Also known as bearberry or Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, she is a low-growing evergreen with soft leathery leaves, bell-shaped pink flowers in spring, and bright red berries in late summer. It grow into large mats that cover the forest floor, close to the earth, often in sandy or rocky soils, and has long been known across many Indigenous nations for its importance. Kinnikinnick is an Algonquin word widely used to describe traditional smoking blends, often including the leaves of this plant. Beyond that, bearberry has been used in many ways~ as a nutritional source (the berries, high in Vitamin C, were cooked with meat and dried into cakes), and as medicine (now commonly found in most supplement aisles), as a grounding presence on the land, and as part of cultural practices that are specific to the nations who hold that knowledge.

Here, she gathers berries in a woven pine needle basket, wearing a Plains red trade cloth dress inspired by historical garments. I am not Indigenous, and this painting comes from a place of respect rather than authority. I offer it with care, acknowledging the living cultures, histories, and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples, past, present and future.