These cornhusk dolls were made by Geraldine Robertson, a creole craftswoman and former artisan at Vermilionville. She gifted these dolls to Dr. Elista Istre and they are now a part of Dr. Istre’s personal collection. The cornhusk dolls also serve as bookmarks. They are relatively the same size, however the larger doll measures 7 inches tall and 1 inch wide. The second, smaller doll measures 5.5 inches tall and 1 inch wide. The use of cornhusk in crafts became popular in the Appalachian Mountains. However, Native Americans were the first to use the material to make dolls and other crafts. This medium became popular among Europeans and enslaved Africans. They created these crafts by soaking the cornhusk in water until it was palpable. Then, the cornhusk could be designed into the craft. This art form is fairly popular across the United States.

This baby Jesus magnet was made by Geraldine Robertson, a creole craftswoman and former artisan at Vermilionville. She gifted these dolls to Dr. Elista Istre and they are now a part of Dr. Istre’s personal collection. The magnet is made of cornhusk and is meant to be a replication of baby Jesus. The cornhusk baby Jesus also has brown hair and eyes. It measures 3 inches tall and 1.25 inches wide. The replica of Jesus is both made up of cornhusk as well as the blanket that swaddles the baby. The doll is also made of red thread. The use of cornhusk in crafts became popular in the Appalachian Mountains. However, Native Americans were the first to use the material to make dolls and other crafts. This medium became popular among Europeans and enslaved Africans. They created these crafts by soaking the cornhusk in water until it was palpable. Then, the cornhusk could be designed into the craft. This art form is fairly popular across the United States.

Janie Luster of the Houma Nation, a Native American tribe in south Louisiana, made this poinsettia broach. She gifted this broach to collection owner, Dr. Elista Istre on Vermilionville’s first annual Native American Culture Day. This broach is 2.5 inches round and 0.75 inches tall. It is a Poinsettia Broach made from alligator garfish scales. This poinsettia broach has mustard seeds in the center. Alligator gar fish scales have long been used in the South. Indigenous tribes used these scales to create both arrowheads and artwork. The use of alligator gar fish scales also has a long tradition in the Houma tribe. In an interview with Houma Today, Janie Luster describes that the tradition of reusing nature and preventing waste. Luster explains that her family ate fish and thus using the other parts of the fish was an important part of the process. She wants to continue this tradition and pass it on to her family. She also states that her brother uses alligator gar fish scales to make his arrowheads.

The Houma Nation, a Native American tribe in south Louisiana, made this large palmetto basket. The tribe gifted this basket to Dr. Elista Istre and it is now a part of her personal collection. The palmetto basket is made of palmetto leaves. It is made with white threading and has two handles. The basket is 12 inches in diameter. It measures 6 inches from the bottom to the top of the handle. The top opening of the basket measures 8.25 inches by 7.5 inches. The sides of the basket measure 4.5 inches. Palmetto weaving has a long tradition in the Houma Tribe. The New Orleans Museum of Art had a special exhibition on Houma Basketry. This exhibit describes how the Houma Tribe used basketry for transportation. Furthermore, plants such as the dwarf palmetto are dominant in south Louisiana, making it easy for these leaves and other tools to be used for varying crafts. Palmetto leaves were even used for creating waterproof huts.

Zoeanna Verret, of the Houma Nation, a Native American tribe in south Louisiana, made this palmetto basket. The tribe gifted this basket to Dr. Elista Istre and it is now a part of her personal collection. The basket is made of palmetto leaves and has two handles. The top opening of the basket measures 4.5 inches by 5 inches. The sides of the basket measure 2 inches. The basket measures 4 inches tall from the bottom of the basket to the top. Palmetto weaving has a long tradition in the Houma Tribe. The New Orleans Museum of Art had a special exhibition on Houma Basketry. This exhibit describes how the Houma Tribe used basketry for transportation. Furthermore, plants such as the dwarf palmetto are dominant in south Louisiana, making it easy for these leaves and other tools to be used for varying crafts. Palmetto leaves were even used for creating waterproof huts.

This muslin hankie doll was made by Jackie Bacque, a former artisan at Vermilionville. She gifted this hankie doll to Dr. Elista Istre and they are now a part of Dr. Istre’s personal collection. The muslin hankie doll is a white handkerchief doll. The doll has blue ribbons tied around it, such as the wrist and neck of the doll. The doll measures 11 inches tall and 7 inches wide at the skirt. Handkerchief dolls have a history during the “pioneer days” when parents made dolls for their daughters using material they already owned. These dolls were also called “prayer dolls” because they were used for children in church to play with silently.

