21 Underground Railroad Railroad by Becky Brown Railroad can symbolize the end of the Underground Railroad, a change in the strategy of escape from slavery. This is an alphabetical list of some of the names given to quilt blocks throughout history. This quilt means to follow the flying geese to safety. I love all the quilt square designs, especially the tumbling blocks, I am not sure why. The Mysterious Powers of American Ginseng>, From Ghana’s Independence to Selma’s Bloody Sunday: A Civil Rights>, The Folkloric Roots of the QAnon Conspiracy, Kulning: The Swedish Herding Calls of the North, A Choral Reckoning with the Imperfect History of the United States, Memories of a Young Armenian Film Director, Ashley Minner, Reclaiming Space for the Lumbee Indians of Baltimore. These quilts were said to impart important instructions and warnings to people traveling the Underground Railway. The most famous telling of a quilt code says that indeed, quilts were a vital part of the Underground Railroad, and their history with it was unwritten until very recently. The Sailboat quilt block tells the slaves to take a sailboat across the Great Lakes to safety. Perhaps the code, true or not, is a vehicle for African Americans to explore the trauma they inherited—and the hope. Two historians say African American slaves may have used a quilt code to navigate the Underground Railroad. The slaves need to change clothes. One way that they can do this is by using pictures or symbols. Some do, and maybe it did, but others question the authenticity of such events. the underground railroad quilts squares where made with codes to help the slaves to freedom The Bow Tie block means to dress in disguise. The late Ms. Williams was an African American, a former school administrator and had a law degree from Howard University. Once heard, these names could tell a story or communicate a vital piece of information simply by looking at the patterns or stitches. Several years later, quilter Eleanor Burns and Sue Bouchard became fascinated with Williams’ story and created a sampler quilt based on the secret code, publishing the patterns in the book The Underground Railroad Sampler. Since much of this information was transmitted orally and not written down, we may speculate on the meaning of Underground Railroad symbols and how they were interpreted by runaway slaves. Finally enslaved peoples were free to roam without running. Other patterns that have been included in the quilt code are the wagon wheel, drunkard’s path, and tumbling blocks. Should we be concerned with hard evidence the Kaluli can provide for these deep-rooted belief systems? Stories about the Civil War, Underground Railroad, and the quilts, both nonfiction and fiction, can be used in English classes to help students learn about this time period in American history. This Railroad quilt pattern is part of the popular underground railway quilts from the 19th century. Prior to 1999, the codes were unheard of even to the African American quilting community. So it was with the underground railroad. Tindall hopes her handmade quilts hanging in the Johnson House, a crucial station on the Underground Railroad and now a National Historic Site in Philadelphia, embody the spirit of the house and the presence of those who passed through. "She showed a black and white picture of this pattern with the caption, "One of the most striking quilts having Biblical names." Two Quakers in particular were thought to have saved 3,000 slaves themselves. Amongst the patterns which are said to have held meaning for enslaved persons on the Underground Railroad was the monkey wrench pattern, which supposedly advised slaves to begin to pack the things they would need for their journey. Underground Railroad Quilt Patterns And Meanings. The nice thing about this time-honored quilt block is that it allows for tons of variation. It was traditional for slaves to leave handmade flower wreaths on the graves. Sarah Ives, in National Geographic News (Feb. 5, 2004): . Quilt historians and Underground Railroad experts are not all in agreement with the quilt-code theory. “Flying geese are blue; the sky is blue, red and black,” she responded. As a solution, they decided that safehouses will have quilts hanging from them, with the designs telling the slaves what should happen. For Tindall, a quilt can be like a prayer. Are these quilts harming anyone? Were they literally supposed to follow the geese? By life. The slaves could follow the geese to water, food, and a place to rest. They need to express their thoughts, dreams, and needs. It also shows some signs that recommended slaves what to do. “I simply ask them, ‘Do you think it’s possible?’ Nonverbal communication, symbols, and secrets are all forms of communication.”. The Rose Wreath quilt square sadly was informing the slaves that someone had died on the journey. Photo courtesy of Sharon Tindall. Underground Railroad Free Quilt Block Pattern. In art, students can make their own quilt patterns and describe the meaning behind their selections. “I have taken the gifts God has given me and I’m returning them back to Him through the quilt codes.”, Scholar Marilyn Motz has a definition for belief that seems to fit: “a process of knowing that is not subject to verification or measurement within the framework of a modern western scientific paradigm.”, As she points out, “the term belief actually calls into question its own validity.” And anyways, “we usually describe our own beliefs as knowledge.”