senses and abilities.

Suppress the tendency to take the easiest route, as your goal whether you
recognize it or not is far more than to get from point A to point B. Choose a trail that is slightly
more challenging than one your natural inclination would lead you to. It doesnt take much to keep
you in the moment and attuned to what you are doing, so be careful not to overchallenge yourself. If
you do, your growth will be stymied, as you will miss some of the lessons that need to come to you
in ordered progression.

Honor the Plants: Guidelines For the Respectful Gathering of Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants
Beaver Fever The Truth about Giardia
The Half-Empty. Half-Full Bowl Syndrome
All-Winter Snow Lodges: Two Easy-to-Build, Safe Designs
Fear: Doorway to Knowing
Brain Food: How to Awaken the Dormant Mind
The Birthday Celebration: Rite of Passage or Wrong Turn?
How to Take Care of a Hothead
Song of the Mosquito: How to Live in Balance With This Honored Guardian of the Wild Places
Pemmican: The Indigenous Sausage
Teaching Trail

How do you know when you are on the teaching trail? If you are not occasionally slipping
or tripping (literally or figuratively), you are not pushing the edge of your skill, the edge of your
awareness, the edge of your defined world. Youre staying in your comfortable envelope; youre not
learning.
An interesting paradox of the teaching trail is that it usually takes you off the trail. The trail
is the known, the comfortable, the predictable. Let me give you the example of a literal trail, the one
out to my Wilderness camp. The established trail is the easiest way there and I go there regularly.
Sometimes it will be a Moon or more between my walking of the this trail. In the fifteen years that
Ive had my present camp, Ive come to know the Wilderness between the trail head and my camp
as well as you might know your house. The Plants and Animals who dwell there have become my
Sisters and Brothers not because we are related, but because we have developed relationships.
Continually taking the trail into camp would have been like continually walking down one aisle of a
store and always going back to the same aisle every time I visit the store. I would have little idea as
to what the rest of the store might hold and I would have little idea as to how well my favorite aisle
reflects the rest of the store.
Walking the same aisle, or the same trail, is like going to school, or reading a book, or
listening to a teacher. I have put myself in a box, which means that all I can come to know is what is
already in the box.
Imagine if you were meeting someone new and wanted to get to know him but ignored
everything about him except his arm and you developed a relationship with just that arm. How well
would you know the Person? That is exactly what we do when we keep walking the same trail, no
matter whether it is the same trail to the Woods or the same mental pattern or emotional rut. It is the
antithesis of learning, growing, discovering. With the teaching trail there are no limits, no
boundaries, no directions. Our only limitation is our acculturated self.

35

take the more challenging route. The way that will give me the most opportunity to expand my
abilities and stretch my perceptions. Im not referring just to routes that I physically traverse, but to
all aspects of life. For example, if Im describing a scene to someone, I wont just settle for cliches
like a brilliant Sunset or crystal-clear Water. Ill envision myself back at the scene and describe
in a more personal, feeling way what it was like to be there experiencing it. In that way I am
developing not only my descriptive abilities but Im learning to get more in touch with myself in
general my feelings, my memories, and the ways in which my experiences are meaningful to me.
Im also helping the Person Im talking to, to grow, by stimulating her ability to envision along with
her listening ability. In doing so we are enriching our relationship by making a relevant sharing out
of what otherwise could have been typical hi, how are you, whats new type of exchange.
Teaching Trail is a metaphor for a state of mind, an attitude, an opening. It has become a
metaphor for my life. With everything I do I strive to walk the teaching trail. Ive become adept at
making challenges out of the commonplace. No set of steps is just a set of steps for me. Ill take
three steps in one stride and then one and then two or Ill go up or down the steps backwards or
while rotating. Sound dangerous? Crossing the street is dangerous. Camping in the Wilderness is
dangerous. Inherent danger is there, but only in potential I will experience it only if I actualize it.
If I cross a busy street against a red light or head out into the Winter Wilderness late in the day and
underdressed, I am taunting that danger to come and visit me.
Ive learned about this potential danger by taunting it. My left ankle and right hip and lower
back bear the wounds of those early teachings that remind me to this day that the teaching trail is to
be walked consciously. And the wounds are not just physical. I have emotional scars from pushing
myself into situations, relationships and partnerships that I was not ready for.
The teaching trail is anything but a trail of recklessness and daring. It is a path of conscious
growth. It is a path of choices and at the same time it is a path of no choice. It may seem as though I
have a choice either take easy street or the teaching route, but that is just an illusion a game
that the ego plays so that it feels that it has some control. Whether I decide to be a couch potato or
an adventurer it is actually my ego deciding to do that. The actual me, the whole me has no choice.
If I am going to live, I must live who I am. Otherwise I am merely existing, merely taking up space.
Free will and the right to choose are not intrinsic to our beingness. They are not inalienable rights.
They are merely constructs that we have come up with to justify a materialist egocentric existence.
When we are in Balance with our Self, when we are centered in our Heart of Hearts we know that
the teaching trail is the only trail. It is the Old Way. Our pre-civilized Ancestors walked the teaching
trail. Natives of today walk the teaching trail. The few civilized People who are even aware of the
teaching trail find it extremely difficult to walk it because it runs contrary to the do it in the fastest,
most expedient and productive way possible mantra of civilized ego existence. With the teaching
trail, the walking is the destination. It matters little where Im going or what Ive set out to do, or
whether I ever get there or accomplish my task. In that sense, every step on the teaching trail is its
own goal, its own accomplishment.
Stay longer with that which you dont like, release sooner that which you do like, is a
proverb I not only follow, but have become. Ill step through a doorway not because it might hold
some pleasure, comfort or other gain for me, but merely because it is there.

Honor the Plants:

Guidelines For the Respectful Gathering of Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants
The native in each of us recognizes each of our relations with the same due respect and caring
regardless as to whether she has fur, scales, or leaves. We all have the same Mother; we are all sister
and brother.
The dominant culture would have us believe otherwise. We are trained to view relationship
as a hierarchy, with us (of course) at the top and animals just below us. Those which most resemble
us in form and intelligence apes, dolphins and whales come first, with then lesser animals
following, right on down to the least worm and amoeba. At the bottom of the pyramid we place the
plants.
This structure has conditioned us to extend the most kindness to those immediately below
us, with our consideration decreasing as we progress down the pyramid. Thus we can pull, pick and
prune without giving it a second thought, whereas we are generally not so casual with animals. As
caring as we might feel toward Dolphin, we can quite easily do an about-face and be callous with
Dandelion.
Our gardening approach to plants stems from that dichotomous attitude. After all, those
plants exist to feed us, and we will do with them as we see fit to maximize their food value.
We who forage tend to carry that civilized filter with us. We often cut and pluck as though
we were going down a garden row.
The plants have suggested to me some ways that I can cultivate and practice a respectful
relationship with them. When I enter their circle they first ask me to sit down with them, as that
helps them feel more comfortable with me than when I stand over them. It automatically helps me
to feel more with them than lording over them. We greet each other with our names and our clans,
and then we share our stories about how our families are doing, how the turn of the seasons has
been for us, and how the future looks to unfold.
We then discuss our needs, and the needs of those who dwell in our respective Circles of
life. As giving is receiving, we are each open to nourishing the other. For example, if her young
were up-rooted by a Skunk, and she asked me to plant her fruit so that her colony would again
prosper, I would. Or if she told me that the family of chipmunks living nearby was depending upon
her berries because the fruit of her other plant kin was sparse this year, I would honor that and not
ask her for any for myself. I would know that I would be provided for elsewhere. If she had surplus,
and all in her Circle were provided for, she might then invite me to gather of her bounty that I might
provide for my own. For she knows that in doing so she will too will be taken care of. Following is
that sharing a guideline format:

I first lay an offering of a pinch of Kinniknick a sacred herb mixture I carry with me
before her as a symbolic gesture that I am willing to give in order that I may receive. This slows me
down and causes me to think about my actions rather than just jumping in and taking. As I honor
her in this way it humbles me because I am there before her, on her level, giving to her, speaking in

When walking through the woods, select a teaching trail one that will challenge your
34

her language. Before I do anything else I am gifting her that is meaningful to me, something that is
a part of me. The herbs I lay before her I have gathered and prepared. Each herb has meaning to me
and came to me in a sacred manner. They are imbued with my energy as I carry them close to me at
all times. They were dried under my watchful eye, and prepared and kneaded together according to
my honored traditions.

5. Store in a cool, dark, dry place.

I do not gather the first of what I come across just in case it be the only plant, or be sparse in
that area. I will survey the entire area before beginning to gather.

Photo 1. The shoulder and thigh have large, easy- to- slice muscles.

