Smudging, Kenisha Anderson, 2021
My name is Kenisha Anderson; over the past five years, photography has become an important way for me to capture and document my unique family and our life events. The work I do and the content I put into my photographs are a means to help support my two younger brothers who are First Nations. This will be my fourth year of being involved in the Flash Forward program; each year and with each theme, I have proudly incorporated my brothers and the love and pride we feel for their culture. With this year’s theme, being “still life” I chose to photograph a bundle of sage being burned in an abalone shell; this is the ancient art of smudging. Smudging has been practiced by First Nations people and a part of their culture for over 4000 years. The smoke that emits from the herb has been believed to cleanse negative energy and purify living spaces, as well as people. In this photograph, I have captured an authentic cleanse of my space.