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For some reason, I have always had a heart for Indians, myself. Always felt some kind of kinship with them - although my parents came from Europe.
Strange - when I read about the Mesa Verde Pueblo Indians, I felt a strange feeling of deja-vue. But, I doubt if that was possible.
When I lived along the St. Clair River, I went to an environmental meeting in 1996 and met some Indians from the nearby Canadian Island of Walpole. Got to talking to them and they mentioned that there were thinking of writing up their heritage in a book. I offered to help them, gratis, as I had been in the book business myself for a long time.
They came across the river to my house many times. They had about 2,000 pictures. I tried to teach them, and gave them some good examples of books; but despite my efforts they never wrote the first word. However, one time in the winter they called and asked if they could come over. I said that I didn't think it was a good idea, because I was coming down with my usual winter bout with bronchitis.
They said that they could take care of that. So, the chief and the medicine man and a couple women came over, carrying a brown paper bag. The paper bag was full of bark and twigs and herbs and other strange stuff. They said they wanted to boil it on my stove with some water. They then put some whiskey in it.
The medicine man had a new deerskin which wrapped what he called a "stick". it was a stick with an ivory claw at the end of it. I was a little reluctant to drink the foul looking brew, but I really had no choice at that time. The chief was banging away at my piano,while the medicine man touched the stick to point my hands and the back of my neck while chanting some mumbo-jumbo. They told me to go to bed and that I would really sweat.
Well, I sweat like I never had done before and really slept that jag off. Anyway, when I awoke in the morning I had no more congestion and no more bronchitis. I used to have it every year, but I have never had it since. In the summer time, when I went over to Walpole Island to the Big Annual PowWow, they were most gracious - treating me to a lot of food and entertainment.
However, although I have in my memory much of the stuff they told me about their heritage and their ancestors, they never wrote one single thing.
but, it was fun.
Lorraine
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