Star of Bethlehem
Anna David
Peshawbestown, Leelanau County, Michigan
c1920
Cotton
76" x 91”
MSUM 6615.1; Gift of Elizabeth and Vernon Keye
Photo by Doug Elbinger, all rights reseved by the Michigan State University Museum

It is probable that Native Americans began quilting in the Great Lakes region after the establishment of Catholic missions in the 19th century; it is known that quilting took place at the Immaculate Conception in Peshawbestown. According to James M. McClurken, co-author with James A. Clifton and George L. Cornell, of People of the Three Fires: The Ottawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibway of Michigan, the star and floral motifs used in this quilt are typical components of Ottawa (Odawa) designs and mimic designs depicted in earlier porcupine quill work and beaded pieces in the region.

From Great Lakes, Great Quilts