About Jeff Edwards
Represented Artist
Jeff Edwards is a Cherokee graphic artist who has worked for the Cherokee Nation as a language technologist for over a decade to help advance the preservation and use of the Cherokee syllabary broadly. He received his BA in Design and Visual Communications at Northeastern State University and studied at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence Kansas. Edwards creates Cherokee themed artwork with syllabary graphics as design and cultural elements.
The Cherokee Clan Mask Series
The Seven Clans is an ancient structural organization of Cherokee society. “I have greatly appreciated everyone’s comments and approval. The Cherokee Clans have been around since the beginning of time so doing something this sacred was no easy task for me. It literally took me 3 years from the time it entered my brain until I made the first mask. And even while making that mask, I doubted myself on representing that clan well and of course doing the best job I could possibly do. A lot of thought, care and brain picking of Cherokees with clans have gone into this project. My imagery was always approved by clan members before I even considered it complete. If they wanted something changed, it was instantly changed, no questions asked. I knew tons about the clans, but I read more. Then some more. The last thing I want to do is take something of this magnitude and not do it justice. Typically, I jump in headfirst and never even look to see what’s at the bottom of the cliff beforehand. But there are always exceptions and this one is right there at the very top.”
About the art
Jeff Edwards is a Cherokee graphic artist who has worked for the Cherokee Nation as a language technologist for over a decade to help advance the preservation and use of the Cherokee syllabary broadly. He received his BA in Design and Visual Communications at Northeastern State University and studied at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence Kansas. Edwards creates Cherokee themed artwork with syllabary graphics as design and cultural elements.
The Cherokee Clan Mask Series
The Seven Clans is an ancient structural organization of Cherokee society. “I have greatly appreciated everyone’s comments and approval. The Cherokee Clans have been around since the beginning of time so doing something this sacred was no easy task for me. It literally took me 3 years from the time it entered my brain until I made the first mask. And even while making that mask, I doubted myself on representing that clan well and of course doing the best job I could possibly do. A lot of thought, care and brain picking of Cherokees with clans have gone into this project. My imagery was always approved by clan members before I even considered it complete. If they wanted something changed, it was instantly changed, no questions asked. I knew tons about the clans, but I read more. Then some more. The last thing I want to do is take something of this magnitude and not do it justice. Typically, I jump in headfirst and never even look to see what’s at the bottom of the cliff beforehand. But there are always exceptions and this one is right there at the very top.”