Maddy

My children’s participation in an important Ojibwe ceremony required me to make a blanket as a part of their offering. The process of making the blankets was very spiritual for me. It was the only way I could contribute as a non-native woman, so I poured everything I had into those offerings. My blankets depict the Native American names gifted to my children when they were born.

The goldfinch is a constant in my work. It is the language bird in the Native American Ojibwe culture. Ojibwe culture and spirituality consist of layers upon layers of meanings: how to connect to the earth, to the spirits that dwell here, to each other, and to oneself. The birds represent that depth of knowledge and understanding that my family and other Ojibwe people who follow a traditional path possess about who they are, where they come from, and what their purpose is while they are here.