[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 74 (Thursday, May 20, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S5774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        ROSE FISHER BLASINGAME, NATIVE AMERICAN LOUISIANA ARTIST

 Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a 
special artist from my state whose art was recently exhibited in our 
nation's capital. She is Rose Fisher Blasingame, a member of the Jena 
Band of Choctaw who are located in LaSalle Parish in Jena, Louisiana. 
Rose Fisher Blasingame was born and raised in Central Louisiana, and is 
married to Micah Basingame and has four children. Her artwork is 
basketry, an art she is attempting to revive since its loss from their 
community after the time of her great-great Aunt Mary Lewis who 
practiced the craft until she died in the early 1930's. From hearing 
stories from her family and elders, and seeing some of her aunt's work, 
she decided to try to learn this art-craft and bring back this lost 
tradition. She should be very proud that she has accomplished this 
goal. She also makes blow guns, arrow quivers, and tans deer hides. She 
shares the task of making china berry necklaces with her elders who she 
also joins in the tradition of passing down stories about creation, 
medicinal plants and home remedies. Her new goal, which she shares with 
her elders, is to attempt to bring back the Choctaw language.
  Her baskets have been based on authentic Choctaw artifacts in the 
Smithsonian. They are splendid works of art which have many complex 
weaves of light and dark involving a number of incredible shapes and 
textures. One of her pieces which I saw was composed of an inside weave 
which was the mirror image of the exterior weave done in reversal 
contrast of light and dark.
  She is a beneficiary of a grant from the Louisiana Arts Endowment 
Program. By recognizing her artwork, I also wish to honor all Choctaw 
tribes and culture. The Choctaw call themselves pasfalaya, which means 
``long hair.'' They are of the Muskhogean language group. The Choctaw 
were natives of Mississippi and Alabama, making them one of Louisiana's 
immigrant tribes. After Spain took control of Louisiana in 1763, the 
Spanish government, seeking a buffer between themselves and the 
English, invited the tribes from east of the Mississippi River into 
Louisiana. Small groups of Choctaw, including the Jena band, took them 
up on this offer, and there were several Choctaw settlements throughout 
north and central Louisiana.
  Louisiana boasts of many Choctaw place names. Early explorers used 
Choctaw guides to lead them to the new territories west of the 
Mississippi. The names given to the rivers, streams and other landmarks 
have remained as they were named hundreds of years ago. Some of these 
names include Atchafalaya (long river), Bogue Chitto (big creek), 
Catahoula (beloved lake), Manchac (rear entrance), and Pontchatoula 
(hanging hair or Spanish moss). It is also the Choctaw who taught the 
French and Spanish settlers the use of file' seasoning which is so 
widely used even today in the gumbo recipes of our unique Louisiana 
cuisine.
  Clearly, Rose Fisher Blasingame knows that she holds the rare coin of 
her culture which should be cherished and treasured. Imagine the 
remarkable effort she has undertaken along with her tribe to re-
establish their language. In this ambitious effort, Rose has sent her 
daughter Anna Barber to attend the Choctaw school in Mississippi in 
that branch of their tribe. I understand there are about 12 Choctaws 
speakers left among the Jena Choctaw, and the tribe is planning a 
computer language program which will teach adults as well as children, 
but aimed specifically at the kids. As always, their hope for the 
future will be carried by their children.
  Mr. President, I thank you for this moment to recognize the work of 
this remarkable artist and woman, and the Choctaw tribe and culture of 
Louisiana.

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