Drunkard’s Path = Zig-zag as you go along in case you are being stalked by hounds, Double Wedding Ring =Now it is safe to remove your chains and shackles. As quilts hung out to … Thank Goodness for these people. Based on surveys of quilts made during these years, the evidence for some of these patterns just isn’t there, breaking the spell of this captivating story. “The danger is that you start questioning people’s belief systems and how they get their information.”, “I’ve found some people have a hard time thinking or believing anything they cannot see or touch,” Tindall says. For Tindall, a quilt can be like a prayer. Known as the Freedom Quilt patterns, these quilts were displayed as signals to slaves that they should begin to pack for the journey (Wagon Wheel),dress up (Shoofly) and … In every culture, there are beliefs, myths, urban legends, rumors, even conspiracy theories that rise to the status of sacred narrative whether or not they are “true.” In many cases of folklore, hard facts may not influence a belief. While researching quilts in South Africa, she made the acquaintance of contemporary quilters who have—“lo and behold!”—caught wind of the book and started coding quilts of their own. “I’m thankful I am able to create something of comfort.”. Underground Railroad Quilt Patterns Meanings. Quilt Patterns Through Time. “They could feel or sense light through their struggle of trying to get to freedom.”. So it was with the underground railroad. In recent years, one of the most powerful quilt myths to emerge has centered on the role quilts may have played in the Underground Railroad. Often made from scraps of old dresses, burlap sacks, and dish cloths, it gives physical, even functional, form to a family or individual’s past and present. Quilts were often made to commemorate important family events such as marriage, a birth, or moving to a new place. The Underground Railroad has always been an interest. Tindall shared her beliefs on a trip to Liberia, a West African nation originally founded as a colony by the American Colonization Society to repatriate freed and free-born black people from America. Twining-Baird specializes in kente cloth quilts made on the Sea Island chain off the coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, but she maintains a firm stance on quilt codes. “I walked around where they slept, where they ate. You feel their presence. During the time of the underground railroad, safehouses had to be made so slaves can have a place to stay and get information to know when the "railroad" would come. A common "x" mark on the quilts was believed to tell the slaves to dress up after escaping. The Sailboat quilt block tells the slaves to take a sailboat across the Great Lakes to safety. In recent years, one of the most powerful quilt myths to emerge has centered on the role quilts may have played in the Underground Railroad. While many have questioned this theory, it remains part of the folklore that surrounds the Underground Railroad, and quilt codes are incorporated into the Black History Cairn in Owen Sound. The Mysterious Powers of American Ginseng>, From Ghana’s Independence to Selma’s Bloody Sunday: A Civil Rights>, The Folkloric Roots of the QAnon Conspiracy, Kulning: The Swedish Herding Calls of the North, A Choral Reckoning with the Imperfect History of the United States, Memories of a Young Armenian Film Director, Ashley Minner, Reclaiming Space for the Lumbee Indians of Baltimore. The punishments were stiff for helping a slave escape. This quilt poster and guide is packed with ideas for helping children study the Underground Railroad by learning about the quilts—and the secret escape codes quilters stitched into … Our list Quilt Block Names and Meanings: The Ultimate Guides includes names, photos, descriptions, and even a little history for the most popular quilt blocks out there. Besides offering wonderful results as you place your blocks in your quilt, directional blocks are good choices to use as "connector blocks", used side by side with a different block which results in a secondary pattern emerging. She encountered an old quilt that “was stitched like it had been sewn with a crowbar.”, “It was a map, of course! Whether or not you believe Tindall’s interpretation, you might agree her belief provides poetic justifications for belief versus fact. Beautiful example of a Wagon Wheel pattern quilt. I really like all the quilts, but I liked the rose wreath the best. The most famous telling of a quilt code says that indeed, quilts were a vital part of the Underground Railroad, and their history with it was unwritten until very recently. So, if we truly believe something, as Tindall believes that enslaved people running north were guided by the Flying Geese pattern in quilts, we may have trouble seeing the difference between belief and fact. “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” 2014, orange silk, cotton batik, 54 x 60”, Sharon Tindall, “Follow the Drinking Gourd (Green),” 2019, green batik, printed cotton, 26.5 x 26.5”. Bow Tie = Dress in disguise to appear of a higher status, Bear Paw = Follow an animal trail through the mountains