When gathering greens or shoots I will generally take about of what is available. Being
accustomed to nourishing others plants generally produce this much surplus and will suffer no ill
affect in its removal. With fruit I might take the great majority of the crop if there is more to ripen
imminently. If the plant be an annual I might replant some of her seeds so that she reappear. With
tubers, such as leeks, I will gather about of a clump as they readily multiply. The there are tubers
such as Jerusalem artichokes which are even more prolific in a good location. Ill take every tuber I
can find, and even then I obviously miss some because the next year the patch is again just as thick
if not thicker (they like disturbed soil).

Photo Captions

Photo 2. Filet from the bones and, with a sharp knife, slice into thin steaks, across the grain.
Then slice steaks into two- finger wide strips. Partially frozen meat slices more easily.

Photo 3. Hang to dry in a warm, dry, breezy location. Avoid low areas (possible humidity
pocket).

Photo 4. Radiant heat is more desirable than flame, so let the fire burn down to coals before
Leave plants and fruit that are providing homes and food for insects and other animals. I look
for clues such as partially eaten leaves or berries, scat, or spider webs.

Consider the time of year. Most wild foods are seasonal, yet some animals depend upon them
year-round for their sustenance. For example, some fruits, such as Highbush Cranberry and
Hawthorn ripen in the Autumn, yet they persist into the Winter, thus providing a continual food
source. So I exercise prudence when gathering such.

Practice judicious pruning. Many annual plants produce more lushly and for longer duration if
their growing tips are pruned. Ox-eyed Daisy, Nettle, Lambs-quarters, and a host of others will send
up side-shoots at leaf junctures when the growing tip is severed. With Milkweed, for example, Ill
harvest the growing tip to include two pairs of leaves and no further as the stem and leaves are
tough and less succulent. The next time I come to gather there will be two stems to replace the one;
I will harvest them and they will be again replaced. The plants undying goal is to reproduce, which
is why they keep sending up shoots. They typically quit growing as soon as they begin to blossom.
So this continual pruning stimulates new growth which can continue right to the end of the growing
season. Because this method of harvesting stymies reproduction I leave a portion of the patch
untouched.

Because we are all connected, I honor and show respect for myself by showing respect for the
plants that sustain my family and me. As we are all children of the same Mother, I honor The
4

placing the rack over it. Keep the fire only large enough to provide warmth and air
movement, as we do not want to cook the meat. Traditionally, the goal was to dry rather
than smoke the meat. Smoky meat reflected upon the skill of the fire tender.

Teaching Trail
When two paths open before you, choose the hardest one.
Buddhist saying

Youre kidding Tamarack! were the first words out of Megs mouth after trekking up the
new trail to my lodge. What was wrong with the old trail? Youre going to break your neck trying
to get up this one at night.
Perhaps, but only if I didnt learn how to walk better at night, I replied.
My lodge rested atop a steep-sided Rock outcrop. The original trail to the lodge wound
around the backside where the slope was more gradual. It was an easy walk. I had it so memorized
that I could do it blindfolded even when loaded down with supplies. The new trail was steeper and
went right up a small Rock face at the very top. It was a safe trail if you accounted for conditions
that might make the Rock slippery and paid attention as to where you were placing your feet. It was
a teaching trail.
I am here in this life not just to get through it in the easiest way, but to learn and grow. To
explore and develop the potentials and abilities Ive been given. Whenever I have the opportunity I
33

2. Grind the meat Use a commercial grinder, or pulverize, as Natives would.

3. Render the fat Follow guidelines in Rendering chapter.
4. Combine meat and fat, in a ratio of about two parts meat to one part fat.

Mother when I honor Her children. Thus the sacred manner of my foragings is a ritual thanksgiving
for that relationship. The nourishment I gain is more than just physical I am invigorated by the
wholeness of the experience and feel blessed to be able to serve my plant kin by helping them walk
their intended paths.

5. Pack in airtight containers Cleaned intestine, bark, glass or plastic containers can be used.

Beaver Fever

6. Store in a cool, dry, dark place

The Truth about Giardia

Sidebar
A word of caution: Pemmican is a concentrated food that is best consumed sparingly, when
you are active, and not for an extended period of time. Consumption of hard fat can be unhealthy
for sedentary people, and protein overconsumption can overload the body with uric acid (which
may lead to gout) and calcium oxalate (the mineral which forms kidney stones). Ketones may also
build up in the system, causing kidney damage. (A sign of protein overconsumption is ketone
breath, which smells like nail polish or overripe pineapple.) Digestion of protein also

Fish Pemmican
Nokahigan is the Ojibwe term for pemmican made from dry, smoked fish (which they call
nameteg). In the North Country where I live, nameteg is often made from Suckers, though
Whitefish are preferred.
When the fish is cleaned to be dried, the bellies are cut out, because they are fatty and will
go rancid and spoil the nokahigan. Also, fat a precious commodity is processed separately (see
fat chapter).
First step: Prepare and smoke

Sooner or later, almost everyone who spends time in the wilds comes down with it. Whether you
know it as Montezuma's Revenge, Beaver Fever, Forest Flu, or The Trots; everybody knows it as
Hell. Gut cramps, diarrhea, foul smelling burps, gas. The worst cases leave you nauseous and
fatigued, with no appetite. Not a fun topic, for sure, but it's wrecked too many otherwise-beautiful
outdoor adventures to ignore it.
Unfortunately, much of what we know about preventing Beaver Fever is bogus, which is
why people keep getting sick. It turns out that the common preventive practice, filtering/sterilizing
water, doesn't do much good. Fortunately, new research and field tests are showing the way to stay
healthy in the wilderness--without fancy equipment or test tube concoctions.
So how is Beaver Fever spread, and how can it be prevented? I thought I knew the
answers--until one fateful wild river trip when over half of the people who entrusted me with their
well-being, got sick. Buck Tilton from NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) had sixty
percent of his students drop out a course because they got sick, and I had heard many other stories.
OK, I wasn't alone, but that was small comfort to the miserable-looking lot huddled around the
campfire.
Fortunately, it no longer has to be that way. Let's take a look...

What causes Beaver Fever?

1. Gut and behead.

2. Cut inside of fish, along spine, so that it will lay flat.
3. Pierce through tail section with sharp stick.
4. Hang over smudge fire, side-by-side like clothing on hangers. Leave enough room between the
fish so that the smoke can circulate around them.
5. Lay a bark sheet over the top of the fish to retain the smoke.
Second step: Fry and process
1. When adequately smoked (check by breaking one open in thickest part to see if smoke has
penetrated all the way through), heat in frying pan to drive out remaining moisture.
2. Break up and pick out bones.

It could be caused by any of hundreds of bacteria, protozoans, or viruses, and new buggers
are brought back regularly by world travelers. Yet Giardia, a one-celled intestinal parasite, is the
usual culprit. The condition is officially known as Giardiasis, yet most people simply call it Giardia.

Why is it such a problem?

It's everywhere. 7% of Americans are carriers and the percentage is several times higher for
outdoors people, children, and the world population in general.
It's easily spread. Combine poor hygiene with the fact that a million Giardia organisms can
hitch a ride under a single fingernail, and in no time your camp will be doing the Aztec
Quickstep.
It's persistent. Cysts can live several months outside the body.

3. Flake meat.
4. Pack tightly in containers and seal.

How is it spread?
32

For years it has been presumed that Giardia was spread by water contaminated with animal
feces, which is why the name Beaver Fever. Hikers and campers have continually been warned not
to drink untreated wild water by the medical profession, outdoor experts, and the Forest Service and
other agencies.
It turns out they weren't entirely wrong: they knew there was a Bear in the woods, but they
were barking up the wrong tree. Studies have shown that a high percentage of Beaver, Muskrats,
and Cattle are infected with Giardia, so it was assumed they were the primary source of the Giardia
organism infecting humans. That is until the growing amount of data showing that Beaver living
downstream from campgrounds have a high Giardia infection rate, compared with a near-zero rate
for Beaver living in more remote areas. Here we were blaming the poor Beaver, and it now looked
like we were infecting them!
Sure enough; a 1979 study concluded that humans are considered the most important
component" in the spread of Giardia. More recently, an article in the 1990 issue of the scientific
journal Environmental Management states that waterborne transmission of Giardia is believed to
be the least common mode of transmission overall.

sausages.
Fat is the primary ingredient in pemmican because fat has nearly 2 times the energy of
complex carbohydrates (which are starch, as found in grains and tubers), sugars or meat. This is
important in travel and cold weather because a lot of energy is needed without overloading the
system with bulky foods. Another benefit of fat is that it digests slowly, providing steady energy
over a long period of time. Sugars break down rapidly, giving a quick energy peak, then a valley.
Carbohydrates fare a bit better, yet nowhere near fat. Meat in excess of what is needed to rebuild
muscle is broken down and converted to energy, however it requires more water than other energy
foods and may carry health risks (see sidebar).
Fat is more necessary than meat in northern diet. As a traditional North Country travel and
winter ration, pemmican needed to sustain life and provide energy, sometimes on its own. Northern
greenhorn explorers have died trying to live on lean meat. Some Inuit Peoples winter diets consist
of almost half fat. Recently a woman crossed the continent of Antarctica on foot, consuming pure
olive oil (a liquid fat) for energy.

