Sharing Traditions

It's a Scandinavian tradition to spend the winter months teaching the young people the old ways. In the Midwest US where I live, we've adopted this idea and share our old traditions with others in our towns.

The braided rugs seen in rustic settings have always been beautiful to me. Now you can buy them mass produced and made in China. Those new rugs don't have the same appeal. They are too perfect.

The handmade rugs our grandmothers and great grandmothers made held our stories. The bedsheets used to make those rugs were worn out long ago, yet one must never get rid of an item that still has use. The hands that made them were full of arthritis from long hours working the land. Winter allowed those hands slower time to make the rugs.

That slower time was necessary not just for relief for the grandmother, but for teaching the young students. While teaching how to make the rugs, grandmother could tell the stories of the children born in the beds those sheets graced. She could share how grandfather built that very bed with his own hands. Or tell how they brought that bed across many miles and states to end up in their own home.

These stories create the bond and connection to our past, and to those people as if they were still with us today. Today we write these things down, or make a video about it. But we do that on our own, alone. The camaraderie is missing, the connections are looser.

My ancestors made rugs as well. Sometimes with old blue jeans that couldn't be patched anymore. Often with old blankets and bed sheets. Sometimes flannel shirts or grandma's winter night gowns. The process is easy. You simply cut the material into 1 inch wide strips. Then you crochet the strips together. Of course there's a bit more to it, but that is the point of learning and doing.

I learned how to make a rug from bedsheets from an instructor at a workshop in a log cabin. Legacy Learning Boone River Valley, a local non profit that merges art and nature in beautiful surrounds, held the workshop. There were 8 of us, all about the same age (not young.) We learned, we laughed, we shared our own stories. I not only made a rug, I continue to make rugs today. All of my family members now have several. I've even sold a few.

In my work I visit with small towns and rural people and teach them practical small steps to a brighter future. Recently I had the opportunity to visit with Rose from the Crow Tribe in Montana. She had given us a virtual tour of the Battlefield where Custer lost his life, and it was a sit on the edge of your seat presentation. Rose is a gifted story teller. When the chance came to see her in person, and hear another tale I jumped on it. Her in person tour was even better than the virtual one, and it gave us the chance to ask questions in person.

I thought she might like a rug. At first I was going to make her one and give it to her at that in person gathering.

But that's not the way to give a rug. First you must create and develop a relationship. We had begun that process virtually. We were not much past telling what we do professionally. How could I make her a rug when I didn't know her favorite colors? Or what shape she wanted? So I didn't give her a rug in person. I did hear another story, and got to ask her what her favorite color was. I'm so glad I waited! I would have made a red round rug. What she wants is a pink square one.

I'm not just going to put the rug in a box and mail it. I'll write up the story of how I learned about making rugs, and what the tradition means to me. Sharing a bit about myself and my beliefs is important, it's a way to get to know each other. I'll ask what is one of her favorite traditions too. When I first started making rugs, I sent them to many people and asked them to share pictures of the rugs in their houses. I will ask my friend to do the same!