A week of Rain
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January 16: A week of Rain
A medley. We started the week Tuesday, one day early, in a steady drizzle, with our bows; drawing outlines or, for those of us starting from a stave, pulling a draw knife through the wood learning to see the difference between one years growth and the next. Wednesday was dedicated to cordage (in the yurt and out of the rain), and Friday to willow basket making.
Though I have made cordage before, I rarely take an entire day to practice, so even though the first half of the day was not new, I still found a lot of value in the lessons. As the day drew on those who grew bored of twisting any of a half dozen fiber types by hand twined cattail baskets, played with a drop spindle processed nettle stalks . . . The list goes on.
Friday morning we roamed the sand bar gathering willow switches in the rain. By mid-day we were all thankful for rain gear and the wood stove in Cedar lodge, where we went to take shelter for our weaving. By the end of the day I had a complete basket – plant to functional art in eight hours. I have always found a certain magic in creating useful and durable items directly from the natural areas around me without intermediary, Friday’s project was no exception.
And you may notice I skipped Thursday. Thursday was the capstone of the week! In the midst of our otherwise sedentary activities, we took one day to run with the elk, sign tracking in a nearby preserve. Antler gouges, chews, distinctive hairs, tracks, runs and trails in a tangled web. These were our teachers for the day. As much as one can logically understand that large ruminants interact with a variety of resources and micro habitats – food, water, shelter, seeing the space where they live, roaming their trails (even mapping the loosely), smelling live elk on the air, puts this knowledge in a more intimate perspective. I haven’t just heard about the habits of elk, I have seen first hand how the land shapes their movements and how over time the land in turn is shaped by the presence of elk.