A Grandmother and an Aunt Working on a Quilt Panel

This podcast was researched, written and produced by Nikki Igbo, sharing the story of Peta I Gi Chi Wa I Wa ka, fondly known as Peta by his friends.  The podcast was made as part of a collaboration between the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the Literary Journal of SCAD Atlanta, with each segment written and produced by SCAD-Atlanta Writing students. 

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The Quilt panel made in Peta’s honor was featured as part of the National AIDS Memorial’s Quilt virtual exhibition that shared the stories of Native Americans lost to AIDS.  

The story behind Peta’s panel includes a letter that includes a poem Peta wrote before his death.  The letter describes how Peta lived with AIDS for twelve years, most of which he cared for others who were also living with the virus. 

His beautifully-stitched quilt panel shows a bird with personal items and feathers, reflecting Peta’s Native American Lakota heritage, where it is believed that all things possess an inherent virtue, power, and wisdom.  The feather is a powerful symbol that signifies honor and a connection between the owner, the Creator, and the bird from which the feather came.  Two poems are also shown on the panel, one of which is “A Lakota Indian Way of Prayer.”

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