Nora Moore Lloyd

Spirit Houses
digital photograph archival print
14 x 16 in.

Dear Earth,

Relatively speaking, until recently the relationship between human and non-human creatures and Nature has been a balance of interdependence. Indigenous people have understood for millennia our role to preserve, protect and continue in addition to participate. I chose three images to illustrate the depth of our interconnectedness with Mother Earth. * Created by Ancients centuries ago, petroglyphs represent a record of cultural expression from simpler times. A way to carry forward the important stories of those generations and acknowledge the gifts of Mother Earth. What more appropriate medium to leave an important message than inscribed on Earth itself. * Today, artists record intersections of Earth’s creatures, Nature and humans on canvas, continuing the tradition of visual storytelling. * Life is a cycle, after all; we come from the earth and return. Wooden Spirit Houses mark graves in an old section of cemetery at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Reservation. Birch bark was originally used before more modern lumber construction began in 1800s. In time, all structures will eventually return to the earth — unlike concrete monuments. Within Nature wood has its own beauty and a cycle of transformation from seedling of promise to a shelter to start the final journey.

© Nora Moore Lloyd