QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5010

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

00.0630 AIQP

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

7593.1

Object label:

The Tree of Peace Saves the Earth
Alice Olsen Williams
Anishinabe, Curved Lake, First Nation, Ontario, Canada
1990
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#7593.1

Essay:

This pictorial quilt, named, "The Tree of Peace Saves the Earth", was created by Anishnabe quiltmaker Alice Olsen Williams of Curved Lake, First Nation, Ontario, Canada. Inspired by the "Oka Incident" at Oka, Quebec, where Mohawks stood up to a local and national Canadian law enforcement officials, the quilt depicts a tree, rooted on a turtle's back, bursting through and breaking apart the Canadian Parliament building. An eagle sits atop the tree, and war clubs are buried beneath the turtle and roots.

From To Honor and Comfort Native Quilting Traditions.

Quilt's title:

The Tree of Peace Saves the Earth

When was the form filled out?

2000

Quilt top made by:

Williams, Alice Olsen

Quilted by:

Wiliams, Alice Olsen

Where the quilt was made, reservation:

Curve Lake First Nation

Where the quilt was made, province:

Ontario

Where the quilt was made, country:

Canada

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt started?

Fall 1990

When was the quilt finished?

Winter 1991

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression; Commemorative

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Curve Lake

Quiltmaker's province:

Ontairo

Quiltmaker's reservation:

Curve Lake First Nation

Quiltmaker's country:

Canada

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Einar

Quiltmaker's birth date:

1/9/1945

In which kind of environment did the quiltmaker live?

Rural

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Anishinabe; Native American

Quiltmaker's educational background:

BA in Native Studies, Sociology

Quiltmaker's religious affiliation:

Anishinabe, Midewiwin

Quiltmaker's occupation:

Teacher

Quiltmaker's father's name:

Einar, __________

Quiltmaker's father's birthplace:

Norway

Quiltmaker's father's ethnic/tribal background:

Norwegian

Quiltmaker's mother's name:

Einar, Sarah

Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:

Anishnabe

Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and/or partner's/partners' occupation:

Parole Board Chair

Number of children:

4

How did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

From Class

When did the quiltmaker learn to quilt?

Age 30-39

Why does the quiltmaker quilt?

Gifts; Pleasure

Other notes on how the quiltmaker learned, and how and why they quilt:

Women's work, comforting, nuturing, give-aways. Wedding, pow-wow celebrations.

Estimated number of quilts made by this quiltmaker:

more than 50

Does/did the quiltmaker sell quilts?

yes

Does/did the quiltmaker teach quilting?

yes

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?

Buckhorn Area Quilter's Guild, Kawartha Quiltmakers Guild

What are the main activities of the group?

Hold quilt shows annually

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

65"

How long is the quilt?

66"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Blue; Brown; Gray; Green; Red; Turquoise; Yellow; White

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Describe the quilt's layout:

Pictorial

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

3/4"

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton; Cotton or polyester blend

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

1

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton or polyester blend

How is the binding made?

Straight grain

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

half inch - one inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Polyester

How thick is the quilt?

Medium (3/16?)

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Outline

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Original to maker

Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:

Various quilt guilds, arts & crafts shops and galleries, several elders conferences and other presentations. To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions, SITES; August 1, 1997-December 30, 1997, George Gustav Heye Center in National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY; April 19-October 18, 1998, MSU Museum, East Lansing, MI; March 13-June 6, 1999, Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, MA; July 3rd-September 26th, 1999, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History , Cleveland, OH; October 23, 1999-January 16, 2000, Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, MT; February 12-May 7, 2000, Bishop Museum-The State Museum of Natural and Cultural History , Honolulu, Honolulu, HI; June 3-August 27, 2000, Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma, WA; September 23-December 31, 2000, Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, NM; January 13-April 8, 2001, Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ. To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions (1997) book, page 190. Quilts and Human Rights, Michigan State University Museum, January 15 - August 24, 2008

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

Alice's work has been shown in 2 issues of Canadian Woman Studies, Fall, 1987 and Fall, 1989. Herstory 1989 - The Canadian Women's calendar; Canada Quilts, Magazine, February 1992 and many more. Her work is in the private collection of Margaret Stevenson Cool, quilter; Win Burry, quilters and many more. Her work is in the public collection of Ontario Public Service Employees Credit Union, Toronto; Anishnawbe Health Toronto; Confederation College, Thunder Bay and more.

Source of the information on this quilt:

Museum employee

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public- Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

This quilt was made to commemorate the summer of 1990 when the Mohawks resisted the further taking away of their land. It was inspired by Mohawk teachings of the White Root of Peace. This piece was inspired by the Oka "crisis". I personally want to pay tribute to and honour the Mohawk people at this time because, against great odds, the made known to the world, and brought up to date, the fact that we aboriginal peoples all over the world are still trying to regian our rights to our lands, our cultures, our relatives, our language, our beliefs and customs and our world views that we have to struggle and fight for constantly. The fight to save ourselves isn't just about what happened 100 or 200 or 300 or 400 or even 500 years ago as the dominant ideology would want us to believe; THE CIRCUMSTANCES, MACHINERY, and IDEOLOGY ARE STILL in place, are still HERE, in motion, alive and well, to get rid of us, the First Nations Inhabitants of the great and sacred Turtle Island. In the comfort of my home, while the Mohawks were suffering inhuman insults and conditions at the hand of our enemies, I had the privilege of being able to think and wonder about how, through my art, I could be able to show my love and respect for these Mohawk people who have put their lives, their families, their loved ones on the line to stand up to that oppressive, unjust, inhumane, degrading, genocidal massive machinery. It is one thing for me to be able to have the luxury of sitting in my work area and commemorate a piece of art to honour the just and brave Mohawks and quite another to be out there on the front lines, fighting and defending our rights and laying my life on the line. I realise this contradiction and I know it is not good enough to say, "I'm sorry," and to say, "Thank you," to them. The Mohawk teaching about the Great Tree of Peace talks about the time when there will be peace over all the Land. At the top of the tree sits the Eagle, the strong and sacred bird who helps to look after all the Beings and takes our prayers to the Creator. Around her is the Sun, a Life-giver, for without the Sun, there would be no Life. The four roots of the Sacred Tree of Peace represent the Four Directions which embody the teachings of sharing, honesty, kindness and caring. The roots are on the back of a turtle which represents Turtle Island. Under the roots are buried weapons of oppression. When peace is allowed to come, all implements of war shall be buried. We believe is is the patriarchal, capitalist, socioeconomic ideology that permeates the land. This system is represented by the Parliament buildings. As First Nations people we believe it is the Anishinaabeg who will teach the white man about the balance of the natural world and how to live in harmony and peace with all of Creation. This is shown by the Tree of Peace growing through the Parliament buildings, destroying all that they stand for and replacing it with the teachings of peace, caring, sharing, and harmony.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?

Made entire quilt

If the source helped design the quilt, describe their input:

Designed the pattern

The quilt was made to be used for:

Artwork/wall hanging

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum