The Tree of Peace Saves the Earth
Alice Olsen Williams
Anishinabe, Curved Lake, First Nation, Ontario, Canada
1990
Cotton with polyester filling
65" x 66”
MSUM 7593.1
Photo by Doug Elbinger, all rights reseved by the Michigan State University Museum

This pictorial quilt, named, "The Tree of Peace Saves the Earth", was created by Anishnabe quiltmaker Alice Olsen Williams of Curved Lake, First Nation, Ontario, Canada. Inspired by the "Oka Incident" at Oka, Quebec, where Mohawks stood up to a local and national Canadian law enforcement officials, the quilt depicts a tree, rooted on a turtle's back, bursting through and breaking apart the Canadian Parliament building. An eagle sits atop the tree, and war clubs are buried beneath the turtle and roots.

From To Honor and Comfort Native Quilting Traditions