Quirky and Idiosyncratic Oregon's Search for Symbolism

The state of Oregon has had much confusion of the origin of its name.  It's not the only confusing name in the state.  There is even a book - Oregon Geographic Names - now in its 7th edition and published by the Oregon Historical Society Press, that delves into it.  The University of Oregon bookstore sells stickers reading "ORYGUN" to teach people how to pronounce it, first distributed by Oregon Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington when he was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2002.

What may be even more confusing is Oregon's search for the right symbol - or symbols.  There are 26 official emblems designated by the Oregon State Legislature, most listed in Title 19, chapter 186 of the Oregon Revised Statutes (2007 edition).  The first symbol was the motto - "Alis Volat Propriis" written in 1854 in Latin, meaning "She Flies With Her Own Wings".  It has been the motto except for a 30-year period from 1957-1987 when "The Union" was used.  The motto and the seal, designed two years before Oregon became a state in 1859, were the only two symbols for over fifty years.

By 1950, Oregon had six official symbols, and by 2000 it had 22.  The most recent symbol is Jory soil, declared the state soil in 2011, after failed attempts to make it the official state symbol.  Jory soil is deep, well-drained soils in the foothills surrounding the Willamette Valley.  It is formed from the loose material accumulated at the base of hills from gravity, known as colluvium.  Found on more than 300,000 acres in western Oregon, it supports forests, mostly Douglas fir and Oregon white oak, and is very productive. Many things are grown on it, from berries and filberts to wheat, and of course grapes for the burgeoning wine industry.

Jory soil.

The American beaver (Castor Canadensis), the largest of North American rodents, is the state animal.  Beavers can be found in most of the larger streams and rivers, of which there is an abundance.  They were once over-hunted since they were prized for fur, but there has been a recovery in the beaver population through hunting management and partial protection.  Oregon State University teams are called The Beavers.

Oregon has been called "The Beaver State", but that is unofficial.  Oregon does not have an official nickname.  A suggested one is "Things look different here", alluding to the idealistic culture.  The cities are not so indecisive.  Portland has a motto - "Keep Portland Weird" - which is well-known in "Portlandia".  Even the coastal town of Yachats has a motto in keeping with their attitude - "La de da".  In 2003, it was suggested that the state have an official tartan, but the bill never passed out of committee.

Image courtesy of flickr.

Image courtesy www.yachats.info.

There is an official fish - the Chinook Salmon - which was an integral part of Native American diet.  The Chinook is the largest of the Pacific salmon, and is endangered from overfishing and damming.  Three years ago the Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) was selected as the state crustacean.  The Western meadowlark has been the state bird since 1927, chosen by school kids in a poll sponsored by the Oregon Audubon Society.  (It is a very popular bird as it is also the state bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming.)

The Oregon Swallowtail (Papilio Oregonius) is the state insect, and has its Latin and common names suggest, it is native to the region.  The Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis) is the state seashell and was named by conchologist John Howard Redfield in 1846.  It is covered with bristles and it can be found ashore at high tides.  There is even a state rock - the thunderegg - which are rough spheres similar to geodes.  The largest one found, weighing 1.75 tons, is at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, Oregon.  This differs from the state gemstone, the Oregon sunstone.  These attract collectors and miners with its spangled appearance when turned certain ways.  It is a type of plagioclase feldspar, an important constituent of the earth's crust and even of the earth's moon.

Since Oregon is the home of foodies who are locavores and love fresh, organic, and healthy foods, there are state symbols in the food department as well.  The state beverage is milk, a nod to the dairy industry, especially Tillamook County. The state fruit is the pear (Pyrus), which is Oregon's number one tree fruit crop producing about 800 million pears each year.  The state nut (okay, there may be a multitude of them) is the hazelnut, aka filbert.  Oregon is said to produce 99% of the hazelnuts consumed in the U.S.  Mushrooms love Oregon so much, that the state choose one as the official state mushroom - the Pacific Golden Chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus), found throughout the state's conifer forests.  The largest chanterelle harvest in the world comes from Tillamook State Forest.

The state flower is the Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium) which is native to the west coast.  It is an evergreen shrub, the berries of which are used to make jellies, and provided food for the Native American diet.  Metasequoia, the dawn redwood, flourished in the state in the Miocene age and now provides an abundance of fossils.  Although they were long extinct, live 100-foot trees were found in China and brought to Oregon fifty years ago to ensure their survival.  The Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is the state tree, and a timber product.  It was named for a Scottish botanist, David Douglas, who was in Oregon in the 1820s.

There are many more symbols, but the final one here is the state dance.  The square dance was chosen to exemplify the lively spirit of the Oregon character. Why Oregon for this post?  Well, it's where I want to live...and eat...and drink wine...and dance.  Hopefully, soon.

