Harvesting Cedar

       Harvesting cedar for traditional purposes, as my ancestors have done for thousands of years, is very natural to me. It is a great honor to receive the gift from Creator of the noble cedar tree. I also feel, that each time I am blessed with the cedar that I use in my work as an artist, I honor my Skokomish ancestors who were privileged to the land and all her bounty for thousands of years before me, and before the arrival of the Europeans. As their descendant, it is my privilage to follow in their ways and pass the tradition forward.

At this time in history, it is not easy to obtain a cedar log from our accustomed place in the Olympic Mountains. There are legal and logistical considerations according to Federal Forest Service and Tribal treaties. First, the cedar must have fallen from some natural cause. We cannot legally cut a standing cedar. So we must locate a log that is accessible and appears to be sound and conducive to carving. Then I go to the Forest Service for a permit. Before the permit is issued, I must drive to the log site with a forest ranger.  After we check the site out, the Forest Service then sends a biologist out to determine how the removal of the log will affect the eco-system. Finally, the permit can be signed. Most often I can harvest the log immediately after the permit is signed. Sometimes there are restrictions in place that prevent it. Fire hazard in dry year, nesting birds or baby deer that cannot be disturbed, road damage or wash out after a wet winter, and road closure due to snow until late summer. Those are just a few obstacles that I have encountered in my years of harvesting.




The key is consistent patience. It can take as long as four years from initiating the process to the actual realization of a cedar log to be used for traditional and cultural purposes. In 1998, concerns weighed heavy over the cost of purchasing a cedar log for carvers at an upcoming Gathering. I offered to seek out a log in the local mountains. When I had located one that looked promising, I peeled off a load of cedar bark to bring back to the waiting artist's committee members so that it could be prepared for weaving. Eventually, through the generosity of Skokomish Tribe and agreement with the Forest Service, we had a promise of that same log nine months later.

  

   Our next concern was whether to take the log from the forest to store at Evergreen State College or leave it until the actual event approached. The choice was for the latter. This was a bit of a gamble given the projected time frame of two years into the future and the forces of nature that could interfere with removing this log.

   Creator protected us, the log, and it's site. Two days prior to  the arrival of 71 artists opening "Return To The Swing" I went to the log's site with our friends, Manke Logging,  loaded, and transported the log to the college. We gave thanks to the Cedar with the assurance that she would take a new life in the carvings that would emerge within the next week.

   I am honored to have been of assistance. The Gathering was of great value to me as an artist. I had the most fun learning new techniques from the fourteen carvers that attended the event.