The Morning Star Blanket

Native American Rugs, Blankets, and Quilts
The best-known native textile art in North America is the weaving of Navajo Indian blankets and rugs. These impressive (and expensive) rugs are still made in a style that was traditional in Mexico and the southwest United States long before the arrival of Europeans: kneeling before a vertical wooden-frame loom and using a shuttle to weave colored threads together into large-scale geometric designs. Originally Navajo and other Southwest Indian blankets were made of hand-spun cotton thread, but after the Spanish brought domestic sheep to the region the people primarily switched to wool. Though Navajo rugs are the most famous weavings in North America, they are certainly not the only one.

Finger-weaving has been important throughout the continent since ancient times, and finger-woven blankets, tapestries, and clothing are still made in many tribes. The chilkat blankets of Tlingit people are one of the finest examples of finger-woven Indian blankets. Seminole sashes and patchwork are another important Indian textile art. A more recent tradition is star quilts or blankets, which originated among the Sioux tribes (Lakota, Dakota, and Assiniboine) and spread throughout the Great Plains.

Quilting was one of many Artwork techniques that Native Americans developed from European traditions and adapted into something unique to their culture. Star quilts are made by piecing a mosaic of cloth diamonds into the shape of the traditional eight-pointed morning star design of the Sioux. Before the evolution of star quilts, traditional Plains Indian Robes were made from painted, quilled and beaded Buffalo hide. When the Buffalo herds were exterminated this artform largely died out, but some Plains tribe artists still make Buffalo robes and blankets today from the hides of animals raised in captivity.

Star Quilts, Star Robes, Star Blankets are made with great care and ceremony, these robes are presented to people that have achieved milestones in their life, during birth, childhood, adulthood, and old age, even during the passing into another world - people are given StarBlankets.

The Star is represented in these robes as it is a sign of new life -every morning the Elders would wake everyone in camp to come and greet the Morning Sun - if you are able to see the Morning Sun give thanks to the Creator for the gift of another day.

The First Nations People of Saskatchewan developed their livelihood dependant on the migrating Buffalo Herds, 95% of the Food, Shelter, Clothing, Ceremonies revolved around the Buffalo - with the dissappearance there had to be a great change.