Field Notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 32/52 | Summer
Aug 01, 2021
Field notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 32 of 52 | The Forager’s Basket
3 days, 24 women, 1 man ~ all weaving together with natural reed and in communion with nature. These beautifully crafted Foragers baskets hold the dreams of future harvests from Pacific Northwest treasures including berries, roots, wild plants, mushrooms, lichen and shellfish.
Arriving at Millersylvania State Park, we were welcomed by an expansive lake and a canopy of old growth cedar trees and towering Douglas fir.
Instructor Karen Sherwood and I prepared the learning space, a historic log-cabin style, open-aired picnic area and kitchen built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Basket weaving is a long day. It is meticulous work requiring concentration. There was moments of laughter and storytelling as well as long quiet stretches where each individual was inward and focused. The sense of shared connection however was strong as there is a primal memory that is activated when surrounded by community, creating together in a traditional way.
This process aligns our senses as we use our fingers to guide the material, our hands creating beauty and functionality…. Our eyes watch the shape of our baskets form and make necessary adjustments as we observe the structure , the sound of quiet talking and laughter is grounding and our sixth sense is activated in this moving meditation. We are awakening within us the shared collective mind of our human story. Community, utility, connection to nature and real work that inspires a dream for gathering food and medicine in the wild.
This weekend was the second of a series of basket weaving courses hosted by Wildkind Academy in partnership with Karen Sherwood of Earthwalk Northwest. We will be offering a Salmon and Cedar making basket in the fall 
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