The Hopi have a saying: “All dreams spin out from the same web.”
Chief Seattle, a Suquamish and Duwamish chief, is credited with saying: "Man did not weave the web of life—he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." (1854). Other than the sexist language which makes it hard to read this is the nature of interconnectedness. A key concept in the Wise Woman Tradition of herbalism, what we do to the earth we do to ourselves.
We all have different cultural backgrounds that lead to diverse values and worldviews. Learning about how other cultures experience the earth and their relationship to her gives us insight into different peoples view the world, offering us an expanded more compassionate lens. We western cultures tend toward the individual goal-oriented experience which pulls us away from understanding our own interconnectedness and into the realm of the heroic tradition.
I recently learned that several cultures have greetings which reference this interconnected/relational state, an example being the Hawaiian greeting “Aloha” which means, as defined by Curby Rule (2001)
“Aloha is being a part of all, and all being a part of me. When there is pain—it is my pain. When there is joy—it is also mine. I respect all that is as part of the Creator and part of me. I will not willfully harm anyone or anything. When food is needed I will take only my need and explain why it is being taken. The earth, the sky, the sea are mine to care for, to cherish and to protect. This is Hawaiian—this is Aloha!”
In African culture there is the concept of “Ubuntu” which Kenyan scholar James Ogude explains has its origins in the language of Nguni, spoken in southern regions of Africa which means “the African understanding of humanity or humanness” and can be loosely translated to 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. In good synchrony this months art book community challenge #areyoubookenough theme is “Ubuntu.” Any one can join in, just look up that hashtag on instagram.
Eastern philosophy explains how interconnection enhances well-being through the term “interbeing” coined by Vietnamese Buddhist Monk and scholar Thich Nhat Hanh, who suggests using it as a replacement word for the verb "to be." Interbeing means to interdependently co-exist and recognizes the dependence of any one person or thing to all other people and objects. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us that this individualistic pursuit not only harms others but also harms ourselves as we lose shared meaning and relationships found in the collective pursuit of goals. From an herbalist perspective this disconnection leads to many modern day dis-eases of the mind, body and spirit.
Connected means “joined, linked, or related.”
Interconnected means there are internal connections like the strands of a web or the threads of a tapestry. What is interconnected does not hold together without its other parts. It is interdependent for its very existence.
Since interviewing this weeks featured guest poet and fiber artist Sarah Sousa I’ve been thinking a lot about how our individual biographies are woven together, experience by experience, thread by thread, consciously building the fabric of our lives. This was very much my intention when I begun this substack, a way to weave together the seemingly disparate parts of me, to find the intersection where art meets herbalism and connect with others who dwell at the same junction, or at least take a breath at this crossroad before exploring new paths.
It’s funny how certain unexpected things are woven into our stories. Though its been 37 years since attended grade school in London there are a few things that have been stamped onto my brain, never to be lost. I can still recite lines from Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll, and some of Marc Antony’s speech from Julius Caesar (Shakespeare)
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones”
and the happenings of 1066 (which was a momentus year for England, the Battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest) will not be forgotten. The Bayeux Tapestry which we were also taken to see in Normandy, France as part of a field trip, is an is an embroidered cloth around 230 feet long and 20 inches tall that depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England which culminated in the Battle of Hastings 1066. The tapestry which features 58 scenes was thought to have been made within a few years of the battle.
While it is not clear who made the Bayeux Tapestry if would be safe to say that it would have been embroidered by women because all the surviving evidence demonstrates that only women in early medieval England embroidered. It is widely-accepted theory is that it was created by teams of nuns across England, in nine sections which were then stitched together.
The scenes in the Bayeux Tapestry are embroidered in wool thread on linen cloth. The plants used to dye the wool were Dyer’s woad, madder and weld). Woad, a plant which is common in Europe, was used to produce indigotine, a pigment that gives the various shades of blue found in the Tapestry. As the pigment didn’t dye the fibres to the core, some of the blue motifs have faded. The roots of madder produce a red pigment used for the various red tones of the Tapestry – pinks, oranges and browns. The dyer’s rocket, which used to be cultivated in Europe for its yellow pigment. (All plants which I have used in the past year in my botanical art classes!)
Weaving is one of the oldest crafts in history, dating back to at least 12,000 years ago during the Neolithic era. Early humans wove branches, twigs and other plant fibers to create threads for building homes, baskets and other necessary objects of utility.
As far back at 5,000 BC, weavings made from the fiber, flax, existed in Egypt. Flax was the most popular fiber before transitioning to wool thousands of years later. It has been assumed by historians that Egyptian women were often enslaved in weaving workshops, spinning fibers and hand weaving non-stop for their owners to exploit their labor and sell their meticulously made cloth. Women weavers made cloth that was utilized to create boat sails, tents, carpets, bedsheets, bags, towels and even cheese-making cloths that all serviced Egyptian society.
