Celery Feast

What an honor it is to be an Indian woman. I've only been home almost three years...but in these three years I've learned a lifetime of amazing things...

My brother often asks me "If I'd told you even five years ago that you'd be doing the things you're doing what would you say?" I think about it and I'm like "I think I'd be scared, but even then I trusted you (my brother) enough to follow you if you said it would be safe/fun/amazing...

So yesterday was Celery Feast day. This starts a few weeks ago when the lead Food Gatherers go out and check the status of the foods...the Celery (our Big Sister) wasn't ready but in a few weeks! Last week she went out and checked again and YAY it was ready for harvesting...the Food Gatherers put on their best work wings (our wing dresses such as my grandma Susie has on in her picture) and boots over their moccoasins and off to the hills to gather the celery! It's amazing to watch them, they're all so beautiful in their wisdom...old old OLD digging bags are brought out, woven of cornhusk and something else for color; a lot of these came down from the grandmas of the grandmas! Some of us stay behind in the longhouse and cook throughout the day to feed these beautiful women when they return. It's our honor to serve them. In the evening they come back and they were COOOOOLLLLLDDDD it had been snowing and hailing and the wind blowing all day up in the hills but there it was, the yummy green celery that tastes JUST like Spring when you bite into it!!! The longhouse drummers sing to honor the Big Sister Celery and the women who gathered her. We then gathered around the table to laugh and eat and talk about the day.

Sitting at the longhouse table is where I've learned some of the most valuable lessons ever and I usually sit by my brother who has a deep strong laugh and sings with the richest most honest voice imaginable.

That was Friday. Saturday evening was the service and we dressed ourselves and went to the longhouse again. I usually cook throughout the day for this but my knees have been bad so I stayed home and rested Saturday. We got dressed Saturday and by "dressed" I mean wings, moccasins, otter wraps on our braids, our best shell earrings, my new necklace just finished for me by my brother...we did our songs and got ourselves ready for the big day.

Sunday back to the longhouse, I into the kitchen, my brother at the drum, and we celebrated with songs and prayers and words of thanks to our Big Sister Celery. Dinner is served and we eat our foods in the order of Creation...first the Salmon, who gave itself to keep us strong, then the Deermeat which offered himself up with grace and dignity again to keep us strong but also to clothe us...next is the Bitterroot, the coush (like a carrot but not), the Celery, then then the chokecherries and huckleberries...after we taste and give thanks for each of these then we drink the water which we're all made of...

I have a special "thing" for water, have all my life even before coming home, and in every piece of work I do, my trademark has become putting a "piece of water" (represented by a small lead crystal bead) in some place on everything I make.

I've probably left something out but yesterday was amazing in every way...

Thanks for sharing in it if you've managed to read this far!!!!