Quill Box View Two: Intergenerational Learning tied to Health of Community

Intergenerational Learning tied to Health of Community

Yvonne Walker Keshick is descended from a Odawa/Ojibwa family of whom many were quill workers, but she did not learn quill working until she was into her twenties, she expressed her interest to a co worker at the time, Susan Kiogima Shagonaby, who took it upon herself to teach Yvonne the art of quill working. Susan wanted Yvonne to know the ins and outs of the process and to be able to do all of the steps herself, feeling that it was very important that everyone learn the whole process and be able to create a piece from scratch. Susan believed that this was so important she taught Yvonne using a whole porcupine, it didn’t take long for Yvonne to develop a very strong connection and appreciation for the art form, eventually having it become her career and her true lifes work. (2015, NEA) Yvonne speaks extensively about the importance of teaching those who show a want and a strong intention to want to learn, because if somebody had not taken their time to teach her and shared their own cultural knowledge with her later in her life then she would have never had that opportunity or that cultural knowledge. Knowledge is an amazing way to promote cultural identity and build community, art across all mediums and cultures is commonly a force that brings people together and unifies them, especially the community aspect of quill work where many different people can all contribute to the create of such an item depending on the techniques being used, It is very interesting to see how communities can benefit from communal creation. The idea of intergenerational knowledge is incredibly important and a very valuable tool to the revitalization and promotion of community health and well being, the Indigenous ideas surrounding health as a holistic and all inclusive model provide larger rationale for the idea of art as medicine, and art as a tool in promoting the well being and health of a community. Health is not basically defined as the absence of a disease defined in western knowledge, but it is the combination and additive effect of many different factors such as ones spiritual and mental health as well as their social well being and connection with the community, and across many cultures art is used as a tool to express oneself and their beliefs further emphasizing the important of intergenerational knowledge transfer as a way of preserving not only the culture of the given tribe, but also contributing to the well being of the Indigenous community as the importance of creation and art is incredibly valued and can be a strong representation of a community's well being. (1992, Grand Rapids Public Museum Collections)