By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – The Center for Native Health (CNH), in collaboration with the Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute and with support from South Arts, Cherokee Preservation Foundation, and East Fork Pottery, is in the home stretch of a community kiln build in Tsisqwohi (Birdtown).
Levi West, Bonnie Claxton, and Matt West pose with the Center for Native Health community kiln build in Tsisqwohi (Birdtown). (Photo by Kilyne Oocumma, CNH Digital Media Storyteller)
Trey Adcock, executive director of CNH, said the idea of for the kiln came from two award-winning potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), Tara McCoy and Levi West, “This project is driven by Tara and Levi’s vision and dream, and we are blessed to be part of helping that come to fruition,” he said.
Louise Deroualle, a lecturer of art from the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA), along with Matt West, a former lecturer and studio tech from UNCA, worked closely with McCoy and West on the kiln build.
“We had quite a diverse group for our size. Several tribal members, two non-members, one from another hemisphere. I probably asked Levi and others too many questions but undeniably learned so much about Cherokee – the region and the people – past and present,” West said.
Deroualle added, “Levi and Kilyne [Oocumma] have been great in just educating and telling a little bit of the story how did clay happen and the mud daubers, and the relationship with nature, too. A cool moment the day we were starting the kiln, Trey was there as well, and Levi did a prayer to the beginning of the kiln, and we had a hawk that just flew over us. So, that was super special because then Levi explained what the hawk means.”
Levi West, Louise Deroualle, and Matt West work on the community kiln. (Photo by Kilyne Oocumma, CNH Digital Media Storyteller)
“I am from a different culture, too, so I bring my Brazilian point of view and my stories, and we are all sharing our different ways of doing. But at the same time, I have so many commonalities as well, like clay. Clay is a good way to create and shape and build. We build things, but we also build community. It’s been very special and I’m very happy that I got to join it,” Deroualle said.
Bonnie Claxton, CNH deputy director, spoke to the health and wellness aspect of the kiln. “One of the exciting things about this project is that each firing will be a community event. With a big wood kiln like this, you need lots of work to fill it up, lots of wood split, and lots of people to feed wood to the kiln consistently for 6-12 hours. At The Center for Native Health, we know that culture is health, and being in community is health. So, every time this kiln is fired will be a physical act of individual and community health for everyone involved, an example of healing through culture that makes our Native communities so resilient.”
The group is anticipating the first community firing of the kiln in early fall, with a celebratory community event accompanying the fire. The One Feather will provide an update with the details for the event.
