One day Badger came up to his friend Coyote with a bag.
“What is in the bag?” Coyote asked. Can I help you carry it?”
“I will let you carry this bag,” Badger said. I have to do something. But do not open it while I am gone.”
Coyote took the bag while Badger went off to do something. “If I am not supposed to open this bag”, Coyote said, “then I should look inside it so I can know what it is I am not supposed to look at”.
So Coyote opened the bag. As soon as he did so, it got darker. Inside that bag were many other bags. Coyote began to open them, one by one. Each time he opened another bag, it got darker. Finally, he had opened all the bags and let out all the darkness. It was so dark even Coyote could not see.
That is how darkness came into the world. It was because of Coyote.
Geronimo - Joseph Bruchac
Geronimo was heavy on my mind this last trip to Arizona. He has always been an inspiration in my life for as long as I can remember. He lived to be in his 90's. He spent his whole life fighting to be free, from Mexico and then the U.S government. Its hard to say for sure but it seems to me he never gave up trying. Even when they sent him away from the land he loved.
Right before I left for Arizona I found a book at the library, Geronimo by Joseph Bruchac. It’s the story of Geronimo after his surrender to the US government and his time in Florida, Alabama and eventually Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as told by his grandson, Willie.
Its hard not to think about the ancestors when your hiking these desert trails. People ask me all the time where my inspiration comes from for the jewelry I create. The older I get I realize that I owe everything I have including my creativity to the old ones who have gone before me.
I love this one story in the book. On the train going to Florida people and newspaper men would gather at each stop to try and see the Apaches and especially Geronimo.
“Does Chief Geronimo here have anything he might want to sell to me?” That was what each of those newsmen would ask Mr. Wratten (the interpreter) at the end of the interview.
Wratten would pass on that question to my grandfather, who would stand there for a time, his head lowered as if in thought. Then, with great reluctance, he would look at his right hand and slowly remove the brass ring he wore on his index finger.
“Tell this White Eyes, “my grandfather would say to Mr. Wratten, holding the ring out to him, “that I cannot number the battles I have gone into while wearing this ring.”
It was only after the train had left the station that my grandfather would take out another of those rings, which he had bought for ten cents each at Fort Sam and put on his finger.
Lots of inspiration in Arizona. We went to a place called Painted Rock Petroglyph Site near Gila Bend. I have never seen so many petroglyphs in one place. The whole hill was covered in them. Some dated back 12,000 years to the Hohokam. Amazing! I am picturing a whole etched series of these drawings. Stay tuned!
It is definitely spring here in the Southwest. The juniper trees are bursting with pollen. I'm getting ready for the Las Cruces Art Fair coming up next weekend.
The fair is held at the convention center March 17 thru the 19th. This is a very well juried show with really great artwork. For more information go to www.daarts.org/2017-las-cruces-arts-fair.
I'll have lots of new jewelry as I have been making new pieces non stop. I can't list everything on the website so if you can make it come to one of the shows and see me in person.
All of the work on this posting is available at www.ginnywolfstudio.com. Ill leave you with this great song by Micheal Martin Murphey and Charles Quatro.