he bright, full moon shown silver light down upon the sleeping village nestled in the high mountain valley.  The air was so still and clear; the moon lit the valley almost as brightly as the sun.  I am Ul-i-na-wi A-ge-ya, (‘Turtle Woman’ as my sister back in Kansas calls me).

Sitting upon the ridge to the west, all the details of the slumbering village could be made out clearly.

Wafts of smoke curling up into the stillness from the individual family lodges, which set perfectly encircling the Great Lodge, the place of communal gathering.

The valley was lush and green even, in this silver light.  I could see the garden area, and tell that the tall straight rows of corn were nearing harvest.  Much work would soon need to be completed to ready the village for the winter.

I sat and looked upon this scene for quite awhile, thinking of how the others and I came to be here at this place.  I let my mind drift back over the past year.  Tears swelled in my eyes with pride for the great accomplishments that had been made here.  Soon the sun began its ascent, the red fire glow breaching the mountaintops.  I sat and watched and waited as the sun came forth for the new day.  Watching the sky turn from red to pink to purple then blue, the night was gone and a new day had begun.  I made my morning prayers and began my descent towards the village to take my place in the activities of the day.

As I made my way closer to the village I could hear the stir of activity from inside the family lodges as people began to arise and greet the new day.

f course Lisa was already up and had set about the morning task of gathering wood for the stove in the community lodge.  This village had been her vision and, we all referred to her by her native name of ‘Sagehawk’ out of respect for her farsighted vision and the ability to keep our hearts soaring.  She was the backbone of the community, and as such felt it was her need to make sure we all came together for the morning meal.  She set to the task of starting the large old wood-burning stove in the morning and starting the coffee. 

The stove had been a wonderful find; the only thing left standing after a fire that had devastated an ancient farmstead in up state New York many, many years ago.  She had come upon it on one of her many nature outings and had Steve and a couple of the other men in the village load it on a truck and bring it to where it now stood, and we made good use of it.  The stove brought us all together in the mornings.

As the scent of fresh coffee filled the morning air the people began to filter into the main lodge.  We all took our morning and evening meals together as one family.  Certain men were appointed each day to bringing in meat from the smoke house as the children began the gathering of eggs and the women hustled about the pantry getting out the large cooking pots.  The older children set to the task of bringing water up from the stream.  Some of the water would be used in the cooking and some was set aside to heat for washing.

Generally breakfast was ham or bacon as three of the families had brought hogs to raise for that purpose.  A couple of families had acquired some cows, more for the purpose of milk than meat.  Those men tended to the chore of milking first thing in the morning and bringing those buckets full into the lodge.  The women had all set to the tasks of making the biscuits and filling large pots with oats or wild rice to add to the breakfast meal.  A couple of women would take the fresh milk and skim off the cream to churn later in the day, saving enough cream out for the morning coffee.  One or two of the older girls would gather with an elder woman to mix bread dough to let rise and would be baked after the morning meal was finished.  The bread was distributed every day to the families for use with their noon meals, which were taken in their own lodges, saving a portion for the communal evening meal.

Soon the air was full of hearty aromas as the meal was coming together.  The younger children set the tables as everyone scurried about to set out the food.

As soon as everything was set, Sagehawk would raise her hand in a sign of silence.  The people would hurry to find their places at the tables and before sitting, Sage would ask an elder to lead the morning thanksgiving prayer.

Then the climax, finally.  We would all sit and eat and drink and talk, mostly of the day’s plans.  Who was going to gather berries and who was going to go and hunt that day and what other tasks were being planned.  The talk was warm and friendly as the plans for the day were made.

And so the day had begun once again.

As the morning meal completed, some of the younger children would begin to clear the dishes away from the tables.  Any scraps that may be left were scraped off into a bucket for one of the older boys to take out for the hogs.  The men milled about outside, usually with another cup of coffee in their hands, and continued the discussion of what chores would be tended to that day.  A couple would hunt and some would fish to sustain the meat supply.  Some of the children would be included in these excursions.  Other of the men had noticed repairs that needed to be made around the camp and would set to those tasks for the day.