Make Your Own

(Text Box Insert) Caution
Even though drinking wild water is not as risky as once thought, I still recommend purifying it,
unless you are under the supervision of a knowledgeable wilderness guide with a long track record
of safety. There may be local contaminants you are not aware of. (End Insert)

With Beaver now off the hook, here are the real ways Giardia is spread:

In making pemmican, we are basically disassembling and reassembling the meat. Fresh meat
rots quickly; once the flesh and fat are separated and processed, each in the way that works best for
it, they can be reassembled and will remain preserved for an extended period. Pemmican is quite
easy to make and a variety of ingredients can be used. Following is my step-by-step preferred
method; feel free to substitute meats and fat sources. In doing so the most important guidelines to
keep in mind are to be sure your meat is lean and completely dry, and to use rendered fat that will
not melt (such as the fat of ungulates) while the pemmican is being stored and used.

Touching something that has come into contact with Giardia-infected feces, such as hands,
towels, clothing, shoes, feet.

Eating raw or partially cooked food contaminated with Giardia.

Swallowing lake, river, or spring water contaminated by sewage or infected feces (low on the
risk list--drinking heavily contaminated water causes Giardia in only one of nine cases).

In civilization, touching Giardia-contaminated surfaces such as bathroom fixtures,

doorknobs, changing tables, diaper pails, and toys.

One problem I face with almost every group is the "None of us are sick; why should we be
so careful?" attitude. Just because a person is healthy doesn't mean he's not infected. In fact, most
carriers show no symptoms. All it takes is someone being stressed or run down and the bugger will
take advantage.

How to prevent Giardia

1. Dry the meat. Choose a warm, dry, sunny period and start early in the day to take full advantage
of available drying time. I prefer large chunks (like thigh and shoulder -- see Photo1) of meat that
are already quite lean, like summer venison. If such is not available, clean all visible fat and
connective tissue from the meat, then slice as thinly as possible, preferably across the grain (dries
faster that way), as in Photo 2, and place on a drying rack in full sunlight(see Photo 3). If yours is a
warm dry climate, you may be able to keep your slices 1/4 inch thick and get them dry in a day. If
your area is humid, slice as thinly as possible.
Its best to get the meat dry in one day, to lessen the chance of spoilage. Test for dryness by
bending each piece, particularly where thick. Those needing more drying time will be rubbery;
those dry enough will be brittle and crack. Take them indoors so they do not reabsorb moisture
overnight. They are best kept refrigerated.
If conditions are not ideal for drying, use a supplemental fire, has shown in Photo 4.
What you are creating here is jerky, which can be stored and consumed as-is, but it is not a
complete food because it does not contain fat. Do not try to live on it! Natives will either use jerky
as an ingredient in a complete meal, or will use it to make pemmican.

31

new generation every 10 to 14 days.

5. The female needs a blood meal to produce eggs; both sexes otherwise sustain
themselves on plant juices.
6. Eggs will survive up to six years if water is scarce.
7. Merely flying dehydrates them, so if you see one out, rest assured she is out to heist

Because there are more--and riskier--ways of contracting Giardia through improper hygiene
than through bad water, preventive hygiene is the answer. Outdoors, where cleanliness is lax due to
group cooking and lack of running water, along with outdoor bathing, cleaning, and toilet facilities,
strict hygienic practices are necessary to prevent infection and illness. Space is limited here;
however, if you would like a copy of Camp Hygiene Guidelines, along with a more detailed report
on Giardia, send an SASE to Teaching Drum Outdoor School, 7124 Military Rd, Three Lakes
Wisconsin, 54562. Or you may request an e-copy from office@teachingdrum.org.

corpuscles.
8. Frequent rain (which triggers hatching) and cool weather (which conserves body moisture) make
a banner Mosquito season.
9. Arctic swarms can deliver nine thousand bites a minute, draining half a person's
blood in two hours. Each Mosquito gorges on one and one half times her weight in
crimson fluid.
10.Human Mosquito-born diseasesencephalitis, yellow fever and malariaare virtually
non-existent over most of our area. HIV virus is not known to be transmitted by Mosquitoes;
however, dog heartworm is.

Pemmican:
The Indigenous Sausage
The Native People of the temperate and northern regions of America developed a high-energy fast
food that is easily transportable and long-storing. We know it as pemmican, or pimikan in the
Algonquin languages. The term is derived from pimii, the Cree-Chippewa word for fat. This is quite
appropriate labeling, because fat, a concentrated energy source, is the most important ingredient.
We are all generally familiar with pemmican already, as it is basically sausage. It is a
mixture of dried shredded or pounded meat, usually ungulate (Bison, Elk, Deer), and lard (solid
rendered fat), usually ungulate also, which is combined and compressed into cakes.
Pemmican is made by first separating the fat and meat from each other so that they can be
processed individually. Meat is best preserved by drying, and fat by rendering. If there is fat in the
meat, or vice versa, either could spoil. However, once each is prepared they can be mixed together
and the resulting product will have good keeping quality. For travel it is tightly packed in sealed
containers (similar to stuffing sausage in casing) so that it will not rancidify.
The popular understanding is that pemmican contains fruit. This is a misconception that may
have arisen from the practice of some Natives of making a treat for their children by mixing
together fruit and dry meat. Historically, a small amount of dried fruit (such as juneberries) was on
occasion added, more for flavor than for its nutritional contribution. Indications are that sweet
pemmican was probably no more popular than was sweet sausage in the Euro-American tradition.
The practice of adding fruit to pemmican became commonplace with nonnatives, who in my
estimation were probably accommodating their acculturated taste for flavor additives in their
30

As researcher Robert Rockwell states, If you contract Giardia in the backcountry, blame
your friendsnot the water. Even if you don't care much for your fellow man, at least you now
know what to do to keep those cute little Beaver from getting The Fever.

The Half-Empty. Half-Full Bowl Syndrome

An elderwoman had two large rawhide bowls, each hung on the end of a pole
which she carried across her shoulders each day to the stream to get water. One
of the bowls had a tear in it, while the other was perfect.
At the end of the long trek back to the lodge, the torn bowl would arrive half empty. This
went on for four turns of the seasons, and the perfect bowl was always proud of his
accomplishment. However, the torn bowl felt miserable. "I am ashamed of myself, he said. I am a
failure -- this tear in my side lets water leak out all the way back to the lodge."
The woman looked over to him, laid her hand upon his imperfect, water-stained surface, and
smiled. "Did you notice that there are herbs and flowers on your side of the trail, she said to him,
and six-leggeds and four-leggeds and wingeds frolicking in the foliage, but not on the other side of
the trail? That's because I have always carried you on the left my gifting side, as it is closest to my
heart. As we walked, you would water the trails edge. Rather than seeing you as flawed and
arriving half empty day after day and being disappointed, I saw you as half full and overflowing
with generosity. You opened to your circle of relations, sharing your gift with the Mother and the
plant people. At the same time, in the way that giving is receiving, you have made room within
yourself for the beauty and nourishment that has come from your gifting. And not only you, but the
perfect pot, and me, and so many others we cannot know, have been ever bathed in your blessing
way.

All-Winter Snow Lodges:

Two Easy-to-Build, Safe Designs
Winters here in the Northwoods have a reputation for being long and the snow being deep two of
the reasons Ive chosen to live here. Im stimulated by the change of seasons and enchanted by the
rich quiet and excellent tracking the snows bring. And its all for the wild things and me, as few
humans then care to venture forth.
Yet Id like to help change that, as Im sure the seasons beauty would be enjoyed by more if

they knew better how to stay warm and comfortable. Adequate shelter is a concern that keeps many
from the farther places, when actually the snow and cold can help provide just that.

in her saliva. The most effective treatment I've found is to alternately compress and release the bite
to cause the toxin to disperse. This works for the bites of most other insects as well.

I find it a common belief that snow shelters are cold and short-lived, suited only to survival
situations or challenging winter camping excursions. Not necessarily. I have experimented with
two designs that are warm and safe, and durable enough to last the entire snow season. But first let
us take a look at some Native snowshelters and how they are used, as they were my initial
inspiration.

Dehydration may magnify bite reaction; be sure to hydrate well before hitting the trail and
also carry along adequate drinking water.

