Sewing With Nancy

Quilting and sewing enthusiasts have a rich history of preserving memories, recording history and teaching all ages to appreciate the culture. Recently, at the Quilt Expo in Madison, Wisconsin I learned how Native Americans honor their heritage through the art of quilting. Enjoy my Nancy's Corner interview. Quilts tell a lot of stories. They keep people warm but they also are great for children to learn about cultures. With me today is Rita Lara from the Oneida tribe in Oneida, Wisconsin. Rita works for the Oneida Museum. Welcome, Rita. Thank you. I'm glad to be here. We are standing in front of an amazing quilt that is a story quilt. Tell our viewers the origins of the quilt and the quilt makers. Okay. The children in the community created the quilt. So, it's a group of boys and girls between the ages of nine and 12. The intent of the quilt was for them to learn more about our culture. So, on the bottom of the quilt is our Oneida Tribal Belt and then up from there is the Tree of Peace. The Tree of Peace has the white roots that reach out in all four directions. The intent of that is that anybody that felt that they wanted to be part of the Iroquois Confederacy would be protected if they believed in peace for one another and an appreciation for the Earth. I think it's important that we learn a bit more about Indian history and the Iroquois Confederacy. That was interesting information for me to learn. Rita, why don't you share that with our viewers, as well? Okay. Our original homelands are in upstate New York. The way that it set up is it's the Mohawk, the Oneida the Onondaga, the Cayuga, and the Seneca. They all have a role that they play. The Mohawk are considered keepers of the Eastern Door and the big brothers to the Oneida. The Onondaga is where all the Chief Consuls go to meet when they have meetings. That's part of our traditional government that still exists today. Then it goes on to the Senecas and the Cayugas. The Cayugas are the keepers of the Western Door and the big brothers to the Seneca. It's really fascinating. That's how you were teaching with this quilt to the youth of your nation about your government their history and their culture. You have some tribes that are represented-- Clans. Clans, excuse me. Tell us about the three clans. For Oneida, our clans are Turtle, Wolf, and Bear. We're a matrilineal society. So, when the Europeans came over they had their last names from their father. Well, for Iroquois, we get our clans from our mother. So, that's how you associate the family. So, let's take a look at the Wolf and the Turtle and then the Bear. They're cute depictions of the clans. And the tree and the beading is really quite fascinating. The beading is actually raised beadwork which the Iroquois are well-known for. The reason it's called raised beadwork is because its layers of beads beaded on top of other layers. Or, there are some that are puckered up which means that you bead them and then you don't leave enough space to where it's flat you bead it so that it comes close back to where you started from, and it has a loop and it lifts up. This is the raised look here, that you have in-process. It's beautiful. Thank you. The children did some of the work or almost all the work, along the border areas. Yes, the children did all of the work. They each have their own design that they did. They learned a lot. Then they signed the quilt. Yes, they did. On the back you will be able to see a lot of signatures. And their age. They weren't really all that old working on this. No, the children were between the ages of like nine and 12. Yes, so they did a remarkable job. Yes, they did. Story quilts. So many cultures have story quilts. What a great way to preserve information create memories, and have a sense of pride. Exactly. Rita, you you've done a lovely job to share this with us. I've learned a lot and will look forward to coming to the Museum. Oh, great! Thank you. Thank you for being with us. You're welcome. Special thanks to Rita Lara for giving us insight into the Oneida Nations special quilting project. Remember, you can rewatch this episode and also four seasons of Sewing with Nancy programs online at nancyzieman.com. At that site, you'll be able to follow my blog and connect with me on social media. I hope you've enjoyed this series on my "Favorite Handbag Sewing Techniques." Thanks for joining me. Bye for now