EARTH PAINTS

Guided tours are offered on Thursday and Friday mornings of the Pow Wow. This is an opportunity for schools, home schools, scouting, and other groups of all ages to learn about the Tribe, Tribal Grounds, visit with the traders, and enjoy the gathering. Tours include the Council House, museum, demonstrations, storytelling, inter-tribal dancing, and a sample tasting of frybread. A discount lunch is offered for tour participants at the cookhouse, which also serves breakfast and dinner. The Tribal Grounds and permanent facilities are handicapped accessible with ample parking for buses and vans. Reservations for guided tours are recommended.

Throughout the year, the Cherokee of Georgia is active in the community. Field trips and campouts are hosted at the Tribal Grounds. Presentations on American Indian culture and history with interactive displays and activities are held at local libraries, schools, and activity centers. Their interactive displays are also set up at events to provide information and inspire interest to learn more.

In times of crisis and hardship, tribal members have provided assistance, such as delivering hurricane supplies. Cherokee of Georgia has been recognized by the State of Georgia and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge for housing firefighters on the Tribal Grounds during wildfires. Recognition has also been received from Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base for Native American Heritage programs on base. Their Tribal Council is incorporated and has held nonprofit status since 1989. The Tribal Grounds are located at 110 Cherokee Way, Saint George, GA 31562.

Additional Pow Wow information is available at “Cherokee of Georgia Tribal Grounds” (@CherokeeofGA) on Facebook.

Written by: Jane Winkler., Jane is a member of Beaver Creek Indians of South Carolina. She and her husband, Tim, have volunteered with the Cherokee of Georgia for over a decade.

Layla Perchal Neal is a UK photographer based currently in Jacksonville. Photography has been a passion of Layla’s ever since her father gifted her with his 35mm camera as a teenager. Layla has spent a third of her life living outside the UK as an expat and is drawn to documenting the stories of the people, and places she experiences. Layla worked for Al Jazeera in Doha for eight years amongst a wealth of media experience. Currently, she is studying for her Masters in Photography in the UK.

THE ART OF CREATING

Earth Paints

The art of painting throughout history has always been a wonderful open-ended medium. But I found that when someone goes through the unparalleled process of collecting, digging, and crushing the pigments to create the paints right from the earth beneath their bare feet, it becomes a much more holistic experience. Similar to the paintings of cavemen we read about in ancient historical documents, there is a primal beauty in making art from organic ingredients in the simplest of colors. Browns, coppers, rich tea-browns, and pale goldenrod clays, each of these pigments from the earth’s layers sing with the vibrance they were gifted. Using natural-colored paints offers a rich opportunity for hands-on learning and a celebration of each person’s unique creative spirit. As we begin our process of creating earth paints,

we first begin by

collecting a variety of pigments from the earth.

Along the rivers, lakes, beaches, and

creeks there are numerous beautiful soils, clays, soft rocks, and

sands. From our previous night’s campfire, we gather charcoal and ashes which will create lovely rich blacks and moody shades of grey. Should you be limited to an outdoor space with rich soil to dig into, there are also a number of beautiful spices inside your pantry cabinet that will provide both a fragrant and natural sensory experience. Next, we slip on a mask and safety glasses and use mortar or pestle to

grind each pigment sample into the finest of powder. The natural elements we forged can create puffs of dust clouds and particles as they are ground into the pigment powder. Larger stubborn pieces can be sifted with a cheese-cloth, for the better part we are wanting a pigment that is similar to the texture of

flour or sugar but having a variety of course and softer textures. Pour-

ing each ground-up pigment into separate jars, slowly begin to add

drops of

water

into

each container. Obviously, the more water you add to your pigment, the lighter your final shade of color will be, so add the water sparigly to ensure your earth pigment doesn’t become a dull watercolor. At this stage, you can choose to move forward and paint with the medium the way it is or pour in a small amount of acrylic painting meidum and mix it well to achieve the consistency of a smooth rich paint. Adding the acrylic medium will cause it to appear a bit “milky” while the paint is wet, but rest assured that once your paint is fully dry, it will become transparent and only the vibrant color and tecture of your natural raw pigment will remain. The acrylic is only added to act as a “binder” to adhere your pigment to the paper or canvas. If used in their natural state, earth paints without acrylic can tend to flake off into dust again when your art has dried. Once all of your earth-created paint shades have been well mixed, enjoy bringing them to life once again in your art!