Since that instruction to gather at the family site in the 80s we began gathering every year since the early 1990s, about 15 years. We have had fantastically productive years and lean years. In 2011 it is a bumper crop year. There was an incredibly long rainy season during this last winter and as a result all plant life has been “late”. The tan oak acorn crop is also somewhat late this year. When we arrived at the site today (we were somewhat late this year in shaking out a weekend to gather) we found an acorn grove that was FULL of newly fallen acorns. We gathered 2 gunny sacks in a few hours. We were so happy.

And that’s what being an Indian is. Always wondering but always doing what we are supposed to do. And there are time when we will receive great gifts while we may face challenges at other times. It is always (ALWAYS) about faith in our old ways. Don’t, and I repeat, don’t innovate our old ways. Always rely wholly on the old teachings and instructions. Innovate in other ways, but leave our old ways alone. (That’s my understanding at least.)

Ah, xuntápan nukyâatihat. Táay vúra!

END

Indian Paint Brush

This summer has been a learning experience for me personally but also for the whole community, all the neighboring tribes, and strangely enough, even those who did not have the same collective experience as I will share in what was learned.

The summer began with our annual Spring IHUK ceremony which is held to recognize the coming of the ceremonial spirits back to our land. The spirits leave from this world during the winter (according to our beliefs) leaving us, the humans, to our beliefs, cultural livelihoods and knowledge. We are left alone with the fierce and mean spirits during the winter months. It is our time to face our fears and to face our doubts and to challenge the spirits that might make our lives miserable. So we look forward to the Spring IHUK ceremony to remember the good spirits homecoming.

This year we had the hardest time finding the girl to perform as IHUK, the spirit girl who owns the girl’s puberty ceremony. Several girls were recommended to us but in the end were not selected for differing but important reasons. We found a girl and she agreed. The day of the ceremony she came and said, I can’t do it. We proceeded with the ceremony leaving it to the spirits. A girl was called and she agreed and was prepared both mentally, spiritually and physically to take on the job. And she did a good job giving all a boost of spiritual strength and sense of gratitude for being a girl who lived according to our beliefs.

Young singers helped make the Brush Dance ceremony for us. So many elders passed in the last few years so that there was gap of singers—all deferred to the elder singers. So many of them passed on and then the young men singers began stepping forward with their songs. Nice songs. Those of us in between saw our roles emerging as the “elder” singers. So the ball was set in motion—there was a natural evolution happening. This observation gave us a renewed hope and sense of joy.

During a youth camp that we organized we brought together youth in age 8 to 13 to begin relating the behind the scenes look of what it takes to put on a ceremony. It is not a matter of arriving and standing in the circle to see if you might be selected to dance or not. The ceremony requires many hands to make it happen. Those hands often differ from one ceremony to the other. Yet there are things that can be learned: from packing water, gathering and making wood for the several fires: the cook fires, the dance fires, the men and women’s house fires. There is gathering that must happen. There is also the time to practice singing and dancing. As we stepped back to observe the camp we saw so many young people working together in unison, helping each other and accomplishing several great feats: The young girls made some of the best acorn soup I tasted this summer, new singers were created during the camp, Indian law and maintaining our beliefs was achieved (even if only in a small way).

We presented at a G.O.N.A. (Gathering of Native Americans) for youth. Thiswas a new experience and we realized how important the sharing of our tribal ways can be to young people. We reserved the ceremonial experience to teach. The GONA taught us that we need to reach beyond and outside of our ceremonies—sadly, many young people are unable to attend ceremonies. Still the teachings are not only meaningful for the ceremonies but for our everyday lives as well. Our positive and beautiful ceremonial experience informs how we live throughout the year. It gives us strength. So we began exploring ways to share that ceremonial experience.

Finally we participated by working for the White Deerskin ceremony held at Weitchpec and at specific sites up the mountainside of Kewet Mountain (aka Burrill Peak). It had been 6 years since we last attended. The elder singers are all gone now. So it was a delight to hear the new singers: young men with fine songs. A 10-day ceremony, the Deerskin dances are arduous and require a high degree of coordination and cooperation. Again the ceremony revealed a scene of people working together to fix the world. Each dance site was more beautiful than we recalled. The generosity and willingness to sacrifice for the good of the world and the people was awe inspiring.

It was a good summer with many precious gifts. And it was a good example of the Right Way to live.

The moon has returned. And I forgot it’s Indian name. There are 13 moons. Some have names. Some have Indian numbers.

Yæ hæ! Tanipikrôoktih péethvuy: Náaseep. ATAFÂAT, ayu’âach ífuth payêem vakûusrah nuu vúra áxakyaan numúustiheesh poosípaamtiheeshak peekxaramkûusrah

Oh yeah! I remember the name: Náaseep. PERHAPS, because next month we will see the full moon twice.

Vúr uum áthiik ôok. Kúna vúra pupikxárampahara. Vaa kumá’ii vúr uum yêeshiip panimúustih peekxaramkûusrah.
It’s cold here. But it isn’t cloudy. That’s why one sees the moon so well.

Kunipéentih ímaan usípaamheesh peekxarmkûusrah.
They say tomorrow the moon will be full.

