Olga Volchkova Russian/American, 1970
Saint Bearberry - Original and print available, 2023
Acrylic & gesso on wood panel
20" x 24"
$10,000
Bearberry or Kinnikinnick or Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi ... 'According to an Anishinaabe legend, after Bear and Otter pushed the first tree of life from the underworld up into the surface world,...
Bearberry or Kinnikinnick or Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi ...
"According to an Anishinaabe legend, after Bear and Otter pushed the first tree of life from the underworld up into the surface world, Bear was curious about the newly unfurled animals living on the surface. When he approached a group of them, they all scattered, leaving only an infant behind. Bear studied the infant, noticing that it did not have a berry hanging down in the back of its throat. Bear knew that this part of his anatomy helped to keep all the berries that he consumed from coming back up.
So Bear looked around and found a short mat of vine-like plants with shiny green leaves and red berries. He plucked one of the berries and put it into the baby's mouth. In so doing, Bear ensured that the people would be able to keep their food down and not starve."
- from Iwígara, by Enrique Salmón