Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

Growing, gathering, and weaving with plant fibers from the Pacific Northwest

  • About
    • Art Resume
    • Artist Statement – Land Acknowledgement
    • Teaching, Exhibits, Projects
  • Galleries
    • Functional Ribbed Work
    • Wall Pieces
    • Woven and Folded Bark
    • Sculptural Blends
    • Community
  • Workshops
  • Weaving Knowledge
    • Workshops
    • My Teachers
    • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact

Water Is Life – A Song Worth Hearing

March 3, 2023 By Melinda

Hello – If you’re reading this, you are likely a person who would be touched by this song. The words of Oliver Enjady put into song by Lyla June. I receive so much encouragement when I take the time to listen look and/or listen to the art created by young people today. I hope you enjoy. Please take good care of yourself. M
(From the YouTube Description:  Premiered Sep 18, 2021)

“All bandcamp music sales benefit www.7genfund.org! This song/music video is based on a conversation with Mescalero Apache elder Oliver R Enjady. Lyla was asked by the Architectural League of New York to write a song or poem about southern New Mexico water issues. But her people are not from that area so she did not feel right speaking on the issue. Oliver gave his perspective, rooted in traditional Mescalero knowledge and his personal observations. A lot of the lyrics from this song are verbatim his words and his message to all of us about how to re-understand water. We have been told by other elders that we need to change the way the world thinks about food and water if we are to survive and thrive. We don’t understand how fragile and precarious our civilization is. Two days without water and our whole society would start to unravel. With depleted ground water sources, unclean rivers and streams, and dwindling springs, we are all having to get back to basics and honor just how precious water is. We cannot take her for granted anymore. We love you all and may this song be a prayer for all waters and the life that depend on them, around the world. Produced by: Adam Elfers Video with: Northern Vision Productions Composed by: Lyla June Written by: Oliver Enjady and Lyla June”




Filed Under: Community, My Teachers, News Tagged With: Lyla June, Oliver Enjady, Song, Water is Life

Search the site

Subscribe

Blog Categories

Connect with Melinda

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Recent Posts

  • Spring – It’s on the Way
  • Water Is Life – A Song Worth Hearing
  • Suquamish Elder Ed Carriere is a 2023 National Heritage Fellow
  • Our Sacred Obligation – A Story Worth Spreading
  • Basketry Program at BARN-Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network

Popular Blog Topics

art Art in the Woods Studio Tour Artistic Weaving With Western Red Cedar Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network BARN BARN workshops cedar bark Cedar From Tree To Pouch Clam Basket A Story By Ed Carriere class community creative Cultural Arts Foundation NW design early spring Ed Carriere English ivy Fall First Peoples grasses inner cedar bark IslandWood ivy Katie Jennings leaves mixed grass paper new work North Cascades Institute NW sweetgrass Pacific Northwest Paper making Small Plant Fiber Projects Spencer West spring students summer Suquamish Sydni Sterling Studio teaching weaving Weaving With Western Red Cedar Western red cedar winter workshop

About Melinda

Forty years ago, while sitting on the beach playing with my young children, I made my first basket out of a pile of willow trimmings someone had tossed there. It looked wildly made like a crazy bird’s nest. While being together with my two sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, this simple experience of crafting with the natural materials at hand kindled a passion for creating forms using plant fibers. I thank my family, my community, and all my teachers for cultivating this gift in me.
Read More
Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA

Copyright © 2023 Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry | Indianola | Washington | USA

Site by LND