Braiding Sweetgrass highlights the circular nature of understanding that to nourish the natural world means to nourish ourselves as well : “ All flourishing is mutual .” In nurturing our mother , she can continue to nurture us , so let ’ s open our eyes , hearts , and minds and get to work — a pathway of wisdom and balance exists — we only need take the first steps toward a more vibrant and resilient ecosystem for all , not only physically but spiritually as well .
Riverworks Art Center Artists Roundtable Cohort :
Indigenous Peoples of the Potomac Piedmont
The lands and waterways of what is now Montgomery County ’ s Agricultural Reserve have been used for hunting , fishing , farming , foraging , and homes for thousands of years , though the experiences of its indigenous peoples have been a challenge to learn . Surrounded by amazing , rich history and culture that has been hidden by design and neglect , local professor and writer Christine Rai led a cohort of artists to uncover and begin restoring respect for it via curated resources , experiential site visits , and community sharing and discussion . The artists used this information , these experiences , and their creative skills to craft an original creative piece honoring local indigenous peoples of the past and contemporary regional groups , including the map displayed on the previous pages .
Rai has been researching local indigenous history and cultures for about four years , and shared what she has learned in two Riverworks Art Center Storytellers presentations for the general public ; the artist cohort kicked off in April . Building on this foundational information and resources , the group made sure to prioritize and extend careful respect for the Ag Reserve ’ s original inhabitants and their legacies throughout the Roundtable sequence . Beyond the artistic creations , the Storyteller sessions and Roundtable cohort were educational efforts intended to empower others to learn about and act as respectful stewards of history , all cultures , and the ecosystems around us and to make this body of knowledge more easily accessible to the general public .
In April , the artist cohort embarked on a day trip to historic St . Mary ’ s City and Jefferson Patterson Museum and Park , visiting their Woodland Indian Hamlet and Woodland Indian Village . At St . Mary ’ s , dynamic and knowledgeable docents described the wisdom of the Yaocomico peoples in the midst of a recreated village , where the artists entered a wigwam largely constructed with traditional techniques and materials , observed an open-air cooking demonstration , and created their own vessels using locally sourced clay and tempering agents .
At Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum , the group chose to
On their visit to the Woodland Indian Hamlet Roundtable artists engaged in a hands-on vessel construction session with local clay and tempering materials , guided by HSM docents .
explore the archeological collections on site ( some of which feature items from the NW Ag Reserve ), experience the palisaded village features , or meet with State archeologists there to share their findings and expertise .
On a rainy day in May , Rai led a tour of local indigenous sites where the group could build their developing knowledge base and implement the information from the reconstructions and artifacts encountered on the southern Maryland trip . Ranging from the Monocacy Aqueduct area down to White ’ s Ferry and concluding at McKee Beshers , she shared what is currently known about the peoples and features from each site , allowing the group to collectively visualize the villages and life from that time , overlapping with our own contemporary use and appreciation of the Ag Reserve ’ s beauty and bounty . In fact , many of the infra-
plenty I autumn harvest 2024 7