For centuries, women artists of the Wendat First Nation of Wendake in
Quebec have created artworks of intricate design and complex meaning in
moosehair and quill embroidery. Their work records and transmits
ancestral knowledge across generations of artists and remains a vibrant
and important practice today. Breaking new ground in Indigenous art
histories, Wendat Women's Arts is the first book to bring together a
full history of the Wendat embroidery art form. Annette de Stecher
challenges the historical anonymity of Indigenous women artists by
arguing for their central role in community history and ceremony.
Through their art, these women played an important part in the
diplomatic strategies that advanced the sovereignty of their nation,
work that was an extension of their position of authority in their
families and clans. Chiefs and community members wore finely embroidered
attire as a brilliant focus of ceremonial events, a tradition that
continues today. Women artists also supported their community
economically as their embroidery was a souvenir of choice for European
collectors. In vibrant illustrations, this book reconstructs the rich
repertoire of Wendat embroidery now dispersed in collections throughout
the world. Wendat Women's Arts combines a depth of historical
understanding with a keen knowledge of contemporary Wendat artists,
demonstrating that the story of Wendat women is one of cultural
strength, innovation, resilience, and success.
