Roger 1/2 Keetoowah Cherokee, practices traditional Cherokee utilitarian art forms like that of his maternal grand-father and great-grand father.  Born and raised in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Roger continues to live in the Old Flint/Going Snake Districts of the Cherokee Nation.  Roger maintains traditions of his ancestors through producing cultural art and utilitarian craft inspired by his Cherokee famly and elders.

"My mother, 4/4 Cherokee-Keetoowah, always taught me to be proud to be Cherokee.  I grew up Nighthawk Keetoowah stomp dancing and playing in the creek and woods around my family's rural home places.  I grew up with my grandma and grandpa always pointing out different plants, trees and roots, telling me which one was used for sickness, to eat, or for a good dye.  As I grow older and recall the knowledge passed to me by my mother, grandparents and other Cherokee/Keetoowah elders, I realize what a gift I received from them.  After years and years of going to the woods and learning the art and methods of gathering and processing natural materials as my grandparents and ancestors did,  I have come to realize that Cherokee art and the land are interconnected through artistic as well as utilitarian and spiritual uses.  My goal as a Traditional Cherokee artist is to continue to explore the ancestral technology and knowledge of the Cherokee culture and elders that came before, during and after contact with the colonialists. I will continue to promote and perpetuate the practice of Cherokee beliefs and culture through art, song, dance and spirit. "