STAR
QUILT TRADITION
by: Wambdi Wicasa
The mythology as well
as the traditions of our North American Indian
tribes shows a religious observance of the stars
and a reverence for all the heavenly bodies.
The Milky Way is called the "Pathway of
Departed Souls." After death it is believed,
by many Indian Americans, that the spirit of
the deceased passes on this pathway to the Southern
Star, the abiding place of the dead.
It is thought that to the Stars, the Great Spirit
gave the power to watch over mortals on earth
and impart to them spiritual blessings. The
Star Quilt is given today as
a token of this belief. Southwest Peoples call
this "God's Eye".
It
is customary at the death of a relative to enhance
their glory and memorialize their name. The
stricken family of the Siouxan, Gros Ventre
and numerous other tribes had little pride in
ownership of goods, but much pride in "honorship"
-- by giving of materials to relatives and very
close friends who come to help them bury their
loved ones! Things are less important than people
-- property always flows back to those who let
it flow freely forth and the grateful recipients
praise the donor's name before other people
as having done well! Such are the inherited
beliefs of many Indian Americans.
This
explains the traditional memorial services held
on the first anniversary of the death of a loved
one in the family and their presentation of
quilts to those who have been especially kind
to the deceased.
from Star Quilts.org
Star Quilt as
a Sacred Object
The Star
quilt is that kind of sacramental. Years ago,
the bison ‘Tatanka’ was the great
source of life and energy. There is a story
about Tatanka and his relationship with his
brothers, the humans. It was said: One day man
was weak. He had eaten his fill of roots and
herbs and berries, but he was weak, and though
he wrapped himself in grasses, he was cold.
In the end he was desperate, both for himself
and for his wife and children, for the winter
was coming.
In his misery he
fell face down onto Mother Earth, and he prayed.
He opened his heart to his Mother, and he was
heard. Out of the mist his brother, Tatanka,
came toward him. Tatanka said nothing at first;
he only looked, but then he had pity. ‘My
brother,’ said Tatanka, ‘Listen
to me. We are all children of one Father; we
share with each other. I see you are weak and
I am strong. You are cold and I am warm. Your
whole body is pitiful; your fingers cannot help
you to dig for food.
‘Listen,
my brother, I will make you a sacred promise.
I will take care of you. I will do what our
Father expects from us who are related. Listen
to me carefully, and from now on do as I tell
you.
‘For your
food I will give you my flesh. Take it. For
your clothing and covering I will give you my
skin. Take it. For tools I will give you my
bones. Take them. Only remember that our Father,
the Maker of us all, is watching that you use
all things right and with a blessing.
‘When you
need me, stand on a high hill and call, I will
come. When you have taken what you need from
me and from my other brothers, stand on the
same high hill and give thanks. Do not give
thanks to me or to us, because we do what is
required. Give thanks to the Father who makes
all of us healthy and gives all of us a promise
of happiness. Leave a mark there on the hill
to show that you have given thanks, and everyone
will know that you and your family are worthy
people.’
And so it was.
Before the hunt the camp leader stood on a hill
and called to Tatanka. ‘Listen brother,
We are here and we need what you have to share
with us. Come! Let us take your strength into
us.’ And Tatanka came. When the hunt was
finished the first flesh was lifted up in a
ceremony of public thanks. The hide was tanned
and made into a covering. The covering was given
at the important times of life, at birth, at
puberty, at marriage and death. It was painted
with the earth’s color into a bright star,
God’s Eye. When the creator is with you,
covering you, watching you, you are forever
safe.
Today, Tatanka
is gone. Women now have only cloth with which
to make God’s Eye. But they have not forgotten
their power to make a blessing nor to bring
God onto their children and their family.
The pride
of every Dakota home is God’s Eye- the
morning star quilt. It lies folded to wait as
a gift. It covers the bed, and it wraps the
dead. It makes sacred whatever it covers. It
is a sacramental. It is a visible image that
holds an invisible reality.
‘It will not leave you orphans.’”
from http://www.bluecloud.org/morningstar.html |
