Heide Museum of Modern Art

Earth measurements

“How seamless seemed love and then came trouble”

When it finally sank in my head that I had become the depositary of this opportunity, an art residency at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Australia was smaller than my imagination and larger than a Eucalyptus tree’s seed. To have to travel all the way from London to Melbourne, I do not know how many miles away from the old world, it felt like I was the last of so many explorers the world has ever cared to believe in.

On my way to Melbourne city center I pass the old Captain’s Cook cottage at Fitzroy Gardens almost every day, a reminder that I can not plant a cross and claim this land to belong for some distant people. And when I pause to admire the beautiful trees that surround me, it becomes evident the madness that for a moment, my heart and my soul have come to believe. There are Eucalyptus trees, Monkey tail trees, Oyamel trees, Casuarinas trees, Palm trees, Pirul trees, Sequoia trees all with a story to tell, of child hood, of colonies and tragedy.

The Inca used the sweet outer part of the ripe fruit of the Pirul tree to make drinks, they carefully grinded the red crimson berries so the bitter nut would not spoil the test, the mix strained and then left for a few days to produce a refreshing and wholesome drink. It was also boiled down for syrup or mixed with maize to make nourishing gruel.The Spaniards introduced Pirules in Mexico after the “conquest,” The tree has antidepressant properties, and Nahua Indians of central Mexico learnt to use the strong aromatic oil the leaves give for healing ceremonies at sweat lodges called “temazcalli”.

Pirul tree, Heide Museum of Modern Art

I heard it from my Cherokee friend, those red cedar trees to be named after Sequoyah, he told me who Sequoyah had been, an illiterate Cherokee Indian genius who, single handedly endowed a whole tribe with learning; the only man in history to conceive and perfect in its entirety an alphabet. This he completed during 12 long years of discouragement and ridicule from his own fellow warriors who accused him of dealing with a sinister black art, but he had seen the white people’s writing and he dreamt of an Indian “talking leaf,” as they called white people’s written papers. The Cherokee Indian nation was practically made literate within months after he completed his task. Sequoyah traveled much between his people who had been relocated to the west and those who were still in the east, he was teaching, and in 1843 he traveled to Mexican territory (now Texas) were some Cherokee had settled, while there he became ill and died. My friend said that was the official version, he did travel a lot amongst his people teaching to read and write but actually had gone to Texas as a political refugee, and when he returned to the USA, the Americans got him murdered.

How the tree came to be named after him? Perhaps as an act of recognition to his genius, perhaps because a giant sequoia tree is difficult not to see, but the truth is it still stands beautiful and strong in our Indian memories.

All around Melbourne I see trees…from the Wikipedia free encyclopedia I read… Casuarinas were planted in ancient selvicultures by highland gardeners practicing some kind of permaculture in New Guinea some 3000 years ago. Casuarinas have been introduced in Argentina, Mexico, Israel, Kenya, Egypt, China they have an Australasian origin. In the United States it was introduced in the early 1900s and is now considered an invasive species.The species had nearly quadrupled in southern Florida between 1993 and 2005.

Casuarina tree at Heidelberg train station

As a child my little brother once climbed up onto a Eucalyptus tree, right up to where the tree forked into two large branches. Mexico is hot, although at 2500m over the sea it is not nearly as hot as it was in Melbourne today, and in March it is windy, over there we say “February to be crazy, and March, a tat crazier.” The wind envelopes seeds and drops them far, far away. My brother mounted on the branch got screaming the Eucalyptus tree was eating him, the wind blowing and the branches back and forth were squashing him like a grain of rice held by chopsticks.

Now I see, Eucalyptus trees were borne out of a harsh environment and with over 700 species it is no wonder they are amongst the most successful travelers in the world. And with a distant memory I stand dwarfed by the handsomest of ever greens, I am amazed to learn that at over 90m tall some eucalyptus species are together with the Coast Redwood and the Douglas-fir the tallest trees in the world. Now I pay may respects to a well known elder of Mulleen, the 500 year old Eucalyptus Scarred tree within the premises of the Museum.

Eucalyptus tree, Heide Museum of Modern Art

Fernando Palma
March 15, 2008

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