Textile Art

	Wabun and the Tree of Peace Wabun is our Great Eagle, Spiritkeeper of the East. He is responsible for the east portion of the medicine wheel, which represents dawn, spring, morning, new beginnings, birth, and for us, the colour red, representing the red peoples. Here he sits atop the Tree of Peace, calling to the rising sun at dawn, thanking the star people who are going off to sleep, and protecting his part of the day. His beak and head are heavily beaded with traditional glass beads and shells are placed for his feathers. The template for the tree is identical to the tree in the piece entitled “Mudjekeewis”. Size: 55”l x 44”w Materials: cotton fabric and batting, silver lamé, metal charms, findings of metallic fibre, shells, glass beads.
	Mudjekeewis and the Tree of Peace Great Grizzly Bear is Spiritkeeper of the west. In my family this is a female spiritkeeper, who could be the most ferocious mother. Her 9” nails could cradle, without harming, a 6 oz. newborn. She is the chief spiritkeeper, responsible for the west door, through which we pass at death. Her part of the wheel is black in colour, to include the black races; her time starts with the autumn equinox, and represents middle age, evening, autumn and her pursuits include a healthy analysis of life to this point. Withdrawal… Cocooning… Introspection… This is another story quilt - here Mudjekeewis is guarding the same tree of peace, as grandmother moon rises. Under the Tree of Peace is the broken battle axe, meant to stay hidden, so that our people would never war amongst ourselves again. Size: 53”l x 43.5”w Materials: Cotton fabric and batting, lame, wood, apache tear crystal, metallic charms. Machine pieced, machine and hand quilted.
	Star Mountain A medallion or mandala-style quilt representing a central mountain figure in a traditional star pattern. This is used as a story quilt for talking about our ancestors, the star people. Size: 42” square Materials: All cotton, including batting. Machine pieced, and hand and machine quilted.
	Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) A colourwash quilt representing the northern lights, using all the colours of the rainbow. Size: 40”l x 31”w Materials: All cotton, including batting. Machine pieced and hand stitched.
	Nanabush Retires to Peggy’s Cove Teaching children our stories is much more lasting if you give them a healthy dose of humour. I grew up mostly afraid of Nanabush, but have come to recognize his humanity. He was the first shaman sent by the Creator to get the earth ready for habitation. He fell, and his behind created the rapids in the great lakes; when he was angry he shape-shifted into a rabbit… and more. I didn’t want my daughter afraid of Nanabush, so I tell her and the other children in our community that he retired – to Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia – and lives in a previously abandoned lighthouse. The kids appreciate his humanity, rather than seeing him like the “bogey man”. Originally the quilt was fashioned for a Canadian Quilters Association challenge, but because of illness I didn’t get it finished on time. The fabrics were from the challenge kit. Undaunted, it became a quilt to show children how wonderful our quilting heritage is. Until recently it had a 3-D aluminum star pick hanging off the edge, showing how the Star People were welcoming Nanabush. Kids love this 3-D stuff, and were eager to try mixed media quilting. This star pick deteriorated over time, so has been replaced with beadwork. Size: 24” square Materials: Cotton fabric, findings of metallic fibre, glass beads.
	Grandmother Dances Viola Mary Pigeon was very crippled, worse than most of the other Algonquin elders. However, when she rose to dance the circle, her shawl astride her arm, the transformation from a feeble elder to a powerful woman was remarkable. I loved to watch my grandmother become all that she could be. My quilt pays homage to the tradition of the dance shawl in aboriginal culture. This one is made from strips of cloth in the colour palette my grandmother loved. Blue was a colour of pride in her community and she loved that the Virgin Mary was depicted in blue - Viola’s middle name came from the Catholic traditions imposed on her village. The feathers are from blue jay, the bird that taunted pigeons, like the rheumatoid arthritis taunted her. The beadwork is hand-done, including historically correct red-heart beads. The dance jingles are authentic tobacco tin lids we traded for and held in place by salmon vertebrae. Size: 48”w x 30.5”l
	Kathryn's Wedding Dress I made this wedding dress from a mixture of factory cotton and gauze-weight cotton. I wore it to be married in Dec. 1995, and later as a ceremonial dress for sacred ceremonies. The top is stipple quilted, beaded and made to represent bird wings. A wolf scalp adorns the back of the dress. The headdress is under reconstruction at this time.