Asemaa - Tobacco
These earrings hang 8" long and 1" wide on sterling silver ear hooks. Hand braided and stitched with miyuki delica glass seed beads. From designing to the last stitch these took me about 30 hours to complete.
When I think of tobacco as a Sacred Medicine the only thing that comes to my mind is seeing my brother sprinkle the tobacco from a cigarette into a grave at a loved ones funeral and then shoveling in a heap of dirt. Obviously a cigarette isn't what most people picture when thinking of sacred asemaa but it was all he had and it was a gesture of respect that stayed with me.
The family cemetery is in Cass Lake right next to the house my grandparents lived in when I was a kid. The 20 minute drive out there reminds me of peering out the window looking for eagles, my dad always pointing them out to me when he spotted one. I loved that drive. It meant I was about to spend a day with my cousins playing dress up and putting on a show for the family with whatever ridiculous skit we made up. It meant climbing trees and grandpa yelling at us to get down. It meant a day of sledding and burning cheeks. It meant a potluck, wild rice style or fry bread tacos style.
This piece was inspired by these stories, of my family's togetherness, of our joy. It represents intertwined lives, growth, and the love of a family ❤️