In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Great Neck Library is hosting a Native American Quilting Lecture presented by Ina McNeil. Learn about traditional Native quilts in this lecture with a demonstration with Ina McNeil from Long Island traditions.
Other art forms such as beadwork and storytelling will also be discussed.
Typical Native designs include eight-pointed stars or diamonds which represent the daybreak star seen throughout the world, embedded with traditional symbols such as eagles or deer, and “crazy quilts” that use thin strips of fabric.
The crazy quilts were made from fabric ends that were leftovers from other sewing projects. Like other traditional artists, Ina makes her quilts to commemorate specific events, such as the death of a loved one or the birth of a child, as birthday gifts, or to recognize significant achievements such as college graduations to friends and family members.
Ina McNeil was born on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.
She is the great-great-granddaughter of Chief Sitting Bull, the legendary Hunkpapa Lakota warrior. Her traditional name is Scarlet Whirlwind Woman or Wamni-Umni-Luta-Wi, a name given to Ina by her great-grandfather Henry Oscar One Bull.
As a teenager she learned to quilt from her mother Annie Broughtplenty, in order to keep warm during the harsh, brutal winters.
“Quilts are important because they replaced the buffalo robes our people used to make. That’s what kept them warm. When I was a teenager, my mother had me sew some pieces together first by hand and then by machine. She made a lot of quilts. She made Ikjai meaning simple quilts. She was a domestic worker and she didn’t earn enough money to take care of the family. So in the evenings she sewed a lot of quilts. She sold them to other Indian families who did not have enough time to sew. She spent about 3-4 hours every night sewing.”
McNeil has lived on Long Island since 1970 in Hempstead. She raised her family of five children on Long Island, many of whom still live in the area.
McNeil also has 9 grandchildren. She is closely involved in many Native American cultural institutions. Her work has been exhibited at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City and has won awards for her Lakota dolls.
She is a frequent presenter at area schools including Freeport. Ina spends time at the reservation and in Hempstead.
At the reservation she is active in helping children learn about their culture, encouraging them to spend time with their parents so that their culture will continue. Learn more about Ina at https://longislandtraditions.org/2020/05/20/ina-mcneil/
The lecture is on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the Great Neck Main Library at 159 Bayview Ave. in Great Neck. There is no registration required. For more information, please contact Great Neck Library at (516) 466-8055 or email [email protected].