***************

Unless otherwise noted, images courtesy of Wikipedia.

*******************************

The Freak Brothers - Still Furry and Still Fabulous

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

One of the most popular underground comix is a trio of freaks - Fat Freddy, Freewheelin' Franklin, and Phineas.  The Idiots Abroad, one of their stories, was voted as one of the top 100 comics stories of the century by the Comics Journal (that's all comics, not just underground comix).

Introduced in the late 60s, this trio was created by Gilbert Shelton and were anti-heroes, defying authority and symbolizing the drug culture lifestyle.  These freaks (slang for hippies) lived in San Francisco, and quickly became popular in the underground comix scene.  They first appeared in 1968 in an Austin, Texas underground newspaper called The Rag.  That year they made their first comix book appearance in Feds 'n' Heads published by Print Mint in Berkeley.  A year later Shelton founded Rip Off Press in San Francisco.  Forty-three years later, they are still in print and still popular.

Well, how about four decades plus....

Shelton collaborated with Dave Sheridan from 1974-1982, and then with Paul Mavrides (in glasses above) since 1978.  In an interview Mavrides imagines that Shelton based them on people he knew, noting that the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges - other famous trios - may have influenced him.  It's true the comix have a slapstick quality to them.  The three main characters are slackers, without concern of employment and always searching and procuring drugs and marijuana.

Fat Freddy Freetowskis seems to be the least intelligent, and as his name implies the one who eats the most.  He usually gets burned on his transactions and when he does successfully score, often loses his procurements.  Another character, Fat Freddy's Cat - known by that moniker - most often appears in his own separate strip at the bottom of some strips, reminiscent of how Krazy Kat got his start.  He is contemptible of humans, and regards them, especially Fat Freddy, as dumb.  Think Garfield as a freak.

Freewheelin' Franklin is the smartest, or at least street-smartest.  He grew up in an orphanage which explains it all.  His hair changes color from red to light brown to blond, depending on the strip.  He is tall and skinny with a huge nose and moustache, and he sports a ponytail and cowboy hat and boots.

Phineas T. Freakears is a left-wing radical, the most politically motivated of the three.  He comes from Texas born of an open-minded mother and John Bircher father.  He has a thick mass of black hair, is also tall and skinny with a long nose like a splif.  I would guess he was inspired by Abbie Hoffman.

There are other minor characters such an Norbert the Nark, an inept DEA agent. Hirma "Country" Cowfreak is often referred to as a cousin - he grows marijuana on his isolated farm.  Dealer McDope is, obviously, a dealer.  Tricky Prickears is a blind and deaf detective, a play on Dick Tracy.  My favorite minor character is Governor Rodney Richpigge, whose son is a cocaine dealer, and who is himself a rich, corrupt public servant - a stereotype that rings true no matter what era.

Cousin Country Cowfreak

Most of the stories revolve around drugs and marijuana, their use and procurement.  It is significant that heroin is NOT one of the drugs the characters use.  It is mostly marijuana, although in Grass Roots they find a year's supply of cocaine which only lasts them two days.  Along with the drugs come the munchies, making food another topic.  The Brothers live in an impoverished, seedy grunginess along with a mass of cockroaches.  This is all part of the squalor that makes up their lifestyle.  A lot of the stories begin realistically, but on their way to insanity become rather surreal, often using the bromide of the "it was all a dream" formula.

The leader of the cockroaches, President-Commander-Pope Swellguy.

Many of their utterances have become catchphrases, the most famous being Freewheelin' Franklin's "Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope."  In a poster featuring Freewheelin' Franklin, the Los Angeles County Library paraphrased it to read:  "Books will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no books."

In 1972 the Brothers appeared in the full-length, unauthorized X-rated adult film "Up in Flames".  Names were changed, the movie characters didn't resemble their comic counterparts, and instead of drugs and marijuana, the Brothers were focused on procuring sex, in keeping with the porn theme.  A claymation movie called "Grass Roots" was supposed to be released this year, but nothing yet.

A still from "Grass Roots" courtesy of Wikipedia.

Although the original readers of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers may not still be fans, newer and younger readers have taken their places.  The Collected Adventures of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers was first printed in 1971 and has been continually in print ever since.  They are symbolic of an era that may be stereotyped, but not forgotten.  Long may their freak flags fly!

***************

Unless otherwise noted, all images courtesy of Rip Off Press.

This site sells the comix in the U.K.

*******************************

The Art of Trees

A ficus tree(s) that has been shaped.

For centuries humans have attempted to manipulate plants and shape them. Topiary, espalier, pleaching, and bonsai immediately come to mind.  The latest attempts, which have become art forms, are tree shaping.  There are not many artists using plants and trees, but each seems to have their own name for it.  An overall term for it is arborsculpture but arbortecture and biotecture are often seen. The plants used are usually evergreens.

