African-American History

Though largely understudied, African-American quilting as a craft-form is hardly recent. Long before the advent of slavery on this continent, prominent civilizations of Africa were weaving the backdrop for African-American quilting as they preserved their aesthetic principles, religious and cultural traditions, and history within the patterns and hues of textiles that were often made by men. 

Among the more widely known of these early weavers is the Asante, one of the Akan peoples who live in parts of Ghana and Cote d’lvoire. By using raffia fibers (the same as used often in basket making), the Asante made long, narrow-strip cloths of many variations and motifs that were then sewn together to make a bigger cloth called nsaduaso or Kente. A national touring exhibition on kente cloth, Wrapped in Pride,  will open at the Smithsonian on September 12, and will remain on view through January 2, 2000.

Color choice, pattern, asymmetry, and applique technique used when weaving the cloth was deliberate and symbolic as it represented the owners’ status, wealth, or tribal association, or recorded family events such as births, deaths, and marriages.

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Symbolism and meaning continued as a thread through quilts crafted by African Americans during the days of slavery and the Underground Railroad. In their book "Hidden In Plain View: A Secret Story Of Quilts And The Underground Railroad," Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard a professor of art history at Howard University, and nationally known African-American quilter explore the history of how quilts made by slaves were encoded with secret messages and hung in plain view in order to guide black fugitives. (click on the bookcover to order online)

Each symbol within these quilts was significant, Tobin found. A "monkey wrench" design signaled slaves to gather their tools. A "wagon wheel" instructed them to pack for their northward journey, and a "Jacob’s Ladder" pattern spotted within a quilt assured temporary refuge to fugitive slaves as it identified a safehouse or station along the perilous Railway. At left, Tobin holds a "bear's paw trail" quilt, which told escapees to follow the track that a bear would take on his journey north. In keeping with traditional African textile weaves, colors, here too, held meaning. Blue and white, for example, conveyed protection a blessing, perhaps for a long trip. 

Pictured at right is a "flying geese" pattern. Note the arrows point north, east, south and west. The placement and color of the arrows is very important. In this particular quilt, the darker triangles located in the upper left promote a westerly trek for the slaves to travel.

Today, generations since its regal beginnings, quilts stitched by African-Americans continue to chronicle the richness of a people the craft ever-growing in its resurgence as a popular pastime.

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, tradition becomes ritual each Friday when Marion Brooks, along with the other eight members of the Carr Court Quilting Club, meet to fellowship and quilt. 

"We started the group in 1997," Brooks said. "That was the first time I ever even thought about [quilting]. And I fell in love with it."

The Carr Court quilters made local news last year when the Orange County Arts Commission awarded them a grant. 

"We were very appreciative," Brooks said, and added that this November the group (whose members’ range in age from 30 to 82) will be exhibiting its quilts at Townhall in Carrboro, North Carolina. 

"I love the fellowship," Brooks said, adding that they even have one male member (although he recently relocated, and is no longer a weekly participant.) "He’s still a member of the club," she insisted.

African-American males, in fact, are actively involved in the tradition of quilting. In 1996, The University of Maryland hosted "Made by Men: African American Traditional Quilts," featuring historic and contemporary quilts crafted by African-American men from across the U.S., including work by Dobard. 

The contributions made by African-American quilters help us to appreciate significant blocks in the time of a people as rich in heritage as the colors and patterns in the quilts they craft even as they preserve this time for posterity. And continue to do ever so much more than simply warm us.