Page 18 - Restorative Journey: Indigenous Educational Wellness

Voice Perspective
Tsyoyèn:kwarote
Like Smoke that Rises
Beaded Yoke
Elizabeth Doxtater
Figure 6: DaeLynn Doxtater, Oneida Turtle wears the Beaded Yoke by Elizabeth Doxtater
I remember seeing Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, which he based on the view of the
sky from his hospital room window. I read that he was institutionalized when he painted it. I wondered if the Haudenosaunee teachings of peace from Turtle Island could have helped him.
If his window was facing east and one of the White Roots of Peace stretched across the ocean, what if he was able to follow that root to our shores? What if he was able to follow one of those roots and find the protection and support of the Great Peace? Would that have helped him?
I was inspired to study Starry Night in two mediums.
First, the beaded yoke in Figure 6 is clearly inspired by van Gogh. To the left, the swirl goes up and leads over the shoulder to the (front view) right panel to become smoke from the longhouse.
To the back-right, the beads become a trail leading to the White Pine that stands atop the four white roots on the (front view) left panel. Across the bottom in the front panels are blue beads that represent the river that carries the weapons away “forever.”
10 Commemoration • Education • Healing/Wellness