Will West Long

Will West Long (c. 1869–1947; née Wili Westi) was a Cherokee mask maker, translator, and Cherokee cultural historian. He was part of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᏱ ᏕᏣᏓᏂᎸᎩ, Tsalagiyi Detsadanilvgi). Long was one of the people responsible for carrying on the legacy of Cherokee cultural traditions into the 20th-century, including traditional Cherokee dance. Long was instrumental in establishing the Cherokee Fall Festival (or Cherokee Indian Fair).

Early life and education Wili Westi was born in c. 1869 in Big Cove, North Carolina.

Career For 10 years he lived and worked in New England, including in the towns and cities of Conway, Amherst, North Amherst, and Boston. His nephew, Walker Calhoun (1918–2012) was a Cherokee medicine man, musician, dancer, and teacher.

Death and legacy At the time of his death, Long was translating and interpreting a series of books with anthropologist Frank G. Speck, and writing a Cherokee dictionary with George Myers Stephens. and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. The Will West Long manuscript papers are kept at the Gilcrease Museum. Many of Long's original writings are in the Frank Speck Cherokee Collection at the American Philosophical Society.

Publications