Many Makers: Collaborative Renewal of Chahta Nan Tvnna (Choctaw Textiles)

Abstract

Using an Indigenous research model of relationality to community and to land, this paper presents the production of a 1700s-style skirt in bison and dogbane fiber by a group of Chahta (Choctaw) nan tvnna (textile artisans). By translating existing archaeological and textual resources into newly-produced garments, these practices communicate the research to the Chahta community in an accessible and inspiring format. Textiles discussed in this paper are made with twining and oblique interlacing techniques using dogbane, bison, and nettle yarns decorated with natural dyes, pigments, or shells. The production of this series of textiles ushers in a new phase in the reawakening of Chahta nan tvnna (Choctaw textiles), a project coordinated through the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Tribal Historic Preservation Office. By bringing information from the archaeological and textual resources forward in an accessible way and building a community of interested textile artisans, members of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma revitalized a traditional art that had been sleeping for over two hundred years. Grounded in Indigenous theory and Southeastern North American archaeological textile collections and literature, the Chahta nan tvnna project uses a collaborative research methodology. Working alongside Indigenous artisans, primary source material from the archaeological record was used in the production of nan tvnna materials. As demonstrated in this paper, projects that tie community members to the natural resources of their local environment through the sharing of traditional knowledge can re-twine relationships with land and resources.