Ôok imúskiinveesh peekxaramkûusrah VIDEO-piit.
Here you will see the new Moon Video.

Full Moon’s Wives Pt 2

Ikxaramkûusrah was not a well liked man. Now his house returns each month (the full). In his house we see his 3 wives: Rattlesnake Woman, Frog and Grizzly Bear. The following video vignette is WIFE 1 revealed. Go out and see if you can find Pirishkâarim, Grizzly Bear.

Full Moon’s Wives

The accompanying video was taken during a recent journey to gather one of our favorite foods: acorns, xuntápan. After gathering for a while (they weren’t quite ready), we drove on up into the mountains. It was very nice.

Enjoy the video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A full moon reveals Moon's 3 wives.

Julian Lang
It is a beautiful full moon. It sits above the horizon big as a digitally altered image in a sci-fi movie. The haze causes its light to read orange and aluminum. It is like a magnet the moon. I demands attention when it enters the room. And that is what I was told years ago.

So today I think of you moon. I think of the creation stories that remind us of who you are. And I love your story. I love that you have 3 wives but I, for the life of me, cannot fathom how you do it. Then again you are the MOON.

For generations you have given us a long-life. Today I am thanking you for that on behalf of all of my ancestors.

Gram used to say, “the old Indians went out to the nearest knoll or small hill when you appeared and yelled out, Give me a long life (May I live to be a long time.)!”

She believed in you and I believe in you…. Read More

The white man says he is going to explode a rocket on your surface–it’s your house that we see. They, NASA, has decided to explode this rocket and to do so in such a big way that we can see the damage from Earth.

Man alive Moon I am sorry. Perhaps it’s time to fast for you. Perhaps it’s time to tell your story to all. I WILL! Soon. You were a mean and vain man. But you are the moon. And those of us who know your story knew that it might come to this, because it’s a natural path to go from landing on the moon to exploding tons of TNT on your surface.

Let it be know that you are a doctor. A kind of meanish man but your surface still reveals your story. I saw you wives: the Rattlesnake, the Frog and the Grizzly Beear during the last full moon a week ago. They were all there.

I hope it doesn’t hurt too much. Maybe we can pray that the rocket doesn’t hit the surface and flies atray. That would be nice, ennit? Hámi.

Matêe xarah imyaahtiheesh, may you live to be a long time. Ikxaramkûusrah, dark sun!

Since beginning to work with Gabe Montgomery and Emilio Tripp recently I have been pulling out the many archive boxes of information and research I’ve accumulated since the late 1980s. Yesterday I went through a box of language/culture related materials and in one folder was a reproduction of a “photostatic” copy of a map.

The map was inversed so that the white paper is black and the black ink drawing and text is in white. I wrote a title for the map: George Gibbs’ map. Reddick-McKee. (See scan of image. There is no note indicating from where I collected it.)

Native folks from California will recall that the Reddick-McKee Expedition was charged by the U.S. Congress to secure treaties with the Indian tribes. They arrived in northwestern California in 1852, the homeland for the Yurok, Hupa and Karuk peoples. Gold had been discovered already in the Sacramento area but “California” was not, as yet, a member of the United States.

The map includes 2 hand-drawn river drainages and reads:
(The first river) Names and Positions of the “Ho-pah” or lower Trinity villages. 99 houses.

(The second river) Names and Positions of Arr-arra villages. Note: The Weitspuks give different names to these: probably translations. 106 houses.

The first map presents the village sites located along the Klamath River starting with “Weitspek” and notes the number of houses there: 3 houses. These are the Yurok tribal villages. The second map includes the Klamath River villages heading upriver from Bluff Creek. These are the Karuk tribal villages.

The maps are somewhat idiosyncratic. The relative distances are exaggerated. Nevertheless the sequence of villages both up and down the river seem to be correct.

He seems to have confused the drainages between the two maps. For instance, on the first map he includes streams that appear to be out of place or should be included as part of the second map: he includes Willers Creek (is this Wooley Creek on the Salmon River or is it Willow Creek up the Trinity River?). Above Willers Creek is South Fork (is this the south fork of the Trinity River or the south fork of the Salmon River?).

What we know for sure is Weitchpec (his “Weitspek“) is NOT located at the north and south fork of a particular stream. It IS located at the confluence of the Trinity and Klamath Rivers (and this location is prominently indicated on the second map).

Gibbs includes a few annotations to the upriver map. He indicates the following villages: Kah-om (Katimiin?), Mik-iára (Ameekyâaram), Isshe-pishe-rah (Ishipishrihak), Onn-húrik (Vuunxárak). His note reads: These ranches burnt in summer of 1852. They contain(?) about 60 houses.

He also indicates the village sites of Nopas (Nuupaas): Onn-húrik, 1 (house); Ya phip-pás (Yeefípaan, Big Ike): Asha-náhm-ka, 5 houses; Redcaps: Oppegoeh, 10 houses.

It’s a historical map with its own unique problems written in Gibbs’s own handwriting and remains as interesting as ever.

Note: The map is coming!! Now where did I put that map?!

Julian