Ska-ba-quay Tesson facts for kids

Ska-ba-quay Tesson (born around 1846, died 1929) was a talented artist. She was also known as A Ski Ba Qua or Mrs. Joseph Tesson. Ska-ba-quay was a member of the Meskwaki people. She was famous for making beautiful art using textiles, which are like fabrics or woven materials.

About Ska-ba-quay Tesson

Ska-ba-quay Tesson was born around 1846. She belonged to the Meskwaki tribe. The Meskwaki are a group of Native American people.

She lived in a place called Tama, Iowa. People bought her artwork there. Ska-ba-quay also helped scientists called anthropologists. These scientists study human cultures. She shared information about her Meskwaki traditions with them. This helped them learn more about her people's way of life.

Her Amazing Art

Ska-ba-quay Tesson was known for her textile art. This means she made art using fibers and fabrics. Her most famous pieces were woven bags.

Yarn Bags and Weaving

One of her yarn bags, made around 1900, is very special. It is kept at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. In 2010, this bag was officially recognized as her specific work. This was important because it showed her unique artistic style.

Her textile art included storage bags made by a method called twining. These bags looked a lot like tapestries, which are thick, woven pictures. She used old, traditional ways of weaving. She often used strong fibers from nettle plants. She also used soft wool from buffalo.

New Designs and Materials

Ska-ba-quay Tesson also added new ideas to her art. She created fresh designs for her bags. Besides nettle fiber and buffalo wool, she used other materials. She made bags from soft buckskin leather. She also decorated her art with porcupine quills.