Janie Luster is a Native American culture bearer and palmetto basket weaver from the United Houma Nation. Born in Dularge, LA, she helped revitalize the tradition of basket weaving in her Tribe, and she is a fluent speaker of Louisiana French.

In her first long-form interview in her native French, we spoke about growing up down the bayou with family who made a living trapping and shrimping, coastal erosion, the rise of the oil industry, and displacement and population loss caused by environmental and economic challenges.

We also discussed her experience during school integration as a Native American, her relationship with her brother former Houma Tribal Chief Kirby Verret, and her work breathing new life into the palmetto basket weaving tradition of her Tribe.

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