Indigenous Americans have been sewing, weaving, making pottery and other crafts for thousands of years. This lecture covers a tumultuous period in Native American culture beginning in 1880, when Native lands were taken away, buffalo herds were decimated, forced relocations were happening all over North American, and children were forced into off-reservation boarding schools. Indigenous North Americans spent the 1880s and the next few decades learning to survive. During this time, a fascinating shift took place as some makers turned their needle skills to quilting and this lecture will explain how, remarkably, in spite of this historic chaos, that transformation happened. While quilting skills were forced on some women, others came to quilting willingly. Learn the significance of the eight-pointed Star quilt and why quilts are the cornerstone of Indigenous give-away traditions. Meet some of today’s makers who make stunning art quilts and powerful story quilts.
