Flowers have begun sprouting up in grassy parks and front yards, ranging in colors from poppy pinks to relaxing yellows and pale purples. Spring is one of the most uplifting seasons because it represents new life, rebirth, and the begining of a new cycle for animals and plants. According to native-languages.org, “Some Native people also saw sunflowers as a symbol of courage, so that warriors would carry sunflower cakes to battle with them or a hunter would sprinkle sunflower powder on his clothing to keep his spirit up… Paiute, Nez Perce, and Interior Salish people believed that wild roses kept ghosts from causing harm to the living, so they were often placed in the homes or clothing of people who were in mourning or felt haunted. Wild roses were also sometimes attached to cradleboards to bring vitality to infants. In some tribes, rose motifs were used in quillwork, beadwork, or other Native arts to represent survival and vitality as well.”
Flowers have been upheld by countless culters for thousands of years as symbols of purity and peace. Flowers worn as jewelry has been popular in areas such as Hawaii for over a century. As hawaiiflowerlei.com puts it, “Leis were constructed of flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, nuts, feathers, and even bone and teeth of various animals. In Hawaiian tradition, these garlands were worn by ancient Hawaiians to beautify themselves and distinguish themselves from others.” The peoples of ancient India were also known to have used flowers in their jewelry traditions. As Shakunthlaa Jagannathan describes in his article entitled Traditional Jewelry of India, “The art of adornment goes back to primitive man who used, for decoration, flowers and beads, carved wood, shell, bone and stone. The material used changed in time to ivory, copper and semi-precious stones and then to silver, gold and precious stones, but our rich tribal heritage can be seen in the flower motif which is basic to Indian jewellery designs even today.”
This spring, dress up your sundress with floral themed jewelry, and perhaps even a splash of rose or poppy scented perfume, essential oil, or body wash.