Aacimotaatiiyankwi

As colder weather becomes the norm, many of you may be looking for indoor activities to pass the time. We have a few options for you in the Virtual Library on Šaapohkaayoni: A Myaamia Education Portal!

If you or your family enjoy coloring, we have several coloring pages and a copy of our wilaalaansantaawi: neepinwiki & peepoonki Coloring Book available to download. From there you can color them digitally or print them out. We also have a set of animal-matching game cards that double as coloring pages for anyone interested in learning animal names. If simply enjoying beautiful art is more your style, we have numerous downloadable images as well!

For those crafty people who enjoy taking on larger projects, we have several sewing project instructions available! First, we have step-by-step instructions on how to create mahkisina with accompanying tutorial videos. I can attest to how great these instructions are since I used them to create my own mahkisina a few years ago! It is important to note that the instructions are to create the center seam mahkisina and do not cover decorating the flaps.

Our most recent addition to our sewing projects is stomp or ribbon skirt instructions. This document includes step-by-step instructions with illustrations to walk you through the process. We’re currently working on instructions for several ways to customize your skirt, including pockets! And for our non-skirt wearing folks, we also plan on developing instructions for ribbon vests; however, we are not ready to release anything for this project yet.

And that brings us to a classic sewing project: ribbonwork. We’ve uploaded a digital copy of the peepankišaapiikahkia eehkwaatamenki ‘Myaamia Ribbonwork’ book. This publication discusses the history of ribbonwork, provides step-by-step directions for creating ribbonwork (including 3 project patterns), and gives examples of both contemporary and historic ribbonwork pieces. We’re also developing additional resources, including tutorial videos, on how to create ribbonwork. And for anyone who just wants to look at beautiful ribbonwork pieces, I highly recommend the online Myaamia Ribbonwork Exhibit hosted by the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum at Miami University or the walk through videos of the same exhibit.

To see ribbonwork pieces in person, visit the neehaapiikasiciki: The Healing Threads of Myaamia Ribbonwork exhibit hosted by the Myaamia Heritage Museum and Archive in Miami, OK which opens January 22, 2025 and runs through July 3, 2026!

If there is something else that interests you, please let us know in the comments or reach out to me directly at MarksKM@MiamiOH.edu.

How to access the resources:

1. Log in to Šaapohkaayoni
   • If you do not have an account, you can request one.
2. Scroll down to My Courses (below your profile)
3. Click on Virtual Library
   • This course is only available to the Miami Tribe community.
4. Use the left-side menu to navigate to the resources
   • Printables – contain art for you to download and enjoy
   • Coloring – contains all of our coloring pages and book
   • Sewing Projects – contains instructions for all of the projects mentioned above