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Salle de presse
Creative Block How do you tell the story of a people on an 11-inch block of hide? In the fall of 1998, a fine arts graduate called Esther Bryan envisioned a massive unique textile art work in which some 300 groups of aboriginal people, ethnic groups and immigrants would portray their cultural diversities, histories and stories in small, foot-square quilt blocks. This national quilting project, which will be about 40 metres wide when it is finished, is called 'Invitation, the Quilt of Belonging.' Bryan then set about inviting representatives from these groups to design and make the quilt blocks. She found me in a database of aboriginal artists, where I had registered myself as a Dogrib writer and quilter. "I know that this project could give the Dogrib community a high national profile and create a better understanding between Canadians of all origins," Bryan wrote when she invited me to create a quilt block that would represent the Dogrib Nation. I accepted her challenge. Immediately, I couldn't eat or sleep. New ideas, themes, and decisions about which fabrics, traditional materials and methods to use began again to weave their magical spell on me. They held me in their grip, curtailing my normal daily activities. This creative brainstorm lasted several months, and even followed me to my hometown of Rae Edzo, where I managed a trip to gather more ideas and caribou hides. Working on this quilt block has turned out to be my most challenging and rewarding experience yet. Throughout the project, I was determined to include a strong theme depicting the Dogrib's love for a way of life and the land, and their ability to use whatever materials or tools happened to be on hand. I also wanted to honour Dogrib women and mothers who worked behind the scenes, the skilled seamstresses who may not hold political positions but were valued for their ability to create traditional clothing for their entire family. I wanted the quilt block to reflect a community effort by using tanned caribou hides and family heirlooms. Once I established the groundwork and the purpose, my work began in earnest with a question: "How do I sew these messages in a small 11-inch block and add the Dogrib's love for storytelling?" My inherited interest in caribou hides, beaded uppers, rabbit and beaver furs was rewarded when I opted to use the more traditional materials over the modern cotton fabrics. When I laid out my Dene collection, next to my beaded mukluks - which I sewed in Yellowknife years ago to avoid being overwhelmed as a young journalist - lay a pair of old mukluks my mother passed down to me. Except for replacing a few white beads, the mukluks from my mother were in excellent shape. The Dene Rose pattern was as beautiful as I remembered, contrasted against a navy stroud (a fine wool used primarily for parkas, moccasins and mukluks.) Now I was on a roll! The narrow, twisted strands of yarn, used as a drawstring on the top part of the mukluks, had an appealing story my mother shared about how she learned perseverance and became a self-taught yarn worker, which I find inspiring in my current passion for quilting. Tanned caribou hides became the neutral background material to display a few precious strands of caribou sinew threads, a lasting testimony to the resourceful nature of my deceased grandmother, Marie Mackenzie. In her time, with 15 children to raise, she could roll and twist the durable threads within minutes. The sinew threads that I treasured would now be appreciated across Canada. In October, at the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival in Toronto, I was excited to visit my completed quilt block - maci cho to Dogrib Treaty 11 Council for their sponsorship - and to tour the many beautiful blocks reflecting the cultural images, symbols, and objects of each individual group. I felt like a celebrity when my beaded black velvet vest, given to me by Dene designer Berna Beaulieu, drew stares and comments as I inched my way to the quilt clinic, where I had been invited to speak about my block But last fall was a long time ago. If you'll excuse me now, I have a new project to get back to.
When it's completed in 2003, the quilt will be exhibited across Canada, before being put on permanent display at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec. Visit or call (613)347-2381.
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