. “The danger is that you start questioning people’s belief systems and how they get their information.”, “I’ve found some people have a hard time thinking or believing anything they cannot see or touch,” Tindall says. Photo provided. I was disappointed by her answer because I didn’t understand. Based on surveys of quilts made during these years, the evidence for some of these patterns just isn’t there, breaking the spell of this captivating story. It meant gather your tools and get physically and mentally prepared to escape the plantation. “You really get a sense of enslaved people there,” she says. Explain that in this lesson, we will study an Underground Railroad quilt code that has been preserved through the oral tradition in one family's history. Quilts allow Tindall to sustain a conversation about these men and women who were valiant, who fought slavery by taking the ultimate chance—running, and maybe even trusting the message on a blanket when everything was at stake—and encouraging others to do the same. Soon the story has lifeblood independent of its origins, and there’s no stopping it. PUBLISHED February 5, 2004 Two historians say African American slaves may have used a quilt code to navigate the Underground Railroad. The quilts were placed one at a time on a fence as a means of nonverbal communication to alert escaping slaves. Tindall shared her beliefs on a trip to Liberia, a West African nation originally founded as a colony by the American Colonization Society to repatriate freed and free-born black people from America. First of all, what the heck are quilt codes? They need to express their thoughts, dreams, and needs. This power point presentation by Debra Bays tells the story of the role of quilt blocks in the journey north along the Underground Railroad. According to legend, a safe house along the Underground Railroad was often indicated by a quilt hanging from a clothesline or windowsill. Back in the days when slavery was prevalent, and the Civil War was quickly approaching there were people who were bound and determined to help slaves reach their goal of freedom. I want to believe it happened. Craft and empowerment -The Underground Railroad Quilts. In recent years, one of the most powerful quilt myths to emerge has centered on the role quilts may have played in the Underground Railroad. Maybe the protocols for experiences of belief versus fact are just different. There is much written about the use of quilts during the Underground Railroad days. Support the Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, sustainability projects, educational outreach, and more. The title drew me in right away. The scheme was assisted by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees. Quilts of the Underground Railroad describes a controversial belief that quilts were used to communicate information to African slaves about how to escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Our conversation stretched to weeks as I sought more detailed information about how they were used. While every quilt made holds a special meaning to the quilter, there are some quilts and quilt blocks that have a much greater significance in the grand scheme of history. The Online Quilt Block Pattern Library. I really like all the quilts, but I liked the rose wreath the best. This particular quilt square sends the message for the slaves to pack their wagon, or to prepare to leave on a wagon to begin their trip on the Underground Railroad to freedom. How cute is this? Adorable example of a sailboat pattern quilt. Sharon Tindall, “Colorful Underground Railroad Sampler,” 2008, cotton, 88 x 70”. MacDowell has done the research. Resembling a log cabin, these blocks are created with layer rectangles. No one said anything about a code. Genna East from Massachusetts, USA on July 14, 2018: What an interesting article. Safe houses, hopefully no farther than 10-11 miles apart, were called One craft was that of quilting. It can also represent that they need to seek shelter. Simply put, she has faith. “If you’re wondering about our irritation, I think it’s more frustrating that the codes keep getting presented as fact.”. Abolitionists would give the slaves new, fresh clothing to change into so they could blend in with the other blacks living in that area. Tools meant: something with which to build shelters, compasses for determining direction, or tools to serve as weapons for defending themselves. “We had a whole battery of people who were doing those interviews in Michigan, both black and white, and no one heard that story.”. These were indeed courageous people that made up the Underground railroad. The wide woolen stitching lines were roads.”. Sharon Tindall uses a historical pattern made up of triangles and rectangles called Flying Geese. 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