My motion project this semester was inspired by the book “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The book features examples of how indigenous people relate to the land and have a reciprocal relationship with it. The author began with the Skywoman creation story which originated with the people of the Great Lakes region. In the story, a woman falls from the sky clutching a bundle of seeds. With the help of several animals along the way, she spreads mud on top of a turtle shell and sows her seeds. Sunlight streams from a hole in the sky and helps the plants to flourish; this is how the Earth was formed. I’ve always been fascinated with creation stories in art and literature, so I chose to make my animation about Skywoman.
