Writing
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The Stilt and the Cave: A Long History of Seeing the Animal and the Land in Southwestern France
The earliest examples of art we have in the world are either simple human figures, simple geometric patterns, hand prints, and human/animal hybrid sculptures. Or animals. The oldest painted art we have found in Europe...
The Hidden Phosphorus of Malawi
Malawi, once part of the Maravi Empire, is now one of the poorest countries in the world. This small nation in sub-Saharan Africa has over 50% of the population considered to be ‘very poor’ and...
If You Can Make A Basket, You’ll Never Go Hungry
A few years ago when I was at the Maine Common Ground Fair I was lucky enough to see a demonstration of traditional Passamaquoddy basketmaking by Gabriel Frey, a 14th generation Passamaquoddy basket weaver. I...
Vanamuthassi: The Grandmother of the Jungle
Deep in the forest of Kallar in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala in Southern India lives a 77 year old woman named Lakshmikutty. She estimates that she knows how to make around 500 medicinal treatments from the...
On The Heart of Pearls
The classic strand of pearls evoke a certain kind of classic lunar beauty. Still. Iridescent. Regal. And yet somehow still redolent of the sea. An unmined gem wrenched from the mouth of an oyster. And...
The Life Hidden Beneath Our Lives
Right now there is every evidence that the Earth is in the midst of a sixth major extinction. Whether it is charismatic megafauna like polar bears or orangutan or less known amphibians like the axolotl…important...
The Herds Throne
For todays dispatch I am so thrilled to share with you a just short of three minute video of my friend Daniel Stermac-Stein who is a traditional skin tanner and handmade bespoke leather tailor. I...
The Longing of a Billion Oysters
Dredging has been happening in waterways around the world for thousands of years. Sometimes it is to pull precious gems or minerals from a sea or river bed. Or to pull sand and silt for...
Things To Wonder About At The Cheese Plate
Next time you are at a dinner party and are hovering near the cheese plate or are nearby somebody who is hovering by the cheese plate and you both look at each other and shrug...
The Oldest Needle
In Potok Cave in Eastern Slovenia a needle was found that was made between 41,000 and 47,000 years ago. And in Liaoning Province in China needles were found that were between 23,000 and 30,000 years...
