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| Chitimacha Indians Ernestine Walls and Lydia Darden of Charenton display the materials for their rivercane baskets. The Chitimacha are well known for their rivercane baskets which are either single weave as displayed here or double weave which has two layers of baskets: a basket within a basket. The Choctaw and Koasati Indians also use rivercane to make baskets, but each tribe has different patterns and styles involving the width of the individual splints. | Palmetto thrives in low lying areas such as lower St. Martin Parish which was regularly burned in the past to increase soil fertility. Several cultural groups in Louisiana used palmetto in a variety of traditional crafts, but today the Houma Indians of Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes are the most prolific craftsmen with this material. |
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Photographer: Nicholas R. Spitzer Click image for a larger view. |
Photographer: Maida Owens Click image for a larger view. |
