Leather Pouch with Flint
Date: 21st century
Medium: Rescued leather from an old sofa, boots laces, antler and flint
Dimensions: diam.: 17”

I harvested an old leather sofa that was going to be thrown out. I managed to slowly cut out the entire sofa and exposed the foam inside. It was almost like skinning an animal.

Pine Pitch
Date: 21st century
Medium: Pine sap, charcoal and milkweed seed fluff
Dimensions: length: 14”, 15”, 8”

I harvested lots of pine sap from Ben’s properties at Poconos. Sap can be used as a wound bandage. When combined with charcoal and milkweed seed fluff, Pine Pitch acts as nature’s epoxy. It can be used to patch birch bark canoes and fix fletching on arrows.

Rescued Arrow with Flint Tip
Date: 21th century
Medium: Rescued arrow, blue slate turkey feathers and flint
Dimensions: length 30”

Talisman Pouch
Date: 21st century
Medium: Leather, angelica roots and tooth
Dimensions: 3” x 3”

The pouch contains Angelica roots and one of my molar teeth. I broke the tooth while asleep because of night time grinding (Bruxism). It might be due to stress. I wanted to be reminded to be calm and relax. Angelica roots protects against negative energy.

Tinder Pouch
Date: 21st century
Medium: Leather, tinder, flint and fire steels
Dimensions: 4” x 5”

There was a time we actually needed a tinder pouch to survive. Most of us rely on our stoves to create fire to cook, but how would you make fire if you were outside? Having some fire steel could be really useful.

Bone Sewing Kit
Date: 21st century
Medium: Cow bone, deer antler, needles, faux sinew, wood and leather
Dimensions: 7” x 3”

It is hard to find bone materials in NYC. I decided to visit Dickson’s Farmstand in Chelsea Market and treat myself to some bone marrow. The marrow was fatty and I used it to fry an egg and the bone to make this sewing kit. Potential health benefits of bone marrow include building immunity, repairing wounds, helping with digestion and even fighting cancer.

Talking Stick
Date: 21st century
Medium: Wooden handle, decorative pebbles and wire.
Dimensions: 14” x 3”

This is a primitive technology. The holder of this baton is the only one that can speak up while congregating in a circle. This ritual helps people learn to listen and let everyone express their feelings and thoughts. The decorative pebbles was just left over from previous craft projects and the handle is a branch from the backyard.

Leather Hand Guard
Date: 21st century
Medium: Recycled Clarks Desert Boots leather and elastic cord
Dimensions: 9” x 6”

The leather used to create this hand guard was harvested from my worn Clark’s Desert Boots.

Scrimshaw on Bone Folder
Date: 21st century
Medium: Cow bone
Dimensions: 6” x 0.75”

I learned to used a bone folder as an artist in residence at Center for Book Arts. We used it to fold paper to make a distinctive edge.You can also use it to cut paper to have the deco edge that are desirable on the edge of novels and wedding cards. I etched a pine tree and an eagle on this one to symbolize the shamanic cosmology that I’m relearning.

Tyvek Drawstring Bag
Date: 21st century
Medium: Paracord and tyvek envelop
Dimensions: 10” x 11”

Tyvek envelopes can be recycled into a useful drawing string bag to keep those dirty clothes separate from the clean ones or to separate a pair of dirty shoes in your luggage.

Macramé
Date: 21th century
Medium: Paracord amd oak wood
Dimensions: 29” x 75”

These are sample knots that I made to remind myself how to do it again. It also comes in handy as a teaching aid.

It was a gift from George from a weekend wilderness retreat in the Poconos.

Flint Knife
Date: 21st century
Medium: Flint, antler and artificial sinew
Dimensions: 4.5” x 1”

I grow Job’s Tears plants in my garden. They are an edible grain and naturally shiny. You just need to drill a hole and you’ll have readymade beads.

I found this drift wood after hurricane
Sandy and I’m still not good at using it.

Elk Leg Bone Knife
Date: 21th century
Medium: Elk bone and leather
Dimensions: 9” x 1”

The feathers are from my local farmer (Rabbit Run Farm). It is a heritage turkey breed, called Blue Slate. I found the bone at the wilderness retreat and it is sealed with pine pitch that I processed.

Ceremonial Drum
Date: 21st century
Drum Medium:
Elk hide and wooden frame
Drum Dimensions:
Depth: 1.75” diam.: 12”
Stick Medium:
deer hide and alder stick
Stick Dimensions:
Length 11” diam.: 1/2”

I purchased the raw materials online and built the drum myself. I chose a 12” drum instead of a 16” or 18” for the sake of convenience, it is small enough to travel with but the tone is not deep enough. A deep tone will sounds better and can carry you to the alternate realm with ease.

Spirit Animal Totem
Date: 21st century
Medium: Coconut shell and black paint
Dimensions: diam.: 4.5”

I bought the coconut at a health food store and sawed it in half. I ground the meat into flakes and pressed coconut milk out of it. I cooked curry with the milk and dehydrated the pulp. The dried pulp was added into my granola. The shells were further scraped, sanded and painted.

Milled Steel Knife with Sheath
Date: 21st century
Medium: Milled steel black smithed knife
Dimensions: 9” X 2.5”

I made this knife at Philadelphia
Sculpture Gym with my friend Kristen and her knife curved up so much that it looks like a cheese knife. The heated steel almost had it’s own mind. It was our first try at blacksmithing.

Fish Skin Pouch
Date: 21st century
Medium: Mahi Mahi fish skin, faux sinew and recycled sofa leather
Dimensions: 5” x 3”

I saw a fish skin pouch in BCM’s collection and wanted to make one. I procured the mahi-mahi fish skin from my local farmer’s market. I ate the fish and sun dried the skin.

Natural Dyed Ceremonial Cloth
Date: 21st century
Medium: Silk, cotton and plant based dye
Dimensions: 28” x 20”

This patch work reminds me of a blanket that my grandmother and my elder nanny made for me. The dye ingredients are: tumeric, pomegranate, black walnut, prickly pear, sumac, pokeberry, acorn, blackberry, red onion, avocado, yellow onion, green tea, black bean and Queens Anne’s Lace.

Gourd Rattle
Date: 21st century
Medium: Gourd and popcorn
Dimensions: 11” x 5”

The rattles are handmade, the gourds had plenty of seeds in them. I’ll try to plant them the next season. I used colored popcorn inside the gourd. You can also use Job’s Tears or any artificial beads to make the rattle sound. Traditionally sands and tiny pebbles that had been brought up by ants are used.

Dogbane Cordage
Date: 21st century
Medium: Dogbane
Dimensions: 65”

Dogbane is tough to find, finally I found a small patch in Staten Island and in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It was an adventure acquiring them.

Nettle Cordage
Date: 21st century
Medium: Nettles
Dimensions: 80”

I had a stinging nettle patch in my garden. The leaves are harvested for tea. The stings can help with osteoarthritis and hay fever. If stung, you can relieve the pain with the leaves of jewelweed or plantain.