Cartography of the Unseen

The Great Sandhills in Saskatchewan are the second-largest active sand dune area in Canada. The sand deposits here were laid down long ago by meltwater from the ice sheets. This place – and the rich prairie fauna that finds shelter in the surrounding hills – is threatened by the encroaching oil and gas extraction industry, as roads and pipelines become increasingly common features of the landscape.

Many animals, such as the whooping crane that is seen as a symbol above my head, have become threatened and displaced from their habitats. The dunes represent the ever-changing landscape, which incessantly erases, rewrites, and covers over past lives.

I stand there in search of a treasure of hidden wisdom and experience.