Ska-ba-quay Tesson ( – 1929, also known as A Ski Ba Qua, Mrs. Joseph Tesson, or Ash-Que-Pac-Qua) was a

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

artist who is known for her

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

art. Living during a tumultuous transitional period for the Meskwaki nation, Tesson helped maintain and innovate on the practice of textile bags and designs. Tesson’s bag is currently in the collection of the

Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian–New York, the George Gustav Heye Center, is a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Manhattan, New York City. The museum is part of the Sm ...

, part of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

Biography

Tesson was born around 1846 and was part of the

group of Native Americans. It is unknown where she spent her youth. During that period, the Meskwaki were in the process of reclaiming their homeland in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, a process that would continue over the next several decades. When museum collectors purchased items from her in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, she was living in

Tama, Iowa Tama is a city in Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,130 at the time of the 2020 census. Tama is situated two miles south of Toledo, the county seat. The two towns are close enough to have nearly grown together over the ye ...

. In addition to her art, Tesson acted as a cultural informant for

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

s studying her people. At an unknown date, Tesson met and married Joseph Tesson, Jr. Of mixed

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

descent, Mr. Tesson was a member of the Meskwaki tribal council as well as an

interpreter Interpreting is translation from a spoken or signed language into another language, usually in real time to facilitate live communication. It is distinguished from the translation of a written text, which can be more deliberative and make use o ...

. Together the Tessons were prominent individuals within the Meskwaki community. They remained married until Mr. Tesson’s death in 1921. Mrs. Tesson died in 1926 in Meskwakiinaki, Iowa.

Work

Tesson specialized in traditional Meskwaki textile styles and techniques, while also incorporating new ideas and materials. Such bags had long been common productions among various indigenous communities in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, predating the arrival of the

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, language, faith, historical continuity, etc. There are ...

. Textile bags served as both practical storage and cultural expression through woven images. Tesson helped revitalize the art after a period of decline, in part by adopting new motifs, styles, and components. Her textile work consisted of

twine Twine is a strong Thread (yarn), thread, light String (structure), string or cord composed of string in which two or more thinner strands are twisted, and then twisted together (Plying, plied). The strands are plied in the opposite direction to ...

d storage bags that had a

tapestry Tapestry is a form of Textile arts, textile art which was traditionally Weaving, woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical piece ...

-like appearance. Her work was based on traditional methods of

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

using

nettle Nettle refers to plants with stinging hairs, particularly those of the genus '' Urtica''. It can also refer to plants which resemble ''Urtica'' species in appearance but do not have stinging hairs. Plants called "nettle" include: * ball nettle ...

fiber and

buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

wool, but also incorporated new designs. Her style included colorful bands and repeating images of Meskwaki figures, including men and horses. Tesson also made bags using buckskin,

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

quills, and nettle fibers. Later, she incorporated wool yarns and cotton string when these materials became more accessible and affordable. Tesson’s textiles featured a combination of styles and images. Her bags featured both

geometric Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician w ...

shapes and symbolic representations of animals, humans, and spiritual beings. In addition to integrated patterns, Tesson also mixed multiple subjects into singular works. Many of her works contained images of supernatural beings from Meskwaki folklore, including thunderbirds and underwater panthers. At the same time, Tesson inserted elements specific to the time and place she lived in.

Horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 milli ...

and their riders were common motifs in her textiles, despite horses being a relatively recent introduction to indigenous societies in North America. Such figures were typically repeated multiple times in between lines and geometric shapes. Tesson’s textiles were popular among both fellow Meskwaki and American collectors. They visualized Meskwaki culture and society. This made them sought after by those interested in indigenous cultures. However, like many other Native American art pieces, Tesson’s textiles were rarely credited to her as an individual, with many pieces being collected and presented as examples as the Meskwaki cultural tradition as a whole. Tesson's most well-known work, a yarn bag dating to circa 1900, currently resides in the collection of the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 2010, it was attributed specifically to her, rather than to her tribal affiliation as had previously been the case.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tesson, Ska-ba-quay 1840s births 1929 deaths Year of birth uncertain 19th-century American textile artists 20th-century American women textile artists 20th-century American textile artists People from Tama, Iowa Native American textile artists 19th-century American women textile artists 20th-century Native American artists 20th-century Native American women 19th-century Native American women Textile artists from Iowa Meskwaki people