Autumn Vandrestav

Hello All!

I have had such a good time, so far, in my travels this fall. First of all, the Iron Age Festival at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, is one of my favorites. It is purely educational. It seeks to create community and dialogue about the "viking era" and about Nordic relationships in the Iron Age and today.

New this year were culture bearers Tanley and Tony Lego representing Sami, Norwegian, and Ojibwe heritage. We met with Dr. Cornelius and students stopping by the First Nations department. That was amazing!

When we talk about our similarities AND our differences we really get to understand each other. What an honor to be in this company.

Another new guest was my good friend and creative colleague, Lynette Reini-Grandell. Lynette shared about her Finnish heritage with runos and stories. We shared a table - my healing plants and her healing runos from the Kalevala .

Battlefield plants from left to right: Valurt (comfrey) to re-grow skin cells and knit bones together, onions for a diagnostic broth (to smell how far the wound penetrated into the guts), Yarrow for staunching blood, groblad (plantain) analgesic and pulls poison out of a wound, kvann (Angelica archangelica) for calming the nervous system. Then amber dust and beeswax...also good for wound care.

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I had a quick turn-around to get to Minot, North Dakota for Høstfest! Carol Sersland and I did a school residency from Tuesday through Friday at Jim Hill and Surrey schools. The kids (and teachers) were amazing. They loved the Raspberry Schottische!

Carol and I performed on the Familie Fjord Stage in the evenings. It was so fun to see if we could get folx dancing and clapping along.

September wanderings complete!

Everyone likes to dance and sing and play. This is joy. A true act of defiance in a world that wants us to "doom scroll" until we are useless to anyone. Shake it off! Check out the October Dance Schedule!

Let's get real in our roots so we can support every other root culture just trying to exist in the world. :)

Best,

Kari