Floral Journey

I found this book at the Mount Pleasant library branch:



I couldn't believe it existed. What a thing. Flowers + adornment + indigenous people's post-contact history.



The author Lois S Dubin describes how indigenous people across North America adapted floral beadwork–taught to them by Ursuline nuns, but quickly improved upon with their own techniques, materials, and styles–to convey and maintain private, spiritual, and wisdom knowledge.

I thought of kilims–the flat-weave carpets made by women across the Middle East, in which a lot of information is woven.

I thought of suzanis that I have seen in Turkey, made in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and other countries in Central Asia.



The pomegranates really jump out at me (I think that's what the round things are). And perhaps those are pomegranate flowers?



Here are drawings of pomegranate flowers, from a book Andy found for me at the book shop in Kerrisdale.

I have always been drawn to flowers. Recently I have been leaning harder into the interest, and looking and feeling around for the source and shape and theory around flowers' appeal to me and to others. Spring is of course a wonderful time for it.