Hastings Shade
Encyclopedia
Hastings Shade was a former deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation
. He was a traditionalist, artist, and master level fluent speaker of the Cherokee language
.
. His parents were Tom and Leanna Stopp Shade.
by hand. He was the only known maker of Cherokee marbles (gadayosdi). He painstakingly fashioned the balls from limestone
and they are about the size of a billiards ball.
He also made fishing and frog gigs
that are sought after by collectors.
immersion programs for school children.
, the inventor of the Cherokee syllabary
. Hastings was married to Loretta Shade, also a master level fluent speaker of the Cherokee language. Together they lived in Lost City
, outside of Hulbert, Oklahoma
.. Shade died on February 9, 2010 in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. He is survived by his wife, their four sons, four siblings, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "He foremost was a gentleman and a traditionalist who was fluent in Cherokee language and conversant in Cherokee thought. He was a teacher," said Chad Smith.
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
. He was a traditionalist, artist, and master level fluent speaker of the Cherokee language
Cherokee language
Cherokee is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a unique syllabary writing system. It is the only Southern Iroquoian language that remains spoken. Cherokee is a polysynthetic language.-North American etymology:...
.
Background
Hastings Shade was born on May 20, 1941 in Tahlequah, OklahomaTahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
. His parents were Tom and Leanna Stopp Shade.
Traditional artist
Hastings Shade was declared a Cherokee National Treasure in 1991 for his extensive traditional knowledge, particularly his ability to make Cherokee marblesCherokee marbles
Cherokee marbles , or five hole, is a traditional game among the Cherokee people of the United States.-The game:It is played, traditionally, with round balls made of stone, but now sometimes with standard billiard balls...
by hand. He was the only known maker of Cherokee marbles (gadayosdi). He painstakingly fashioned the balls from limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and they are about the size of a billiards ball.
He also made fishing and frog gigs
Gigging
Gigging is the practice of hunting fish or small game with a gig or similar multi-pronged spear. Commonly harvested wildlife include freshwater suckers, saltwater flounder, and small game, such as frogs. A gig can refer to any long pole which has been tipped with a multi-pronged spear. The gig pole...
that are sought after by collectors.
Deputy Chief
Shade served one term as deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation, from 1999 to 2003, with Chad Smith. In an unusual political move, Shade ran independently for deputy chief in 2003 but did not win the election. During his time in office, he helped develop the Cherokee Nation's language programs, specially the Cherokee languageCherokee language
Cherokee is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a unique syllabary writing system. It is the only Southern Iroquoian language that remains spoken. Cherokee is a polysynthetic language.-North American etymology:...
immersion programs for school children.
Personal
Shade was a fullblood Cherokee and a sixth-generation descendant of SequoyahSequoyah
Sequoyah , named in English George Gist or George Guess, was a Cherokee silversmith. In 1821 he completed his independent creation of a Cherokee syllabary, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible...
, the inventor of the Cherokee syllabary
Cherokee syllabary
The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah to write the Cherokee language in the late 1810s and early 1820s. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy in that he could not previously read any script. He first experimented with logograms, but his system later developed...
. Hastings was married to Loretta Shade, also a master level fluent speaker of the Cherokee language. Together they lived in Lost City
Lost City, Oklahoma
Lost City is a census-designated place in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 809 at the 2000 census. It was the site of the first meteorite fall in the US to be recorded by a camera network.-Geography:...
, outside of Hulbert, Oklahoma
Hulbert, Oklahoma
Hulbert is a town in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States, named after Ben H. Hulbert, a promiment Cherokee Indian. The population was 543 at the 2000 census. Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Monastery is a Benedictine Monastery located in Hulbert...
.. Shade died on February 9, 2010 in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. He is survived by his wife, their four sons, four siblings, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "He foremost was a gentleman and a traditionalist who was fluent in Cherokee language and conversant in Cherokee thought. He was a teacher," said Chad Smith.
Published works
- Shade, Hastings. Myths legends and old sayings. Self published, 1994. ASIN B0006RH39I
- Cowan, Agnes, Loretta Shade, Hastings Shade, Agnes Louise Clark, and Jane B. Noble. Cherokee English Language Reference Book. Welling: Cross-Cultural Education Center Inc., 1995. ASIN B00182V8YQ.
External links
- Gigging: A Cherokee Elder Spears for his Supper. Wisconsin Public Radio piece audio about Hastings Shade