Over the past few years, I have been researching and writing two book series. One is called "The Land Speaks" and is historical fiction, loosely based on the lives of my Ukrainian great grandparents and grandparents. It examines how Ukrainian Canadians root their sacred knowledge in a land where they are guests, exploring many of the impacts of displacement, genocide, collision of cultures, treaties, and living on shared land.
The other book series is "Journeys with the Mother Teacher" and is based on my personal experiences learning with and from plants, the land, ancestors, and spirits of the land. It is, in a way, a sequel series to "The Land Speaks."
Writing has been a wonderful -- ok, challenging -- expression, and yet my hands and eyes have also longed to participate in the exploration. It is a small gesture, I realize, and yet I hope that some of the pieces will inspire others to address the impact they and their ancestors have on the land, peoples and ancestors of the land. Important areas to address -- not just think about -- include:
- displacement;
- genocide;
- what it means to live as a guest on shared or unceded land;
- what it means to "naturalize" to a place;
- what it means to respect and live by the treaties;
- privilege;
- "other-ing;"
- intergenerational and hidden trauma;
- blood, bone and land memories.
The above list is by no means extensive.
The art you see on this page reflects part of the physical extension of the book-writing. Other land-relational art and ceremony can be seen in the sister blog:
The Land Speaks
Bones are found in farmer's fields, or in the forest. I am careful in making sure that I do not over-harvest the bones, as there are creatures, plants and earth that also rely on them for food and resources. I ask before taking, and if a "yes" is given, prayers and offerings are gifted in return.
Bones are dried and sometimes bleached in the sun, and then used either in other art pieces (neck-worn amulets, satchels, divination sets, motanky...) or written upon with symbols similar to those found in traditional Ukrainian embroidery and pysanky writing. [Pysanky are dyed eggs with designs written upon them. They also act as amulets and talismans. See blog link above for more details.]
Bones, to me, represent the ancestors as well as the spirits and inhabitants of the land. These are the beings whom I share time and space with. Their lives support and inform my own. I am not separate from them.
Bringing some of the art, symbolism and sacred knowledge of my own ancestors to the bones is a way that the ancestors of the land and my own ancestors can meet and converse. Imbuing the bones with symbols of protection and fertility also brings these energies to the land, spirits and creatures of the land.
After I completed a few pieces, I also became aware of a more shadowy aspect that revealed itself -- that "covering" the bones with writing is similar to acts of colonialism -- basically, imposing a cultural interpretation and knowledge on the natural being of another.
What began as a desire to explore intersections and healing also became an exploration of hurts and atrocities. How then do we acknowledge the way that we impact and influence one another? How do we bring "right relations" into these expressions?
This drum was made by Johnny Sampson. I purchased it from him at the Pow Wow held in Duncan in 2013. I love this drum, and I especially love all of its imperfections (it's a little warped) because it speaks to me in just the right way. The man who sold it to me I presume was Johnny himself. I remember him inviting me to play it during the pow wow. He said "You should learn some of the drum songs to play on it!" I was very self-conscious to openly play it at the venue, and yet curious about why he would encourage me to learn drum-songs.
I knew I wanted to put designs on the drum, and yet wanted to wait until the design "found me." I waited 7 years. Then, in late 2020, the design found me. It just poured through my hands onto the drum surface. And when I was complete, I wanted to give deep gratitude to Johnny. He left his phone number on the back of the drum. It felt a little intrusive to just call up his home, so I thought I would see if I could find his email or Facebook profile. What I found, instead, was his obituary. He had died the year following my purchase.
I sent my prayers and gratitude through the ethers to his spirit, and then I contacted his brother, also a drum-maker and artist, elder Virgil Sampson. We had a short and sweet written exchange -- it simply felt important, and "right" to contact Virgil and let him know how much the drum and his brother's creation means to me.
While I had been writing the design on the drum, I had once again contemplated the meeting of sacred knowledge, traditions and art of my ancestors and the peoples and beings of this land. I learned that Slavic drums are sometimes used for divination. Seeds of Datura are placed on its surface. As the drummer taps the side of the drum, they hold in their awareness the issue or question to be divined. The seeds are then "read" as the divined answer. For those who know me, they will know that Datura (whom I refer to as Dark Ma) is an important teacher to me -- brought to me in a profound dream in 2011. To learn about the ancestral divinatory use of the seeds 9 years later while drawing the design on the drum was somewhat mind-blowing for me.
Pysanky are usually made with eggs. However, anything egg-like can also be used, though it will have a different effect as a talisman. The pysanka depicted here is made from a gourd that my husband grew on a particular farm in the valley where we live. It is featured in the following blog entry:
Land Reparations Ceremony #3
Some of the bone talismans have found their way to homes as exchanges and gifts. Others will be featured in an art show in the coming year.
If you are interested in a "creation", as with other pieces, a conversation would precede the design. I ask that donations reflect the time and energy brought to the piece.
This is a photo of a piece when it was in-progress... It is the pelvis of a cow, and shown next to another bone (which is the length of my hand) to illustrate the size.
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