> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: Sasha Shevchenko > Reference:: Shevchenko, S. (2025). The tree of life: Ukraine is a country with many roots. _Garland Magazine_. https://garlandmag.com/article/the-tree-of-life/ > Date:: 2025 > Tags:: #warp/article #Ukraine #embroidery #textiles > WeftLinks:: [[Cultural value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft fosters the resilience of a minority cultural group]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > Sasha Shevchenko uses Ukrainian embroidery, especially the Tree of Life motif, to show the strength of Ukrainian culture and identity. Despite challenges like Soviet oppression and war, these traditions help Ukrainians stay connected and survive. The Tree of Life represents growth, change, and hope across generations and places. ### Highlights Embroidery is an ancient and symbolic tradition in Ukraine. Predating the world of Christianity by hundreds of years, its form and function are inextricably tied to spheres that surpass our own: the world of gods, sacred oaks, and spiritual infinity. It is the female body with her hands outstretched, or a shy petunia potted on the windowsill. It is truth, it is unity, it is lineage. Since the dawn of Bronze-Age civilisation, the Tree of Life has been the emblem of nature's power for virtually all cultures on Earth. Stitch by stitch, the author writes, we continue mending the ongoing tears that threaten to sever us, once again, from the life we once knew. Learning the wisdom of embroidery was not just a curiosity; it was an act of survival and resistance. Shevchenko recalls the words of Kenyan-American artist Wangechi Mutu: "If a plant has just one root, that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to stand straight and strong. The idea of having many roots, of having your feet really grounded in different places, is extremely empowering for me."