clark and her family were taken in 1938 by Marion Post Wolcott and now reside in the Library of Congress entitled, An Indian Family Near Summerville.

South Carolina Arts Commission's Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative is funded in part by the Folk & Traditional Arts program of the National Endowment for the Arts. "After our ancestors made clothes, they embellished them. The act of enhancement seems to be a very basic part of the human experience. It is our human history,...I am just doing that again in an Indian way....Why not now...it is an expression of who we are," explained apprentice, Hutto. "I was beading recently at the Memorial Day tribal gathering and many of my tribal members, especially the young, kept asking me how to do the designs that I was working on....asking how long it had taken to get this far...the young people were really interested." 

On Feb. 17, 2005, the State recognized The Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians as a Native American Group. Varnertown Indians are proud to be one of the four organizations recognized. They hope this is the first step in the process to bring programs and services to the Native Americans in this state. This Status, as "State Recognized" has other impacts for the Varnertown Indians who are doing Native American traditional arts. The "Indian Arts and Crafts Act" (Public Law 101-644) was created to protect Native American Indian artists and their artwork in advertising and sales. First, it defines "Indian" for purposes of marketing an art or craft piece as an Indian made product. In order for art and craft inventory to be sold as authentically made by "Indian" or "Native American" or as the product of a particular Indian Tribe, it must be produced by an enrolled member of a federally or officially State recognized tribal community, or by an individual who has been formally certified as a non-member Indian artisan by the federally or officially State recognized Tribe of their descent. Also Indian artists are protected by 25 U.S.C.§ 309.22 concerning fine arts or what others may term as non-traditional.

"Maybe it is political...there is always a relationship between art and politics, although it may be a subtle and complex one. The process of creation is an act of engagement with the medium and the environment around you, in some form or other the artist engages with the world around him or her, for example ....like we chose to specifically create southeastern floral woodland beadwork in an Iroquois tradition. That is a political statement unto it self..... It need not be a direct statement on an immediate political event for it to have resonances far beyond its immediate intention or the art object," clarified Dr. Goins.

For further information contact Graig Stinson director of SC Arts Commission's Folklife & Traditional Arts at 803/734-8697 or at (www.state.sc.us/arts/). Also at (www.cherokeesofsouthcarolina.com).

Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2005 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2005 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.