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Jheanell Bailey

Day 6 – Russia

Day 6

The air is cold,

My breath looks back at me.

Death on the side of our journey.

We continue.

My mother is gone.

Beneath the white water is sleeping.

When will we arrive?

I wonder.

Many stayed and some continue.

Some people changed,

Eyes, skin, and hair.

We are different yet one tribe.

We continue.

New places and different foods.

I continue to on.

I am not HOME.

Day 5 – North China

Day 5

I have come of age.

And our tribe has doubled.

My stomach begins to speak.

I wonder if I’m home.

Still, I walk waiting for my new life.

My mother is ill.

Still, we walk.

Bones frail, and stomachs empty.

Our feet have created a clear path.

Our past is clear and our future unknown.

Yet, we continue.

We are not yet HOME.

 

 

 

Day 4 – India

Day 4

Suns and Moons come and go,

I grow along with my people.

I am growing older as we move.

This place is new.

New foods to eat and clean water to drink.

We are in a new land,

But not our home.

I wonder if I will survive.

The air is thick,

Bugs in my hair and on my skin.

Many leave and some stay.

We continue to walk home.

 

Day 3 – Saudi Arabia to Iran

Day 3

It is dark,

The moon shines brightly,

The fire dances with the music.

Dancing and singing all through the night.

Many have died along the way.

Some strayed and some stayed.

We have blended with others.

Our cultures intertwined like the braids in our hair.

Tight and beautiful.

The sun rises again,

We move.

 

Day 2 – Egypt or North Africa.

Day 2

Dirty feet and unknown smell in the air,

Yet we still continue.

Some people stayed.

Curious minds and eyes wander.

My throat is dry and my

Stomach continues to make music.

Many have strayed,

Some into a sandy desolate place.

We continue to walk.

When will we reach our unknown?

 

 

 

Day 1- South Africa

For my topic, I decided to do research about “The Great Human Migration.” The migration of people from Africa to the rest of the world. The specific group I chose was the Native Americans. Their journey from Africa across Asia and through part of Russia into North America.

My daily practice would be a poem. The poem would be written from the first-person point of view as if it were a person during the times of The Great Migration. Doing this would help to get a feel of what it might have been like during those times.

A map of early human migration patterns and the distribution of Pediculus humanus clades.:

Day 1

Today is the day,

My tribe is moving out to the unknown.

I am worried and afraid.

I move quickly into the bright sun.

The trees sway with every motion.

My father grabs my hand.

Our steps in sync

It is time to see the outside world.

Taxidermy Reflection

  • What did you learn?
    • During the entire project, I learned more about history than ever. Taxidermy has changed from something “spiritual” to an “art” form. And seeing the changes in history was eye-opening.
  • What feedback did you receive? Any reflections on the critique itself?
    • The feedback I received was great! While presenting I was told that I could change the colors and the font to match the cover, as well as that I could have also added additional pages that feed off the taxidermy page.
  • What might you do differently in terms of process or content?
    • I would change the layout of the cookbook and add more pages to it.
  • What was inspiring? What parts?
    • While I was adding the ingredients and the instructions part, I had to think of myself as an animal instead of a human. I was thinking about if “I were an animal how would I perceive this?”.
  • Revisit the assignment prompts: how did your project relate to the original prompts, in terms of critical lens, audience, tone, etc… 
    • The project related to the original prompts by adding a humor metaphor the to cooking book.
  • How did you balance research and experimentation? Which is easier for you? How can you focus more on the areas that you shy away from
    • I balanced research and experimentation to the project by making sure that I add enough detail from researching the ways ancient Egyptians used taxidermy and today’s methods.  The research was easier for me to do because it was a great amount of information. I can focus more on the areas I shy away from by diving deeper into research in that subcategory.

Update on Project

Research

I have decided to change my project idea from a field guide to a cookbook guide form. I use the humor metaphor to create a book that shows the animals’ guide to taxidermizing humans instead of the other way around. After my talk with Monika, I had more insight into how to do this project. As well as how I can implement humor into this subject.  The “cookbook” guide form has information on how to taxidermize a body, more specifically a human. I had gotten the information from wikihow.com. Initially, my research started with the definition on ‘Taxidermy’. Taxidermy by Merriam-webster.com is, “the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals and especially vertebrates”. Then did research on the history on Taxidermy. The process of ‘mummification’ of animals using wraps, oils, and salt.
Finally, for my humor metaphor, I changed the form and did animals taxidermy on humans instead.

Bibliography

Merriam-Webster.com – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taxidermy

wikiHow.com-  3 Ways to Do Taxidermy – wikiHow

Bones, K. (2021, September 16). The history of Taxidermy. Kodiak Bones and Bugs Taxidermy. Retrieved October 9, 2022, from https://bonesandbugs.com/the-history-of-taxidermy/#:~:text=Taxidermy%20has%20been%20around%20for,and%20available%20resources%20and%20technology.

 

I started to work on the layout of how I wanted to present the guide. I began to do more research on the history of taxidermy with the Egyptians and the research being done within the museums. I now have a clear thought of what my field guide is going to be about.

Form for Taxidermy

  • Why this form? What are its features (stylistic, experiential)
    • I will be using the field guide form for my project. This form is most commonly used as an educational guide for the very young and older generations. Most are used for plant and animal research. The style is very simple, with one side for information and the other for pictures or other graphics.
  • How is this form typically used, and what do you plan to subvert/imitate/utilize?
    • I plan to imitate the structure of the field guide. I do want to go through the history of taxidermy till now. Fill it with information but not overwhelm it with words. The graphics in the field guide are ways to keep the reader engaged and able to follow through with the guide.
  • What would change if you tried a different form? What critical lens does the form you’re applying emphasize? 
    • If I would try a different form it would be, a guided tour, typically used in museums. I would use this form to show people the idea behind taxidermy and the process of preservation of animals.
  • Is there a metaphor well-suited to your form (i.e. cooking with code)?
    Or, are there other metaphors you might employ?

    • I don’t think that there is a metaphor well-suited to field guides.