Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Spring 2008 - (Page 33) CHITIMACHA PEOPLES, Louisiana Heart Shaped Basket, circa 1920 Split river cane natural dye; height 5-3/4 inches, width 9-1/4 inches, depth 2-1/2 inches CHITIMACHA PEOPLES Louisiana Basket Bowl, circa 1920 Split river cane natural dye; diameter 3-1/2 inches, 6 inches While small in size, the heart-shaped basket illustrated above is full of motion. On the front side, the background is composed of wide, vertical red and black bands. Thick, curvilinear lines of natural cane undulate sideways across the surface in a left-to-right direction. The composition is so densely packed that tlie lines almost touch, but they never do. When the two motifs reach the left side, the vertical bands become horizontal, and the lines curve top to bottom, cleverly reversing the pattern on the back side. While the basket bowl has none of the busy expressive qualities of the heart-shaped basket, it is equally impressive in its understated eloquence. The weaver has chosen to use very narrow, thin splints. With the exception of the brown, the delicate splints were dyed light shades of orange and yellow, creating a subtlety that only has been enhanced by the basket’s natural patina. Spring 2008/LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES 33
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