Patrick Myers - 'Corn Tassel' - Cherokee Music and Art

Cherokee Baskets
Anitsalagi Ditalutsa
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᏗᏔᎷᏣ
Watercolor
2026

A Cherokee woman shares cultural and spiritual heritage with a new generation. They wear ‘tear’ dresses, the official cultural dress of the tribe - the colors and patterns interplay across the painting. Basket designs include the 7-pointed star, a symbol of the seven clans of the Cherokee Nation.

Tears
Digasawosdi
ᏗᎦᏌᏬᏍᏗ
Watercolor
2026

Tears emerge from an older Cherokee woman’s eyes.

Cherokee Archer
'Anitsalagi Alastalidohi'
'ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᎳᏍᏔᎵᏙᎯ’

Acrylic on Canvas
2025

A young woman in a tear dress, the official cultural dress of the Cherokee Nation, shoots an arrow with a longbow. Cherokee youth continue to be taught archery and other traditional skills.
“He made me like a sharpened arrow and hid me in his quiver.”
- Isaiah 49:2

Worship Dancer 10
Acrylic on Canvas
2026

A Cherokee Gathering
Anitsalagi Anadatlisisgv
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᎾᏓᏟᏏᏍᎬ

Watercolor
2025

This painting was shown in the 2025 Cherokee Homecoming Art Show in Oklahoma.

Tears
Digasawosdi
ᏗᎦᏌᏬᏍᏗ

Acrylic on Canvas
2025

This painting is on display in spring 2026 at the Trail of Tears Art Show, an annual juried exhibit in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of the Cherokee Nation.

Cherokee War Dance
Anitsalagi Danuwa Alasgida
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᏓᏄᏩ ᎠᎳᏍᎩᏓ

Watercolor
2025

The Cherokee have always been a peaceful tribe, but like any nation, have had warriors who protect families and communities when needed. Rather than glorifying war, this dance is traditionally a spiritual preparation to fend off an enemy. It can also be a part of a call to put on spiritual armor to protect ourselves and loved ones (Ephesians 6:10-18). This dancer wears traditional Cherokee woodlands regalia.

Toward the Light

Acrylic on Canvas
2024

This painting was shown in the 2024 Cherokee Homecoming Art Show in Oklahoma.

Worship Dancer 9

Watercolor
2025

Worship Dancers 8

Acrylic on Canvas
2024

Another in the worship dancer series, this composition was developed with variations on the primary colors of yellow, blue, and red in their regalia.

Worship Dancer 7

Acrylic on Canvas
2024

One of a series of paintings in various mediums of women and men of different tribes expressing their spirituality through dance.

Grandmother

Pencil on Paper
2025

Grandmother as a Young Woman

Pencil on Paper
2025

Native Angel
Nayehiya Anidawehi
ᎾᏰᎯᏯ ᎠᏂᏓᏪᎯ

Watercolor
2025

This watercolor began as I was painting a Native dancer with flowing shawl and colorful ribbons, but it prayerfully became more visionary and angelic. I extended her shawl into wings, and brushed in a dark background to give the figure more illumination. It was important not to overwork the watercolor, but to keep it fresh and expressive.

Throughout the Bible, angels appear in an otherworldly yet humanly familiar form to each person. For instance, to Abraham and other Old Testament people, angels often appeared as middle eastern people in the clothing of that region and era. An angel on Earth today may appear in the same way - transcendent yet culturally familiar to the person visited.

Cherokee War Dance
Anitsalagi Danuwa Alasgida
ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᏓᏄᏩ ᎠᎳᏍᎩᏓ

Acrylic on Canvas
2023

The traditional Cherokee dancer in this painting is actually also a United States Marine. He’s part of the Warriors of AniKituhwa, a Cherokee dance group with historically accurate Cherokee regalia. The Cherokee have always been a peaceful tribe, but like any nation, have had warriors who protect their own people when needed. Rather than glorifying war, this dance is traditionally a spiritual preparation to fend off an enemy. Today it can also be a call to put on spiritual armor to protect ourselves and loved ones.
Profound thanks to each veteran who has sacrificed more than we know to protect our people, and so many other people around the world.

Young Cherokee Woman

Acrylic on Canvas
2023

Worship Dancer 6: Grass Dancer Paul Flores IV, Apache/Yaqui
2023
One of a series of paintings in various mediums of women and men of different tribes expressing their faith through dance.
Paul's facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paul.floresiv

Green Corn Dance
2022

This painting is based on a Cherokee cultural presentation at the Smithsonian. Green Corn is a traditional ceremony of thanksgiving to Unelanvhi, the Creator of the universe. The man’s motions indicate harvesting corn, which he places in an imaginary basket held by the woman. Her beaded cross medallion includes thanks for the provision of food (corn) and each new day (sunrise).

Faith in Unelanvhi, the Creator of the universe, has been a central part of Cherokee life for countless generations. Many Cherokees express their faith through traditional cultural expressions such as the Green Corn Dance.

Worship Dancer 5

Watercolor
2022
The 5th in a series of paintings of contemporary Indigenous dancers worshiping the Creator. The regalia of many dancers today includes long, multicolored ribbons that flow with their movements.

Cherokee National Youth Choir
2022

As an example of their music, this is their recording of an original song written on the Trail of Tears in the 1830s:
One Drop of Blood - Cherokee Hymn Sung on the Trail of Tears
I recorded a much simpler acapella version of this song; audio and lyrics are on the Music page of this website.
Click on the painting for an expanded view, and click on the thumbnails below for closer detail views.

Baby Violet

Pencil Drawing
2022

I did this pencil drawing of our Dineh (Navajo) friends' baby daughter as a housewarming present. Her hair is usually straight up on top.

Cherokee Girl Praying
2021

Cherokee Archer
2021

Worship Dancer 4
Watercolor
2021

Trail of Tears

Watercolor
2020

In the late 1830s, 4,000 Cherokee women, men, and children died or were killed on the Trail of Tears, a forced march from their homelands in the Appalachian Mountains to Oklahoma Territory. Some of those who survived the journey are my ancestors, as documented by the Cherokee Nation.

The National Park Service manages Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/trte/index.htm

Worship Dancer 3
Acrylic on Canvas
2020

Worship Dancer 2
Acrylic on Canvas
2019

Worship Dancer 1
Watercolor on Paper
2018

Paintings and Drawings

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