Dena Foret is a talented artist and culture bearer from Dulac, LA. She is a citizen of the United Houma Nation, fourth generation basket weaver, and widely recognized for weaving baskets from palmetto palms and making dolls from Spanish moss. These techniques and crafts were passed on to her by her grandmother Marie Dean, whose baskets, purses, and moss dolls are on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum in Washington, D.C. Dena began basket weaving at the age of fifteen and passed on this talent to her daughter Sarah Foret. Just like her grandmother, Marie Dean, Dena has carried on these traditional crafts. Throughout the years, she has demonstrated these crafts at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and currently participates in the teaching of our Houma culture through various school programs in both Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish. She recognizes the importance of preserving the Houma culture through her own skills and being able to share these talents with the Houma people.