The igloo of the Inuit is well known, however they will build one only if away from their
permanent shelters and only after seeking other options. After building a few I realized one reason
why it is a lot of work for a temporary shelter! A favorite alternative of theirs is to break through
the suspended ice of a river after the water level drops in winter and find shelter from wind and cold
under the ice where the receding water has left a dry, ice-canopied shoreline.
Both of those shelters suited me well, yet they lacked warmth and longevity. Either warming
temperatures or gravity will cause them to sag and oftentimes collapse before the season is over. So
I incorporated various supporting structures into my shelters and came up with two designs, which I
call the ice lodge and the brush lodge, that can last until snowmelt. In my tests neither had ceiling
sag of more than one inch over the entire season (which here is four or more months in duration).
And both of them were warmer than their original inspirations, because the supporting structures
allowed me, without sacrificing floor space, to decrease inner volume by lowering the height.

Perhaps the fact that Im still alive and sane after years of outdoor living (without
commercial repellant) in Skeeter Country is some testament to the fact that this approach does
work. And yet I like a few Mosquitoes around; they help me to slow down and they bring me
teachings that touch many areas of my life. I am proud and honored to live in their domain and call
them sister.

box How to Make a Smudge Fire

1. Allow a small wood fire to burn down to coals (or use charcoal).
2. Smother with a thin but complete layer of green grass, conifer boughs or leaves.
3. If smudge material dries and flares up, put out with an additional layer of material.
Do not use water unless absolutely necessary.

Location
Placement of a Snowlodge requires special considerations: Because of the volume of snow
needed, locate in the middle of an adequate snowfield. And because of the short days, low angle of
the Sun and amount of time youll likely be spending inside, youll want to locate your lodge where
youll get good light penetration. You can forget about other warm season considerations you might
be accustomed to, such as locating in a spot that has low area humidity, solar heat gain and rain
storm protection.

Precautions:
--If using leaves be sure of their identity. Reactive plants such as poison ivy, oak and
sumac produce reactive smokes.
--With too thick a smudge layer some of the smoke will cool and condense on the outer
smudge material rather than rising.

Design
The greatest structural strength and longevity is achieved by building a lodge to the contours of
the accompanying illustration. For greater warmth considering that heat rises I lower the height
(see finished lodge in Photo 5) to bring the ceiling to just above my head when sitting.
For warmth, the smaller the lodge the better. The diameter of a round solo lodge need be only
your foots length more than your own height in order to provide all the room you should need; an
arms length over height will give room enough for 2-3 people.
To keep wind out and heat in, the entrance should be the lowest point of the lodge, and as squat
and narrow as possible. In fact, if the entryway is lower than the floor, as in the illustration, and the
tunnel is body length, a door flap is usually not needed.

side bar Skeeter Fact and Lore

1. Some Mosquitoes will venture up to 50 miles for your blood.

2. The majority favor birds, some choose large mammals such as cows, one seeks only
reptiles.
3. Aedes Vexans, our most common species in many areas, lives three to four weeks, can lay several
100-300 egg clutches in that time, and can emerge at the rate of four million a day from an acre of
water (100 a day from a square-foot puddle).
4. They reproduce in still wateras little as a cupful can sufficeand can produce a

Construction

29

 Teas of the above will work also, but lose effectiveness when they dry. Sweat

1.

keeps them active.

Make a mound of snow in the desired shape (as in Photo 1) of the inside of your lodge. The
structural strength of a snow lodge resides in its arched shape, so be sure not to have any flat
areas. In the wilderness Im usually without a shovel, so Ill use a slab of bark or split wood, my
toboggan or a snowshoe. I may also kick the snow into a pile with the side of my foot.

Smoke skin, hair and clothing. Make a small smudge fire (see box), hold
clothing over smoke and work into hair.
Avoid scented personal care products and laundry detergents. They are

2.

seductive perfume to Mosquito when activated by body heat.

Loosely weave any available brush or sticks over the mound (Photo 2), keeping the verticals
upright in the manner they grew and leaving the smaller branchlets on to help support the snow.
Allow the brush to stand up off of the mound so that it will be embedded in the snow youll be
covering the mound with in the next step. Or, if you are making the ice lodge, smooth the
mound surface by rubbing and patting with a slick-surfaced tool. The surface will then be less
porous and the water will more likely freeze on the surface than soak in. Now sprinkle with
water (for which I usually use a impromptu brush made of pine boughs -- see Photo 4). Begin
slowly, sprinkling lightly and evenly and packing the surface until a smooth, impermeable ice
layer is built up. Then douse more heavily. Water needs to be cooled to freezing before
applying, or it will soak into the snow rather than glazing the surface, and it may melt ice
already built up. Let water stand until it skims with ice, or cool quickly by adding to a snowfilled bucket. In weather not cold enough to quickly freeze water, apply a thin layer of slush
and allow to freeze solidly before applying more. It could take several days to make an ice lodge
when the temperature hovers around freezing. Check strength by leaning on the structure all
around.

Time
Choose midday or after dark to be out. Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk.
Choose a cool over a hot day, a sunny over a cloudy day, a low-humidity over a
high-humidity day.

For Your Camp

Welcome Dragonflies and foster ponds their breeding ground. They can consume their
weight in Mosquitoes in a half hour, they'll fly miles for the meal, and they can spot the
buggers 50 feet away. Immature Mosquitos, called wrigglers, are water dwellers and the favorite
food of Dragonfly larvaealso water dwellers. Old favorites like Bats and Purple Martins include
an average of only a couple percent Mosquitoes in their diets.

3.
Cover with snow. Work the snow in amongst the sticks (Photo 3), making sure that there are no
air pockets. A forearms depth is adequate; any thicker adds little or no insulative value,
diminishes light penetration and increases the chances of snow settling and ceiling sagging. Let
snow cover firm up overnight. On the ice lodge check snow depth by poking with a stick; on
the brush lodge first complete step 4, then adjust snow depth by checking with a stick.

Keep a section of yard open to sun and breeze.

When On the Trail

Follow the guidelines under Location in choosing your campsite.

4.

Make a smudge fire to create a dense, cool, low-hanging smoke (see box). When smoke hangs
around, the Mosquitoes don't.
Sit tight. If the Mosquito population is light to moderate, those in your

Remove initial snow mound and punch a thumb-sized breather hole at the peak.
5.
Construct an entrance tunnel in the same manner as the lodge. Face it southward for light.

immediate vicinity will soon satiate themselves (or get massacred your
choice) and you'll be left with just the occasional drifter to feed.

6.
Lay a floor. A subfloor of packed snow with a waterproof covering will do for a temporary
lodge. However, being insulated from outside air, the sub-floor will gradually melt from ground
warmth. So the floor of a long-term lodge is best cleared completely of snow, then covered with
a moisture proof layer (greased skins, bark), over which goes insulative bedding (dry grass,
moss, leaves), capped off with rugs, mats or furs.

Brush them off. Our most common Mosquitoes take several seconds after
landing to bite, so keepin' them hoppin' with a periodic sweep can be a temporary fix.

First Aid
A Mosquito bite itches and swells as the result of an allergic reaction to the anticoagulant
28

7.

Enjoy!

Choose a high sunny location. Mosquito dehydrates easily, so seeks shade and low areas where the
humidity is higher. If all else fails, climb a tree or perch atop a rock.

Snowlodge Living
Lodge temperature can be kept several degrees above freezing with no danger of melting.
With a small lodge this is usually accomplished by body heat alone, or with the aid of a candle or
oil lamp. To warm a larger lodge I will bring in heated rocks from an outside fire. Do not attempt
an open fire inside the lodgeinadequate ventilation can cause death by asphyxiation, and radiant
heat from the fire might melt walls even though the air temperature remains safe.
A barely-above-freezing lodge may not sound very cushy now, but youd likely be surprised at
how warm and inviting it can feel when the outside temperature bottoms out and the incessant wind
is bitter enough to instantly numb exposed skin. The lodge environment actually feels like spring or
autumn camping; outer layers of clothing can be shed and its often comfortable enough to read or
write.
If there is not enough light emitting through the walls or entryway, thin down a small area of the
south wall on the outside. To hang things, embed forked sticks in the walls.
I dont shovel paths for two reasons: Snow insulates ground-dwelling life from the cold, and
once I start shoveling I have to keep shoveling, to clear out accumulating snow in my trench.
Rather, I merely pack the snow down by walking on it, and let it build up.
The south side of the lodge is prone to melting. Replace the snow regularly as it melts, and
keep the snow covering clean, as debris warms in the sun and accelerates melting. If you leave your
lodge for a period of days, pile extra snow on the south side. (I learned to do this the hard way: I
came back from a snowshoe trek late one sunny afternoon to find more ventilation than I needed!)
Snow is the White Seasons gift to all who live in the ; it is a warm quilt to shelter the sleeping
plants and animals from freezing, it is the water that makes the sweet sap flow, it is the cold pool in
which the speckled Trout dwell. Without reflecting snow our short winter days would be dark in the
sparse sunlight; without snow there would be no reason to make snowshoes to go find the fresh
track of the Wolf.

