Northwestern State University Celebrates Native American Heritage with Traditional Crafts Workshop

Northwestern State University’s Louisiana Folklife Center hosted a free interactive Native American crafts workshop on July 12th at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum in Natchitoches. The event featured tradition bearers from local tribes including the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb, Clifton Choctaw Tribe, and Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, who taught attendees traditional basketry, beadwork, and dreamcatcher making.

This workshop served as a prelude to the 45th annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival (July 19th), themed “Crafting Louisiana,” which will showcase 70 traditional craftspeople, live music stages, and cultural demonstrations at NSU’s Prather Coliseum.