Dorothy Downs

Canoe Back in Time Dorothy Downs

Dorothy Downs spent many years learning how one special Miccosukee girl was given the gift of becoming an artist. This inspiring story tells how the beauties of the Everglades are measured into the sewn bands of colored cloth and patchwork rainbow design that have become world famous.



In the story young Sally Osceola learns how to sew the colors of sky and earth while making a cape and skirt that she will wear to honor Breathmaker at the traditional yearly Green Corn Dance. Even though she was only ten years old in the 1920s, Sally knew she would one day sew a rainbow. Breathmaker told her she would sew like the women of her Panther Clan, and so she did.



Thanks to Dorothy Downs, writer and illustrator, Sally's story is honestly put into words and pictures that beautifully express the heartfelt traditions of the Miccosukee people.