Louisiana Coushatta Basket Makers - by Linda Langley & Denise E Bates (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Linda Langley and Denise Bates's "Louisiana Coushatta Basket Makers" is the first book-length work to explore the basket-makers of Louisiana's Coushatta Tribe. The authors centralize Coushatta history around the experiences and contributions of the tribe's basket weavers by utilizing a combination of oral histories, tribal records, archival materials, and archeological evidence to explore the production, multiple uses, the sharing of ideas, and changes in basketry across several centuries. Since first establishing themselves at their present location near the town of Elton, Louisiana, in the 1880s, the Coushatta (Koasati) tribe developed a basket industry that not only assisted in bolstering the local tribal economy but became the basis for generating tourism and political mobilization. The baskets represented a material culture that distinguished the Coushattas as Indigenous people within an ethnically and racially diverse region. They were also used as strategic gifts by tribal leaders serving as diplomats as they built political and economic allegiances throughout the 20th century, thus securing the Coushattas' future development. Behind all these efforts were the basket makers themselves. Although a few Coushatta men assisted in the production of baskets, it was mostly the community's women who carried on the tradition and put in the long hours that it took to gather and process the materials and then skillfully stitch them together to produce treasures of all shapes and sizes. It is a process situated within a broader framework of Coushatta traditional teachings and educational practices that have persisted to the present. In addition to telling the story of Coushatta basket makers, this book also contributes to providing a better understanding of Koasati culture and values. The weavers' own "language of baskets" shapes this narrative, depicting how the tribe survived repeated hardships as weavers responded to market demands for their work on their own terms. The work of Coushatta basket makers represents the perseverance of traditional knowledge in the form of unique and carefully crafted fine art that only continues to grow in its level of appreciation through each generation"--

Book Synopsis

Louisiana Coushatta Basket Makers brings together oral histories, tribal records, archival materials, and archaeological evidence to explore the fascinating history of the Coushatta Tribe's famed basket weavers. After settling at their present location near the town of Elton, Louisiana, in the 1880s, the Coushatta (Koasati) tribe developed a basket industry that bolstered the local tribal economy and became the basis for generating tourism and political mobilization. The baskets represented a material culture that distinguished the Coushattas as Indigenous people within an ethnically and racially diverse region. Tribal leaders serving as diplomats also used baskets as strategic gifts as they built political and economic allegiances throughout the twentieth century, thereby securing the Coushattas' future.

Behind all these efforts were the basket makers themselves. Although a few Coushatta men assisted in the production of baskets, it was mostly women who put in the long hours to gather and process the materials, then skillfully stitch them together to produce treasures of all shapes and sizes. The art of basket making exists within a broader framework of Coushatta traditional teachings and educational practices that have persisted to the present.

As they tell the story of Coushatta basket makers, Linda P. Langley and Denise E. Bates
provide a better understanding of the tribe's culture and values. The weavers' own "language of baskets" shapes this narrative, which depicts how the tribe survived repeated hardships as weavers responded on their own terms to market demands. The work of Coushatta basket makers represents the perseverance of traditional knowledge in the form of unique and carefully crafted fine art that continues to garner greater recognition and appreciation with every successive generation.

Review Quotes

The methodology and analysis that went into writing [Louisiana Coushatta Basket Makers] offer a marvelous example for future work in Native American Studies. This manuscript resulted from close collaboration with the Coushatta Tribe. Weavers tell their own stories, with tribal members collecting and translating interviews with them. By anchoring Coushatta history 'through the lens of basketry, ' this book adds significantly to our understanding of the dynamic and complex ways in which Indigenous communities have put their material culture to use. Each chapter features a dimension of the Coushattas' production and marketing of baskets across time and space, demonstrating along the way their resourceful adaptation to environmental and economic circumstances.--Daniel H. Usner, Jr., Holland N. McTyeire Professor of History at Vanderbilt University and author of "Indian Work: Language and Livelihood in American History"

This is an amazing book. The authors offer us the voices of the Coushatta basket makers telling of their art and their culture history. The Coushatta language sews the chapters together, like raffia sews the baskets. The political history of the Coushatta so entwines with these basket makers, their families and friends, that one learns it in the traditional way, like sitting in a group sewing baskets listening to the stories as people work and talk. It takes the Coushatta into the hearts of the reader. This is not another book on baskets, but it speaks with the Coushatta artisans and their culture in ways that are themselves exciting.--Hiram "Pete" Gregory, professor of Anthropology at Northwestern State University and co-author of "The Historic Indian Tribes of Louisiana: From 1542 to the Present"

As my father, Ernest Sickey, advocated for and successfully ensured our Native American rights and Federal re-recognition throughout the 1960's, 70's, and 80's, he consistently arrived at various politicians' offices and negotiation tables with one of our handcrafted pine-needle Coushatta baskets. Like myself, his father persistently groomed him to know that the Coushatta were citizens deserving of the basic needs particular to public education, health care, and access to employment opportunities afforded to all American citizens. More than that, the Coushatta, our culture, and legacy would survive the struggles we faced and make us stronger. Then and now, every Coushatta basket collected or given continues to represent our tribal member's social identity as well as our political strength. They were and are a role not only in the path to a better life and justice but are a beautiful illustration of how the Coushatta recognizes the many roles necessary within our community. We are an Us.--Chairman David Sickey, Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana

About the Author

Linda P. Langley is the tribal historic preservation officer of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana and a former research professor of anthropology at McNeese State University. She is married to Bertney Langley, a member of the Coushatta Tribe, and has lived and worked in the tribal community for over thirty years.

Denise E. Bates is a historian and assistant professor at Arizona State University. She is the author or editor of several books, including Basket Diplomacy: Leadership, Alliance-Building, and Resilience among the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, 1884-1984; We Will Always Be Here: Native Peoples on Living and Thriving in the South; and The Other Movement: Indian Rights and Civil Rights in the Deep South.