The work in the village was always shared and children were included by their age and ability.  There were four toddlers and an infant in the community as well.  They generally spent their day in the community lodge, as there were always some women in there throughout the day tending to baking and churning and washing and mending.

The baby, Collin had been born into the village only three months earlier.  He was everyone’s pride and joy, a symbol of the community’s growth.  Collins’ mother would come by the lodge often through the day to feed and care for her precious child, and enjoyed her respites to care for the garden and chickens.  She generally wouldn’t venture out of the encampment during the day to gather berries or hunt for mushrooms, like some of the other women and children would do.  She was still a new mother and stayed close to tend Collins’ needs.

There was an older gentleman, whom we called Old Ben. He loved to share the stories of the old ways and times with the younger children who were always eager to sit and listen.  His wife had passed away before he had come to be a part of the village, and the children’s’ eagerness and love towards him filled a void in his life and gave him a sense of purpose.  Ben was everyone’s “grandfather” and was taken good care of by all.  Many in the village looked to him for his wisdom, as he had lived many years and had much to share. It was usually Ben who taught the children games to amuse themselves and would whittle out little trinkets and toys to award the winners of these games. 

he mornings were always filled with chores, and now with winter approaching most of the canning had been done and most of the jellies already put up.  There weren’t many berries to be found now, but there was abundance of late fall mushrooms, which would be brought in and dried for use in soups and stews later on. Soon it would be time to shuck and dry the corn and bring in the squash and onions to the main cellar which was already half full of potatoes and apples.  There were many wild apple trees in this valley.  It was rumored that Johnny Appleseed had passed through this way.  Somebody else had heard that an orchard had once been planted on this land, and, the owner had moved west with the discovery of gold, leaving many of the trees to wither and die.  No one actually knew for sure which story was true but, there was an abundance of apples here and the current inhabitants were grateful to whomever it was that left them behind.  There had been enough of them this year we were able to make a few pints of jelly, and would soon make some cider to drink on the frosty fall evenings.

The sun had now reached its zenith.  The people were beginning to gather back to the village.  The head woman for each family would come by the main lodge to pick up a share of freshly baked bread, a portion of butter and some milk to take back to their family’s lodge and prepare their noon meal.  Occasionally a couple of families would eat together, but generally the noon meal was a time for each family to come together individually.  This was a time to share with each other the happenings of the morning and make plans for the rest of the day.  If the hunters and the ones who had gone out to fish had been successful, then there would be meat that would need to be cleaned and prepared for smoking and storage.  Cows would need to be milked once again, cream separated and more butter churned. More firewood would need to be gathered but first, we would eat, and then rest.  Small children would be put down for naps and adults would relax.  This was a time to take a walk in prayerful reflection or read or play quietly or just do nothing at all.  By mid-afternoon the village would be abuzz once again with activities.

The quiet time was one of my favorite times of day.  I would take my blanket and lay out upon one of the hillsides, soaking in as much of the suns’ warmth as possible. 

Sagehawk would always have her meal with her family, which included her sister, Walks In Peace.  From my vantage on the hillside I would watch them leave the lodge while, Steve took this time to rest.

I would watch, as the two sisters would walk off into the woods.  It was their time of day to relax in the woods.  They communed with the earth mother and the creatures of the forest, and drew their spiritual strength from this encounter.

When I awoke, I could already hear sounds in the village as the people were once again getting around.  The children would now be sent for their scholastic studies.  A woman came to our village a little over seven months ago.  She had been a teacher down in the city, and had become disenchanted with the so-called system.  She fit perfectly here; she had found a home.  The children respected her and the parents had found her to be an excellent teacher.  Every day through the week the children would begin to gather at her lodge around two-thirty and remain there in study for about four hours.  On days when there wasn’t much to do before evening, some of the adults would go sit in on her class where they could observe, or if they wished, would be allowed to share whatever talent they might possess.  They might teach a song heard from their childhood, or teach some craft they enjoyed and or were proficient in, or just share some knowledge their ancestors had passed down to them.  There was much diversity in our community, and the key to true harmony in this diversity was an understanding of other people’s ways and traditions.  It was good that the children had this kind of exposure.

