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A Story From the Earth: A Praise Song for an American Hero

Now available as a book "A Story From the Earth: A Praise Song for an American Hero": These images were created in praise of a Native American woman, Quatie Ross, for her gift of a blanket to a sick child during the Cherokee Removal to Indian Territory in 1838. A U.S. soldier who accompanied a contingent of Cherokees on their westward journey recalls the snowy night on November 17 when Mrs. Ross gave away her blanket and died from exposure before dawn, and in his eye-witness account he calls on the Anglo Saxon race to create “a towering monument” in memory of her act of compassion.

After the discovery of my own Cherokee ancestor in an unmarked grave, I became more acquainted with this painful period in our history, sometimes called “The Trail of Tears,” and I have here attempted to respond to Lieutenant Burnett’s request. Until such a time as a “towering monument” exists, may these simple figures serve as an act of remembrance for one whose act of compassion stands for many others, for mothers as unsung heroes and "giftgivers," and for the continuing journeys of displaced people worldwide - the “trails of tears” - that continue in our own time.

The book is available from http://diannedelaet.com/online-bookstore-gallery
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  • Generations<br />
nest, antler, peeled roots

    Generations
    nest, antler, peeled roots

  • Family<br />
peeled cypress root

    Family
    peeled cypress root

  • Braving Storm<br />
burls, peeled root, pine rosettes

    Braving Storm
    burls, peeled root, pine rosettes

  • Protector<br />
stump, root, feathers

    Protector
    stump, root, feathers

  • Facing Forward<br />
broken crab and seashells,<br />
quartz, pod, feathers, polished branch

    Facing Forward
    broken crab and seashells,
    quartz, pod, feathers, polished branch

  • Sisters<br />
root, broken pinecone, pod, vertebrae...

    Sisters
    root, broken pinecone, pod, vertebrae...

  • Standing Holy<br />
stones, pod, deer skull, armadillo bone

    Standing Holy
    stones, pod, deer skull, armadillo bone

  • She Prays<br />
fossil piece, bark, branch, petal, shells, old marble

    She Prays
    fossil piece, bark, branch, petal, shells, old marble

  • She Will Dance<br />
corn, cactus, quartz, pod, petal, root

    She Will Dance
    corn, cactus, quartz, pod, petal, root

  • Walk Tall Woman<br />
mud ball, fossil, vertebrae, pumice, stick...

    Walk Tall Woman
    mud ball, fossil, vertebrae, pumice, stick...

  • She Who Is Great And Small<br />
Standing Mother: peeled cypress root on stone<br />
Mother and Child: petals, vertebrae, eucalyptus

    She Who Is Great And Small
    Standing Mother: peeled cypress root on stone
    Mother and Child: petals, vertebrae, eucalyptus

  • Earth Child<br />
seed on seed on wood

    Earth Child
    seed on seed on wood

  • She Lives<br />
seeds, stone...

    She Lives
    seeds, stone...

  • Home<br />
rock on burl, eucalyptus on crushed magnolia pod

    Home
    rock on burl, eucalyptus on crushed magnolia pod

  • Giver<br />
corn, arrowhead, shell on burl

    Giver
    corn, arrowhead, shell on burl

  • They Will Love<br />
dead petals, seeds, seaweed

    They Will Love
    dead petals, seeds, seaweed

  • Spirit<br />
polished wood, cactus branch

    Spirit
    polished wood, cactus branch

  • Knows The Way<br />
seaweed, shell and eucalyptus on branch

    Knows The Way
    seaweed, shell and eucalyptus on branch

  • Oh Mother<br />
garlic skin, shells, tree core

    Oh Mother
    garlic skin, shells, tree core

  • In Ceremony<br />
broken egg shells, pod...

    In Ceremony
    broken egg shells, pod...

  • In Procession<br />
peeled cypress root, petals, antler

    In Procession
    peeled cypress root, petals, antler

  • They Endure<br />
branches, bone, stone, center of a seashell

    They Endure
    branches, bone, stone, center of a seashell

  • Death Skips Ahead<br />
bark, corn, twigs

    Death Skips Ahead
    bark, corn, twigs

  • Communion<br />
sea stone, peeled branch...

    Communion
    sea stone, peeled branch...

  • She Who Finds Death<br />
seaweed, tanbark on wood, piece of wasp's nest

    She Who Finds Death
    seaweed, tanbark on wood, piece of wasp's nest

  • No Name Girl<br />
tanbark...

    No Name Girl
    tanbark...

  • Unborn<br />
eucalyptus, nest...

    Unborn
    eucalyptus, nest...

  • Holy Ghost Dance<br />
sea matter...

    Holy Ghost Dance
    sea matter...

  • Sentinel<br />
firewood, sea matter...

    Sentinel
    firewood, sea matter...

  • Beloved Woman<br />
sea matter, dead leaf, fossil

    Beloved Woman
    sea matter, dead leaf, fossil

  • Journeying<br />
beautiful feather, brussel sprout, cypress root, stone...

    Journeying
    beautiful feather, brussel sprout, cypress root, stone...

  • She Mourns<br />
Mother: root, peeled and oiled<br />
Child: flowers, petals...

    She Mourns
    Mother: root, peeled and oiled
    Child: flowers, petals...

  • Destiny<br />
fern frond, arrowhead and seed, dead tree core

    Destiny
    fern frond, arrowhead and seed, dead tree core

  • Going Home<br />
meteorites, eucalyptus, volcanic rock, eucalyptus, twig

    Going Home
    meteorites, eucalyptus, volcanic rock, eucalyptus, twig

  • With Life<br />
oiled gourd on stone

    With Life
    oiled gourd on stone

  • To Live<br />
branches, painted egg on bark

    To Live
    branches, painted egg on bark

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