Cross & Crosses: Oregon Straw Harvest Cross

Harvest Cross
Jacksonville, Oregon, c. 20th century
Straw, 6 inches

This cross is part of a large display of straw forms, including a number of crosses, at the Historical Museum in Jacksonville, Oregon. Making straw crosses and straw figures are part of the harvest tradition in many farming communities. The art of plaiting and folding of straw goes back to ancient times, associated with the beginning and end of the pastoral year. Some traditions have the last straw at harvest shaped into a figure and then returned to the earth in spring, a way of assuring that the spirit of fertility continues into the next season. As the grape vine is associated with wine and the blood of Christ, the wheat symbolizes the host and the body of Christ. Sometimes crosses are designed to imitate nature, as with this small ivory cross from Estonia.

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