Entrance Slip #2: Sharon Kallis & The Power of Choice and Reuniting with Ancient Skills

“We use our purchasing power to dictate the terms of consumerism we want.  That is a best-case scenario, but sometimes options are limited, and funds are scarce” (Kallis, 2014).

    I found this quote to be profound and provocative as it reminds us that we have the power to create remarkable changes in society yet calls attention to the social and physical obstacles that limit us from feeling in power.  I think about food deserts—places where residents don’t have access to nutritious, affordable food options.  Food industries have taken the power of choice away from the residents of food deserts; they identify these residents as low-income and then subsequently raise the prices of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy food options and then cheapen the price of foods that lack high-quality, nutritional content, making the latter choice the feasible choice.  Introducing ancestral knowledge and skills, like how to grow your own food or weave the fences that help to maintain your garden, is a way to give power back to these communities.  Of course, we have to acknowledge that economic and physical barriers are not the only factors preventing these people from thriving.  However, the importance and power of reconnecting and relearning ancient skills remains.

    This brings me to other point that Sharon Kallis mentions which highlights the “incredible emotional boost” that people can acquire by learning and creating.  While intently watching Susan’s instructions on how to make rope, I attempted to replicate the process using my hair.  Creating the Z twist from the angle I was holding my hair was a little hard because my hair was still attached to my head and my view of what I was doing wasn’t ideal.  But!  I managed to create a segment of rope using my hair!  I twisted my hair 360 degrees to create a single S twist, and the length of my hair could only achieve 16 S twists.  I don’t think I got the desired outcome of Z twists because, at this point, I wasn’t twisting my hair to the same degree each time.  I definitely feel proud of what I accomplished, though I don’t know if I would necessarily want or keep a piece of rope that I made from my hair.  Nonetheless, I had fun!

An attempt to make rope with human hair 😀