“I dream the designs, maybe once a week or so,” said NHBP Language Associate Jenniffer Wethington. Wethington has taken on the awe-inspiring task of designing, creating, cutting and sewing more than 200 Ribbon Skirts in time for NHBP to host the Gathering in 2023.

Before COVID-19, some of the most treasured memories of Gatherings for Wethington were the handmade gifts that different Tribes would give at the Gathering.

“Once, I got a pillow from attending a Gathering. You might think, ‘Oh, it’s just a pillow,’ but it was so sweet to me,” Wethington said. “Just to be able to give something to those attending would be great, especially for the Elders. To have a Ribbon Skirt for every woman in attendance would be amazing.”

Ribbon Skirts are traditionally worn by Native American women during special events, political rallies and ceremonies to demonstrate their personalities, Clans and character and display their personal and cultural resilience in a bold fashion.

Following in the Traditions of her Ancestors, who were also crafters, Wethington enjoys the process of sewing and even teaching others to sew.

“Sewing is becoming a lost art,” Wethington said. “If anyone wants to learn more about sewing, Ribbon Skirts or anything, I am happy to help them learn.”

Taking a break from the more than 3,000 face masks she and her daughter had created since early 2020, Wethington often dreams of Ribbon Skirt patterns, colors and overlays.

“I’ll wake up, after seeing someone specific wear them,” Wethington said. “Then, from my memory, seeing all the colors from my dream, I will sketch it out on paper and then start making it. They would fit the person perfectly. These visions come from the Creator. He is where I get my inspiration. He wouldn’t steer me wrong.”

Even when Wethington dreamt about a man with a Ribbon Skirt, Wethington simply made what her vision told her.

“I just couldn’t figure it out until I saw his wife wearing the Ribbon Skirt at Pow Wow,” she said. “That was really awesome. It fit her perfectly.”

Ribbon Skirts carry much meaning for the recipients. 

“Many people especially appreciate the Skirts that display animals from their Clans, such as Turtle or Bear Clans,” Wethington said. “I’ve made Skirts or Regalia for people’s family members without much to go on, but I somehow manage to make the designs fit each person’s character and persona perfectly.”

Not only are the handmade Ribbon Skirts meaningful for their recipients, but the process is also sacred to Wethington.

At sunrise, she greets the new day under a Cedar tree with her Séma to thank the Creator and reflect on the day ahead, “and my morning ain’t right unless I do it.”

As to whether or not making 300 Ribbon Skirts is too much to undertake while also fulfilling her role as Language Associate, Wethington laughs. “I’m sure some people think I am psychotic for making all these Ribbon Skirts.”

Working at a “very steady” pace, Wethington combines her sewing acumen with her frequent visions from the Creator.

“It usually takes three or four hours to make a single Skirt, as long as it doesn’t have too many elements, like animal overlays or lace appliqué,” she said.

She has amassed the stockpile of fabric “from wherever we can get it. I’m a big clearance shopper.”

Although Wethington also creates Ribbon Skirts in her own time, she meticulously keeps the Tribe’s fabric and supplies and her time working on the Gathering’s Ribbon Skirts explicitly separate from her personal collection of materials.

Wethington currently keeps the growing number of Ribbon Skirts under lock and key at The Reservation, waiting for the Gathering in 2023 to gift them to recipients.

If you’d like to learn more about how to make your own Ribbon Skirt, NHBP is participating in the Intertribal Ribbon Skirt Workshop Friday, April 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information or to register, please contact NHBP Cultural Specialist Michael Medawis at michael.medawis@nhbp-nsn.gov or 269.704.4174.