All my Relations’ (Mitakuye-Oyasin pronounced mi-TAHK-wee-a-say or Mee-tah-koo-yay Oy-yah-seen,

is an Ojibway/Lakota saying that means,

We are all related,

or,  

All are related.

 

 

Seventy percent of the Jewish men and half of the Arab men inherited their Y chromosomes from the same set of paternal ancestors who lived in the Middle East within the last few thousand years.– excerpt from Science Magazine “There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Pure’ European—or Anyone Else” by Ann Gibbons

~~~

Science is catching up to what so many cultures already knew – we are all connected.

Another excerpt from that Science article tells us that, “New studies show that almost all indigenous Europeans descend from at least three major migrations in the past 15,000 years, including two from the Middle East. Those migrants swept across Europe, mingled with previous immigrants, and then remixed to create the peoples of today.”

In other words, there are no ‘pure’ races (sorry- so not sorry – Aryan skinheads with your delusions of blonde-haired superiority). Instead, like Joni sings, all of us are comprised of stardust. Some might seem to shine brighter than others, but our essential composition is all the same.

 

It seems that only the Australian Aborigines have a deep bloodline that is mostly untainted by mixing with immigrants. Possibly this explains the dijeridoo?

Or not.

Which somehow brings me to the boxes of random relatives piled in my studio.  A very good friend inherited a trunk full of them and has no way of identifying who these people might be. She generously allowed me to divert them from the recycling bin and I am now inserting random strangers into my collages.

Technically, these boxes of old photos are no connection to me. But, based on the latest science, I’ve decided to call the entire collection, All My Relations, because hey…cousin!!

 

 

I’d like to think that someone might want one of my collages so they too can Adopt An Ancestor for themselves.

Think of it. Now you too can name your own relative! Maybe you always wanted an Aunt Winnifred. Or perhaps, like me, you wished you could say, Bob’s your uncle, and really mean it.

This then, is the solution: All My Relations; a crew of Random Relatives set into new brand new backgrounds – just like an immigrant! And remember, you and all your new cousins are stars!

The pieces you see here are not all finished. Some of them are waiting for a final coat of beeswax and damar resin. And then, like insects caught in amber, their images will be set in their new environment – a final migration.

At least, until someone else messes with them.

 

 

 

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” ~ John Muir