This collection six interviews describing the history and tradition of quilting among women of the Sioux, Assiniboine, and Chippewa tribes in Montana and its role as a traditional art form. The interviews were conducted by Kim Taylor in the July of 1992 as part of her master’s thesis "The Fabrication and Function of Star Quilts on Fort Peck Reservation in Northeastern Montana." The interviewees discuss how quilts are used in honoring ceremonies of Fort Peck Nakona (Assiniboine) and Dakota (Sioux) tribes. They also describe the different kinds of fabrics, colors and stitching that are used for quilts. The original interviews are held as Oral History collection OH 285 at Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, the University of Montana.
This collection includes 6 interviews.
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Almira Jackson Interview, July 17, 1992
Almira Jackson
Almira Jackson, member of the Assiniboine tribe, discusses moving to Fraser and Wolf Point, Montana, after her marriage to Theodore Jackson in 1935. She talks about her history of quilting and describes the fabrics, design process, color, and top quilting that go into the creation ... Read More
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Edna M. Smith Interview, July 9, 1992
Edna M. Smith
Edna Smith describes marrying her husband Manny Smith, a member of the Assiniboine tribe, in 1935 and moving to his home in Wolf Point, Montana, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. She discusses how she began quilting when her grandchildren were born and continued quilting ... Read More
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Helen Boyd Interview, July 14, 1992
Helen Boyd
Helen Boyd, member of the Sioux tribe, discusses how she started quilting with her grandmother and mother, and then passing the tradition on to her own daughter. She mentions her preference for calico fabrics. Boyd describes purchasing quilting materials in Poplar, Montana, and producing quilts ... Read More
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Marion Green Interview, July 15, 1992
Marion Green
Marion Green, who is affiliated with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, describes quilting with her mother as a teenager. She explains her preference for fewer colors in her quilts. Green also talks about making her own patterns and giving quilts as gifts for ... Read More
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Rae Jean Walking Eagle Interview, July 17, 1992
Rae Jean Walking Eagle
Rae Jean Walking Eagle, member of the Sioux tribe, recounts how her mother taught her to quilt when Walking Eagle was in fifth grade. Walking Eagle also discusses how her mother supported the family by sewing. Walking Eagle describes completing her first star quilt in ... Read More
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Sybil Lambert and Barney Lambert Interview, July 13, 1992
Sybil Lambert and Barney Lambert
Sybil Lambert, member of the Sioux tribe, discusses her ladies church group on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and how they began sewing and selling quilts and aprons to raise money for their church. She describes types of stitching, materials and color combinations, how she ... Read More