An example of beadwork by a member of the Poteau class includes a Choctaw Great Seal by Alta Ruth Bentley. (Photo by ZACH MAXWELL)
Choctaw cultural expression lives through art of making beaded jewelry
By ZACH MAXWELL
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
DURANT, Okla. - One of the most popular forms of cultural expression for Choctaws – colorful, detailed beadwork – is thriving in community center classes around the region.
Connie Veerkamp and her daughter Christy Dickson are leaders at the Poteau class, which has been held weekly at the Dale Cox Community Center for four years. There are 10 to 18 participants in each class, where Dickson guides novices and more advanced beaders in such styles as the brick stitch, peyote stitch and square stitch.
The end results are rosettes, medallions, collars, earrings and lanyards of a stunning variety of patterns and colors.
“We have people that have various degrees of skill and we all teach each other,” Dickson said. “I can sit down and teach three different stitches at once. I teach because, in the tradition of Choctaws, seniors teach the younger generation. So I am teaching the seniors and they can teach their children and grandchildren.”
But there’s much more to a beading group than strings, looms and the colorful little stars of the party. In Poteau’s case, like many others, the group elects officers, holds fund-raisers and makes periodic “bead trips” to specialty stores in Tahlequah, Choteau, Skiatook, Tulsa, and Bentonville, Ark.
The trips are a fun chance for the group to bond and they also pick up books and patterns for their craft. While many of the patterns are universal or inter-tribal, there are plenty of unique Choctaw designs based on familiar motifs like the diamond and starburst.
“I love everything about it,” said Alta Ruth Bentley of Talihina, a two-year class member. “It’s relaxing and it keeps both your mind and your hands working. And you feel good when someone asks, ‘Will you make me one?’ “This is our heritage and it’s very important,” Bentley said.
For more information about other Choctaw cultural classes in your area, visit Choctaw Culture.