Clothing
Wear long, loose-fitting garb to keep Mosquito from biting through to skin. Earth hues
disguise us in the Woods; green is best, brown rates second. White masks your silhouette in the
open. Blue is worst; Mosquito mistakes it for a flowering plant from which she draws
sustaining juices. Red flags her in also, as well as other insects. (Below-waist colors aren't as
critical; Mosquito will bite regardless.)
Air out outdoor clothing so that it does not harbor attractive odors.
Drape a Fern frond, long hair or something similar over head and face.
Mosquito doesn't like close overhead shadows or feeling boxed in while feeding.

Movement
Go slowly, remain calm. The more we sweat, breathe and agitate, the more Mosquitoes we will
attract and from a farther distance.
Walk first in line. The cumulative draw of a group of people is felt more the farther back in line
one is.

Diet
Eat raw garlic. The essence laces breath and exudes from skin pores, masking your lunch call.
Eat foods and drink aromatic teas indigenous to your area.. Youll then smell like you belong. (I
learned this from the local Natives, who did it to camouflage for the hunt.)
Avoid stimulants and sugar. They rev up the metabolism, which sends out louder invitations.

Dont Judge a Snow by Its Color

Snow is a unique building material, as it provides structure, cover, insulation and lighting all
in one. But it is a variable material-density, moisture content and translucence affect its
usability. The denser the snow the less well it insulates and the less light penetration it allows.

Skin Slatherings

The dryer the snow the poorer its adhesion. Sometimes snow is layered, and the layers can vary

Oil your skin. Mosquitoes are obsessive about keeping their

wings grease-free.

greatly in quality.
The best mound snow is grainy and dry, as its poor adhesion and compactability allow it to

Apply an aromatic oil such as Cedar (or other conifer) or crushed orange peel,

be easily scooped out. The best dome snow is of average density and moisture content, and not

onion or garlic. Give special attention to the warmest, leanest parts of your

yet, or just lightly adhering (clumpy snow will leave air spaces and will not settle in well around

body neck, armpits, ears, wrists wherever blood vessels are close to the
surface.

10

27

places, helping assure that their beauties and mysteries be preserved for those who Walk in Balance.

the brush reinforcement). Good quality snow, even if laying loose for several weeks will firm

But why Mosquitoes? Why not something more cute, or at least less hurtful? Many of us
who state that we love nature are referring to the noble, the inspiring, the photogenic. Usually not
Mosquitoes. We have a cultural aversion to insects in general, and biting insects in particular. Yet
insects are the most numerous, varied and some say the most beautiful of animals.
Mosquitoes themselves are often resplendent looking; many have iridescent wings and some have
other frills such as red-striped legs.

up overnight after being disturbed, even in mild temperatures.

Let us again turn to Native wisdom for another perspective: In the Hoop of Life all is sacred;
Mosquito is as well a child of The Mother, thus no more or less important than are we. Mosquito is
as vital and noble and beautiful as Hawk or Grandfather Pine, so she is accorded the same respect
and admiration.
She plays an important role in the food chain; her often abundant larvae are food to fish and
invertebrates, and she is fare for Birds, Bats, and Dragonflies.
Still, when we are harangued by these pesky little blood siphons we can well find it hard not
to develop an attitude and start swatting and spraying. They can keep us indoors and put a damper
on otherwise enjoyable outdoor activities. So what do we do, especially those of us who wish to live
more respectfully and responsibly?
We may try one of the naturally-based repellents which have come on the market in recent
years; they may be citronella or citrus oil based. Megadoses of vitamin B-1 appear to work for
some; others favor garlic capsules. The most curious repellents I have come across are Avon's Skinso-Soft and Bounce Fabric Softeners pinned to clothing. None of the above, however, are near as
effective as Cutters or Deep Woods Off. Yet there is a natural approach as effective as those
chemical stews, but it is so little known and hard to bottle that it can't be bought. It's one we live.

The clues to that Balance lie in knowing Mosquito. She is a fragile creature, a weak flyer
sensitive to dryness and paranoid of tight places and anything oily. She is much like us in the ways
she is drawn to food--color, appearance, smell. She can smell the carbon dioxide in our breath and
the carbon dioxide and lactic acid that emanate from our skin; she can see our silhouette,
movements and the color of our clothing and can sense our body heat.
Some of us ring our dinner bell louder than others because we have a mouth-watering
combination of the above signals. The key to DEET-free outdoor living is to eliminate or disguise as
many of those signals as possible and to confound Mosquito over the rest. The following list
contains some suggestions which have overlapping effect; select a combination which best fits your
person and situation. They work synergistically; several together can be as effective as a synthetic
deterrent.

Location
Stay in the breeze. Mosquito can fly only eight m.p.h., so it doesn't take much to waft her away.
Create a breeze. A 50 yard dash will leave the swarm lost and confused. Repeat as necessary.
26

Fear:
Doorway to Knowing
It is said that fear is our only limitation. It is also believed by some that money is the root of
all evil. In actuality the biblical phrase from whence that originates states that love of money is the
root. The same is true of fear, which in and of itself is actually a doorway to our potential. It is the
love, the embrasure, of fear which is our limitation, our evil.
Fear is no more and no less than a lack of knowing. Our fear of the dark or of deep water is
not natural. That fear is not of the water itself or of the blackness but of what might be hidden there
our fear is of the unknown. Those who come to know the creatures in essences of the night
become quite comfortable with the dark.
A quality of fear is that it magnifies whatever we might construe as a threat to our welfare.
This is a survival mechanism which helps to trigger us into preparedness for the worst possible
contingency; thus, when we hear noises in the night we imagine them to be coming from the
biggest, meanest possible source. When we meet the bird or insect who originates these horrific
sounds our fear is usually replaced with wonderment as to how such an eerie and threatening timbre
can come from such a fragile creature. We might even get downright apologetic after we realize she
is quite preoccupied with her own business and could care less about us, other than perhaps staying
out of our way.
Emotions such as fear, anger, or jealousy are construed by some as negative. Without them
we would have been long dead, as each of them are guideposts defining the parameters in which we
can safely function. Notice that I said guideposts and not barriers. Without guideposts we would
soon be lost and wandering into the wilderness beyond; with the help of guideposts we might find
our way with care, Awareness, and the Voice of Wisdom.
I know a woman who lives in such fear of her surroundings that she maintains tight control
of everything in her grasp her children, her possessions, her feelings. She is consumed by a
conspiracy theory that she adopted to reinforce her belief that whatever is beyond her control is a
threat. She is perhaps the saddest woman I know, for she knows her limitations but not her limits.
In defining and creating her limitations she has built a wall between her and the dark, so that
she can live as though the dark does not exist. She also lives without love, for love ventures into the
dark. And she lives without Spirit, for Spirit is a calling from the dark. And perhaps most tragic of
all, she lives without herself, for all the horizons within her are but turbid shadows beneath their
dawning rays. Even her fear of death has been comforted with the conspiracy theory.
Embrasure of fear is a two-headed serpent fear of self and fear of other. The woman we
just met is an example of fear of self; fear of the night, as we explored above, is an example of fear
of other. Just as these two heads belong to the same serpent when we harbor fear of one sort, we are
inevitably harboring fear of the other as well. If we do not immediately recognize that, perhaps we
11

would be wise to look for it, for it is there.

The antidote to fear is not fearlessness. Fearlessness is foolishness, which is denial of
another sort. It insulates us from our fear, just as with the woman above, but on the other end of the
reactionary spectrum. Rather than paint his windows to obliterate the scary outside, the
foolish/fearless one dances in the face of this fear. He is the bold one, the risk-taker, the undauntable
optimist, the tireless extrovert. Like the woman, he has walled himself out rather than in. Inside
and unsuspecting to most is a trembling, lonely person who knows himself no better than that
impoverished woman.
When fear visits me I strive to welcome him immediately and make room for him at my
table. For he is my size when he first comes and he speaks my language in a tone that is gentle
enough that I can listen without undue effort. I seat him at the place of honor and serve him my
finest fare, then I sit before him and listen attentively to what he has come to share.
He knows my door is always open to him, so he comes as a friend and speaks his truth in a
straightforward manner that is easy for me to understand and accept.
There was a time in the past when I did not welcome him so; when his shadow passed my
door I imagined it to be but a fleeting cloud. I felt the chill and drew closer to the fire, as though the
cloud did not pass. But he would return each time bigger and gruffer than the time before; his voice
would rumbled so that I could no longer make it out. I would become numb to him and sink into
depression, for he grew so beyond my grasp and comprehension that I could only barely function in
the constant chill of his shadow. I could only barely hear myself beneath the din of his growl.

and I practiced to heighten sensory awareness, then took us to meet our teacher in the mossyfloored Cedar bog behind her cabin. She asked us to sit silently, without reaction, until we crossed
over the threshold between fear and awareness.
We returned at dusk, quiet and radiant with knowing.