Legend has it that weaving was first taught to the Mayans 1,500 years ago by s Ix Chel, Mayan goddess of the moon, love, and textiles. The art form itself sits at the intersection of art and herbalism as it uses home-grown cotton and natural dyes from plants, bark, vegetables, and fruit. Weaving was so integral to Mayan women’s lives that each baby girl was blessed in a special weaving ceremony where a midwife would bathe the girl while miniature weaving tools were passed through the baby’s hands! The midwife would say a prayer, asking the gods to help her become a skilled weaver like her foremothers. Talk about Wise Woman Tradition!
The brutal 36-year Guatemalan Civil War beginning in 1960 claimed 200,000 Guatemalan lives (83% of which were Mayan) and devastated the peaceful and traditional way of Mayan life. According to weaving cooperative Casa Flor Ixcaco, the war also resulted in the loss of 400 weaving styles.
In China, in indigenous Miao population when a Miao girl is only 6 years old, she is taught how to embroider with the intention to become a skilled craftswomen over the course of 10 years. Her most valuable piece of artistry she will ever produce is her embroidered wedding dress. After perfecting her craft for several years, a young Miao girl will spend years hand weaving her wedding dress to perfection, showcasing who she is, her unique talents and her beauty.
Women have been weaving all sorts of textiles since the beginning of humanity. Textiles we use daily wouldn’t exist without the women who weave around the world and those ancestors who have perfected the processes over time. We all have an ancestor who practiced the art of weaving, one who harvested the plants, spun the fiber, and or made the dye. Textiles have always been the most functional of art form, and their beauty is inarguable. When I think of all textiles we use from the practical to the super decorative and ornate I am again blown away by the versatility of plants and the interconnection of plants and people.
Before mass manufacturing systems were created, women wove everything by hand, historically, textiles, even just one article of clothing, was expensive and signified status because of the appreciated craftsmanship involved to produce them. Created with care and craft, textiles were of the highest quality, lasted lifetimes and were generational heirlooms that preserved cultures and their histories we know today (Bayeux Tapestry). Returning to the Martin Prechtel quote from a few missives ago of only keeping things in our homes which are handmade (and we know their story) and/or where gifted to us by someone near and dear. The energy of what surrounds us is woven into our legacy. Fast fashion, made in China “tchotchkes” energetically take up space and don’t offer much in return. We will our homes with stuff that tells little of our stories, something I personally am always working on. Historically much of which textiles from were dependent on their locality, a pillar of sustainability we need to return to. For example, traditionally Americans favored woven cotton, hemp cloth and alpaca wool especially for colder seasons, whereas in much hotter regions materials such as linen, silk and cotton were woven to provide lighter clothing. Women’ hand weaving has been and will always be the ultimate form of slow living.
There is another aspect to weaving and several botanical art forms which this weeks featured artist, Poet and Fiber Artist Sarah Sousa and I talked about the concept of a creating pieces of art that serve as a record of time, a portrait of place and season. In the previous missive Caro Arevalo talked about how she paints as a way to remember, Sarah creates as a way to record and to mark time, a form of visual note taking. My ecoprints are definitely a seasonal garden record.
Additionally, to make use of the materials which are abundant and local which is another tenant of the Wise Woman Tradition of herbalism. The herbal medicines that we need often show up in our yards and they are the most potent medicines for us whether it is for us to harvest and make to or to work with in our handwork. Sarah has woven invasive species into her art, just like my friend Devon last year who wove me a beautiful basket from invasive species.
“A good life is like a weaving. Energy is created in the tension. The struggle, the pull and tug are everything.” Joan Erikson
After interviewing Sarah she was kind enough to send me her book “The Diary of Esther Small 1886” which I devoured. It is a transcription of the diary of Esther Small which Sarah found at an antique store in Maine, it also features one of Sarahs poems between the intro and the diary entries. Through the meticulously careful work of Sarah we can all get to know Esther and a little about her life. Now the life of Esther has become part of Sarahs fabric, and their lives shall always be connected. I love to think about the fact that in Ancient Greece weaving was often symbolic of the manifestation of women’s power and that Sarah empowered the memory of Esther by giving voice to her story. It is important to seek out the the many strands that make up the great web of life, from family and friendship to community and nature in our own lives.
“I do regard spinning and weaving as a necessary part of any national system of education” Mahatma Gandhi
Ways to learn more about Sarah Sousa and her work
www.flyingpassagestudio.etsy.com
July Workshops! and other news
July 4th My new website launches www.tonyalemosarts.com. It’s been a long time coming, not completely complete but ready to trial run!
Fri July 12th 5-8pm“Monochrome” show opens at the Art Wall @Rhynia inc, (122 Main street Northampton) Featuring 13 local artists including two pieces from this weeks guest Sarah Sousa.
Sat July 15th 11am-1pm, Intro to Botanical Contact Printing/Eco printing, @lookyheregreenfield
Sun July 23rd 10-3pm Learn how to make a Flag Book!
Looking ahead to Mid Sept: Stay tuned for the “Art That Breathes: A festival of the Botanical Arts”September 16/17th to take place in CitySpace in Easthampton-Thanks to A Pay it Forward Grant!! For now I am looking for volunteers!
“There is no such thing as a separate object, event, or experience, because no part of the world can exist apart from all others. Rather, everything that looks like a separate entity is actually dependent on, and therefore interwoven with, something else”
— Thich Nhat Hanh