Making a Totem

The way this piece came about I think is interesting. About five years ago I was sitting out back at our old place on the river. I was talking to a friend I'd met on YouTube. She's an absolute trip and we talked for well over an hour. Shortly into the conversation I heard a commotion overhead. I couldn't see through the trees but a predatory bird, probably a Hawk or maybe a Heron, had caught a bird that appears from the feathers to be a Mockingbird. 

 I saw several feathers floating down through the branches so I held the phone in one hand and caught them with the other. I grabbed a beaver stick, a quartz point and some hemp string, and made it while I was talking to her on the phone. I don't think I even told her about it. Usually when I make something I plan it a bit first of course, but this just happened, and it's pretty cool. It's an impromptu totem that happened in real-time. 

 For what it's worth I think it's a nice tribute. I washed my hands thoroughly and tied it off in a Ziploc bag with some mothballs for a few days in case there were any bird mites, and it was good to go. What's interesting is that even though the bird has been dead for five years, these few feathers have never touched the ground. I believe that showing respect is an honor, and sadly not bestowed upon us all. God bless.