Description
Copper gorget with 2 Hearts & 1 Turtle in center Medicine plants on edges
This is a new hand-wrought (Hand chased and repoussé) gorget – ‘anaskamôn’ in Western Abenaki. The metal is copper ‘wisôwahlagw’ coated with Everbrite™ protection on the front surface so it will not tarnish easily. The hearts ‘mlawôganal’ signify the heart berry or strawberry ‘mskikoimininsak’ that are gathered and eaten from along the milky way star road to heaven by our ancestor relations. So – they remind us to remember them here on North America – the great Turtle Island ‘Tolba Menahan’. The double curves and “fiddle head medicine ‘Mide’ plant designs become canoes traveling around carrying the healing plants to help protect. Copper – when wet turns green ‘askaskwigan’ which represents life as in growing plants. Copper has been more valuable to North American peoples than silver or gold because it represents life, renewal and healing. The necklace part is shell and copper tubes “hair pipes” and white heart red beads (for the strawberries) strung on imitation sinew.
All original work by Paul-René and signed in the design with the Sunrise Drum mark.
