The Language of the Quilts
When African Americans came to the Americas, they came along with their traditions. One tradition was communicating through symbols. These symbols were placed onto quilts to help the slaves escape. A common "x" mark on the quilts was believed to tell the slaves to dress up after escaping. Abolitionists would give the slaves new, fresh clothing to change into so they could blend in with the other blacks living in that area.
Another factor of the quilts were the knots. Quilts need only one or two knots to keep the pieces of fabric together, but researchers found as many as five knots instead of two. This was thought to represent the distance to freedom. The greater the knots, the greater the distance. The five knots were also used in their culture to ward off evil spirits.
Another factor of the quilts were the knots. Quilts need only one or two knots to keep the pieces of fabric together, but researchers found as many as five knots instead of two. This was thought to represent the distance to freedom. The greater the knots, the greater the distance. The five knots were also used in their culture to ward off evil spirits.
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