Bookend
1966.1.35
Creation Date
1931 – 1955Materials
Dimensions
15.24 cm. W x 12.7 cm. L Item (Overall)
Description
"Wooden Bookends. Five by six inch weighted bookends carved from walnut. Each bookend features the head of a plains Indian, determined by the fact that the headdress is of feathers which only the plains Indians wore. Small identifications carved from the wood place these Indian heads in relief. The bottom of each bookend is covered in felt. These bookends were carved by Goingback Chiltoskey, a full-blood Cherokee Indian of North Carolina when he was a student at the Haskell Institute, Lawrence, Kansas, in 1931. Later Goingback became one of the famous Indian woodcarvers in the country and just this past year, 1965, he was honored by the U.S. government for his remarkable art ability in making a model of SM-1 nuclear power plant. I am glad I encouraged Goingback as a student to go on with his art work. I helped him to get his first job." You might be interested to know how Goingback got his name. Goingback's father and mother were in the "Trail of Tears" migration when the Cherokee were driven from North Carolina to Oklahoma because the white man wanted his lands. Most of the Cherokee remained in the territory--and later state--of Oklahoma. Some, like the Chiltoskeys, however, returned to North Carolina, and Goingback was named "Goingback Chiltoskey" in honor of their return. Goingback Chiltoskey (G.B.) was born near Cherokee, North Carolina, in 1907. He was named Goingback in honor of his grandfather, who had been forced to move west during the Trail of Tears. His grandfather missed his homeland so much that he spoke often of going back, and so became known as Goingback. Raised in a traditional family, G.B. did not encounter the English language until attending the Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school. He completed high school at Parker High School in Greenville, SC, where he continued to develop his skills in woodcarving. Shortly afterwards he attended Haskell Instittue, a school for Indian students in Lawrence, KS, and then the American Indian Art Institute at Santa Fe, NM. In 1935, G.B. returned to Cherokee to begin the woodcarving and woodworking program at Cherokee High School. After service with Army Corps of Engineers in WW2 fabricating models and terrain maps, he worked in Washington at Fort Belvoir continuing work in wood and metal. In 1966, he returned to Cherokee where he and his wife Mary, became and remain to this day, leaders in the arts, crafts, and education of the community. G.B. is a charter member of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. and his wood carvings have been exibited throughout the country. Mike Bowen of the Greenville News wrote in 1972, "Goingback Chiltoskey calls himself a woodcarver, but that is like calling Rembrant a paint-user." - Artist profile found various places on the internet.
World War II / WWII / World War 2 / WW2