THE HARVEST

It has been a very cold winter. The snow has been very deep here, near the head waters of Shooting Creek. The snow is melting now and the spring has made mother earth come alive with nuts, berries, herbs, and all kinds of wild fruits. Some we plant, like maze, and a few others.

The wild ducks are flying north again and the fish are running in the creek. All the people in the village will work together to gather food for the summer and for the next winter. Both young and old work side by side, men and women and children of all ages, all work together to store the food for our village.

1, Red Wolf, the head of my village, have tried to teach my sons and children the ways of our people that have been passed down from our forefathers, our tribe's chiefs. From the big village over in the other valley, the peace city, called Echota, which is north of Yellow Creek. The women of the long house, they talked about all the matters to do with our people and villages. Each small village has a village leader and they also have a longhouse where the women talk over all the matters of their own village.

At different times over the year, the leader of each of the small villages goes to the main village to meet with the chief and sub chief. At this time, they talk about the problems they are having, what friends they have with different Indian tribes, if they have sick that they need help with, problems over food supplies and sometimes it has to do with the changing of the chief or sub-chiefs. Sometimes the trips have to do with the changing of the mother of the longhouse, or it just has to do with someone being added to the women of the longhouse. Sometimes the trip to the main village was just to give thanks to the great spirits for watching over them or to give thanks to mother earth for the food, the clean air and the fresh water that she gave us. Sometimes we would go to the main village just to be with friends and loved ones and that was the greatest harvest of all. next

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