to find water and food, Log Cabin = Seek shelter now, the people here are safe to speak with. Eleanor Burns shares a story passed down through families about a link between slave-made quilts and the Underground Railroad. The North Star quilt block tells them to follow the North Star to safety. the underground railroad quilts squares where made with codes to help the slaves to freedom Amongst the patterns which are said to have held meaning for enslaved persons on the Underground Railroad was the monkey wrench pattern, which supposedly advised slaves to begin to pack the things they would need for their journey. Excellent example of a bear claw or bear paw design. Some believe that quilt patterns were also used as a form of secret code to help pass on directions or messages to escaping slaves. According to legend, a safe house along the Underground Railroad was often indicated by a quilt hanging from a clothesline or windowsill. The wide woolen stitching lines were roads.”. This secret path was neither underground nor a railroad. It was traditional for slaves to leave handmade flower wreaths on the graves. So, how did the Underground Railroad begin? “We had a whole battery of people who were doing those interviews in Michigan, both black and white, and no one heard that story.”. Many have religious or Biblical names or are inspired by the sky, stars or heavens. I was disappointed by her answer because I didn’t understand. In art, students can make their own quilt patterns and describe the meaning behind their selections. Sharon Tindall, “Colorful Underground Railroad Sampler,” 2008, cotton, 88 x 70”. They carried with them quilts and the stories of an enslaved South. This quilt means to follow the flying geese to safety. We thank you for your support! I think my favorite would be the tumbling blocks. And thank you for this interesting story about quilting...my sister is an avid quilter so will email this to her. The Underground Railroad was the secret path that enslaved people used to escape from their owners. There she met weavers who were braiding in a code she herself is using. Come and learn the meaning of the blocks said to have lent the slaves a helping hand to freedom. Centered on an empowering account of enslaved African Americans who ingeniously stitched codes into quilts to signal those seeking freedom in the North toward safe haven, this gratifying story has stirred controversy within the world of quilt scholarship. “You really get a sense of enslaved people there,” she says. Wagon Wheel This was the second pattern to be … The Underground Railroad has always been an interest. It meant gather your tools and get physically and mentally prepared to escape the plantation. Some of the most common were … Author: Susan Hazelton. She was previously the director of publishing for Cfile Foundation, where she wrote, edited, and published extensively on the topic of contemporary and historic ceramic arts. You have given us beautiful examples of the meanings of quilt designs...The Bow Tie is among my favorites. At its center, a quilt is an assemblage of historical and creative cues in the form of fabrics, shapes, symbols, textures and colors. In Stitched from the Soul (1990), Gladys-Marie Fry asserted that quilts were used to communicate safe houses and other information about the Underground Railroad, which was a network through the United States and into Canada of "conductors", meeting places, and safe houses for the passage of African Americans out of slavery. Marie Claire Bryant is a poet, storyteller, and archivist interning at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. MacDowell’s fellow quilt-scholars posited the subject of her whiteness. “I have taken the gifts God has given me and I’m returning them back to Him through the quilt codes.”, Scholar Marilyn Motz has a definition for belief that seems to fit: “a process of knowing that is not subject to verification or measurement within the framework of a modern western scientific paradigm.”, As she points out, “the term belief actually calls into question its own validity.” And anyways, “we usually describe our own beliefs as knowledge.”. Books that emphasize quilt use. Should we be concerned with hard evidence the Kaluli can provide for these deep-rooted belief systems? A Little Bit of Background Information . The scheme was assisted by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees. It could also mean that there were compartments built into the wagon to hide slaves. The Language of Quilts Since the beginning of time, people have always needed to reach out to others. This pattern tells them to take a mountain trail out of view of the area. to segregation laws and seeking industry jobs during what is known as the Great Northern Migration, or the Black Migration. Some do, and maybe it did, but others question the authenticity of such events. Eleanor Burns shares a story passed down through families about a link between slave-made quilts and the Underground Railroad. Underground Railroad Quilt Patterns And Meanings. The punishment for the black person was even worse...whipping, hanging, or burning. Language of the