A Story and a Practice
I was sitting at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport on a layover with some time to spend. Looking for something to read, I wandered into the nearest bookstore to peruse the latest. Glancing over some of the brassier titles in the forefront, I disinterestedly meandered to the back of the store. A few books by James Baldwin sat on a back upper shelf, and I chose one to read on the plane. Then another book caught my eye with its simple yet beautiful front: "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants." Something in me knew this book would be more than a story. It sat on my office shelf for several weeks, waiting for me to carve out the time to begin.
Then one evening, I was chatting with my sister, and she mentioned the book. It was the gentle prompt I needed to begin.
Within the first chapter, my worldview was being deconstructed. The simple truth of the power of story and narrative began peeling back layers of conditioned response to the world around me. She tells the Indigenous creation story, the Skywoman story, and its contrast to the story of Eden. "Same species, same earth, different stories. Like Creation stories everywhere, cosmologies are a source of identity and orientation to the world. They tell us who we are...And then they met--the offspring of Skywoman and the children of Eve--and the land around us bears the scars of that meeting..." [excerpt from Braiding Sweetgrass]
Dr. Kimmerer beautifully weaves Indigenous stories and principles, scientific knowledge of plants, and what a future would be like if we all abided by the "Honorable Harvest." The Honorable Harvest is an Indigenous set of practices governing the exchange between people and the Earth. They are 'rules' that "govern our taking so that the world is as rich for the seventh generation as it is for us. They are not written down but would look something like this:
- Ask permission of the ones whose lives you seek. Abide by the answer.
- Never take the first. Never take the last.
- Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
- Take only what you need and leave some for others.
- Use everything you take.
- Take only that which is given to you.
- Share it, as the Earth has shared with you.
- Be grateful.
- Reciprocate the gift.
- Sustain the ones who sustain you, and the Earth will last forever.
Though we witness and participate in exploitative economies and policies, we can choose differently. How can we reciprocate the gifts of the Earth?
The Honorable Harvest in Creating
Fast forward several months. I walk into the Center for Creativity in downtown Fargo for a new class: eco printing. I had just finished reading "Making Ink: A Forager's Guide to Natural Inkmaking" by Jason Logan. Sitting down, I read through the two sheets offered for the class. My heart smiles as I read the first sheet's title: "The Honorable Harvest: Lessons from an Indigenous Tradition of Giving Thanks" by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The other sheet is a bibliography of recommended reading for monotypes with botanical inks and natural pigments. The first title? Making Ink.
When the Universe conspires to bring things full circle, I perk up.
The eco printing class stoked the flames of new ideas and creative plans. I learned how to tenderly gather and forage for plant material according to the Honorable Harvest and one way to use it in printmaking. Much of the process is left to the materials--a way of letting what happens to happen. I can create ripe conditions for beautiful prints, placing the elements where I like, but the magic is in the spontaneous mix of materials.
I rolled up my layers of paper, mordant, and plant material around a tin can, wrapped it in string and placed my bundle into a vat of logwood dye. An hour later, I brought it home to set for 24 hours to allow for more crisp prints. Below is a link to the video of my son Gabe and I unfurling the bundle to reveal the prints:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cg5eZbZhjq9/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
The class brought up a lot of interconnected themes: climate crisis, eco grief, and the exploitative "taking" nature of many institutions and policies. Looking beyond foraging for materials, I think about our relationships with each other and the land we occupy. What do we know about the land on which we're settled? Who is thriving, and who is just surviving? How do we treat the living beings around us?
"In Healing the Earth, We Heal Ourselves"
In the earliest stage of envisioning what my art practice and business would be, I knew it would involve a deep connection to the Earth. Learning to create natural pigments, inks, and prints will truly forge a deeper, more generative connection to the land. I have barely scratched the surface of this relationship and am honored to take this direction.
As I continue on the journey and become more skilled, I hope to offer some of the fruits of this labor of love for the Earth and her gifts. This may take the form of sharing about the ink recipes I follow or create, offering one-of-a-kind eco prints, and thoughtfully sharing my findings.
If you'd like to listen to Dr. Kimmerer discuss the Honorable Harvest, here is a link to a short video you may enjoy:
Thank you for reading. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Have a great week.
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