1st Gathering of Southeastern Indian Basketweavers

May 17 and 18, 2002
Northwestern State University,
Student Union Ballroom

The gathering was coordinated by Dr. Dayna Bowker Lee of the Louisiana Regional Folklife Program and Dr. H. F. Pete Gregory of the Department of Social Sciences and Williamson Museum. The gathering brought together weavers and tribal program administrators from throughout the Southeastern United States to talk about programs and projects that may benefit the preservation of traditional basketry in tribal communities. It also gave the artisans an opportunity to exchange ideas, to reconnect with old friends, and to make new ones. The gathering was sponsored by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the U. S. Forest Service. Assisting with the gathering were Stacy Fontenot, Projects Coordinator Department of Social Sciences, NSU; Rhonda Gauthier, Los Adaes Station/Regional Archaeology Program, NSU; Marque Nelson, Photographer and Webmaster for the Regional Folklife Program, NSU; Shawna Atkins, Intern for the Regional Folklife Program, NSU; and Josh Martin, NSU Anthropology Student, and Dustin Fuqua, Museum Aid for the Cane River Creole National Park.


Choctaw Eveline Steele signs in


Billy Cypress of the Florida Seminole Museum arrives


Linda Beletso and Lorraine Posada the Seminole Tribe


Odie Mae Anderson of the Mississippi Choctaw Tribe


Jena Choctaw Rose Fisher-Blassingame demonstrates Basketweaving


Lorraine Posada's daughter having fun


Stacy Fontenot and Rhonda Gauthier looking at baskets


Linda Beletso and granddaughter


Linda Beletso weaving baskets


Seminole Basketry


Linda Beletso with her daughter, Lorraine Posada with her daughter


Allen Bohnert, SE Regional Curator, NPS, looking at Choctaw Basketry


Guests discuss basket making


Rose Fisher, Tom Colvin, and Joyce Poncho discuss basketry


Mississippi Choctaw Basketry


Koasati Weavers Myrna Wilson, Joyce Poncho, Marjorie Battise, Lorena Langley


Pete Gregory talks about baskets with Allen Bohnert


Stacy, Dustin, Dayna Lee & Pete Gregory look at baskets


Seminole Baskets are very unique


Shawna Atkins looks at baskets


Dayna Lee and Pete Gregory with Patrick Dan of the Ms. Choctaw Culture Program


Billy Cypress with Eveline Steele


Marshall Gettys with others


Cherokee Peggy Brennan and Mark Brown of Lauren Rogers Museum


Pete Gregory gives some advice


Marshall's Choctaw Basket


Marshall exploring his basket


People checking out Marshall's Choctaw basket


Tom Colvin demonstrates Bayou LaCombe Choctaw basketry


Peggy Brennan, Marshall Gettys & Mary Herron of the Museum of the Red River


Scarlett Darden, John Paul Darden, Tom Colvin and Eveline Steele


Scarlett Darden making a Chitimacha basket


Lora Ann Chassion and Janie Luster and her daughter Ann Marie Luster demonstrate Houma half-hitch coil basketry


John Paul Darden, Scarlett Darden, Kimberly Walden and Melanie Aymond of the Chitimacha Tribe


Alan Dorian, U.S. Forest Service, purchases a Seminole basket


Scarlett Darden and John Paul Darden show Chitimacha basketry forms and designs


Charlie Viers, Lorena Langley, Dayna Lee, and Evelyn Alfaro with Koasati crafts


Allen Bohnert looks at Choctaw baskets


A great collection of Mississippi Choctaw baskets


More Choctaw baskets


Eveline Steele admires one of the Mississippi Choctaw baskets


Odie Mae Anderson continues to weave baskets


Houma basketweavers


Lorena Langely with her turkey baskets