Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Witch Tree-ABC WEDNESDAY "W"

If You Wish to See
Two Versions of the Witch Tree
Look at These Paintings


I recently introduced you to an exhibit by artist Hazel Belvo, which was held at St. Paul Academy's wonderful Gallery. Hazel has been painting various renditions of the WITCH tree, and these are two that were part of her recent show.
The Witch Tree as it is commonly known, also called Manidoo-giizhikens, or Little Cedar Spirit Tree by the Ojibwa Indian tribe is an ancient Thuja occidentalis growing on the shore of Lake Superior in Cook County,Minnesota. The earliest written records of the tree by Europeans in the Americas are by French explorer Sieur de la Verendrye in 1731, who commented on the tree as a mature tree at that time, making it at least 300 years old today.[1] The tree is held sacred by the Ojibwe, who traditionally leave offerings of tobacco to ensure a safe journey on Lake Superior. Due to its sacred nature and vandalism problems in the past, the tree is considered off limits to visitors unless accompanied by a local Ojibwe band member.
The tree is small for a mature conifer, as it is growing out of bare rock on the shoreline. Its gnarled, stunted, and twisting branches have been the subject of many photographs. (CREDIT: Wikipedia)
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20 comments:

  1. Very creative painting !

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  2. Stunning, and what an interesting history.

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  3. belle creation ;)

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  4. LOVE the color use and design!

    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  5. I love to read the fascinating history of simple things on the earth. Thanks for your post.

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  6. These are certainly colorful and quite beautiful in their own way. Merry Christmas from a witch tree?

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  7. I like her paintings of the tree, the tree seems small for being so old. Good that it has lived so long.

    I get my calendars from Shutterfly. They have templates, I only dropped my pictures into it. I also made one for baseball, but havent posted that. Some parents are giving them for Christmas gifts.

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  8. The witch tree is a good idea to feature W. Interesting post. Carver, ABC Wed. Team

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  9. A talented combination of color, shape and texture.

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  10. Including the background information made the paintings even more special. A great tribute to Strength and Longevity! How it survives those winter storms of Superior is a testament in itself!

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  11. What a fascinating post! Intrigued with what you shared about the Witch Tree, I went looking for more and found this. How cool that this venerable old tree's gnarled branches form a "W," making it even more perfect for this week's post! I'm impressed by its incredible toughness and tenacity, withstanding the legendary winters on the shore of Lake Gichigami for centuries. (What a shame about the vandalism, I'm glad this tree and the offerings left there are being protected!)

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  12. These are beautiful. I enjoyed learning about the tree.

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  13. Two beautiful paintings.

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  14. Fascinating - the longer you look the more you see.

    Leslie
    abcw team

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  15. How interesting. I didn't know that trees could live that long.

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  16. Hmmm guess I did know that..Having seen the Calif redwoods!

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  17. That's very colorful!

    Wedding
    Rose, ABC Wednesday Team
    Happy Holidays!

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  18. Beautiful artwork.

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  19. I'm drawn to things 'paranormal' so when I read "Witch Tree" I hurried over. Thanks for featuring this. It's a new (to me) tree and it's nice to learn something new. A great week to you.

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  20. Beautiful paintings. The colors are lovely. Interesting history too.

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