Journey to Sacred Earth
On June 14 we dedicated an Indigenous Art Quilt created by Riva Nelson, a member of the Seymour Quilters Guild, who have called Gloria Dei home for many years. Riva Nelson prepared the following information about the quilt and her reflections and hopes for the quilt to draw us deeper into the work of reconciliation.
This reconciliation quilt was made for Gloria Dei Lutheran Church incorporating the six animal panel prints of art by Mark Anthony Jacobsen. THe panels were supplied by Pastor Vida. Additional fabric and batting was donated by the Community Quilts group of Seymour Quilter’s Guild in appreciation for the hospitality Gloria Dei Lutheran Church has shown our Quilting Guild. Riva Nelson, a guild member, designed and sewed the quilt, taking inspiration from an instagram post of a pattern created by Jason Bieber of Kingfisher Craft Company.
Panel Designer Profile: Mark Anthony Jacobson:
“Native Name: Pey-sim-away-apey-binasi (which translates to Rainbow Thunderbird). Hailing from the Anishinaabe community, Mark Anthony Jacobson is an Ojibwe artist born in Sioux Lookout Ontario, Canada… His work reflects the Ojibway cultural belief in the interconnected world of beings, the transformative nature of reality and the Spirit inherent in that connectivity. It also mirrors a belief in the creator and the healing power of color and beauty.”
The fabric colours coordinate with the colours found in the panels. The rainbow of colours is reminiscent of the respect that aboriginal people have for two-spirited people. This quilt’s flying geese are designed to “invite you in” to explore the many ways you might work towards reconciliation and push you toward the work of reconciliation.
Reconciliation is important to Riva. She is a great granddaughter of settlers. Her maternal great grandparents homesteaded in 1882 in Winnebago territory and maternal great grandmother homesteaded in 1906 in Sioux and Assiniboine territory. Her paternal great grandfather claimed an “unproven” homestead in Cree (Nêhiyawak) territory in 1917. During high school, she lived in residence at Luther College Regina, and some of her dorm mates were “troubled” aboriginal youth who had been removed from their families and placed in the residential high school. Later Riva studied theology at a University founded by Jesuits alongside friends from the Kahnawá:ke reserve.
For many years Riva was employed by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation as their Social Development Director and worked on their reserve. She has a deep love for the people and profound respect for their customs, culture and history.