February 15th, 2008 Heather
This week was a change of pace from recent weeks of mainly concrete skills learning. We spent time with the more subtle elements of our program, which are usually difficult to put into words but are always very rewarding. One rainy cold day found us off in the foothills in a rainy cedar grove, wandering in our clans without words, practicing slow movement, and honing our intuitions. The highlight and low point of the day came simultaneously for me. We were scattered in a landscape of rough terrain, blindfolded, many of us barefoot, trying to find our way to an apprentice beating a drum in an undisclosed location. As I stumbled shivering through blackberry brambles and vine maple mazes, aching bare feet not knowing what had hit them, I decided I must be nuts to go through with this. The sound of the drum played through the dense forest in such a way that I was sure they were playing tricks on us with multiple drums and multiple locations. Finally, as I gingerly circumambulated a large holly plant with then numb feet to reach the drum beater and finally take my blindfold off, I decided that we’re all a little nuts, and that’s ok. This was yet another of those experiences that I hope to never again repeat, but I’m oh so glad I completed it. I realize that might be difficult to understand unless you’ve had this experience yourselves. And unless you’ve been through this program, I doubt you have. But trust me on this one. That day, out there in the rainy cedar grove, I was fully ALIVE in every sense of the word.
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February 13th, 2008 michael
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February 12th, 2008 michael
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February 8th, 2008 Heather
This was by far my most challenging week yet. We spent three long days engaged in an activity that I had never wanted to do in the first place, and which was the most physically challenging and energetically grueling of anything we’ve done so far. But, as I’ve reminded myself before, I got myself into this program and it’s up to me to get out of it as much as I can. Hide tanning is tough work- messy, stinky, exhausting work, particularly with three solid days of rain and sometimes snow. In order to get through it I had to leave my bad attitude at home and just throw myself into it, all of it. And I did- I myself became messy, stinky, and exhausted but I learned so much.
Day one we braved not only the cold winter rain but the mess and stench of deer skins purchased from a local butcher. Our task that day was to scrape off layers of hair, epidermis, remaining flesh, and epidermis from the underlying deer skins. It takes a lot of muscle and yet gentle care to take just the right amount off, all of this made more difficult with cold wet hands. We also made sure to show respect for these animals whom we see regularly. It was a powerful process for many of us who’ve never been involved in the work of killing our own food or making our own clothes. I valued this experience all the more for these reasons.
After a night of soaking our hides we faced day two with pieces of material that more resembled giant gobs of bread dough than anything once living. Just in case day one wasn’t grueling or gross enough, we spent a good part of the day alternately wringing out our wet hides and soaking them in pork brains. This process prepared the way for the drying, softening, and stretching that consumed the rest of the long day. In an uncharacteristic situation for us, we spent the afternoon in an unventilated room so hot we could barely think straight- pulling, rubbing, pulling some more- so that the hide would be as soft and pliable as possible when it dried. By the end of the day we’d seen our bread dough become soft white buckskin.
Day three was finally a little less arduous. We sewed a couple hides together and placed them over buckets of smoky coals to finally and officially tan them. Huddled under a tarp with the rain spattering loudly above us, we watched closely to make sure the smoke was sufficient to tan the hides but didn’t burst into flame and ruin all our hard work. By Friday afternoon an exhausted but jubilant group of residential students had beautiful pieces of tanned buckskin.
After having completed this week, I can’t say if I will tan another hide. If I do, it definitely won’t be in February. I can say that I am so glad I had this opportunity to learn and experience this process, and now have yet another new creation to show for it.
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February 1st, 2008 Heather
This week we spent a good deal of time creating useful things from plants. Whereas most of the time we might not think twice about choosing from a wide variety of products at a local store, we all now possess at least two new things that we can trace from the source. It’s quite a feeling to have this connection, not only knowing the source but being the creators. It’s amazing to think that not too long in the past, this is the way it would have been with every thing in our lives.
Our first creation was Black Cottonwood salve, a delicious smelling medicinal ointment useful for a variety of skin ailments. We spent a whole day with this plant, first out in its home by the winding river, exploring its habitat and gleaning its energies. There we collected the sticky, aromatic buds that would be set aside for next year’s residential class. Back inside, we were taught by our guest instructor John Gallagher how to make salve using cottonwood from last year’s class. I now wear on my skin the healing energies of a tree I’ve met personally, a tree which is helping to soothe the blackberry scratches that came from the very same riverbank. It’s a very satisfying cyclical connection.
Our other creations this week were cedar baskets. Some of us may have made baskets before, but to do so without knowing the materials personally means so much less. Already at this point in the season, even those students from different ecosystems have gotten to know the ubiquitous Western Redcedar, Thuja plicata, quite well. We’ve definitely relied on it for firemaking, and have learned that coastal tribal peoples used it in most aspects of their lives. This “tree of life” has been called the cornerstone of historical northwest culture. Today, while drinking a healthful brew of cedar tea, we wove thin strips of fragrant cedar bark of varying reds, tans, and near blacks into artful berry baskets. My basket may not be professional quality but it is functional, beautiful even, and one of a kind!
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