A moment with Baby and dog

 

A moment with Baby and dog: Data Bear

As part of my thinking on experiential policy I tried to think through the life of a mother on the move. I was inspired by watching many episodes of "Time Team": a show where they have three days to understand the history of a place. They would often try to recreate a relevant historical food, feelings and experience to understand and connect to these ancestors.

This is the Wiki overview of experimental archeology Experimental archaeology - Wikipedia. Over the past 10 years this kind of practical physical inquiry has spread to other disciplines. I think this is an important element underpinning the Bear work - from the early days we had the teachings of Elder Solomon Wawatie (Anishnabe) that the answers would be found in doing the thing. Bear has returned many times to that teaching over the past years. Elder Barb Brant (Mohawk) also embodies this teaching in how she shares and guides this work

More recently I have noticed that many younger makers on youtube are contributing in this space, recreating things from available information, sharing their thinking about it and how to do it better, and sharing their learning with others. There are a number of really thoughtful folks working in this area –  but this was the first video that really pulled this approach all together for me Make it Goth(ic). Sewing a gown based on modern, vintage, and historical ideas of the gothic. - YouTube . It is active and practical engagement with the past(s), to learn in the present for the future.

Through the act of creating this piece I was able to see the home, ask new questions and better understand the historical descriptions I was reading. Nia'wen to all our Grandmothers for all their hard work to keep homes and communities safe. I will write up some of my other efforts to explore this area from a policy perspective soon, but overall I think this has the potential to be a fruitful area of inquiry especially in areas where written records are limited and/or obviously biased.

Mother is just out of frame but baby is safe as Mouse Woman watches from the grass. She is a respected Grandmother from traditional Haida stories who watches over children. I highly recommend these stories if you have young ones around. "Mouse Woman and the Vanished Princesses"