Yup'ik top
Martina Lawrence
Nelson Island Eskimo, Nelson Island, Alaska
c1990
Cotton
60 1/2" x 100”
MSUM 1996:126.1
Photo by Doug Elbinger, all rights reseved by the Michigan State University Museum

Nelson Island "seal parties" are held in connection with annual seal harvests. Strips of fabric, distributed to community members, are then used to make quilts and quilt tops, which are given out during the winter dances held later in the year. This quilt top by Martina Lawrence was made from fabric distributed in 1996.

From To Honor and Comfort Native Quilting Traditions