Lucille Lossiah wove this basket from the withes, or twigs, of white oak trees, which grow in the mountains and along the waterways of the Qualla Boundary, the homeland of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in North Carolina. Lossiah, a member of the EBCI, built upon generations of her family’s basketmaking expertise and care for the environment to create this form. She selected branches from an oak tree to make into splints, or supports, for weaving. Before weaving the wicker-plaited design, Lossiah boiled some oak splints with native walnuts to achieve the dark brown color. She boiled others with bloodroot, a local flowering plant, to create the soft orange tones. Lossiah intentionally leaves enough trees and plants undisturbed to both protect the environment and ensure the next generation has materials for making baskets of their own.