Today wouldn’t be one of those kinds of days though.

The children would be left to their studies of reading, writing, history and math.

The hunters and fishers had been very lucky this morning, bringing in two deer, a wild boar, three turkeys and a couple dozen assorted fish.  Everyone’s efforts would be needed today to skin and clean the days kill, much would need to be done to get the meat from the hoof to the smoke shed.  The men set about the task of skinning and the women would carefully cut the meat from the bones, wrapping it in linen and packing each parcel with salt.  A man was already in the smokehouse laying a good bed of coals to place the smoke producing green wood on.  A couple of women were setting up the racks in there to lay the fish out on.  As each package was readied it would be brought to the smoke shed to hang.

Deer hides would be worked to make leather for moccasins and clothes; this was one of my skills.  Turkey feathers would be washed and saved to make decorations for hair and clothes; some would be used in craft projects.  Those in the village believed it was important to find as many uses as possible with every part of the kill.  Some bones were made into knives and some became sewing awls.  Old Ben liked to take some bones to smooth into toothpicks, and when there were antlers, he would carve designs into them and award them to the hunters. 

The butchering was going smoothly and nearly completed allowing Jake and Mathew to go on to their milking.  As each task of butchering was completed, the people would go on to the next task of preparing supper.

Sagehawk already had the fire going in the stove once again, and Emeralds Fire along with a couple of the elder women was in the process of making home made noodles.  Tonight would be turkey and noodles, bread and butter, and apple pie.  Big pots were brought out, as a couple of the younger women would go fetch more water to the main lodge.

Most of the men were busy chopping firewood that would be used to keep the stove going for this meal. Bundles of wood were delivered to the family lodges for overnight heat.  More wood was cut than could be used each evening with the remainder being stored in the woodbin for times that chopping might not be possible.  We always tried to keep reserves of everything, especially with the winter coming.  There were many dead trees in the forest so; firewood would be plentiful to our community for a long time.

School was out now for the day and the younger children would now come to help with the butter churning, while their mothers quizzed them on what they had learned that day.  It was almost made to seem like a game.

The coffee was ready and the men began to stroll into the lodge for a cup.  They would congregate at one of the tables and talk while the women and children finished the details to the supper.

The supper table would be set in much the same way as had the morning meal been.  Tonight the dinning room would be filled with laughter and talk.

Everyone was now seated and eating, talking about the days events.  There was teasing and laughing.  Everyone’s spirits were high with so much that had been accomplished this day. After dinner, the children would clear away and wash the dishes along with the women who were on their moon.

A women’s sweat was scheduled for this evening.  Swan Medicine Woman had fasted from the dinner meal to set about the task of readying the fire to heat the stones that would be used in the ceremony. Swan conducted the women’s’ sweats and assisted in the collective sweats by pouring the water.  In the women’s sweats she would be assisted by Sagehawk, who had earned the right to pour through much study.  Special prayers of thanks would be offered tonight to the Creator for the bounty that had been brought in today.  Prayers of confession would be made to cleans our souls and make us worthy of the Creators’ blessings.  Bequests would be made on behalf of those in our community that were ill or struggling with some burden.

The men were also conducting their own sweat tonight as well.  My brother Yona conducted these sweat as well as the communal sweats.  In the men’s sweats he was assisted by a young man called Utsonati.

Communal sweats were generally reserved for the solstices and equinoxes, the great harvest, full moons (which one had just past two nights ago) and for special healing.

Those women who could not participate in the sweat lodge would see to the younger children and, with the older children’s assistance ready them for bed.  Then set to the tasks of preparing light snacks for the participants as they emerged from their respective lodges.  As those in the sweat ceremonies left the lodges they would first go to the stream to wash, then come up to the community house and take in a snack and drink some water in an effort to replace the fluids that were lost in the heat of the lodge.  The sweat lodge was not a place meant to create great suffering, rather a place of self-sacrifice, spiritual cleansing, meditation and prayers for the collective. 

After the snack, an elder would make a prayer, and all would retire for the night.