Janie Verret Luster

Janie grew up in the Houma Indian community of Bayou DuLarge, LA. Both of her parents were traditional Houma Indian artists. Janie is an artist and cultural preservationist who works in a variety of mediums and is best known for her basketry. Janie is responsible for reintroducing the Houma Half-Hitch Palmetto basket weaving technique to her tribe, the United Houma Nation. As this traditional technique was originally lost in the 1940’s, she learned this method through work with the late Richard Conn, former Chief Curator of Native Arts, at the Denver Museum of Art. In keeping with traditions she has passed on this basketry knowledge to her three daughters and granddaughters and currently teaches others in her tribal community. Janie also creates beautiful jewelry and artwork using the scales of the Alligator Garfish and lectures on how the Houmas used herbal medicine as she comes from a long line of traditional healers from both sides of her family.