RSCDS Book 1 No. 7 "Strip the Willow" Date of Publication: Origins/Composer: 1. Collected locally Ref. RSCDS 2. Strip the Willow is an old Hebridean weaving dance. Ref. MaxiCrib Reuben Freemantle Stories: The movements of the dance represent stripping the leaves off the willow wands to ready them for weaving. Basketry: Traditionally every farm in Europe and in the early years of North America, maintained a willow plantation that served as a wind break, a shelter belt for livestock, a hedge-row where medicinal plants were found, and a place to find materials for fencing, furniture making, and basket weaving. These were not accidental and wild, but were planted intentionally with special varieties of willow, hazel, fruit and nut trees, herbs, and berries. If you have an old homestead, you may have one of these areas, grown over and just waiting for managed harvesting to bring it back into production. Colin Manthorpe sitting on the plank making a herr...
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