Saskatchewan Polytechnic is now the keeper of the Talking Quilt, which was created by the women of the James Smith Cree Nation. The women sewed the quilt squares while sharing the stories of hardships they experienced during their lives, including their experiences with residential schools. At a ceremony, they passed the quilt to Sask Polytech representatives for safekeeping and display. “I’m happy the blanket is in a safe place,” shared James Smith Cree Nation Elder Sandra, who previously cared for the quilt. “With the quilt, it was difficult at times, we would break down. It did help us in the healing process, because we learned to talk about what happened to us and put it to rest. When we worked on the quilt it brought out a lot of feelings for us. We got to understand the women, why they were the way they were, because of their experiences in residential school.” In addition to displaying the quilt, Sask Polytech has recorded the oral histories of the women who contributed to the quilt who are still alive and made them accessible online.
