Patricia Dawson

Patricia Dawson (Cherokee Nation) teaches and researches Native American history and material culture. Dawson's current manuscript project examines Cherokee clothing as a tool of diplomacy, symbol of identity, and weapon of resistance against Euro-American encroachment in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In the early nineteenth century, Cherokee women transformed their economy through cotton agriculture and cloth production, and they were at the center of the Nation's resistance to Removal through material culture diplomacy. Dawson has also worked with family members to edit and publish A History of the Cherokee Nation by Rachel Caroline Eaton, Dawson’s great-great-great aunt who is believed to be the first known Native American woman to get a PhD. Originally written in the 1930s, but denied publication for being too “pro-Cherokee,” this book is scheduled to be published by OU Press in Fall 2025. When not teaching or researching, Dawson can often be found attempting a variety of textile projects, and she is firm believer in fostering community through crafternoons.