the Honorable Harvest





An art lesson

“The guidelines for the Honorable Harvest are not written down, or even consistently spoken of as a whole—they are reinforced in small acts of daily life. But if you were to list them, they might look something like this:

Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you make take care of the.

Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.

Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.

Never take the first. Never take the last.

Take only what you need.

Take only what which is given.

Never take more than half. Leave some for others.

Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.

Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.

Share.

Give thanks for what you have been given.

Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.

Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.”

From Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (page 183)

The Honorable Harvest is an integral part of this project. It is important for students to become familiar with it before the first building day in order to prepare for harvesting the trees. The Honorable Harvest plays an integral part in the reciprocity of the trail work.

Goal: Inspire creativity through the Honorable Harvest

Objective: Students will interpret the Honorable Harvest in any creative medium they wish (i.e. painting, drawing, poems, dance, etc).

Procedure: (Before the first building day)

  1. Distribute a copy of the Honorable Harvest to each of the students and ask them to read it over.
  2. Encourage the students to interpret it a bit, and discuss what it means to them or share a particular step that may speak louder to them.
  3. Have the students copy it down in their own way that is best for them to remember it on building day (It may also be best for them to bring it with them on building day.
  4. On the building day, students will keep the honorable harvest in mind, and most importantly they will gather around their chosen tree and give thanks.


Procedure: (After the first building day)

  1. Now that the students have participated in the Honorable Harvest, have them think of an image from their building day that they would like to recreate.
  2. Give them time to brainstorm and start to sketch.
  3. Creating the actual piece of artwork can happen in a meeting together and at home if materials are available.

Assessment: Set a due date for the artwork, and on that day hold a discussion of their artwork. Students should be prepared to share their work and discuss the process, challenges, successes, and how they felt throughout it. Fellow students should be encouraged to ask questions about each others artwork and their artistic processes, and give constructive criticism.

Here is an example of an Honorable Harvest Project

Materials:

  • Pencil, sharpener, eraser
  • Watercolor paper or a type of thicker paper
  • Acrylic paints
  • Paint Brushes

Note: This particular project was completed with paint, but this can be translated to any art medium. Encourage students to try whatever they feel drawn towards (painting, color pencils, photography, music, dance)