Title	Will West Long
Creator	unknown
Medium of Original	photographs
Date of Original	1946-12-04
Dimensions	2" x 2"
Description	This photograph was taken at the home of Will West Long (1870-1947) when he was interviewed in December of 1946 by W. N. Fenton and Lester Hargrett. At their request, Long demonstrated the making of a traditional wooden Cherokee dance mask. Afterward, this photograph was taken showing Long with one of the interviewers who purchased a "fish basket (creel)...which I gave him a dollar for; a new one is seventy-five cents." Long was born in the remote western North Carolina community of Big Cove. Raised in the traditions of the Cherokee, Long attended Hampton Institute in Virginia when he was 25 years old. He lived off the Qualla Boundary until 1904, when he returned to Big Cove, where he remained for the rest of his life. For almost 30 years, Long served on Tribal Council, where he was instrumental in establishing the Cherokee Indian Fair, among other accomplishments. He recorded his knowledge regarding Cherokee medicine, carving, music and dance, and language with the hope of preserving tradition. Long was a consultant for ethnologists, James Mooney, Frank Speck, and Franz Olbrechts. An accomplished mask maker, Long died in 1947.
Subject	Artisans -- Appalachian Region, Southern Cherokee Indians -- Appalachian Region, Southern Mask makers -- Appalachian Region, Southern Cherokee baskets -- Appalachian Region, Southern
Local Subject	important people traditions carvers
Time Period	1940s
Location	Cherokee Indian Reservation (N.C.)
Source Institution	Museum of the Cherokee
Collection	Archive Collection
Inventory Number	MCI_MSS_93-41_07
Copyright Information	All rights reserved. For permissions and use, contact Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Cherokee, NC 28719
Digital Publisher	Hunter Library Digital Collections, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723

Will West Long

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