Transforming Our Relationship with Cotton (CURE: Rituals of Protection #2)
Facilitators Ashni and Shradha spinning together.
This past Saturday we gathered at East New York Farms Youth Farm for the 2nd installment of CURE: Rituals of Protection. A series we’ve been co-creating and building with Mumbet’s Freedom Farm over the past couple of years, and continues to evolve so beautifully within our communities. During our first session up in Massachusetts at the Alston Center in May, we planted tender cotton plants alongside learning about its medicine and stories.
For this past session, we journeyed with cotton alongside our Brooklyn and NYC community by diving again into the plants’ medicine and various aspects of its past and present across African, Indigenous, and Southeast Asian diasporas. After a grounding of cotton flower essences and art meditation with Ashni, we took a walk with heirloom cotton plants that were stewarded into the ground in May and June. There folks were asked to reflect on their observations of the plants they’d just witnessed and their relationship to it.
We also had the delightful honor of having Shradha Kochhar join us to share her talents in fiber arts and spinning. Everyone got to hear more about her connections with cotton, her spinning practice, and cotton’s Indigenous histories in India as well as the impacts of British colonization and industrialization of the plant. Following some conversation Shradha got folks practicing their hand at spinning cotton on her stunning wheel, and others played around with ginning and combing cotton with Maya and Ashni.
We closed with some group photos, a surprise cake (happy birthday Daphne!), and sprinkled the burrs (e.g. calyxes and locules) from our processed cotton back into the plant beds.
This year’s series is made possible by so many amazing folks. Thanks to a generous donor to Mumbet’s Freedom Farm, and also sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council. Thanks to East New York Farms and their crew Alexx, Matthew, and Eli Sol as well as Daphne for supporting us in the set up, break down, and protection from the on again, off again rain; and for taking photos.
Our closing session will be happening September 5th, 2026, registration will open soon, so stay tuned to our newsletter and instagram.
Photos by Matthew John, Daphne Brunache, and Maya Marie S.; Copyright Deep Routes
We were so honored to have Shradha Kochhar’s amazing art piece she brought to the session.
Facilitators getting into introductions and housekeeping before diving in.
Beginning our walk of the DR cotton beds with some historical context and discussion.
Folks sharing their reflections from the cotton plant beds walk.
Shradha demonstrating hand ginning Indigenous Kala cotton.
Shradha getting into her spinning flow and demonstrating to participants.
Folks engaging with the Indigenous Indian kala cotton Shradha brought.
Ashni demonstrating combing the sea island cotton we grew in ENY.
Ashni demonstrating making the cotton rolls.
Combing ginned cotton.
Reflecting on the day and processing cotton, thinking about the similarities between it and African diasporic hair styling and traditions.
Closing out the session by dispersing cotton burrs into the cotton bed.
Group photo!!
Cake for birthday girl and workshop assistant extrordinaire Daphne Brunache.
