Madrone Berry Necklaces

One of my favorite things to do, while walking in the woods around Tipi Village, is taking a moment with the Madrone trees. The thin bark peels off leaving a smooth layer exposed and I am in constant awe of its twisting and gnarled branches.  One of the older Madrones, called Grandma by the kids and I, has swallowed a barb-wire fence. Nature does not care about our imaginary boundaries.

 

 

It is one of the many sacred trees of the Pacific Northwest.

In the legend of the great flood, the Salish First Nation describe how the Madrona tree provided an anchor for their canoes to hold steady and not drift away. It is known as a Tree of Knowledge because it knows how to find the sun. It twists and turns, growing new branches where the sun can reach them. Poet Richard Olafson shares another Native legend, writing, "The tree's webbed roots hold the splintered earth together." If it should disappear, the myth warns, the planet would fly apart and be utterly destroyed. The Madrone is also known as the Tree of Depth and Integrity, and is symbolic of protection and versatility.

One of our fellow villagers found Madrone berry necklaces at a primitive skills gathering and I couldn't wait to make some the following year.  Waiting is one aspect of wildcrafting that makes things more exciting and cherished, you usually only have a short window of opportunity to gather materials!

I spent a good amount of my time, while driving to Missouri, stringing the berries and after a month of slow drying they are ready to become necklaces. 

 

 

 

 

 

I am honored to adorn my body with these berries and hope those of you that get your own will appreciate this trees beauty.

 

 

 

Plant medicine -- St. John's Wort Oil

 

This healing oil of St. John's Wort, Hypericum perforatum, is a staple for our family.  Michael healed a deep puncture wound, without infection, and any minor scrap or burn is treated with this oil.  A fellow villager, Kayla, gave us our first jar the month we moved to Tipi Village.  A precious gift!  This summer I made my own oil. Paying close watch over the new shoots on my daily walks around the mountain.  I felt like I was hovering in anticipation and envious of those returning with the summer's first blooms. Fair and I gathered the flowers and buds from multiple spots around the village, making sure that we were conscience of the other medicine makers harvest, as to not diminish the flowers to seed next years growth.  I used 70% buds to 30% flowers, solar infused with organic olive oil.  It sat outside our tipi for over two months, deepening in reds everyday. 

Hearth Tidings -- Issue Two

This is the issue of Tipi Village's newsletter I edited. 

 

 

Hearth Tidings Issue 2

 

 



Forest of Arts (Hopkins Demonstration Forest)

Our family was invited to give a Tipi Living Demo at an outdoor arts festival, called Forest of Arts, this last weekend.  It was held at the Hopkins Demonstration Forest, outside of Portland, OR.  Along with showing how people can still live in tipis, with a direct relationship with the elements, my husband and I gave demonstrations of our own crafts as well.  I recreated my outdoor sewing work space and set up a hand-on display for Natural Dyeing, while Michael displayed his basket weaving and bow-making.  Fair Ophelia Designs creations were for sale, along with a few wild-crafted plant medicines.  It was a really great event and we would be happy to return next year! 

We set up our family lodge one day before the festival began and welcomed many old friends into our home.  After living in Southern Oregon for more than a year and having many folks come and visit us, we had the pleasure of bringing our home to those unable to travel afar.

Tipi living in the Cascade region seems a bit unreasonable due to the wetness, but we survived the weekend.  There was only one short rain storm, but finding dry wood in a temperate rain forest is difficult, leading to smokier fires than normal.  Our bones were creaking from the cold moist air, yet the experience was rewarding.

It is strange to put your life on display, but I feel we opened many eyes to the possibility of how humans can live in a more direct and accountable way.  Many boy and girl scout troops were around and the whole family took turns helping them get some badges.  Fair and Whitman showed how to identify different trees and what those trees offered for food and medicine.  I did a short dyeing tutorial with sumac berries and iron and Michael talked about wild edibles and processing acorns.  Their eyes were bright and there smiles wide by the end of the visit with us.  We had many great conversations throughout the weekend and thank you to all those who supported us by taking home one of my many creations!!!

 

Natural Dyeing Demo Area
 

Fair Ophelia Designs

 




Sumac berries create a rosy beige, but when put in an iron after-bath it changes to a charcoal.
 




Wolf lichen, Oregon Grape root, and Onion skins create various yellows and light greens.

 

(photo by Gordon F.)
Visitors were fascinated with the spectrum of colors from natural dyeing and I told them this demo's colors were just the tip of the ice burg in the colors one can achieve!




Boy scouts breaking open acorns and walnuts.




(photo by Gordon F.)
Our family lodge
 

       

(photo by Gordon F.)
Michael spent a lot of time welcoming people inside and letting them experience being on the ground around the fire.


 





(photo by Gordon F.)
We tried to make it as close to our normal setup.

 

Time with our loved ones!

Tipi Village moves up the Mountain

The whole Tipi Village has moved up to the summer spot which is in the  Cascades-Siskiyous of Southern Oregon. The village is semi-nomadic, living lower in the valley during winter and spring and then up higher for the summer and fall.  Here is a few of us putting up the Big Lodge.  TheBig Lodge is the village's community space and where we all live together while we are setting up our family lodges, during moving time.  The Big Lodge is open to all and if you want to come and experience Tipi Village this is where you stay.