Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Basket: Chitimacha split cane

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  • This cane basket, in the collection of Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, is not Cherokee, but was made by the Chitimacha (or Chetimacha) tribe of Louisiana. The Chitimacha tribe used a species of rivercane that grows in the bayous to make baskets. The weave is distinctive in that it is woven from cane that is much thinner that cane used in Cherokee basket weaving, resulting in delicate weave. The Chitimacha, like the Cherokee, use walnut to produce the black or dark brown color. They use lime to produce a yellow and a local wild plant to produce red. Like the Cherokee, the Chitimacha use cane to weave both single and double weave baskets; this basket is a double weave in a Serpent design. The maker and date of this basket are unknown.