Friday, February 25, 2011

Women's Health Research Awards - Goddess Keepsake Boxes



Several years ago the Ontario Women's Health Council approached The Guild Shop in Toronto to design special gifts that could be presented to recipients of the Women's Health Research Award.

For this occasion I was commissioned to make special keepsake boxes with bottoms and lids crafted from a single block of solid wood.



The wood used to make these boxes came from a special sampling of Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) that was specifically chosen for its traditional use in holistic healing. Native American medicine women discovered through many generations of trial, error and observation that this wood has medicinal properties that are believed to be conducive to the prevention and treatment of disease.

In recent years a scientific basis for this traditional wisdom has been discovered, and these active molecules (known scientifically as ellagitannins) are now at the leading edge of research into finding a cure for cancer.


Inlaid into the lid of each box was a specially design avatar, symbolizing woman as Goddess. The interior bottoms were lined in leather.

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