Clothes Mending Class, Indian School, Carlisle PA, 1901
For most of the 1800s through the 1960s, tens of thousands of Native American children were taken from their homes and forced to attend boarding schools far from home (the better to cut ties with their culture). The stated purpose was to eradicate Native culture and compel assimilation. Abuse was rampant, and many children died.
“Industrial” classes included sewing and housekeeping (although Native Americans had centuries-old traditions of sewing within their own cultures). Sewing became forced labor, as girls had to mend sheets and sew clothing for themselves and the male students.
Despite this history, many Native women then and now have embraced quilt making for creative expression, combining traditional motifs with Anglo-American quilt designs. Many also continue other needle crafts with ties to their own culture.
Frances Benjamin Johnston, photographer. “Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle, PA. Clothes Mending Class,” 1901. Library of Congress.