taaniši pooneelintaminki peepankišaapiikahkia eehkwaatamenki?
How was ribbonwork lost?
“I have sold the relics of Frances Slocum for three hundred dollars and they have gone to Wilkes Barre, Penn. and to Detroit, Mich. I had to have the money.” Waapanakikaapwa (Gabriel Godfroy), 1907
Myaamia language and culture are central to our national identity, but our revitalization efforts are challenged by the reality of our diaspora. Forced removals and the division of collective lands fragmented our Myaamia community into an increasingly scattered population by the end of the nineteenth century. In the same period, state and local governments increasingly taxed, seized, and sold our lands. Some community members resisted these losses through the court system while others moved across the United States to find work and build new homes. As a result of these disruptions, our Myaamia ancestors faced grave poverty in the early twentieth century. Into this moment of difficulty came collectors or their representatives looking to purchase objects from indigenous people. By the middle of the century, nearly every piece of ribbonwork, including many on display, had been extracted from our community and moved into private and institutional collections.
In the years that followed, our Myaamia ancestors maintained a memory of their ribbonwork and attempted to find substitutes like argyle or flannel. In a limited manner, these materials imitated the effect of waawaahsinaakwahki ‘shimmering.’ Today, we have reconnected with these beautiful works of art through making visits to the archives and circulating images of these historical objects. However, these visits remain bittersweet as the story of this art is now layered together with this story of loss.
