Keepers of the Tribe emerged from a place of gratitude and love. Gratitude for Roel as a teacher, mentor, and human being during the Shamanic Practitioner training. My love for the Tribe, which he brought together, wanted to flow and take shape. It was a deeply profound feeling that touched and called out to me from within. I could do nothing but respond to it. The story of our tribe deserved to be told. Our guardians deserved to be honored. Our humble teacher deserved to be thanked and celebrated.
Keepers of the Tribe tells the story of our journey. The journey we embarked on and the spirits that supported us during the training. In addition to symbols, this creation contains many personal items. The round embroidered piece of fabric in the center of the Eternal Sun has rested on someone’s altar for years. A quartz crystal resides in the shell next to Grandmother, Guardian of the Water. The doll between the Dragonfly and the Wolves was crafted during a vision quest. The Dragonfly design was created by a fellow tribe member and hand-embroidered. There are so many more treasures to be found within this creation. The border is filled with an abundance of flowers and color. Many of these flowers were made from fabric gifted to me by my fellow tribe members.
This creation emerged out of gratitude and love, and it grew into a beautiful gift for Roel along the way.