We were fortunate enough to get this very old Koasati basket from a private collector. This pine straw basket illustrates the coiled basketry method. Longleaf pine needles or "pine straw" is used for the coils and wiregrass is used for the stitching.
Coushatta (koh-uh-sah-tee) comes from the people's own tribal name, Kowassati, which means "white cane people." Coushatta (pronounced koo-shah-tuh) is another English version of the same name. Koasati is a more accurate spelling, but Coushatta is more commonly used today. These Native Peoples settled in Alabama, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