What the above ficus may attain to.

Pleaching, once known as plashing, was commonly done from late medieval times into the early eighteenth century.  The term comes from the French word "plechier", meaning to braid.  It is the technique of weaving branches of trees to form a hedge or a quincunx.  Hedges made this way grew thick enough that they were impenetrable, perfect for enclosing animals, not to mention cost-effective. Every few years the lower parts of the hedge are bent and interwoven, and pruning is an annual task.  A somewhat labor-intensive technique, it never caught on in the U.S., but was popular in shaded allées in Europe.  The word dropped out of common usage until Walter Scott used it in 1822.  Trees with smooth bark, such as linden, apple, or hornbeam, are most used.

Pleaching usually requires a support structure in the beginning
such as the one here, especially horizontal support.

Espalier is a rather ancient practice, usually done against a wall or fence but occasionally freestanding.  Although the word is French, it comes from the Italian word "spalliera" meaning something to rest the shoulder (spalla) against.  Branches are pruned and tied so they grow as a flat plane.  This is popular to do with fruit trees, such as apple, which allows for less space and easier access to fruits.  Also planting next to a wall helps retain heat and allows more sunlight, extending the fruiting season.  Vineyards have been planted with this technique for millennia. There are various patterns both formal and informal.  These, too, are started with supports, and require maintenance.

An espaliered pear tree.

Another method of training plants, and one almost everyone is familiar with, is topiary.  This is different in that the overall aim is to shape a plant into a living sculpture by trimming the leaves and twigs.  The term comes from the Latin word "topiarius" (landscape gardener), which in turn came from the Greek "topia" meaning places.  Plants with dense foliage are preferred, and shaped wire cages often are used to provide structure.  This method has been popular in the West since ancient times, but has also been popular in the East as well, although the Eastern style celebrates a more natural style.  Topiary has caught on and can be seen all over the world, as the examples below show.

At a park in Karachi, Pakistan.

Ocean Park, Hong Kong

Prague, Czech Republic

Zarcero, Costa Rica

Bonsai is only for the patient, as it takes a long time for these plantings to develop. My father loved bonsai, and even took a class in it at a local Japanese nursery he frequented.  Unfortunately, the class was conducted in Japanese, and he was only able to learn what he could comprehend visually.  A "bon" is a tray-like pot used in the art, traditionally one from the few accepted proportions and shapes.  Once a selected tree is pruned, including its roots, and has attained its desired miniature size, it is planted in this special pot which further restricts its growth.  This tradition has been dated back to 6th century Japan, and the idea was that natural beauty could only become true beauty through human intervention.  It is common practice to wire the branches and trunks to manipulate their growth into a predetermined look. Because of the small container, repotting is part of the regular maintenance and special soil is a must.  Most plants, unless specifically chosen, cannot survive indoors.  Some plants grow up a meter tall, but most are significantly taller.  The goal is to create a tree that looks mature with the proportions of a fully-grown tree but no apparent sign of human intervention.

A "group" planting from Martigny, Switzerland.

A California or Coast Redwood from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, NY.

This Sargent Juniper was "born" in 1905 and lives in the National
Bonsai and Benjing Museum in the U.S. National Arboretum.

Some species of trees used for many of these techniques have a tendency for inosculation, or self-grafting, which is a well-known botanical phenomenon. Tree shapers like to use this tendency and choose inosculate trees.

Inosculated crab apple trees in Scotland.
These are known as "Husband & Wife" trees.

Tree shapers consider the environment where they are creating their art, and choose trees known to do well in an area, and that are resistant to insect damage and disease.  Most trees require time to be shaped, but there also are techniques for "instant" tree shaping.  Grafting, framing (the use of supports), and pruning all contribute to the final work.  Although some tree shapers have "harvested" their works, thus rendering them no longer living, many intend for their works to be living sculptures.

Needle and Thread Tree by Axel Erlandson, Gilroy, Ca.
Image courtesy of Richard Reames/Wikipedia.

The Person Tree, planted in 1998 by Pooktre - Peter Cook & Becky Northey.

Peace in Cherry, by Richard Reames of Arborsmith Studios, Ore.
Image courtesy of Richard Reames/Wikipedia.

Tree shaped by Dan Ladd.
Image courtesy of Treeshapers.net.

Tree shaped by Aharon Naveh.  Image courtesy of Treeshapers.net.

Poet Joyce Kilmer expressed his joy of trees in his famous poem.  Wonder what he would think of some of these tree shapings.

***************

Unless otherwise noted, images courtesy of Wikipedia.

Treeshapers.net is a good site for more information on history and artists.

***************************

Madame Guillotine

The Radical's Arms, 1819.

Before capital punishment was abolished in France in 1981, the guillotine was the sole method of execution.  Made popular during the French Revolution, it was considered the "People's Avenger" by supporters, and the symbol of the "Reign of Terror" by opponents.