My Mentor has left me to Walk my own Path, and I have forgotten the names of my two
friends from Virginia. Yet Talks With Loons still Walks with me, guiding me. I, in turn, would be
honored to guide you in your quest for Balance with Mosquito. Like hoarded food, a gift goes stale
unless it is in turn given. So I would like to share with you some of what I have learned. That will
give you a head start.
But theres more, which you will need to learn in your own time and way, spoken in the
language you best understand. Because if I tell you everything, youll have the knowledge but youll
not have the wisdom to walk with it. Knowledge without wisdom is like being a Butterfly who does
not know how to use her wings. I can be told about the cold of the Arctic and the heat of the Desert,
but I must experience them in order to truly know them and gain their teachings. Then I might be
able to embrace them and live in Balance with them.
So is it with Mosquito. When you finish these few words, I would suggest that you do the
same as what She Who Talks With Loons proposed for my friends and I on that sticky summer
evening of 30 years ago go and ask Mosquito to teach you. If you bare your heart and your
senses and your inquisitiveness to her, she will bless you manyfold for the honoring.

It took literally a super-human effort for me to finally open that door and embrace my fear.
In the aftermath I visited the edge of suicide in the deepest depression Ive ever known. That giant,
Fear, leached so much of my vital energy in that one terminal facing that I was left physically
debilitated for six months afterward. I did not have the strength to stand for any period of time, I
had trouble digesting , I was developing an ulcer, I would cry over the briefest disturbance. I lost
my mate, my business.

No other animal in the Wilderness is more joked about, cursed, or feared than Mosquito.
After all, she is known to spread disease, suck veins dry and drive otherwise-sound people to
delirium. Yet there is another side ...

But I lived. I crawled humbly before my fear without pretext, without delusion, for I had
nothing left to lose. I sat there and he touched my shoulder, for all he ever wanted was that I sit
there before him.

A couple of years ago a reporter from a big city newspaper called me to get some
information for an article on Mosquito control. He also interviewed an academic bug expert, whose
quote, "I wouldn't go (Tamarack's) route," ended the reporters resulting article.

Here is a way to embrace fear as teacher and comrade on our walking:

1. Identify your fear. Give it a name, just as you would have a name for a friend. Have the name
be descriptive of your fear so that if you would introduce your fear to someone else, she
would know right away the character of your fear. This will help place you in the mindset to
have a personal relationship with your fear.

I would like to note here that this approach has limitations in cases where ones fear has created
a catatonic state of stress. This may cause secondary fears, disconnectedness and denial, which
can mask over the fear to the point that it is not recognizable. These are cases that go beyond the
12

Why are there such entrenched camps around how to relate with this fragile, weak-winged
being we call Mosquito? And what might we do to honor her as a fellow creature and occupy the
same space as her? Before we explore those questions let us find out just who this notorious and
embattled six-legged is.
To many of us who live both in town and in the farther places, she is a nuisance; to city
governments she is another pest and disease carrier to target with a vigorous "control" program.
Humorous postcards in just about every vacation region claim that she is the state bird. To the
manufacturers of Cutters and Off she's the greatest thing since cockroaches. To many wilderness
trekkers she's a spoiler who clouds the sun and rivets the skin by day, then by night relentlessly
drones her nauseating whine at maddeningly close quarters. To Native People she is honored sister
and animal guide who heralds the coming of the Green Season. She is a guardian of the farther
25

at the time was living in a little secluded cabin in the spruce bog and forest land of northern
Wisconsin.
After a breakfast of her legendary Indian corn pancakes and maple syrup, my friends began
hinting that they wouldnt mind at all of she might be inclined to introduce them to some of the
Northwood's wild edible and medicinal plants.
Talks With Loons isn't usually one to shy away from a walk in the Woods, but she took a
sideways glance at her company and thought the best of it. Not understanding her reluctance, I
voiced my puzzlement.
Out of respect for me (or so I thought) she reconsidered and said it might be a good idea
after all, but that we ought to bring a couple extra shirts along just in case the weather turned. It
was early morning, but already turning warm and muggy, so I saw no reason for the extra shirts.
However I said nothing, as I learned to trust in her wisdom on such ethereal matters as
Northwoods weather.
A few minutes down the trail I looked back to see how my uncommonly silent friends were
doing. They were each wearing both of their shirts, one in typical fashion and the other over the
head turban-style, with the loose ends draped over their necks and faces. Obviously in a state of
siege, they were trying hard not to show it. I was toughing it out I was young with a robust ego,
so I thought I had an image to uphold. I'm sure Talks With Loons knew exactly what was going on,
even though she hadn't looked back to acknowledge it.
Before we set out she had us each rub some Fir and Cedar needles between our palms in
order to extract the oil and apply it to our exposed skin. This helped to some degree to repel the
stabbing nemeses, but they still tormented. Our eyes were squinched and our lips were pursed, for
fear of letting one of them in; Talks With Loons was lightly clad and in no apparent discomfort.
The inevitable, "How do you do it?" came at our first pause to look at some plants.
"Balance," was her nonchalant reply.
"What?!"
"Go and ask the Mosquitoes" she stated, quite seriously.
Out of respect (or confusion) there were no more questions on the subject for the duration of
the walk. However, when she asked if wed like to head back to the cabin (I guess we were looking
pretty stressed out!), she offered to talk about it later, after the evening meal.
That afternoon we left Talks With Loons with some time to herself and went to a nearby lake
for a swim. As soon as we were out of earshot of the cabin, my anxious friends begin to riddle me
with questions about who this woman was and how she did it. I did my best to convey my feeble
understanding of what it had to take her years to grow into. I told them that being at peace with
Mosquito is not so much a goal that can be worked for as it is one of the results, or gifts, that come
with living in Balance with The Mother. In other words, it is an incidental to attunement. I
speculated that her immunity was probably not seen by her as anything extraordinary, as it was her
norm.
After the evening meal, Talks With Loons showed my friends a form of meditation that she
24

scope of this paper and may well require professional guidance.

2. Envision your fear. Then imagine a realm in which you are going on a walk with your fear.
What is this realm like? What does it feel like to be there? Who and what do you meet there?
How long can you stand to be there?
3. Now leave that realm, but leave alone so that you feel you have privacy and security. Write
down a list of who and what you met and felt there that distressed you. These are the gifts
your friend fear has given you to open and explore.
4. Take each gift, one at a time, and treat it as such a gift and learn about it. For example:
My friend fears name is Creepy Bugsie and the gifts he has given me are Spiders, Worms,
and Slugs. I took those gifts one at a time, starting with Spiders. I got a video on Spiders at the
library, along with a field guide and a book of stories about Spiders. Through them Ive come
to know that most of my fears about Spiders are unfounded poisonous Spider bites in my
area are relatively few and that knowing their habits and preferred habitat will keep me out of
harms way. Ive learned that the Daddy Longlegs, one of the most poisonous of Spiders, has
mouth parts too small to bite a Human. To my surprise, I discovered that he and other Spiders
are actually quite beneficial, as they eat untold numbers of insects, some of which are harmful
to us. I now understand that there are Spiders in my basement because there are insects there
which they are controlling. If there were no insects there would be no Spiders, as they would
not be able to survive.
All that was well and good, but I found myself still squeamish about Spiders. So I
visited a nearby nature center, where the naturalist offered to take me on a walk so that I could
see Spiders in their natural habitat. I was amazed at how beautiful some of them were and how
industrious and devoted they were to their young. And they were quite unconcerned about me
not one of them lunged at me or tried to crawl into my hair!
Now for the true test. The naturalist had a friend who had pet Tarantulas; he offered to
contact her and ask if I might come over for a visit. Even though my chest tightened and my
palms got cold and clammy, I agreed. I knew that this was to be the ultimate facing of my fear,
and I trusted in the process and in the naturalist. After that Tarantula, named Mousey, walked
down my arm and perched on my hand I was ready to concede not only to an attitude
adjustment about Spiders, but to a potential new world opening before me. I couldnt imagine
Tarantulas instead of my cuddly Cats, but I could now see the potential for my phobia over
other creepy-crawlies melting away as well.

