Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Spring 2008 - (Page 36) To make particularly strong baskets, Louisiana Native Americans used split oak splints rather than river cane. Few early examples have survived, with one exception being the Coushatta cradle basket illustrated above. The interior and rim of the basket show wear from extended use, but otherwise the basket is in excellent condition; it appears as strong as the day it was finished. The large size of the basket would allow for ample amounts of cushioning, and for the winter months, plenty of covers to keep a child warm. COUSHATTA PEOPLES Louisiana Basket Cradle, circa 1900 Split oak; height 7-1/4 inches, width 26-1/4 inches, depth 38-1/8 inches ELISSA “LIZ” JOHN (COUSHATTA, CONTEMPORARY) Louisiana, United States Lidded Basket Jar, contemporary Pine needles, raffia; height 8 inches, diameter 10-1/2 inches The body of the basket jar resembles early preColumbian coiled pottery vessels of the Southeast. Here, instead of clay, Liz John has used the medium with which the Coushatta excel: bundled and coiled long-leaf pine needles. To make the basket a practical and attractive storage jar, Liz John has woven a tight fitting knobbed lid that gracefully lifts the bullions shape of the jar. 36 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Spring 2008
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.