Elders’ Tales: Metal art at North Mountain Park

13 Mar Elders’ Tales: Metal art at North Mountain Park

Native American story-telling symbols.
Artist: Cheryl Garcia.
Location: Fire pit at North Mountain Park.
Installation: June 26, 2012.
Photo essay published March 2023.

Because the earth nurtures us, we must nurture the earth.

Cheryl Garcia

Linda Chesney reached out to Cheryl Garcia

“I think Linda Chesney [Nature Center 2012 Stewardship Coordinator] came to my studio when it was still in Ashland, on East Main and Morse Streets,” Cheryl began. “She asked if I would be interested in creating a cover for the fire pit at North Mountain Park.” Cheryl and Linda met at the fire pit site along with Kari Geis. Kari was Education Coordinator in 2012, and did a lot to increase awareness about local Native American cultures.

The fire pit is near the Amphitheater area and the Umma, or Shasta bark-teepee structure. They discussed having this small artwork relate to Native storytelling, Native uses of plants, and the animals that local Native peoples lived with, ate and used in daily life. 

Cheryl Garcia’s lifetime interest in Native American culture

This was an exciting theme for Cheryl. She told me, “Since my childhood, the Native Americans of the Southwest have always been so fascinating to me. I think a lot of that comes from my reverence for the natural world, and how ‘taking care of Mother Earth’ seems to be the basis of the whole culture for every Native American tribe. Because the earth nurtures us, we must nurture the earth. That stuck really heavy in my being, and still does to this day.”

Cheryl grew up in Southwest Colorado. She said, “Growing up in the four corners area [where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona connect], I was very familiar with rock art and local archeology. I put myself through school working as an archeologist, then continued after graduation, six or seven years in all.” 

During this time, she searched for rock art on the lands of the Navajo and the Ute Mountain Ute tribes, as well as on government BLM lands. It became something that was really close to her heart. Because of this background, Cheryl was excited about the opportunity to create this fire pit cover that would honor Native traditions and culture. She saw an opportunity to integrate rock art designs into the cover. 

Making and installing the artwork

Cheryl used cold rolled steel and thick wire mesh to make the fire pit cover.

On June 26, 2012, she brought the completed cover to North Mountain Park. It was a low-key installation process, with a Parks Department staff person assisting Cheryl and Nature Center staff members Linda Chesney and Kari Gies. 

The Nature Center 2012 Annual Report says of the newly installed Fire Pit Cover: 

“In response to fire safety concerns, Nature Center staff can now regulate the use of the fire pit located in the amphitheatre area by closing and locking it outside of periods of authorized use. Jacksonville metal artist Cheryl Garcia was hired to design and fabricate a metal cover. Since the fire pit is located in the parks Natural Area and Native American village, the cover design incorporates artistic elements in keeping with those themes.” 

Native American symbols in the artwork

“Since my childhood, the Native Americans of the Southwest have always been so fascinating to me. I think a lot of that comes from my reverence for the natural world, and how ‘taking care of Mother Earth’ seems to be the basis of the whole culture for every Native American tribe.”

Cheryl Garcia

Cheryl wanted to include symbols or designs that relate to Shasta and Takelma tribal stories. She added, “I stylized it in my own way to refer to the Coyote story, the Rabbit story, and many other stories.” Here are brief descriptions of the animal, plant and other symbols in the artwork.

Salmon: Salmon were a major source of protein in the diet. They were caught using nets, fishing lines made of plant fiber or long spears. Traditionally, ceremonies were conducted each year at the beginning of the salmon hunt.

White-tail Deer: Deer provided food, clothing and tools. Shirts, hats, buckskin trousers, skirts and moccasins were all made from deer or elk. 

Coyote: Stories about coyote as trickster occur in many Native tribes. The native-languages.org website describes Coyote as “the trickster figure of the Takelma tribe. As in other Northwestern mythology, Takelma coyote stories range from light-hearted tales of mischief and buffoonery to more serious legends about the nature of the world.” 

Rabbit: Rabbits were hunted for food and other uses.

Eagle (with the flat end tail): Takelma elder Grandma Aggie said of the eagle: “It’s a messenger. Long before Congress made it the national bird for us, our Native people throughout the land had already had the eagle that way because he could fly the highest and see the farthest and carry our messages to the Beloved. It was already one of our totems.”

Hawk (with the pointed tail): Red-tailed hawk was also a sacred bird of the local tribes.

Oak tree leaves and acorns: Acorns were harvested as an important food source. 

Ponderosa pine needles and cone: The long needles were used for weaving baskets; cones may have been a food source.

Arrows: Arrows represent the four directions.

Stars: “Sitting around the fire pit, looking up at the stars, is one impetus for story telling,” per Cheryl.

Safety is a consideration when making public art

Cheryl pays attention to safety issues when making public art. In this case, a fire pit cover could have hot coals underneath at times. The layer of a thick metal screen under the cover keeps kids from sticking their hands or fingers through the cut-out designs in the cover. The sturdiness of the steel cover and underlying screen also stabilize the cover, so kids who decide to walk or jump on it won’t fall through or break it.

Where is she now (in 2023)?

Cheryl lived in Ashland for years before moving with her husband Criss to Jacksonville and last year to the Seattle area. She said, “It makes me happy to know the fire pit cover is out there being enjoyed by others. Now we’re living up here on Bainbridge Island, getting to know the Native tribes around here. Last weekend, my husband and I actually went to a powwow of the Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe.”

Other Cheryl Garcia art in Ashland

Here is a link to my photo essay about her artwork called “Elevation,”

which is in the city Public Art collection.

She has three botanical themed artworks on the Walker Street side of Walker School.

Here is a photo of the sunflower plant.

References:

Anon. “Native Americans of the Rogue Valley,” North Mountain Park Nature Center, 2012.

https://www.ashland.or.us/Files/Native%20American%20booklet%20PDF%20for%20web.pdf

Anon. “Takelma Legends,” native-languages.org website. (accessed January 17, 2021)

http://www.native-languages.org/takelma-legends.htm

Garcia, Cheryl. Interview and personal communications, March 2023.

Pilgrim, Agnes Baker (Taowhywee). Grandma Says: Wake Up World, Blackstone Publishing, 2015.