Martha Berry

Martha Berry is a Cherokee beadwork artist who has revived traditional Cherokee and Southeastern beadwork, particularly techniques from the pre-Removal period. She has been recognized as a Cherokee National Treasure and is the recipient of the Seven Star and Tradition Bearer Awards. Her work is shown in museums around the United States.

Background Martha Berry was born in 1948 and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is a registered tribal citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

Artwork Berry creates beaded bandolier bags, moccasins, belts, knee bands, purses and sashes. She often uses beadwork designs that evolved from pre-Contact Mississippian pottery into traditional 18th and 19th century Southeastern beadwork. She is credited with reviving the art of Cherokee beadwork, which had been in serious decline for many years. Berry's beadwork also expresses "current day feelings of conflict, loss, distortion and confusion." The exhibition included beadwork from the collection of Scotland's University of Aberdeen Museums that had not been seen in the United States in almost two centuries. Berry also wrote the text for the show catalog. Her role in the convention helped the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma heal itself and "reassert itself as a capable sovereign in Oklahoma." She is currently an active member of several Cherokee organizations.