Ada Thomas (July 31, 1924 – September 6, 1992) was a
Chitimacha
The Chitimacha ( ; or ) are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans who live in the U.S. state of Louisiana, mainly on their reservation in St. Mary Parish near Charenton on Bayou Teche. They are the only Indigenous people in the s ...
n basket weaver who excelled in double-weave, split
rivercane basketry. She was honored as a
National Heritage Fellow by the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
in 1983. Examples of her weaving are housed in the permanent collections of the
Birmingham Museum of Art
The Birmingham Museum of Art is a museum in Birmingham, Alabama. It has one of the most extensive collections of artwork in the Southeastern United States, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts repres ...
, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
and the
Museum of International Folk Art
The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
History
The museum was founded by Floren ...
, among others.
Early life
Ada Vilcan was born on July 31, 1924, on the Chitimacha Reservation, near
Charenton, Louisiana
Charenton (historically french: Lieu-des-Chetimachas) is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,903 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area. A ...
, to Jane Bernard and Henry Vilcan. The fourth child in the family, her siblings were Alvin, Hollansworth, Esta/Esther, Raymond and Janet. Through the eighth grade, Thomas attended the reservation elementary school, where she also learned the Chitimacha
basket weaving
Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...
techniques from elders,
Christine Navarro Paul
Christine Navarro Paul (December 28, 1874 – 1946), a member of the Native American Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, was a celebrated basket maker and teacher.
Beginning in her 20s, she led the efforts of the Chitimacha women to create and s ...
and her sister-in-law Pauline. The baskets woven by Chitimacha women are unique in that the patterns on the inside and outside are different, as two separate baskets are woven and joined at the rim. Using split cane, known locally as ''
piya
The ''Piya'' (; "Increased ra") was a Chinese dictionary compiled by Song Dynasty scholar Lu Dian ( 陸佃/陆佃, 1042-1102). He wrote this ''Erya'' supplement along with his ''Erya Xinyi'' (爾雅新義 "New Exegesis of the ''Erya''") comment ...
'', dyed with natural walnut, "la passiance" plant root and lime to produce the traditional black, red and yellow colors, the strips are woven to produce designs of traditional animals of the bayou. Alligators, blackbird's and cow's eyes, hearts,
perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...
, snakes, and turtles are recurring motifs. The plain interior basket is woven first and once the rim is reached, the basket is turned and woven from the rim back to the bottom bringing in the colored design.
Career
After graduating from the reservation school, Vilcan moved to
, where she worked in an aircraft plant dedicated to the war effort. Though schools were segregated and Native Americans were not allowed to attend black or white high schools, government policy allowed plant workers to attend night school. Working by day and attending school at night, Vilcan was able to earn her high school diploma. Upon completing her schooling, she traveled the country, working at various jobs in Washington, D. C., New York City and Miami, Florida. In Miami, she met and married a jeweler and former New York City port official, Charles Thomas, with whom she had three sons: Arthur, Charles Henry, and Raymond.
When her husband died, Thomas returned to the Chitimacha Reservation in 1970, to raise her young sons. While they attended school, she revived the basket weaving craft she had learned as a child. The poverty which had plagued the tribe during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
when she left the area, had been replaced by prosperity with the growth in the oil industry. While the growth helped her tribal people economically, it also led to abandonment of their traditional crafts. Determined to save their unique basket weaving techniques, Thomas partnered with Stephen Richmond of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board to prepare a show held at
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
in
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
. Richmond helped her secure funds to teach others the techniques, though she had little success in the early days. In 1983, she was one of the artisans honored as a
National Heritage Fellow by the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
.
Thomas taught basket weaving techniques at schools in Charenton and attended many festivals, like the
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...
and the
Folklife Festival hosted by the
Smithsonian, to both show her works and demonstrate the craft. In her later years, she produced works primarily for privately held collections and museums.
Death and legacy
Thomas died on September 6, 1992, in Charenton. Examples of her weaving are housed in the permanent collections of the
Birmingham Museum of Art
The Birmingham Museum of Art is a museum in Birmingham, Alabama. It has one of the most extensive collections of artwork in the Southeastern United States, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts repres ...
, the Louisiana Folklife Program, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, the
Museum of International Folk Art
The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
History
The museum was founded by Floren ...
of
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
and the collections of the
Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Ada
1924 births
1992 deaths
Chitimacha
People from St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
Native American basket weavers
American weavers
20th-century Native American artists
20th-century American artists
20th-century American women artists
National Heritage Fellowship winners
20th-century Native American women