Eleanor Chickaway, of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, has been weaving baskets for 35 years. As a child, she watched her grandmothers make baskets, and later in life, her mother taught her to weave. Today she is considered one of the true living masters of the Choctaw basket making tradition, and she regularly demonstrates her craft at Choctaw festivals, fairs, and powwows. As part of the 2020 Tennessee Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, Eleanor taught apprentice Dorian Thompson, a member of the Choctaw community in Lauderdale County, Tennessee. In the Tennessee Choctaw community, there are no known living basket makers left, as several older tradition bearers have died in recent years. Dorian is a cultural leader in the Tennessee Choctaw community and is a descendant of Minnie Bell, a revered Choctaw basket maker. For more information, go here.