River-cane baskets woven by the Chitimachas of south Louisiana are universally admired for their beauty and workmanship. Recounting friendships that Chitimacha weaver Christine Paul (1874ndash;1946) sustained with two non-Native women at different parts of her life; this book offers a rare vantage point into the lives of American Indians in the segregated South.Mary Bradford (1869ndash;1954) and Caroline Dormon (1888ndash;1971) were not only friends of Christine Paul; they were also patrons who helped connect Paul and other Chitimacha weavers with buyers for their work. Daniel H. Usner uses Paulrsquo;s letters to Bradford and Dormon to reveal how Indian women; as mediators between their own communities and surrounding outsiders; often drew on accumulated authority and experience in multicultural negotiation to forge new relationships with non-Indian women.Bradfordrsquo;s initial interest in Paul was philanthropic; while Dormonrsquo;s was anthropological. Both certainly admired the artistry of Chitimacha baskets. For her part; Paul saw in Bradford and Dormon opportunities to promote her basketry tradition and expand a network of outsiders sympathetic to her tribersquo;s vulnerability on many fronts. As Usner explores these friendships; he touches on a range of factors that may have shaped them; including class differences; racial attitudes; and shared ideals of womanhood. The result is an engaging story of American Indian livelihood; identity; and self-determination.
#2821711 in eBooks 2007-12-05 2007-12-05File Name: B0019LT406
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