acrylic on panel, 16 x 12
Yakima tribe of Native Americans... the
tribe’s history was passed down from generation to generation by the
women of the tribe using an oral tradition known as the time ball. New
brides used hemp twine to record their life history starting with
courtship. They tied different knots into the twine for days and weeks
and added special beads for significant events. They then rolled the
twine into a ball known as the “ititamat,” which means “counting the
days” or “counting calendar.” The ball of twine grew in size as time
passed and as events occurred. The women would sometimes divide the
twine into 25-year lengths to make it more manageable. When the women
were very old, they could use the knots and beads of their time balls to
recall not only what happened in their lives but when the events
occurred. They could easily recount when their children were born, when
they moved away, and other major experiences. When a woman died, her
“ititamat” or time ball was buried with her.
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/zoebrigley/entry/the_native_american/
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| Yakima Time Ball, Cooper Hewitt |
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| My Time Ball |
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| Time Ball Loom |
