The Shaman Artist
Remembering
I woke just before the sun, the smell of shark's oil and heat all around me. The sounds so still so quiet broken by the splash of fish jumping the sun begins to greet me. My favorite time of day, the light begins to dance off the dark brown water as I drag my dugout my pride and joy into her welcoming arms.
I spent over a hand of the moon carefully picking the perfect tree, I chose a tall sturdy pine, straight and solid. Using a conch as I chopped it down, carefully burning out the insides using wet mud when the embers got too hot, carving off the charred section and repeating this process until I was happy with the thickness. I must speak the truth here Uncle kept a watchful eye on the whole journey you see it must be sturdy enough to carry my load and light enough to glide through the water with ease. In eight fingers of the moon I had the shape that pleased me, Uncle then showed me how to use the rough skin of the shark to sand down to just the right smoothness. I wanted to use my shark tooth knife to carve the image of blessed Sepi on her bow. Uncle again guided me to choose instead Aurr the war God that guided my people and protected us from harm. My crude wood pecker image would ensure great blessings when hunting and fishing for my people.
I will feed my family with the gifts of her dark swirling water, my nets and fish hooks ready to be set. My younger sisters would be on a shore's edge in two more fingers of the sun to collect clams and oysters. They learned from the Grandmother's how to crack them just so, careful to keep the shell's from breaking apart as they had many uses. From the bowls that fed us,the tools we worked this land with to my fish hooks even the land that held us high above the tides of the great waters. By the time the sun had come out full to greet me my net's were ready soon overfilling with the bounty that my family would feast this evening. As I paddled back to the village I stare at the dark water letting the voices of my ancestors fill me, those who had paddled before e, the ones who started our great mounds and even those before them. Blessed Ancestors it is a great time to be alive!
I spent over a hand of the moon carefully picking the perfect tree, I chose a tall sturdy pine, straight and solid. Using a conch as I chopped it down, carefully burning out the insides using wet mud when the embers got too hot, carving off the charred section and repeating this process until I was happy with the thickness. I must speak the truth here Uncle kept a watchful eye on the whole journey you see it must be sturdy enough to carry my load and light enough to glide through the water with ease. In eight fingers of the moon I had the shape that pleased me, Uncle then showed me how to use the rough skin of the shark to sand down to just the right smoothness. I wanted to use my shark tooth knife to carve the image of blessed Sepi on her bow. Uncle again guided me to choose instead Aurr the war God that guided my people and protected us from harm. My crude wood pecker image would ensure great blessings when hunting and fishing for my people.
I will feed my family with the gifts of her dark swirling water, my nets and fish hooks ready to be set. My younger sisters would be on a shore's edge in two more fingers of the sun to collect clams and oysters. They learned from the Grandmother's how to crack them just so, careful to keep the shell's from breaking apart as they had many uses. From the bowls that fed us,the tools we worked this land with to my fish hooks even the land that held us high above the tides of the great waters. By the time the sun had come out full to greet me my net's were ready soon overfilling with the bounty that my family would feast this evening. As I paddled back to the village I stare at the dark water letting the voices of my ancestors fill me, those who had paddled before e, the ones who started our great mounds and even those before them. Blessed Ancestors it is a great time to be alive!