We can then continue, one by one, through each gift that our fear gives us. By the above
example perhaps you can see that my choice of the term gift was literally intended and not an
attempt to sugar-coat the process. In fact, the gift is actually a gift of self, for as unknowing
becomes knowing, dark becomes light and repulsion becomes embrasure. Spider transforms from
mortally detestable enemy to beneficent and admirable co-inhabitant.
When the process of unwrapping and getting to know all of our gifts is completed, our fear
13

no longer exists. It has not disappeared it has become us; we have completely embraced our fear,
and it has nourished and broadened us. We have grown.
Thats all fine and good, some of you might say but I have fears that go way beyond
Spiders and affect my life in much more profound and intimate ways.
Fear is fear. All fear has similar personality and ways no matter what the size or shape. So
fears of all the various and seemingly diverse types can be approached using this process.
The difference lies in that some gifts of fear cannot, either by choice or ability, be carried to
embrasure. Perhaps, for whatever reason be it for example lack of energy or stretched resources
we cannot progress beyond step one or maybe step two. Or we may discover at step two or step
three that we have reached our absolute limit. I, for example, in exploring my fear of heights, found
my limit; I went as far as I can go, and I am content with that. My fear of heights is no longer a
limitation because I have explored that fear to its length. I can now fully function within that
without being paralyzed by terror of what might happen if I pushed myself just one step too far. (By
the way, we have limits in all aspects of our functioning, whether or not fear-associated.)
By knowing our limit not as a limitation, we have supplanted our fear with the comfort and
security of knowing we have reduced our stress level and freed up energy for other matters such
as our newly-expanded world and the possibilities within it.

(Text Box Insert) Why eat the head?

The variety of glands, organs, muscles, and other tissues makes the head the most
nourishing and delicious part of the animal. This is why the Dene eat it first, and why it is offered to
guests before any other part of the animal. In a survival situation, or when fatigued from the hunt,
Natives know to go first for the head. (End Insert)

This roasting technique works for all medium sized to large heads, from Coyote and Bear to
Deer and Moose. Smaller heads can be roasted the same way, the only difference being that the jaw
and head muscles do not have to be removed, as the head easily cooks through after the initial
scraping.
So you'd rather eat steaks and roasts? Great--pass me the head! It's my favorite part of an
animal--the variety of flavors and textures make it seem as though I'm attending an elaborate buffet.
Give it a try and I bet you'll like it. If not, I hope you invite me to your next feast.

Song of the Mosquito:

How to Live in Balance With This Honored Guardian of the Wild Places

Brain Food:
How to Awaken the Dormant Mind
We are creatures of habit and pattern; the vast majority of our daily functionings are
repetitions of what weve done the day before and the day before that. Events which are seemingly
new to us, such as meeting new people or seeking a new job, are the same old thing in our minds
eye, as we are approaching the same types of people and jobs in the same way. Even the way we
approach new information and challenges is governed by habit.
This creates a neural response pattern in the brain: The same process, repeated over and
over, imprints a mental pathway and reflex which is automatically triggered whenever the same
stimulus occurs. Thus we do things without thinking. For example, every time I open a door I
grab the knob with my right hand, every time I see a stop sign I apply the brakes.
This also creates a lazy brain. Because these tasks are done automatically and repeatedly by
the same few brain cells, the rest of the brain lies dormant un-stimulated and disconnected. The
vast majority of our intellectual potential goes unrealized. Think of it as a well-worn trail through
the woods. There are any number of ways to get from point A to point B, but after a while of going
back and forth we settle in on the path of least resistance and pretty much ignore the rest of the
woods.
As with other neglected parts of the body, the unused portion of the brain atrophies in time,
making it increasingly difficult to restore its given potential. This usually goes unrealized, because
it appears that we are actually getting smarter. When we repeat a motion we can get very good at it,
creating the illusion of intelligence and mastery. With practice a person can learn to juggle three
14

Imagine if you will that you are deep in your favorite wild place, far from the noise and stresses of
everyday life. Perhaps you are on a high Mountain meadow with lush herbs underfoot, a sparkling
Beaver pond before you, and surrounded by stately Firs. Or maybe you are paddling the ambercolored waters of a Northwoods stream or a Southern swamp. Just upstream a Deer comes down to
drink. Squirrels are chattering in the trees, birds are singing ... and there are Mosquitoes.
But this time its different. You hear their whining wings, you watch the Dragonflies and
Swallows feasting on them, but you are not being bitten. You feel an acceptance of them, almost a
kinship, as you share with them the bliss of communion with this place ...
And then you break out of your fantasy. How can this be? you ask. You are not wearing a
head net, nor have you slathered yourself with some Deet or citronella concoction, and yet they are
not driving you to your wits end. In fact, you are not even being annoyed. Is this possible?
I assure you it is. I have never used repellent, nor do I wear netting, and yet I am usually
quite comfortable even in the midst of a swarm of Mosquitoes. It has nothing to do with tolerating
pain thresholds, and theres nothing particularly mystical about it. In fact, Im quite sure you could
do it just as well as me. It has to do with knowing Mosquito as you would a good friend, and
embracing Mosquito as you would a loved one. As in those relationships, the first step is awareness
awareness of her moods and cycles, her likes and dislikes. Along with that, attunement
attunement to the weather, the time of day, and to your own state of being.
What I am about to share with you was taught to me by Mosquito herself. My apprenticeship
began in earnest one hot summer morning about 30 years ago when two friends and I drove north
to visit with my mentor, She Who Talks With Loons. She is a Cree-Metis woman from Canada, who
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day early in a recent White Season, John Danttouze, a chief of the Northland Dene in LacBrochet,
which is in northwest Manitoba, just west of Churchill on Hudson Bay. The LacBrochet Dene are
the easternmost extent of their people.

balls in clockwise rotation very well. He may have an impressive degree of skill, but does that make
him a juggler? What if we were to ask him to reverse the rotation, or add another ball, or perhaps a
bottle? What if he were to try juggling in the wind, or walking backwards?

John Danttouze brought us many gifts, one of which was the Dene story on how Bear
brought dreaming to the People. He told it first in Dene and then translated it for us. The Dene
version carried the real passion of the story, even though we couldnt understand the words.

Think of the brain as a library of intelligence. When we keep going to the same shelf for the
same book we ignore the vast potential gift our brain holds for us. And not only for us. Gifts are for
the giving; when we deny our gift we also deny the good it could bring others.

He then told us about his peoples relationship with the Caribou (known to them as Etthen)
which is so close that they call themselves Caribou People. Caribou live along the vast band of
Northcountry extending across Canada and Alaska where the tundra (also called the barrens) meets
the taiga--the low, dense evergreen forest that is the northernmost extent of trees.

Many of us keep grabbing the same book when we respond to something new something
out of the realm of our experience or belief system. When we react by dismissing it (He doesnt
know what hes talking about) or with anger and judgement (Thats b___ s___), its probably
your ego responding rather than the whole you. If we were coming from our heart-center, our
response would more likely be something like, Thats a new perspective; Ive never thought about
it in that way. Im curious ...

Along the treeline created by the meeting of tundra and taiga plays out the lives of Caribou
and Caribou People. At the beginning of the summer the Caribou migrate northward from the taiga
onto the tundra, to take advantage of the lush new growth. When the weather again turns cold, the
Caribou migrate southward in vast herds into the sheltering taiga forests.
When a band of Dine kills their first Caribou, they have a Thanksgiving Feast right on the
spot. John described how they would make a great fire to heat rocks and place them in the Caribous
stomach to cook the animal from the inside out.
In the meantime, the head was being roasted over the fire. The head, according to John, was
considered a delicacy and anxiously awaited by all. Here is his recipe:

Dene Roasted Caribou Head.

Skewer the head on a stick by shoving it through the nose and into the sinuses.
Pierce the eyes so they do not explode.
Arch the stick with suspended head over a bed of hardwood coals.
Roast the head, rotating periodically until all the hair burns off and the underlying skin turns
brown and crusty.

When we react from ego we give an answer that has nothing to do with the topic. In essence
all we are saying is, This doesnt fit with what I know so I reject it. The upshot is that we become
rigid and closed. We further entrench ourself in our narrow view of reality, i.e. we remain alone.
When we come from heart, we embrace other as we embrace self. We honor other peoples truths
and welcome the opportunity to grow in understanding and awareness.
This is the essence of the way we are designed to function, the way of all natural life. I call it
being as a question.
In order to keep the brain alive and growing, i.e. questioning, we need to continually
challenge and break up our mental patterns. We can go about this by consciously and impulsively
doing things differently. If every time I go to the library I visit a different shelf, I will quite likely
become a person with a broad range of knowledge and adaptive potential. So, if I set out to become
a juggler, perhaps I will practice in the rain, walking in the sand, while I am putting on my shirt. Ill
juggle whatever I come across -- sticks, wads of paper, raw eggs. Ill juggle blindfolded, while Im
reading, while Im crying. In time I will be a juggler.
We can use this approach with virtually all of our daily activities. Following are examples of
the things I do every day, which I have chosen because they take little extra time or effort and do
not detract from what I would normally be doing:

Remove from fire and scrape off crust (which is actually the charred grain and epidermis).

begin walking with the opposite foot I normally use

Re-suspend head over coals, letting it slowly roast.

open the door, carry things, eat, brush teeth with the opposite hand

When the jaw and head muscles are cooked through, strip them off of the head, along with
tongue, nose and eyes, and eat them.
Remove the jawbone and re-suspend the remainder of the head over the fire to finish cooking
through.

