Marlena Bradley

At 6 years old Marlena Bradley would sit and watch her parents Raymond and Nancy Bradley and her grandmothers Hellen Bradley and Ina Driver make baskets. Watching this from such a young age inspired Marlena to pick up some splints and try to make a basket. She learned how to cut and gather her own white oak and dye materials such as blood root, butternut and walnut.

Ms. Bradley has won awards for her baskets at the Cherokee Fall Festival, she’s also made sure to teach this craft to not only her nieces and nephews but to other children within her community as well as children from other counties. Marlena enjoys teaching children her skills and techniques as a basket maker.

Cherokee basket maker Marlena Bradley

“I learned at a very young age how to make baskets from gathering my own material. Now I enjoy teaching our youth these skills and techniques.”