Nellie Charlie

Nellie Charlie (1867–1965) was a Mono Lake Paiute - Kucadikadi basketmaker associated with Yosemite National Park. She was born in Lee Vining, California, the daughter of tribal headman Pete Jim, and his wife Patsy, also a basket maker. She married Young Charlie, a Mono Lake Paiute - Kucadikadi man from Yosemite, and they had six children. Her Paiute name was Besa-Yoona.[1]

Nellie Charlie
Nellie Charlie in the early 20th century.
Born
Besa-Yoona

1867
Lee Vining, California, United States
Died1965 (aged 97–98)
Bishop, California, United States
NationalityKucadikadi
EducationSelf-taught
Known forBasket weaving

She worked in both traditional and modern basket styles, and participated in the annual Indian Field Days competition in Yosemite in the 1920s. Her daughter, Daisy Mallory, became a prominent weaver.[2]

She was among a group of Paiute women who "became known for their exceedingly fine, visually stunning and complex polychrome baskets."[3] Others in this group included Lucy Telles and Carrie Bethel.

She died in Bishop, California.

Legacy

One of her baskets covered with beadwork using Czechoslovakian seed beads is in the collection of the Yosemite Museum. This and a more traditional basket she made of sedge root were part of an exhibition on the art of Yosemite which appeared at the Autry National Center, the Oakland Museum of California, the Nevada Museum of Art and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art from 2006 to 2008.[4]

  • A 1924 basket by Nellie Charlie
    A 1924 basket by Nellie Charlie

See also

Notes
  1. "Yosemite Mono Lake Paiute Native American History". August 3, 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  2. Trainer, Laureen (2006). "Selected Artist Biographies". In Amy Scott (ed.). Yosemite: Art of an American Icon. Los Angeles and Berkeley: Autry National Center and University of California Press. pp. 196. ISBN 9780520249226.
  3. Bibby, Brian (2006). "Native American Art of the Yosemite Region". In Amy Scott (ed.). Yosemite: Art of an American Icon. Los Angeles and Berkeley: Autry National Center and University of California Press. pp. 97–101. ISBN 9780520249226.
  4. Scott, Amy (2006). Yosemite: Art of an American Icon. Los Angeles and Berkeley: Autry National Center and University of California Press. pp. 222. ISBN 9780520249226.
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