A Bolt of White Cloth

During our visit in Cheyenne, Wyoming for the Western Spirit Exhibition and Sale, I was fortunate to attend the Artist Development Seminar at Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. Sandra Starr, Senior Researcher at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, spoke on “A Bolt of White Cloth: Exploring the Flexibility and Adaptability of the American Indian Artist”. Here are a few fascinating facts from her talk. The Treaty of Canadaigua between the Iroquois Confederacy and the United States was signed in 1794. Some terms of this treaty continue to touch the lives of the Oneida today. For example, an allotment of treaty cloth or annuity cloth was given to each enrolled Oneida. Since the Oneida word for “gift” did not include the idea of reciprocity, it is unlikely that they understood that the United States was taking control of their land through the treaty.

The allotment of cloth was determined by an amount of money established in 1794 and has not been adjusted for inflation. Today the cloth continues to be delivered by United Parcel Service and distributed on a per capita basis. Originally gifted bolts of calico and muslin were meant to help with the clothing needs of tribal people. Later, tipi liners decorated with illustrations of events and feats of bravery were made of the muslin given as gifts in treaty negotiations. Women also made quilts from the annuity cloth. The treaty cloth has gone from a fine white cotton muslin to an inexpensive unbleached muslin used for sheets and pillowcases. The quantity of treaty cloth allotted per person has diminished from about four yards by two yards in the early days to a strip 4 inches wide by 48 inches long in 1998. Still Oneida oral tradition teaches each new generation the potent symbol of the annuity cloth.