List Price: $24.95
Building One Fire
Art and World View in Cherokee Life
Illustrations: 200 color illus.
Published: 2010
Hardcover ISBN: 9781616589608
224 pages, 9" x 9"
Subject: American Indian , Art/Photography
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In Building One Fire, Principal Chief of theCherokee Nation Chad Smith and renowned Cherokee-Osage scholar and author Rennard Strickland present a unique look at Cherokee artthrough the lens of Cherokee philosophy. Since the time when Water Spider brought the gift offire to the Cherokee people, the One Fire, “the Ancient Lady,” has been at the center of Cherokee spiritual life.
From this fire, which represents community, thewhite smoke of prayer rises to Nitsudunvha, One Who is Always Above. In return Nitsudunvha sends to each person four sets of gifts with whichto develop mind, body, and spirit. These gifts are brought by four messengers, one from each of thecardinal directions. The gifts of the four messengers, the colors and qualities associated with them, and the four-pointcircle that embraces the sacred fire—all these arepart of Cherokee consciousness and creativity.They take visible form, subtly or directly, in works created by Cherokee artists.
This book presents more than 200 art-works by some 80 artists which speak to what it means to be Cherokee. Cherokee philosopher Benny Smith shares his teachings about Cherokee world view, Cherokee art is laid before the reader in a visual feast, and a special endingsection celebrates the vivaciousness of child artists who represent the next generation’s creative Cherokee citizens.
Chadwick Smith
The Cherokee people elected Chadwick "Corntassel" Smith as Principal Chief in 1999. Principal Chief Smith has a rich family history of service to the Cherokee people. He is the great-grandson of Redbird Smith, a Cherokee patriot who fought against allotment of Cherokee lands at the time of the Dawes rolls. His grandmother, Rachel Quinton, was a life-long advocate for the Cherokee people. His father, the late Nelson Smith, was a respected industrial manager and his mother, Pauline Smith, still lives in Colcord. Smith’s late uncle, William Lee Smith, led the Keetoowah Society at the Stokes Stomp Grounds since the 50s.
Smith holds a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Georgia; master's degree in public administration from the University of Wisconsin and a Juris Doctorate, Law, from the University of Tulsa.
Prior to his service as Principal Chief, Smith taught Indian law at Dartmouth College, Northeastern State University and Rogers State University, worked as a Cherokee Nation prosecutor and as an administrator of Cherokee Nation Tax Commission. Smith has also worked as a prosecutor in Creek County, a public defender in Tulsa County and operated his own law practice.
Rennard Strickland
A legal historian of Osage and Cherokee heritage, Rennard Strickland is considered a pioneer in introducing Indian law into university curriculum. He has written and edited more than 35 books and is frequently cited by courts and scholars for his work as revision editor in chief of the Handbook of Federal Indian Law. Strickland has been involved in the resolution of a number of significant Indian cases. He was the founding director of the Center for the Study of American Indian Law and Policy at the University of Oklahoma. He is the first person to have served both as president of the Association of American Law Schools and as chair of the Law School Admissions Council. He is also the only person to have received both the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) Award and the American Bar Association's Spirit of Excellence Award. Strickland was the dean of the law school from 1997 to 2002.
Benny Smith
Smithy B. “Benny” Smith was raised in the traditions, practices, customs and values of Keetoowah life. With Cherokee as his first language, Benny has taught four college semesters of the Cherokee Language Courses I, II and III. The grandson of Red Bird and Lucy Fields Smith, he was educated by the Cherokee elders in the ancient Cherokee ceremonial and spiritual customs. He completed his teaching certification in 1962 and received his Master’s Degree in 1966. During his educational career, he has taught at small schools in Alva, Keys and Waynoka and went on to coach at Haskell Indian Nations University from 1971-2002. Benny enjoys hunting, shoeing horses and translating Cherokee language documents. Smith lives a very spiritual life and is a revered Cherokee elder.
