Story of the Feather

 

This piece is a starting point of what I am hoping to focus on this semester. The eagle feather is very significant to me. Each feather is a life; it is the life of a person, community, relationship. This work references these lives and the source of life, or the Creator. It is also a nod to the topic of which I want to focus on this semester, which is the story of the feather.

"The eagle feather is a picture of life. Each part of the feather is synonymous with different aspects of an individual’s journey. It starts at the stem. The tip of the feather represents the beginning of life. The stem leads into the afterfeather. The afterfeather, like youth, is wild, unpredictable, and messy. It is hard to navigate and even harder to tame. The main feather represents adulthood. Each bard is reminiscent of an experience. The fat side is the happy, positive life experiences. Alternatively, the slim side is the difficult times. Oftentimes the main feather will break. While this damage may seem like it can never be fixed, with some time and care the break can be smoothed out and mended. Once you reach the tip of the feather, you’ve grown into an elder. At the tip, you have the whole feather to show for; you’ve accumulated the knowledge and wisdom to pass down to the next generation."