Increasing the Availability of Butternut for Traditional Cherokee Dye

The bark, roots, and seed hull of the butternut, Juglans cinerea L., have been used for generations by members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation as a dye to create striking patterns in woven rivercane baskets. Butternut is impacted by an exotic canker disease causing the decline of nearly 80% of the trees in North Carolina. Efforts have been made to increase the availability of butternut material for dye. In collaboration with The University of Tennessee, a cultural resource planting was established at the Kituwah site with over 300 seedlings in 2006 from 5 genetic families. A butternut orchard was also established at Holmes Educational State Forest with over 200 seedlings from 8 genetically families. Students from Frostburg State University collected eight year results on the planting establishment. The goal of this project is to insure a sustainable supply of butternut for ecological and cultural uses.