I didn't actually witness this event

Another teacher took these pictures. The boy is Juanito, a sixth grader. (His sister, Elena, is in my class.) The dad has many jobs, including taxidermist. And, yes, it's a bear.

Unidentified correspondent

Puppy rescue

Once upon a time, about two weeks ago, a puppy was abandoned in Gallup, NM. She was found on top of a mesa, and so she was named Mesa. Mesa is staying in Lumberton for a while as she gets ready to fly to her new home at Uncle T's in Rochester. I think she's happy.

Porkers from Rochester. Thanks, Moll!

Several pounds of Zweigle's hot dogs arrived recently from my high school pal, Molly Hart. Maria cooked them up tonight in the school cafeteria. We invited the neighbors (who were reluctant to taste the mysteriously colored delicacies) and had a huge bonfire in the schoolyard. Everyone loved the porkers and Texas, of course.

Muchas gracias, mi amiga!

Perspectives

Go-Jii-Ya runner

This is Frank, a fellow teacher. You wouldn't know it from his paint, but he's a Dayton boy. Because he's a fast runner, he was blessed by the White clan to run at Go-Jii-Ya. Note the yucca fibers tied at his wrists and throat. (Despite four hours of instruction last week on the history and meaning of Go-Jii-Ya, I can't remember what the yucca signifies). Note the shade structure he's sitting under--all woven, not nailed. Note the bread and soup.

When the Apaches were free, the White clan lived in the hills and mountains and were mainly agricultural. The Red clan lived on the prairie and were Buffalo hunters. The reservation where the Jicarilla Apaches live now is not their ancestral land. That land was further north and east in the San Luis Valley.

The White clan lost the 3-hour relay race at Go-Jii-Ya this year, notwithstanding Frank and many other really fast runners.

(Photos are not allowed at Go-Jii-Ya, especially by gawking white people. This one was a gift from another tribal member.)

All of the white people will be Indians

"In the Great American Indian novel, when it is finally written, all of the white people will be Indians and all of the Indians will be ghosts."

That's a line from a Sherman Alexie poem. I thought about it tonight when I was at the campgrounds for Go-Jii-Ya, the biggest celebration in the Jicarilla Apache year. I was hauling wood for a tipi fire. I was invited to help butcher a sheep. I was under a full moon in front of a pristine lake, watching Indians finish supper and get their kids ready for bed. It felt wrong to be there, but it felt more wrong to be absent. (I'm not trying to be an Indian, Sherman, really, I'm not.)

Here's some online info about the celebration, which goes on until Tuesday.

The annual Go-Jii-Ya feast is celebrated at Stone Lake, 18 miles south of Dulce. The feast originated hundreds of years ago when the two clans of the Jicarilla - Red Clan and White Clan - were still nomadic hunters and gatherers. Whenever they happened to meet, the Go-Jii-Ya was celebrated. The feast became a set date in the late 1800's after the Jicarilla were moved onto the reservation.

Teepees are set up and the cooking is done outdoors. Hospitality comes first and everyone is fed. Are you ready for buffalo/crawfish jambalaya? Photography NOT permitted. (http://www.ausbcomp.com/redman/jicarilla.htm)

Go-jii-ya is the tribal harvest festival where emphasis is placed on the participation of the young boys. It is derived from the story of the Jicarilla where there was race of all the animals and birds around the world. Today, there is a relay race which takes place at Stone Lake between the Llanero (Red Clan) and the Ollero (White Clan).

- Women and small children are not allowed in the Kiva and on the race track after it has been blessed on the 14th, because it is said that they affect the strength of the runners. Today, the Ollero allow their women to dance on the race track before the race. Llanero women dance only when the race is over.

- People who are not participating in the race are not to cross the race track after it has been blessed on the 14th.

- The losing clan is supposed to give fruit and vegetables after the race is completed.

- One should not throw the fruit and vegetables but give them in an appropriate manner.

- Spectators should give their support by yelling only. Clapping is not a traditional way to encourage runners.

- Jicarilla women take care of their camps and feed anyone who come to their camps. Giving and sharing are traditional values that are highly regarded. They are a sign of generosity.

- The Jicarilla people are a matrilineal tribe. This means that one follows his/her mother's side when it comes to traditional ways including clan.

- In the old days, women and young children were not allowed to attend the tryouts.

- Photos and recording devices are NOT PERMITTED. Only tribal members can take photos for their own use. (http://www.jicarilla.net/Protocols.htm#gojiiya).

If you thought you couldn't buy a tipi online ...

you would be wrong.

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction

Cinquains (5-line poems) by 4th graders

Puberty celebration

Keesdas, or feasts, are hosted by girls' families when girls reach puberty. At her feast, the girl must dance for four whole nights with a boy chosen by her parents. The dancing takes place in sacred tipis (teepees). Guests gather around the tipi for soup, fry bread, and other traditional food. The larger the gathering of guests, the more fruitful the life of the young woman will be. The Jicarilla website says, "One must not go just to eat, but also to pray for the maiden and the brave and give thanks for the food."

This site, about the Mescalero Apache celebration, has good photos and additional information.

The teachers were all invited to a feast last weekend. We didn't see the girl, but were honored to be included in her celebration. This picture shows the place where the dining took place. You can also see the top of the tipi in the background.

Along the Navajo River

On this road between Lumberton and Chromo, Colorado, livestock roam with little supervision and no fences.

Stuart, the 4th grade artist

Each class has to decorate the alter for Monday Mass. It's hard to see the detail in Stuart's medicine wheel and feathers, but he's a talented artist. He draws constantly.