Cedar Tree Institute - Earth Gifts

EARTH GIFTS

From the Landscape and Folk Artists of Northern Michigan

Buried deep within all traditional communities that are connected to the natural world is an awareness of the connectedness of all things.

Forests and streams, the animals and birds are all dependent upon the change of seasons, the subtle changes of the sun, the moon and the stars.

Most see this drama as a fierce battle for survival, where only the strong survive. Others see it as reflecting some hidden sacred dance of sacrifice and gift.

One of the Institute's new environmental initiatives is the MASH'KOSOO Project. This is a restoration of native plants in which youth from juvenile courts, volunteers from the U.P. Children's Museum and members of the local American Indian community will be joining together to protect an important part of the Upper Peninsula's threatened ecosystem.

A donation of a $100 or more will underwrite this project and support the pro bono work of the Institute. You are invited to select any one of the enclosed Earth Gifts as a sign of our appreciation.

The Cedar Tree Institute is a nonprofit 501(c3) organization.
All donations are tax deductible.

SUPERIOR GOLD
MAPLE SYRUP

This sample of tasty maple syrup is part of the 2007 "First Run." It was hand-processed by the Director of the Cedar Tree Institute and carried out of the forest by sled and snowshoe four miles from a remote area on the shores of Lake Superior.

The making of authentic maple syrup is an ancient, labor-intensive process with the sap from the sugar maple running, on average, only five to ten days a year. Customary among the Native people of this region, it has been a sacred tradition for well over a thousand years.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
CEDAR OIL

This pure oil is distilled in a time- consuming process from the Northern White Cedar here in Northern Michigan. This tree has always had unique ceremonial and medicinal uses by the Ojibway. The Jesuits who first visited the Upper Peninsula in the seventeenth century named it Arbor Vitae or "tree of life."

This oil is available only from two sources: one in Northern Michigan, the other in Ontario. It can be used for anointings, baptisms or as a fragrance that will fill a room in seconds.

OJIBWAY
DREAM CATCHER

This religious and spiritual symbol is part of the traditional spiritual tradition of the Ojibway Indian people of Northern Michigan. It has long been used as a ritual item in "the way of the dream," part of the Midewiwin traditional practices of the Annishnabe.

Handcrafted by Mike Shelafoe, a local craftsman and artist. Mike is a member of the Keweenaw Bay Band of Chippewa Indians and a long- time friend of the Cedar Tree Institute. He continues to serve as a consultant, teacher and project manager in many of the Institute's programs.

LAKE SUPERIOR
BEACH GLASS JEWELRY

As a young girl, Heather Lindquist spent many afternoons of her childhood playing along the shore of Lake Superior. A vivid memory of those days was collecting the many colored bits of glass that waves would wash up on the sand and rock.

Now a respected artist who has returned to the community of her birth here in Northern Michigan, she uses these small, aged bits of broken glass, now turned wave-washed gems, to fashion earrings and necklaces that are known for their natural beauty through- out the Great Lakes Basin.

Please choose your prefered color.
with gold wrap Sky Blue Ruby Red Emerald Green Amber Brown Cobalt Blue Frosty White	with silver wrap Sky Blue Ruby Red Emerald Green Amber Brown Cobalt Blue Frosty White

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