Brief Bios of Don and Paula Sanders My husband, Don, and I came to this project from very different backgrounds but with the same ideology - We wanted to portray the dress and Adornment of the Native Amercians originally of the Southeastern part of what was to become the United States as accurately as we could. Having done research before, I knew that accurate research usually wrote itself. My background involved art, writing, teaching, and research. I also, fortunately, had written command of both French and Spanish. As an Anthropology major in College, I was always interested in the Indians from the vicinity of Mexico, including the Yucatan: The Incas, Aztec, and Mayan. I spent time in that area studying these Indians and their culture. I have been a fashion historian for many years with a vast collection of books including the Lady's Fashion books from the 19th century. My main interest was 18th through 20th century American and English fashions. This brought to our book not only a knowledge of the dress of these periods, but also, a knowledge of the nomenclature of fashion. It was easy to expand my knowledge to include earlier periods throughout Europe and America. After Don and I married, we traveled in the west and became very interested in the Anasazi Indians and the ruins as well as the Hopi, Zuni, and Navajo. This included their manner of dress in the late 19th century. Don's background is Cherokee. His paternal grandmother was the first college educated Native American to teach in the Cooweescoowee district in Indian Territory. Her grandfather, who raised her, was a well known Judge and Cherokee delegate who represented his Nation in Washington during the Civil War era. Scraper Street in Venita, Oklahoma is named after her family. Her husband's ancestors were also prominent Cherokees, especially in the Southeast in the early 19th century. Many were named in various journals that we used in our research. Her husband's father, William Edward Sanders was the only Sheriff to serve both before and after Oklahoma statehood in the Cooweescoowee district. Early in our research, the Smithsonian Museum offered us a grant to spend time using their facilities. Also many museums and universities opened their doors to us and granted us library and other priviledges. Our different backgrounds were very usefull in balancing our presentation of the material in Fur, Feathers, and Fabric. Paula and Don are both retired. Prior to retirement, he worked at American Airlines and she spent much of her life teaching. She has taught many levels including at the University level. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology and M.S. in Education. |