The Houma Nation, a Native American tribe in south Louisiana, made this palmetto doll. The tribe gifted this doll to Dr. Elista Istre and it is now a part of her private collection. The palmetto doll is multi-faceted and made of Spanish moss and purple threading. The doll’s face has small black eyes, a mouth, and braids. The doll also has several other components: a basket/handbag, an umbrella (parasol), and a hat. The doll also 12 inches from the bottom to the top and six inches in diameter. Palmetto weaving has a long tradition in the Houma Tribe. The New Orleans Museum of Art had a special exhibition on Houma Basketry. This exhibit describes how the Houma Tribe used basketry for transportation. Furthermore, plants such as the dwarf palmetto are dominant in south Louisiana, making it easy for these leaves and other tools to be used for varying crafts. Palmetto leaves were even used for creating waterproof huts.

The pine needle basket was made by Daphney Walker, a creole craftswoman and former artisan at Vermilionville. It took her two and a half days (15 hours) to complete this basket. She gifted these dolls to Dr. Elista Istre and they are now a part of Dr. Istre’s personal collection. The small basket is made of pine needles. The opening of the basket measures 2 inches by 2.5 inches. The sides of the basket measure 1.25 inches tall. Pine needle basket weaving is a Native American tradition. It has a history among several tribes in the United States. Furthermore, these baskets are made from pine needles. Native Americans collected pine needles from long-leaf pine trees and use the needles to braid baskets. Basket weaving is an important part of Native American cultures, however this art form has also extended to other people groups who picked up the practice from Native Americans.

The quilt is made out of cotton with the dimension of 37"x 69". Quilts are described as a multi-layered textile, composed of three layers of fibers. This quilt is hanging in the Beau Bassin's left room. It has a white background , multi-colored "Flying X" (aka flying geese) pattern by Nell Baron and it is part of the Educational Collection.

The skiff is made out of wood with the dimensions of 70.000 inches in width and 176.000 inches in length. A green and red painted skiff (or Eskiff in French) that was built by Raymond Seditol for Vermilionville, to be a part of the Educational Collection. A skiff is described as an open boat with a pointed bow and flat stern typically used by fisherman that fish inshore. The skiff made for Vermilionville has three seats, which are intact. It is pointed at the front and square at the back.

The Spanish moss turtle was made by Geraldine Robertson, a creole craftswoman and former artisan at Vermilionville. She gifted these dolls to Dr. Elista Istre and they are now a part of Dr. Istre’s personal collection. The turtle is made of Spanish moss, giving it a dark green color. The turtle measures 3 inches tall and 6.5 inches long. According to scholar Max Carocci, one of the first uses of Spanish moss was in clothing. Native Americans used the moss to create textiles and other forms of clothing. Spanish moss was readily available as it grew in trees. Furthermore, Carocci discusses how the Houma Tribe of Louisiana uses this material contemporarily for clothing and other activities. The use of Spanish moss has an evidently long history in Louisiana. The Spanish moss is gathered by taking off branches with the moss and curing them for use.

This waxed crepe paper flower was made by Joycelyn Ritter, a former artisan at Vermilionville. She gifted this paper flower to Dr. Elista Istre and they are now a part of Dr. Istre’s personal collection. The yellow waxed crepe paper flower was used to decorate Acadiana cemeteries for All Saint’s Day. The flower measures 7.5 inches long from the bend of the wire to the end of the flower. The flower is 2.5 inches at the widest end. This flower was made by Joycelyn Powell Trahan (Ritter) (July 23, 1933 - July 11, 2013) at Vermilionville in the early 2000s. It was gifted to Dr. Elista Istre and is now a part of her personal collection. Joycelyn, a resident of Lafayette, LA, was the daughter of the Edward Powell and Louise Guidry.

This is a spalted wood, handcarved hair clip, called a barrette. It’s shape is lanceolate leaf-like, pointed at both ends, 1.5 inches wide and 4 inches long. The handcarved wood design is glued to the factory-made metal hair clip part. Cliff Mire (September 25, 1937 - September 2, 2019) was a self-taught wood carver who had been honing his skills for more than four decades. He got his start carving after his wife was unable to find the type of wooden jewelry she wanted. Beginning only with a pocket knife, a 4-sided rasp and sandpaper made from actual sand, Cliff quickly found he had a natural talent for wood-carving. He moved into carving wildlife, jewelry, hairpieces, and one-of-a-kind wooden mystery boxes that were sold at Vermilionville’s gift shop, La Boutique. Cliff was passionate about his work at Vermilionville and carved every day for the last 41 years. He enjoyed speaking French with Vermilionville visitors and actively involved himself in sharing his craft with the community. He was the father of seven children and the husband of a woman who gently nudged him into his dream career. A process called spalting makes Cliff’s creations as visually appealing as they are functional. Spalting is the result of a naturally occurring fungus invading the wood and can take upwards of six to eight months. The fungi introduced to the wood sense the presence of one another and secrete chemicals to mark their terriotry, causing the discoloration of the wood. Once the spalting process is complete, Cliff removed the wood from the damp area and moves it to a dry area where the fungus cannot survive. Cliff worked with all types of wood, including pine, walnut, mahogany, oak and white cedar, but his favorite was cypress collected from the Atchafalaya.