HerStory October: Roots of Resistance

$30.50

Qty

Call us to be placed on our waitlist.

HerStory Yarn and Book Club

Mother of Purl is excited to be a part of the Knitted Wit monthly yarn and book club called HerStory. Each month a book and author are chosen and, using the inspiration of the book, Knitted Wit dyes a limited-edition yarn to celebrate the writing of the featured author.

We are taking a journey through history with our October author, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, an Indigenous activist and writer whose goal is to share history from the perspective of Indigenous peoples. It's an appropriate choice for October as we celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 10.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz began her foray into activism in 1968 as the founder of a second-wave feminist organization called Cell 16, which was a women's liberation movement that advocated its members "separate from men who are not consciously working for female liberation". She began her work in the American Indian Movement (AIM) shortly after, and it has been her devotion to Indigenous people's rights that has guided her activism in the decades since.

In the 1980s, she traveled to Nicaragua frequently to assist the Miskito Indians in a land dispute with the government. This indigenous group ended up being collateral damage in the Contra war that the US had become involved in with the Sandinistas. She wrote two books about her experiences there, and the damage inflicted on the Miskitos that she witnessed. As a disturbing aside, the land rights of the Miskito Indians are still, to this day, being trampled on by settlers, mostly in the service to capitalism. This is also a trend that we is woven into the entire history of the United States and many other nations as well.

She's written some of the most respected texts on the United States and its treatment of Indigenous people, including An Indigenous People's History of the United States and Not a Nation of Immigrants. She advocates for self-determination for Indigenous peoples, and for a more honest approach to this nation's origin story. Her work shines a light on the fact that Indigenous history has been all but written out of our history books, and what is taught is often sanitized to within an inch of its life.

The cover of her book, Roots of Resistance, was used as the colorway and name inspiration for this month's yarn. The book discusses the history of Indigenous land tenure in New Mexico, which has a convoluted settler history and many Indigenous peoples who are still trying to retain autonomy and cultural connection to their native lands.

Book not included with purchase.

Fiber Content – 80% Superwash Merino, 20% Nylon
Weight – Fingering
Needle Size – US 1 - 3 / 2.25mm 3.25mm
Hook Size – US B - D / 2.25mm - 3.25mm
Skein Weight – 4 oz / 113 grams
Skein Yardage - 420 yards / 384 meters
Care – Hand wash cold. Lay flat to dry.
Country of Origin – United States

HerStory October: Roots of Resistance

Related Products

Her Story January: How We Show Up

Her Story January: How We Show Up

HerStory December: Burnout

HerStory December: Burnout

HerStory November: Braiding Sweetgrass

HerStory November: Braiding Sweetgrass

Herstory September: Mango Street

Herstory September: Mango Street