Sister Masks

– When you wear a mask, think about safety, vulnerability, and your connection to your community.

The Navajo word for maternal aunt, shimá yázhí, literally means “little mother.” And aunties sew – at least in my family – and while my sister-in-law was in labor, I began to sew my new niece a quilt. It’s less about sewing and more about armoring the people I love. I secretly believe that the quilts I’ve made for my nieces, my sister, my husband keep them safe in my absence.

The pandemic arrived; again all I could do was fuss from afar. The pandemic arrived; so did my depression and anxiety. The pandemic arrived; I had so much time, and in my anxiety, I began to sew masks like so many others.

These “sister masks” are made from the leftover squares and bits of precious fabric I used to cover my loved ones in quilts. They are a small offering in the hopes of “no more stolen sisters,” the cry amidst the missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW+) epidemic. All proceeds from their sales have gone to support the work that the Urban Indian Health Institute does to provide COVID relief and incredibly important data collection about MMIW+.