Residential School Survivors from James Smith Cree Nation bring in the quilt they created 25 years ago, in a ceremony at SaskPoly in Saskatcoon on Feb 6. The Talking quilt will be on display at the campus as part of Truth and Reconciliation efforts. (Submitted photo)

By NC Raine/Eagle Feather News

Survivors share their storied past with students with a Talking Quilt

Feb 28, 2025 | 6:00 AM

The Talking Quilt helps to create conversations.

The blanket is comprised of 24 squares each surrounded by a colourful border and at its centre − the medicine wheel.

At first glance it’s vibrant and inviting.

But on closer examination, each square represents the lived experiences of trauma, loss, healing, and rejuvenation.

It all started 25 years ago by the late Ruby Head.

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The Talking Quilt is a cultural artifact created by the women of James Smith Cree Nation (JSCN) as a way to share their personal stories and heal together as they assembled the quilt.

“It was difficult at times,” said Sandra Head, a residential school survivor. “We would break down, a lot of us.”

She is one of the women from JSCN women’s group who helped piece together the quilt.

“We would talk about our experiences at residential school, and at times, it was so difficult because it hurt to talk about – some of us hadn’t talked about it before,” said Head.

Among the stories embedded in the fabric are those of being taken to residential school, abuses suffered, relationships with family, loss and reconnecting with culture, struggle with addictions and mental health, and finding healing, among many others.

A close up of the Talking quilt which will be on display at the SaskPoly campus in Saskatoon (Submitted photo)

You can feel the energy still in the squares that (we) put stories on,” said Sharon Starblanket, one of the JSCN participants in the Talking Quilt. “I’m happy that our stories are out there.”

Following a research project conducted with Saskatchewan Polytechnic (SaskPoly), Head, who was in possession of the quilt, transferred it to SaskPoly, where it will be preserved and displayed at their Saskatoon campus. A formal ceremony to mark the transfer took place on February 6.

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