Journeying Towards Home

Last night was much milder than the night before – although the extra blankets and sleeping bags certainly helped!  The pace of life here has been slower and more reflective – definitely what was needed after our exertions on the building site earlier this week.

We sat together in groups working on our pieces of wood.  Cheryl, Donna and Megan had graduated from working on the small pieces to finding a larger section to carve as a walking stick.  As we worked our Blackfeet guides continued to tell us stories of their history and culture.  Mari led a discussion on dreams and their interpretation, with members of the group sharing recurring dreams that they had at different times in their life.

Mari told a Blackfeet story about reincarnation – how there had been a great warrior who one on occasion was pursued by his enemy and ran into the woods, and was able to shape shift into a mouse, then a deer and escape.  On another occasion he was cornered, and Blackfeet were renowned for never surrendering or being captured alive.  He quickly buried his belongings under a rock, before he was killed.  Nine months later another boy was born to the tribe, and when he was four his family passed through that area.

He said to his family – I know this place, my stuff is buried here, and he uncovered the belongings he had buried in a past life.  Mari said he had come back for revenge against his enemies, and when he grew up he hunted them down.  The belief is that if you have a strong enough reason, you can come back to complete a task or mission.

Later in the morning Helen, one of our Blackfeet friends, children turned up and joined in carving their own pieces of wood.  The kids lead us in a Blackfeet blessing for our late breakfast.

Another guest speaker arrived in the morning to speak with us – Leanda Fast Buffalo Horse.  Leanda is a Blackfeet woman who grew up in Seattle and had a successful career in corporate America.  After a divorce, she found herself in a place to pursue a different life, and returned to the Reservation to work as an artist.  An accomplished painter, she found there were many good painters already working in the area, so she focused on developing art using two of her other skills – glasswork and traditional porcupine work.

Leanda explained that before beads, decorative work in Indian clothing, jewelry and pipes was done using porcupine quills.  The quills are plucked from dead porcupines, and only the smaller fine ones are used.  Porcupine quill work was done by women in a society, and unless you were initiated and given the right to learn to do it, you would lose your eyesight and get arthritis!

The Society had many rules for doing the work, including not walking in front of someone working.  It takes great patience and concentration.  The quills are placed in your mouth for 30 seconds to soften them, and then they can be bent and worked into position.  The mark of good quill work is how neatly the ends are tucked.  When used on buckskin or material, the quills should only show on the finished surface, not on the back of the material.

Leanda has combined her glass work and porcupine quill work into unique artwork, and also produces a range of stained glass ornaments, artwork and quill work jewelry, some of which we had to buy on the spot!

After lunch, we returned to working on our wood, and Pauline led the group around the circle in sharing who we had thought of while carving our sticks.  We then shared a final smudge before breaking camp to head back to Two Medicine.  Pauline and Mari shared that they and Tammy were so inspired by our group of women and how we were healing each other through our shared experiences, that they had decided to hold their own retreat in September for local Blackfeet women, and Tammy had decided to set up a sweat lodge for them.

Back at Two Medicine we descended on the showers and toilets with enthusiasm, before gathering for our final dinner – a feast of shrimp, salmon and steaks cooked on the barbeque by Brother Paul.  Charlie our builder returned to share dinner with us, and after we ate we made a special presentation to him and to Donna, who had cooked for us all week.

Megan also made a special presentation to Brother Paul for the bunkhouse.  Three months ago, Megan’s younger brother Patrick had unexpectedly and tragically died from a heart attack at the age of 28.  Patrick loved the mountains and was a great supporter of Megan and her work with Amazon Heart, and the group had agreed to dedicate the bunkhouse to his memory.

Megan presented a frame with a picture of Patrick, a dedication, and a picture of our group from our first day on the construction site, to be hung in the completed building.

We then all retired to an open campfire for our final sharing of the evening.  We chose tribal names for the rest of our group, as well as a tribe name:

Cheryl – Wise Laughing Beaver

Audra – Moon over Running Water

C – Diamond Willow by Deep Sparkling Water

Deb – Brave and Gentle Warrior

Melissa – Horse of the Rising Sun

Jeannie – Dragonfly over Mountain Waters

Donna – Sun Shining on Eagle Wings

Chrissy – Young Aspen Standing Strong

Brandi – Fire Dancing with the Wind

Meredith – Two Spirit Riding the Wind

Megan – Rock Dancing in the Swift Current

Our Tribe Name:   Warrior Women of the Big Sky

Finally as we toasted marshmallows, and smores, the group shared one by one what this journey and experience had meant to them.  After a group hug, and a rendition of Gloria Gaynor “I will Survive” we drifted back to our tipis for a last night under the stars before heading home Sunday morning.

It has been an amazing and life changing week, and the generous Blackfeet people and their beautiful country, stories and traditions will stay in our hearts forever.