Perhaps one approach would be to talk about the "real" symbolism in quilts
and other types of textiles.   While there many not be hidden messages about
safe houses, there is embedded information about spiritual beliefs, cultural
background and personal experience.

I would opine that the reason people cling to stories like the connection
between quilts and the Underground Railroad is that we are excited to know
something "personal" about the objects in museums.   You could start by
saying that many people believe the safe house story, but there isn't
any/much evidence to show that it's true.  HOWEVER, there are stories
"hidden" in quilts and here's one...

We did an exhibition about Lakota Star Quilts, as well as a special program
about their use in a variety of rites of passage (including basketball
championships), that included this kind of information and was very popular.


janice

Janice Klein
Director, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
[log in to unmask]
www.mitchellmuseum.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Carol Ely
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 9:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Codes in slave quilts


 >>>I don't recall the fact quilts may or may not have been used as
disproved. Most involved were either on one side or the other. >>>>

Disproved. No one (who knew anything about it) was on the "other side".
It has been extensively discussed on both H-Slavery and H-Quilt. Of
course you can't prove a negative, but, as has been pointed out, most of
the claims in the original book are easily disproved, most of the
"evidence" has been debunked, and it's logically quite unlikely to have
worked. Where evidence should have been found (folklore previous to the
1990s, printed slave testimonies) - there's nothing.

The problem is, now it's something every school child knows. It's in the
curriculum. It's warm, friendly, and hands-on. It would be nice if it
were true. We like stories of people actively subverting oppression. We
want the slaves to have escaped. But the quilt/underground railroad
story is no more true than Washington and the cherry tree.

Carol Ely
Locust Grove
Louisville, KY

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