Basket weaving was a common practice for Indigenous tribes in the United States, yet it has become a less common skill throughout generations. However, thanks to some individuals working to uphold the tradition, the practice — as well as important native ecosystems — is being brought back.
Rose Fisher Greer and her daughter are two people keeping the basket weaving tradition alive, WWNO reported. They are part of the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians in Louisiana, and Greer learned the skill at age 15 from someone who had learned it from a Choctaw woman, per WWNO.
"I've just been doing it ever since, and doing everything in my power to try to keep this alive in my tribe. I don't ever want it to die out again," Greer said.
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The baskets are weaved with rivercane, which is native to the South and Southeastern U.S. According to the Rivercane Restoration Alliance, it has been used by numerous Indigenous tribes in the U.S. for centuries. Today, however, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates "that the country has lost 98% of its river cane habitat … a situation that has had cascading environmental impacts," per WWNO.
By keeping the practice of basket weaving alive in her tribe, Greer is simultaneously raising awareness about the importance of maintaining native rivercane habitats, and she's not alone. The Chitimacha Tribe, also in Louisiana, has been growing their own rivercane since 1997, WWNO reported.
When rivercane is successfully restored, it brings numerous benefits to surrounding ecosystems. The National Park Service explains that they "help protect water quality and prevent erosion by stabilizing soils along the banks of waterways."
This story emphasizes the importance of Indigenous knowledge in restoration efforts. The USDA has highlighted how, by bringing Indigenous people to the table when discussing ecosystem restoration projects, their knowledge fills information gaps and leads to more successful efforts.
Bruno Sagrera, a Choctaw farmer, has been taking measures into his own hands by planting rivercane on his own farm in order to preserve the plant, while also giving it to others for the sake of preserving its importance in Indigenous culture, WWNO stated. Sagrera made an important suggestion: If people in the U.S. are considering growing bamboo, they should swap it for rivercane to honor native plant species, per WWNO.
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