Detail from Pieter Bruegel the Elder's
"Triumph of Death", circa 1562-1563.

The breaking wheel, also known as the Catherine wheel or just "the wheel", was the preferred method of execution in the Middle Ages on into the 19th century.  It was basically a huge wooden wagon wheel with lots of spokes.  The condemned was tied to the wheel and beaten and the spaces between the spokes gave the club space to continue its arc.  There were several adaptations of the wheel, but the one used in France involved tying the victim with limbs stretched over two wooden beams placed on a wheel which was slowly revolved.  An iron bar or hammer was used to strike the limbs of the condemned in the spaces between the beams breaking the bones.  This action was repeated several times for each limb, and dying could take hours, even days.  If the situation merited "merciful" treatment, the executioner would commit "coups de grâce" (literally "blows of mercy") by fatally striking the chest and stomach areas.  The luckiest of the French condemned would be granted a "retentum" or strangling after the second or third blow (or with extreme luck, before the wheel work began).

Circa November 1721.

Another French word is associated with this form of capital punishment - "roué" - which means a "dissipated debaucheree".  Its original meaning was "broken on the wheel" since this type of execution was reserved for atrocious crimes, while hanging was used for lesser crimes.  Hence "roué" came to be construed as a man who was impious and callous, primarily thanks to Philip, Duke of Orléans, regent of France in the early 1700s, who used it to describe the bad male company he kept for amusement.

"The French Penalty" by Francisco de Goya, circa 1824.

In 1789, Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin proposed a reformation of capital punishment in which he called for the same punishment for the same crime despite the status of the offender, that the family of the offender not be affected nor reproached on pain of judicial reprimand, that the offender's property would not be confiscated, and the body would be returned to the offender's family and no register of the manner of death be made.  Most importantly, he called for decapitation to replace the wheel.  The National Assembly looked for a new instrument of death, affirming the belief that capital punishment should be the ending of a life and not torture.

The Scottish Maiden, a precursor to
the guillotine.

A committee was formed which included Dr. Guillotin and Dr. Antoine Louis.  The committee was influenced by several instruments designed to decapitate, including the Scottish Maiden.  The Maiden was built in Edinburgh.  Once built it remained unused for so long it was dubbed the "Maiden".  It was constructed in 1564 during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots.  This in turn was designed from the Halifax Gibbett, last used in 1650.  The original stone platform was used as a base for a working replica erected in 1974 with a plaque listing the 52 people known to have been executed there.

The Halifax Gibbett in the town of Halifax.  The original
iron blade is in the Bankfield Museum near Halifax. 

Although the French device was named for Dr. Guillotin, he did not invent it.  In fact he was against capital punishment, which is why he spoke out for ending the use of the wheel.  Dr. Louis came up with the prototype design, which was build by Tobias Schmidt, a German engineer and Harpsichord maker.  Schmidt is also credited with designing the triangular blade with a beveled edge instead of a crescent one.  The first execution was done on April 25, 1792 for the highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier.

Two French models.  The one on the left was built in 1792;
the one on the right was built in 1872.

This was considered a more humane form of execution even for beheading.  Prior to the device, beheading was done by a sword or axe, which usually required at least two strikes.  This was also considered a blow for equality between the classes, as it was the only method of execution.  Except for death sentences from military courts, which meant death by firing squads, this became the national execution type of France.

The execution of Marie Antoinette.  Circa 1793, artist unknown.

During the Reign of Terror, large-scale public executions were conducted, including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, executed in 1793. Thousands were sentenced to the guillotine by the Revolutionary Tribunal, often on little or no grounds - mere suspicion  of "crimes against liberty" was reason enough.  Death estimates range from 16,000 to 40,000 during this time.  The executions were popular entertainment and attracted huge numbers of spectators. A group of female citizens, the tricoteuses ("knitters"), became regulars, functioning as macabre cheerleaders as they watched while knitting.  The man most associated with the Terror was Maximilien Robespierre, and as the appetite for executions waned, he was arrested and executed in the manner of those he condemned - by Madame Guillotine.

"Les Tricoteuses" by Pierre-Étienne Lesueur, 1793.

The last public guillotining was of convicted multi-murderer Eugen Weidman.  He was beheaded on June 17, 1939, but due to public behavior, the fact that it was secretly filmed, and the fact that the guillotine was incorrectly reconstructed, it was decided that future executions would be private.  The very last victim of the guillotine was convicted murderer Hamida Djandoubi on September 10, 1977.

The execution of Robespierre, 1794.

After all these deaths, France abolished the death penalty in 1981.  Madame Guillotine had a healthy appetite but wiser heads eventually prevailed.

***************

Images courtesy of Wikipedia.

*******************************