Along the way, I saw the way our First Nations people are living and I was shocked. I saw poverty. I saw big cans of government food that provide calories but not health. I saw that every person I met on the Rez had been touched by unspeakable tragedies -- a suicide, a violence, a horrible chronic disease. These are things that are no source of pride for our country. I was – and am -- ashamed of how our dominant culture treats our indigenous peoples today, to say nothing of a history littered with broken promises and injustice.
I puzzled for a time on what to do to make this quilt – make something like a medicine wheel? Depict four directions? And then, in the quiet, I knew what this quilt would be and suddenly it seemed obvious. I would make a star out of the signature patches, an explosion of the energy of people, all connected in good thought. I knew that the beautiful star quilts of the First Nations people of the Plains are sacred objects and often used in ceremony. To my eye, the star is a symbol of creation itself – with everything that was, is, or will be emanating from one seminal point. There are lots of ways of looking at it, however, and you may see something else. The star is a rich graphic with a lot of layers of meaning.
One of the visual metaphors in the context of this particular quilt is community. All of us. Together in common cause. We do make a brighter light when we are together.
The 200 diamond-shaped patches that make up this quilt were signed at Netroots Nation 2008 in Austin, TX (you can see a list of the signatories here). Four more signatures of prominent bloggers, three of them Native American, were appliquéd to the background and embellished with beaded "starfire". I added Austrian crystals to the navy blue field, scattered here and there. And I put a coin of rutilated quartz in the center of the star.
The quilt measures 65" x 67". The fabric and batting are cotton. It is entirely quilted by hand. This took me months to do. And when I was done, I was rather blown away by the power of the design. The reality was much more vibrant than I had imagined when I first sketched it out. Many other people have commented upon the energy of the quilt upon first seeing it. I think it is because it represents the positive thought of so many people.
It is one of the best things I have ever done. I poured my heart into this quilt. And it could be yours in a drawing on August 31.
The quilt in a hoop for hand quilting
Navajo picked INDN’s List as the beneficiary of said drawing. This is an organization that supports Native Americans who are running for public office. It is key that Native Americans be well represented in government if things are to improve. INDN’s List is doing a great job – and the help we can provide them is, by all accounts, very timely. Check out their website – this is a very worthy cause.
Donate $10 or more to INDN’s List on this Act Blue page between now and August 15, and you will gain a chance to win this quilt in a drawing. In fact, everyday you donate $10 or now between then and now, you will get a chance – so donate often! The drawing will be made on the last day of August.
If you cannot donate, you may enter the drawing by writing an essay of 50 words or less on this topic: "INDN's List's Mission -- Why it Benefits Everybody". Put the title in the subject line and email your essay on or before August 15, 2010 to communityquilts (at) yahoo (dot) com. If we find your essay to be topical, we will enter you for one chance in the drawing – one essay per person per day.
The quilt will be on display in the Exhibit Hall at Netroots Nation. Please come by to see it for yourself. I will be so happy to meet you and to thank you for your support of this project and INDN's List.
All my relations.
DONATE HERE - THANK YOU
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