TEXT: As a white American woman, I doubt I can appreciate the depth of meaning this tradition has in its original cultures. I feel a bit awkward even giving it a try. So I decided to come at it in my own, personal, unique way; not meaning to imply any profound spiritual or cultural resonance. I chose some creatures that amuse me. I found an old page that both amused and had meaning for me. And I chose two animals that I’ve encountered, personally or metaphorically, that seem to speak to and about me: the badger and the porcupine.
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I found this on my hard drive while preparing a new page for an "animal" art journal prompt at The Lilypad. I still feel a resonance with the same animals, so they are included on my new page. And I still feel the same dissonance regarding "cultural appropriation". How am I to identify, and claim, the symbolism of certain animals in my own psychology, without violating the cultural traditions of other peoples?
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Elements are from Anna Aspnes, NBC, Quirky Heart, Graphics Fairy, Dawn Inskip, FarFarHill, Little Butterfly Wings, Lynn Marie, and Tangie Baxter. For detailed credits
see at flickr.
