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Mary Burns, weaver.
Ancestral Women Woven Portraits - Exhibit : Jacquard weaving. Partial Exhibition at the Madeline Island Historical Museum on Madeline Island, Wisconsin (Lake Superior, WI).
Awakening Spirit 56” x 30” .

From CVA's booklet (Wausau, WI) :
The history, culture and future of Wisconsin’s Tribal Nations are inextricably intertwined with water. In every tribe’s cultural traditions, water has a spiritual component that gives it a key role in stories, ceremonies, religious practices, and daily life. Water was imbued with feminine roles and symbolism. Women were expected to gather water and conduct ceremonies to preserve this vital resource. Water’s life force was symbolized by its rush from the mother preceding birth. Because women give life, they are the keepers of the water.It has been said that the water spirit can be seen in the shimmering light of sunrise.

It is in this spirit that Mary wove this piece – a misty September dawn rising over a wilderness lake. Here early morning ghosts swirl and beckon, alternately obscuring the distant trees and then letting glimpses of the pines peek through.

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