Mary Smith

Mary Smith, a citizen of the Creek Nation of Oklahoma, is a self-taught basket weaver and teacher. She began weaving in 2001. She weaves with river cane that she gathers and processes as well as with honeysuckle, yucca and various other natural materials and binder cane.

Weaving is a passion for her. She revived the Creek Double False Braid Rim in 2005, which is unique only to Creek basketry. Before that time, it had not been done for 100 to 150 years.

The Creek Council House Museum filmed Smith in 2005 while demonstrating this technique. She now travels and teaches basketry and natural rimming methods to other Native American basket weavers. Her other talents lie in pottery, beading, feather work, leatherwork and quilting. She has received awards and recognition in several of these fields.