Sunday, August 2 was Huckleberry Feast
One of our annual celebrations of new foods...
Friday, we food gatherers begin by collecting ourselves at the longhouse dressed in wingdresses and moccasins or tennies. Most of us had some kind of hat or bandana because we knew it would be a hot day and all of us wore shorts or pants under our dresses.
For Huckleberry feast we don't usually have breakfast but my brother Heyuum Asa Ki decided "let's do breakfast this time" so we got there a little early and fixed some yummy eggs, hashbrowns and hamburger...simple fare, really. We sang our song of thanks, ate together and THEN got ourselves divided into vehicles and off we went. The day promised to be hot but beautiful and I had the privilege of riding with Pam, one of the grandmas Lonnie and our little grandma but her name escapes me...Pam and Lonnie visited in the front seat, my little friend fell asleep so I just watched out the window as the world zipped by. It was a sight full of colors and textures and the hot smell of summer.
we got to the place where the lush bountiful huckleberry bushes await...getting out of the car one is first bathed in the pure purpley scent of juicy goodness...mmmm!!! our lead cooks and diggers hand out the huckleberry baskets. i lifted mine to my nose in pure joy for not only was this vessel and old woven basket but it had been handed from grandmas before to THIS grandma! what blessings! off i went in search of THE berry patch humming to myself bits and pieces of longhouse songs...
it's now a whole month later, i just want to say this, the rich beauty and humble thankfulness practiced in these feasts warrants careful consideration and deep respect when contemplating and sharing. this is why it took me a whole month to write this blog...and
ahhhh how i still and always will cherish the smell of wild berries everywhere!!!!
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