The weaving of those earliest
African American quilts incorporated
not only the skills and techniques
of numerous regional groups
but also included, directly
and indirectly, religious,
cultural, and aesthetic experience:
as the University of Va scholars
also contend, colors and size
of shapes, for instance, were
continuations of groups and
tribes (warring or traveling)
having to have high visibility
from great distances. Therefore,
many African American quilts
today still have those unique
characteristics.
Another fascinating reality
concerning African American
quilts is in their design:
first, quilt-makers would
not stick to symmetry of pattern,
for the culture then believed
that evil spirits would travel
in a straight line—so
to throw off the demon spirits
was to throw off the perfectly
aligned pattern and mix up
the design. Second, changing
the pattern would protect
makers from others copying
their exact creation. And
third, the changes of not
the design but the material
pointed to the status of the
owner of the African American
quilts. Again, as the students
at U of Virginia suggest,
quilt bearers could represent
their prestige, power, esteem,
and wealth through their quilted
belongings.
Just as interesting, too,
are the African American quilts
that are story quilts. These
quilts were not made for slave
owners but were made years
later, on the women’s
(and some men’s) own
time—which they had
little of but which they used
to make quilts for necessity
and then quilts which expressed
their views, experiences,
and even emotions. These kinds
of quilts are not unique to
the African American tradition,
however, and if you go to
a modern day quilting bee—or
party—you will find
many people willing to tell
you the stories that their
quilts tell. |
