Spirit Animals

I have always been a storyteller. My work combines the art of weaving with my love of history and myths. Each Spirit Animal has a story.

Murder of One, The Crow

Handwoven Silk/Wool Robe and headdress, the piece is woven on a 12 harness loom in a Summer/Winter design. The mannequin head and neck is handwoven and hand-cast Wool in an M-W weave pattern, my initials Margaret Wheeler. Beaded Crows fly over the Ultra-Suede chest.

The Headdress was a collaboration with Alice McKee and Maria Mayo.

Maria Mayo created the hand-wrought silver head and Alice McKee fashioned the headdress with my handwoven fabric.

I have always loved to watch Crows, they are a wise, mischievous birds that group in families and talk together, exchanging information. When I was young my brother was always trying to capture one, he said if he would split its tongue, he would teach it to talk. He never caught one, but I was hooked and have always been fascinated with Crows and still watch their antics to this day. The Crow is a Fiber Sculpture unlike my other Spirit Animals that can be worn on the human body, I knew one day I wanted to create the woven Mannequin body (handwoven and handcart) to support my clothing and The Crow was the first piece I created. He has Cedar's legs and wears a robe and breechcloth skirt.

I knew one day I would create a Crow for my Spirit Animal Series,

Leda, The Swan

For Leda I wove the fabric of cotton and created the feathers one by one, then attached them to a woven yoke, the collar is a woven Swan neck with the head coming to the front of the cape. The Cape is adorned with freshwater pearls, also a favorite of the ‘Mississippians Mound Builders’. The back of the cape has a Sun Symbol design in pearls. Leda is a handwoven, hand-cast fabric sculpture. She is adorned with a freshwater pearl necklace, shell earrings, bone hair ornament, and woven skirts with fringe.

The Swan, a bird is sacred to our Chickasaw ancestors, their feathers are used in almost every major ceremony. Capes were created with Swan feathers and they were worn by the Hierarchy.

When doing research on the Swan and looking at images for my drawings, I saw paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Correggio depicting Leda and the Swan, a story from Greek Mythology. Zeus in the form of a swan seduces or rapes Leda, the Queen of Tyndareus, the King of Sparta. Leda was the perfect name for my woven sculpture with a swan feathered cape, she would be the wife of a Minco, the leader of a Mississippian people who are ancestors to the Chickasaw. She also represents the raping of a people of their land and ways of life.

Chikasha Issoba, Chickasaw Horse

Handwoven cotton, glass beads, brass bells, Handwoven Cotton, glass beads, copper and handmade brass bells

The renowned Chickasaw horse was bred by the Chickasaw tribe in their natural world in the American Southeast. It is not known for certain whether the Chickasaws came by their first horses from their initial clash with De Soto's Spaniards in the winter of 1540-41, or if they acquired them later from Spanish settlers. Whatever their origin by the time they were widely acknowledged as "Chickasaw" horses, they had become small, stocky multi-taskers with exceptional endurance and remarkable speed at short distances. The history of the American Quarter horse count the Chickasaw horse among the antecedents of that breed.

When the Removal of the Chickasaw Tribe to Indian Territory began the Chickasaws had large horse herds which they would not sell. The ratio of horses to tribal member during Removal was approximately 3-1.

This piece pays tribute to Chikasha Issoba'

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The Messenger, The Owl

Handwoven in Zephyr Silk/wool yarn, a Summer/Winter design on a 12 Harness J-Made Loom. Portland Art Museum Collection

Copper hand-forged beak and conchoes. Beadwork mask and edging. Peacock feather detail on the headdress.

The Owl was created from a superstition of owls that my Grandmother instilled in me. She had a dread of hearing an owl call and knew it was an ill omen. When I was very young, I would try to go out at night and see one and it was always a terrifying event. The Messenger is woven in bright colors and with a hint of whimsy to dispel those fears!

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Forest Dweller, The Bear

Handwoven Silk/Wool, hand-cut reversible oversized vest with Ultra Suede trim. The woven cut design represents the forest in which the bear dwells. Handwoven sculpted bear headdress features a hand-crafted silver/copper palate with antler teeth by Maria Mayo. Alice McKee fashioned the bear headdress that has goose feathers attached.

The bear spirit is a sign of distinction and bravery.

As a child, we lived within 20 miles of the Glacier National Park entrance outside Browning, Montana. My father was working at Cut Bank Indian School and our family often picnicked in the park on weekends. We had great respect for the bears who often appeared out of the pine forests. One old female grizzly was my favorite, we called her Blondie and when she had cubs following her around, it was a delight. I remember the terror also of running to the car when they appeared, we always watched from afar!

Forest Dweller was created for a fashion show in Portland, Oregon, ‘Convergence” is an international conference held bi-annually by Handweavers Guild of America.