Photograph: Mattie Mayes
Photograph
Image
Video
Audio
Activities
LOOK
Look closely at this image. Does what she is wearing give you clues about how Mayes and other women living in Saskatchewan might spend parts of the day?
THINK
Think about activities that you do on a daily basis with family or friends that are part of your routine. What do you do daily that adds to a positive sense of self?
DO
Have you ever had to plan a trip away from your home? What types of decisions do you have to think about before you leave?
Details
Date 1910
Materials - Photograph
Historical Context
Choose one of the three levels below to match your needs.
- This is an archival photo of Mattie Mayes, born Martha Jane Warner on a plantation in Georgia in 1858.
- Mayes and her husband and children moved from Oklahoma to Maidstone, Saskatchewan in 1910, and were some of the first Black settlers in the province.
- The matriarch of her family and community, Mayes was a respected medicine woman and delivered many babies in the community.
Scroll through the carousel to see other objects related to Mattie Mayes, including a video excerpt from Episode 8 Claiming Space of the Black Life: Untold Stories documentary series.
This is an archival photo of Mattie Mayes, born Martha Jane Warner on a plantation in Georgia in 1858.
Mayes trained as a midwife in Tennessee, where she met her husband, Joseph. In 1910, they moved to Maidstone, Saskatchewan, as part of the “Oklahoma migration,” and were some of the first Black settlers in the province.
The matriarch of her family and community, Mayes was a respected medicine woman who was knowledgeable about herbal medicine and delivered many babies in the community.
Scroll through the carousel to see other objects related to Mattie Mayes, including a video excerpt from Episode 8 Claiming Space of the Black Life: Untold Stories documentary series.
This archival photo depicts Mattie Mayes, born Martha Jane Warner on a plantation in Georgia in 1858.
Mayes trained as a midwife in Tennessee, where she met her husband, Joseph. They moved to Oklahoma, but after it joined the United States in 1907, it adopted the racist and segregationist laws of the rest of the country. Mayes and Joseph made the decision to uproot their family and move to Canada, which was promoting immigration to the Western provinces.
She and her family moved to Maidstone, Saskatchewan, in 1910, part of the “Oklahoma migration,” and were some of the first Black settlers in the province.
The matriarch of her family and community, Mayes was a respected medicine woman who was knowledgeable about herbal medicine and delivered many babies in the community.
She was instrumental in creating a richer, freer life for her family that focused on celebrating the joy of everyday Black family life. She and Joseph had 13 children.
Scroll through the carousel to see other objects related to Mattie Mayes, including a video excerpt from Episode 8 Claiming Space of the Black Life: Untold Stories documentary series.
- This is an archival photo of Mattie Mayes, born Martha Jane Warner on a plantation in Georgia in 1858.
- Mayes and her husband and children moved from Oklahoma to Maidstone, Saskatchewan in 1910, and were some of the first Black settlers in the province.
- The matriarch of her family and community, Mayes was a respected medicine woman and delivered many babies in the community.
Scroll through the carousel to see other objects related to Mattie Mayes, including a video excerpt from Episode 8 Claiming Space of the Black Life: Untold Stories documentary series.
This is an archival photo of Mattie Mayes, born Martha Jane Warner on a plantation in Georgia in 1858.
Mayes trained as a midwife in Tennessee, where she met her husband, Joseph. In 1910, they moved to Maidstone, Saskatchewan, as part of the “Oklahoma migration,” and were some of the first Black settlers in the province.
The matriarch of her family and community, Mayes was a respected medicine woman who was knowledgeable about herbal medicine and delivered many babies in the community.
Scroll through the carousel to see other objects related to Mattie Mayes, including a video excerpt from Episode 8 Claiming Space of the Black Life: Untold Stories documentary series.
This archival photo depicts Mattie Mayes, born Martha Jane Warner on a plantation in Georgia in 1858.
Mayes trained as a midwife in Tennessee, where she met her husband, Joseph. They moved to Oklahoma, but after it joined the United States in 1907, it adopted the racist and segregationist laws of the rest of the country. Mayes and Joseph made the decision to uproot their family and move to Canada, which was promoting immigration to the Western provinces.
She and her family moved to Maidstone, Saskatchewan, in 1910, part of the “Oklahoma migration,” and were some of the first Black settlers in the province.
The matriarch of her family and community, Mayes was a respected medicine woman who was knowledgeable about herbal medicine and delivered many babies in the community.
She was instrumental in creating a richer, freer life for her family that focused on celebrating the joy of everyday Black family life. She and Joseph had 13 children.
Scroll through the carousel to see other objects related to Mattie Mayes, including a video excerpt from Episode 8 Claiming Space of the Black Life: Untold Stories documentary series.
Summary
- This is an archival photo of Mattie Mayes, born Martha Jane Warner on a plantation in Georgia in 1858.
- Mayes and her husband and children moved from Oklahoma to Maidstone, Saskatchewan in 1910, and were some of the first Black settlers in the province.
- The matriarch of her family and community, Mayes was a respected medicine woman and delivered many babies in the community.
Scroll through the carousel to see other objects related to Mattie Mayes, including a video excerpt from Episode 8 Claiming Space of the Black Life: Untold Stories documentary series.
Essential
This is an archival photo of Mattie Mayes, born Martha Jane Warner on a plantation in Georgia in 1858.
Mayes trained as a midwife in Tennessee, where she met her husband, Joseph. In 1910, they moved to Maidstone, Saskatchewan, as part of the “Oklahoma migration,” and were some of the first Black settlers in the province.
The matriarch of her family and community, Mayes was a respected medicine woman who was knowledgeable about herbal medicine and delivered many babies in the community.
Scroll through the carousel to see other objects related to Mattie Mayes, including a video excerpt from Episode 8 Claiming Space of the Black Life: Untold Stories documentary series.
In-Depth
This archival photo depicts Mattie Mayes, born Martha Jane Warner on a plantation in Georgia in 1858.
Mayes trained as a midwife in Tennessee, where she met her husband, Joseph. They moved to Oklahoma, but after it joined the United States in 1907, it adopted the racist and segregationist laws of the rest of the country. Mayes and Joseph made the decision to uproot their family and move to Canada, which was promoting immigration to the Western provinces.
She and her family moved to Maidstone, Saskatchewan, in 1910, part of the “Oklahoma migration,” and were some of the first Black settlers in the province.
The matriarch of her family and community, Mayes was a respected medicine woman who was knowledgeable about herbal medicine and delivered many babies in the community.
She was instrumental in creating a richer, freer life for her family that focused on celebrating the joy of everyday Black family life. She and Joseph had 13 children.
Scroll through the carousel to see other objects related to Mattie Mayes, including a video excerpt from Episode 8 Claiming Space of the Black Life: Untold Stories documentary series.