Star quilts are ceremonial objects used as gifts in the Native American tradition, marking weddings, anniversaries, the birth of children, graduations, and memorials. In 1983, the Missouri Breaks Industries formed on the Cheyenne River Reservation in Timber Lakes, South Dakota. Building on the tradition of the star quilt, Missouri Breaks Industries hired quiltmakers to make quilts for sale to the general public as a way to supplement their income.