Ancestors - Chichimeca
"...And they knew the qualities, the essence, of herbs, of roots.
The so-called peyote, was their discovery.
They assembled together somewhere on the desert; they came together;
there they danced, they sang all night, all day.
And on the morrow, once more they assembled together.
They wept; they wept exceedingly.
They said (thus) they cleansed their eyes.
And they were feather gluers, feather workers; for they made,
they glued, the fan-shaped device of yellow parrot feathers."
- Florentine Codex, 1569
Foreword on Feathers
Our ancestors' instruments are but the outer layer
of a deeply profound cosmovision.
Behind these instruments & cultures are just the hearts of people.
Hearts wherein grow our true plumage, our radiant feathers,
the ascension of consciousness.
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We all need to belong.
It is common to see people distracted in this longing
by the surface beauty of indigenous cultures,
and subsequently our instruments.
With desires of the mind and not from the heart.
Without this heart, our instruments stay asleep,
and so do we, unable to awake in the old dream.
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As a personal statement;
I work in prayer, the art is just the expression.
I make the feather art as beautiful as I can,
to reflect the beauty inside of you,
the beauty of Mother Earth, Father Sky and their children,
the ancestors and our plant + animal siblings.
Amongst many families, communities and the privacy of homes,
it brings me great joy and wholeness to know my feather art is being used for healing, protection & inspiration.
Prehispanic Feather Art
Feather work has been around since time immemorial in Cemanahuac (The Americas). While these images are from a post-contact codex, it does give valuable insight into the prehipanic methods of feather working, here are images of fans being made, colourful plumage arranged & Tzauhtli (glue) being prepared to apply to feathers.
Paintings from the Florentine Codex, 1569
Copilli - Feather Crown
Copilli is the flowering of light we see,
when Father Sun dies upon Mother Earth at dusk,
the light when he is born again at dawn.
Copilli is worn by those who already possess
a radiant Sun within them.
shining with flowers and songs,
blossoming consciousness.
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The feather knotting I have learnt was reintroduced from South American intertribal relations. Our indigenous people of Mexico & North America used similar techniques, however there is minimal evidence & knowledge that has survived colonisation to support this.
That being said, from Chile to Alaska, our people understand and practise many similar ceremonies, art techniques and ways of life that we have always shared. We continue today helping each other to remember, to restore our cultural and spiritual wholeness.
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Develop the plumage of our spirit,
make the Sun within our heart bright so we can see the path.
Surround us with a beautiful light.
Contact
When you work with a feather, you are entering into a relationship of reciprocity, respect, and responsibility.
If you are new to your/our cultural ceremonies, I recommend contacting for a single feather or a rattle to sing. The same way the light of the sun is in one candle, a single feather helps you build a connection, as multiple feathers carry more energy & responsibility.
This is not recommended if you are interested in private collection framed art to protect your home & family outside of ceremonial use or interested in gallery art exhibition.
Upon completing the contact form, I will share with you what I can offer to best support your request and/or prayers. This process is done with integrity & respect to cultural laws. If requesting an instrument, you will receive a document with important information & protocols.
