Ribbonwork

Ribbonwork is the technique of manipulating silk ribbon to create flowers or patterns. Silk ribbons, brought to North America by European traders, inspired a new, uniquely Native American art form. Mi'kmaq people created ribbon appliqué as early as 1611.

In 1789 the regime of the French Revolution decreed that clothing should be plain, so silk ribbons fell out of fashion in France and were exported to North America, where Amerind tribes who traded with the French enhanced and practiced the technique. Peoples such as the Kickapoo, Mesquakie, Miami, Ojibway and Potawatomi were known as skilled purveyors of the art.