LouAnn Moses, an artisan and culture bearer in the Coco Tribe of Canneci Tinne of Louisiana, participated in a cultural collaboration known as Le Bleu Perdu (The Lost Blue). The collaborative group, consisting of tribal members, university researchers, and community members, cultivates the indigo plant, extracts the dyestuff, and conducts numerous experiments and projects, including her creation of this traditional, indigo-dyed Camp Dress.
Moses states, “Camp Dresses are worn at gatherings, and they are traditional dresses. I learned about the dyeing of the dress with indigo and how beautiful the color is that we have lost for generations and is now returning.” She continues to grow and dye indigo, stating it spices up her dresses, marking them as uniquely Canneci.
Nant’a Cougar Goodbear, Chairman of the Coco Tribe of
Canneci Tinne, relayed several tribal stories about the
mystical origins of indigo. One story involves a coyote
who steals a white dress and, following a series of
mishaps with ashy, salty water, discovers that the white
dress has been transformed into a blue one, which was much
loved by
his wife.