Another clear hot day, and with it, a sense of relief at week’s end.
The weekday/weekend structure has no meaning for us personally, of course; every day is a work day, and there are no vacations from that. But the feeling of relief from the outside world is a palpable, perceptible thing, not so much from the people as from the earth itself, able to lay down the smallest fraction of its burden of traffic and pollution and heavy movement and extraction that all inflict so much damage daily now.
It was remarkable, the way the earth was able to rest in those first early days of lockdown last year. It’s criminal that the colonial world refused to learn from it.
But Indigenous peoples still steward more than eighty percent of the earth’s diversity planet-wide. For us, it only underscored what we have always known. And it has similarly reinforced the urgency of recovering as much of our relatives in that category as possible, of reclaiming them and calling them home.
It’s a practice we see among the wildlife here, with ruminants and raptors and everything in between, and with creatures far smaller, too. They are turning inward now, circling their young, seeking sanctuary where it may be found to protect their kind from the depredations of an outside world that is increasingly predatory for us all.
This week’s Friday Feature highlights a work that, quite literally, speaks to these concerns. It’s an example of the knowledges our peoples accumulate over millennia, ways of perceiving and comprehending our world that colonialism refuses to grasp. It’s a traditional tool of communication, one that aids in hunting, of course, but also permits other forms of interaction, too — forms more essential than ever now as colonialism enters its half-life of earth-wide genocide. Today’s featured work is an old-style traditional elk whistle, an actual whistle carved of antler and pitched perfectly to communicate with the whistles and bellows and calls of the herd. From its description in the Other Artists: Leatherwork, Antler, and Bone gallery here on the site:
Sharpen your traditional hunting skills or simply learn to communicate with the herd with this hand-made elk whistle. Carved of deer antler entirely by hand by Joseph “Joe T” Trujillo (Taos Pueblo), this vintage-style whistle is fully functional for use in the back country. The deer antler is treated with a clear stain to seal it against the elements; a hole hand-drilled through the top holds a long thong made of bright, highly-visible red leather. The whistle stands 2-1/8″ high at the highest point by 3/4″ across at the widest point; thong is 26″ long, excluding knot (dimensions approximate). Other views shown above and below.
Sealed deer antler; leather thong
$75 + shipping, handling, and insurance
It’s a stunning, and stunning simple, piece of traditional craftsmanship and artistry . . . and of technology, too. It’s a reminder that sometimes the old ways are both simplest and most effective, to say nothing of less expensive than colonialism’s fondness for the high-tech weaponry of a thoroughly paramilitary mindset.
And it is, always, a tool of communication, of language. It need not be used for hunting; it functions just as effectively in the service of building trust. And as the return of the elk herd to our own land every winter in search of refuge reminds us, our other relatives need our help more than ever now.
But there is no shelter, no sanctuary, without safety, and there is no safety with trust. We need to relearn the old ways of building it, not merely with people but with all the relations who share this land with us. Because in a dangerous and deadly world, we need a way of calling them home.
~ Aji
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