Domestic Crafts

Domestic crafts are also sometimes called "household crafts." The items presented here are made primarily by women--though men are also involved--from a wide variety of ethnic and regional groups. Many rural Louisiana people remain tied to a traditional household-based subsistence economy, but as living off the land and water becomes rarer, so too, do such homemade crafts items.

The most basic requirement of these objects and processes is utility. However, such items as baskets, quilts, table coverings, hats, and bonnets also clearly have an aesthetic dimension. The balance between necessity and style is also apparent in the items and procedures represented in the preparation, consumption, and conservation of traditional foodways.