Mother Earth Giving Birth To Her Children
In this aspect of Mother Earth, one of her children is giving birth on a bed covered by a handwoven rug, assisted by a midwife and doula, and guarded by protector figures on the sides. The midwife in her blue coat is receiving the child who has just been born, its umbilical cord still connected. The mother is attended by the doula, who is wearing a peacock blue indigo-dyed coat. The protectors sit in niches created by curls in Mother Earth's headdress decor.
Mother Earth's face is handwoven in Merrill's Zati method of natural white Maine island wool, felted onto a wet-felted merino wool cloche-like headpiece for wearing as a theatrical or ceremonial mask. Her hair is natural white locks of un-spun Maine island sheep's wool. The handwoven bed cover's warp is extended into a hanging cord and tassel. The figures are wet-felted of merino wool, with merino clothes dyed various colors. The midwife's cap is dyed with goldenrod, her coat is dyed with wild indigo, and the doula's coat is dyed with wild indigo to a shade between green and blue. The bed cover is handwoven by the artist in a Colonial coverlet pattern called Rose Path. The guardian on Mother Earth's right side has a helmet handwoven of miniaturized Rose Path, with antique silver beads; the guardian on the right has a similarly woven shield.