Railroad : Teacher Tips: The Language of Quilts Since the beginning of time, people have always needed to reach out to others. Nowadays, some African American women make coded quilts for their daughters and granddaughters, and that will keep happening. “Flying geese are blue; the sky is blue, red and black,” she responded. Join our mailing list and help us with a tax-deductible donation today. Several years later, quilter Eleanor Burns and Sue Bouchard became fascinated with Williams’ story and created a sampler quilt based on the secret code, publishing the patterns in the book The Underground Railroad Sampler. Underground Railroad Quilt Block Meanings People have long believed that the symbols used in quilts of the South during slavery were actually used as secret messages for slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Each quilt pattern had a different meaning. MacDowell’s team recorded almost fifty interviews. Sometimes these quilts would be casually thrown over a porch banister or hung out on a clothesline. When a person believes something, they have no need of proof. They need to express their thoughts, dreams, and needs. While every quilt made holds a special meaning to the quilter, there are some quilts and quilt blocks that have a much greater significance in the grand scheme of history. Quilts allow Tindall to sustain a conversation about these men and women who were valiant, who fought slavery by taking the ultimate chance—running, and maybe even trusting the message on a blanket when everything was at stake—and encouraging others to do the same. “Of course there is no documentation! That is to say, the authenticity of quilt codes is, among other things, a matter of emphasis. Back in the days when slavery was prevalent, and the Civil War was quickly approaching there were people who were bound and determined to help slaves reach their goal of freedom. Between 1910 and 1920, the African American population of Detroit, Michigan, increased by more than 600 percent. The quilt code may or may not be a story, but it is a lovely idea. Today, we do this mainly by writing and talking. This square mean that they need to walk a zig-zag path. “Almost every February, stories appear in papers across the country,” MacDowell explains, referencing African American History Month. These were indeed courageous people that made up the Underground railroad. She recently gave a lecture about them to a full room in Johnson House. “Follow the geese flying north. Some are political, patriotic or have historical significance. The barn quilts are generally chosen from a family's own colorful quilt pattern that has been passed down through the years. I really enjoyed the article and the historical information. North Star: A signal with two messages--one to prepare to escape and the other to follow the North Star to freedom in Canada. Underground Railroad Quilt Block Meanings. May 31, 2019 - People have long believed that the symbols used in quilts of the South during slavery were actually used as secret messages for slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Printable Underground Railroad Quilt Code Game This idea has been stuck in my head for awhile, ever since I heard about how quilts were used to communicate to runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. It could also be used as a compass where several patterns are used together. “If people’s lives are at stake, then it stands to reason that there would be no trace of the quilts,” Atlanta-based quilt scholar Mary Twining-Baird argues. National Geographic and the Kennedy Center developed elementary school curricula that referenced the codes. Amongst the patterns which are said to have held meaning for enslaved persons on the Underground Railroad was the monkey wrench pattern, which supposedly advised slaves to begin to pack the things they would need for their journey. Anecdotal evidence, based on oral folklore, suggests that during the Civil War, a Log Cabin quilt with a black center hanging on a clothesline was meant to signal a stop for the Underground Railroad. For Tindall, the quilts become vehicles for the voices and footprints of people running for their lives. Quilt showing many of the Underground Railroad Quilt squares. Well if not, a brief history is that it was not a train at all, but a secret network of people who assisted slaves during the 19th century to escape from the southern states, staying in secret and hidden "safe houses" on the way. To define “fact” is no easy undertaking. Sharon Tindall uses a historical pattern made up of triangles and rectangles called Flying Geese. Quilt historians and Underground Railroad experts are not all in agreement with the quilt-code theory. This is an alphabetical list of some of the names given to quilt blocks throughout history. Come and learn the meaning of the blocks said to have lent the slaves a … Quilt Code #3: The Crossroads This pattern referred specifically to Cleveland, OH, which was an Underground Railroad hub that offered access to … Quilt blocks names have been derived from every aspect of society. 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