Once done, eat the remainder of the meat and connective tissue on the outside of the skull,
then crack the skull to feast on the brain and sinus tissue.

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greet people with something other than How are you; when writing letters use other than
my standard greetings and closings
every day notice something new in my loved one, in the person I work with
be an impulsive reader/listener
rearrange my room, sleep the opposite way in my bed, sit at various places at the table, sit on
the floor
take a different off-trail route to camp each time
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 encourage random feelings and thoughts as they arise

follow whims
look in directions other than those to which I am naturally drawn
allow myself to be sloppy in a noncritical area of my life (Those who know me say I clearly
dont have to stick any extra effort into this one!)
The last suggestion warrants further explanation: This is done to create an environment with
a dynamic state of stress, which can stimulate mental development. For example, if I have to shuffle
through my skull collection to find a particular skull that I want to show someone, I might be
inspired to compare the jaw structures of the various animals, or a skull might trigger new thoughts
and feelings regarding the life of that animal and how she came to me. (Id like to stress here that
you choose a noncritical area, lest you create interference in your life that could result in
counterproductive stress.)
Draw yourself up a list of several simple activities to start with, gradually adding to it. After
youve functioned in this pattern-breaking mode for a while, youll find yourself naturally seeking
other activities to apply it to. Then its time to eliminate the list and become more spontaneous,
because using the list itself can become habitual. Some folks do well with no more than Break Habit
reminder notes posted here and there.
For me this has become a way of life; it has added a dimension of creativity and challenge to
what would normally be the mundane, routine affairs of my day. I feel more alive, more connected
to myself, more consciously involved with other people and my surroundings. As time goes by I
notice more and more that I am growing in adaptability and awareness. This is particularly evident
when Im in new environments or when unexpected situations arise.
Perhaps the most dramatic and unexpected change has been in my thought processes. I have
become more naturally prone to considering various ways of doing things before undertaking them,
and to listening openly to a range of opinions before formulating my own. I sometimes find myself
feeling that I do not even need to have an opinion.

born on a particular day at some point in the past, these festivities are held because of who I am
now. That makes them more relevant, not only to me, but to all involved.
For example, Native Hawaiians celebrate Ka nui e auamo ai i ke keiki i ke kua.30 the size
that enables one to carry a smaller child on the back. This occurs when a child is around ten years of
age, when he/she can begin carrying a younger sibling. A childs age is not reckoned by years but by
the ability to perform a certain task.
With celebrations like the above, I feel a deeper warmth and a richer sharing than at the
typical Birthday Party. There is a glow that stays with me long after the day is passed.
Do I miss Birthday parties? Now I can quite easily say, What is there to miss? I think I
would miss them if I had taken the Spartan approach turned my back on something that was
meaningful to me and not replaced it with something more meaningful. I learned from my Elders
that when you walk away from something, it usually pulls you back, and when you walk toward
something, it helps you keep walking.
Native life is a Celebration of the Individual because it is the individual who empowers the
Circle. This makes the transformative events in a Persons life not only important to the Circle, but
critical to its survival. The Circle is Now, and the individual is Now, which is why Native
Ceremony and Feasting his relevant to the Now. A calendar date contributes nothing to either
individual or Circle. Calendars are abstract, the Now is real. That is why Personal Recognitions in
Native Lifeway feel real, and are thus more deeply fulfilling than Civilized Birthdays. Here, in the
words of Ohiyesa, a Santee Dakota who lived in the 1800s, is an example: The birth would be
announced by the tribal herald, accompanied by a distribution of presents to the old and needy. The
same thing could occur when the child took his first step, spoke his first word, had its ears pierced,
shot his first game.2 ...so that his childish exploits and progress were known to the whole clan..."1
Because everyone grows and changes, and because everyone is an integral part of the Circle,
there is much opportunity for personal recognition. This can mean a life rich in Ceremony and
Feasting! Birthdays? What is there to miss?!

This dynamic, inquisitive state of being is how our ancestors normally functioned and how
we would as well were we living in a natural state. It is the way we are intended to be. In the natural
realm everything exists for a reason; we are given our magnificent rational capacities not to fill the
space in our oversized skulls but to serve us on our Lifewalk. We probably use but a few percent of
that capacity, which I have personally come to view as a dishonoring of what I have been given and
a cheating of others in regard to what I could give.

In the Old Way, visitors are honored guests. They bring news from the outside world, along with
new stories. Visitors have different customs, along with new ways of doing in perceiving things.
These are much appreciated gifts of far more value than anything material they could bring because
these gifts enrich the people in ways that are sustaining.

By living in the fullness of our minds we nourish our heart-of-hearts that place within
where feelings, intuitions, senses and mind meld to guide and wise us. In turn we dwell more fully
and richly in the Hoop of Life.

Visitors are given the place of honor inside the lodge, which is usually opposite the door, the
place farthest away from drafts, and disturbance from people going in and out. Those sitting in the
place of honor are the first to be seen by those coming in the lodge.

New Additions

Feasts are usually given for visitors when they arrive. They are served the best of
everything, immediately after the elders (who are customarily served first). The women are served
right after the elders, so to come before the women is quite an honor.

Within first 15 minutes of learning something, repeat it so that it will imprint on memory
bank--otherwise it goes to short-term memory, which gets periodically dumped.
16

How to Take Care of a Hothead

My clan is privileged and honored to have visitors from all over the world. On one particular
21

record of time is one of those a time to plant, a time to pay duty, a time for law, a time to pay
homage to the hierarchy. Numbers become important and honored items the number of bushels,
the number of citizens, the number of days of service to the hierarchy. Keeping record of a Persons
date of Birth is a natural outgrowth of such a system, and commemorating that date, just as all the
others are commemorated, is also a natural outgrowth.
That being said and understood, why are we yet so reluctant to let go of Birthdays? We may
have released ourself from the bondage of linear-calendar time, and yet we hold on to Birthdays as
some sort of Sacred Cow. My view is that in letting go of Birthdays, we feel as though we are
walking away from something that is meaningful and significant to us, and we have nothing
meaningful and significant to take its place.
We need Celebration in our lives. We need to feel good about ourself just because we are.
Rich or poor, healthy or sick, happy or depressed, everyone has a Birthday.
Heres an example of a Birthday dilemma from my own life: Many Winters ago I was living
with a group of People who were returning to the Old Ways. One day, after having spent a long day
exploring alone in the Wilderness, I got back to camp after dark. I was greeted by a note in my
Lodge which said that several of my Friends had gathered to celebrate my Birthday with me and
they wondered where I was.
I felt bad for them, and I felt guilty for letting them down. The next day I told them that I
had a beautiful Celebration. I said that the fact that it occurred on my Birthday was merely
coincidental, because for me every day was a Celebration. They didnt understand, and at the time I
couldnt explain it any better than that.
In the Winters that have passed since then, I have partaken in many Birthday Celebrations
with People returning to the Old Ways, including several Celebrations of my own. I am presently
living with and guiding another group of People returning to the Old Ways, as well as guiding
others, so I have good opportunity to get in touch with the feelings and issues regarding Birthdays.
My Guiding Elders have also helped me gain in Wisdom and Awareness on the subject. I now feel
much better able to guide others who struggle with the transition than I did in my youth when I was
greeted by the note of disappointment from my Friends.
In actuality virtually all People, whether Native or Civilized, celebrate Birthdays they
literally celebrate the Day of Birth. Natives live in the Now, and the Celebration of a Birth on the
Day of the Birth is a Celebration of the Now. A Persons Birth is an I am statement, and that is
what is celebrated the Child is. After that, Personal Celebrations for the Native are centered
around who I am.
Who I am is the key to our Awakening and the key to meaningful Celebrations of the
Self. The Native celebrates Rites of Passage the great events of personal growth and
transformation such as the receiving of a Name, the coming of Puberty, the coming of ones
personal Vision, the first Hunt, Matedness, and so on. In the tradition of my Clan, I celebrate my
Dodemic relationship by having four Feasts per turn of the Seasons in Honor of Owl.
These Festivities are akin to Civilized Birthdays theyre Celebrations of the Self and they
include Friends and Relations. The difference is that, rather than being held merely because I was
20

A benefit of breaking mental patterns is the flash of ideas and options it opens one to.
How do we break old patterns? The same way we learned them through repetition. By thinking
and acting a new pattern, even when it doesnt feel right or comfortable. Act it out anyway, as
though it were the natural thing for you to do. In time you will naturally start developing feeling
around your new action, which will trick your mind into accepting it and your body memory into
integrating it. It will gradually get stronger than the old pattern and supplant it. You have done it
without struggling with the old pattern; you have just let it wither and fade away.

Our mind is designed to give us a constantly rotating menu of options to choose from. It is a
survival trait--the more options the greater our chance of success. When we get stuck in mental ruts
we either do not hear or do not consider a portion of our options. Reduced options increase our
chance of failure.
Why do we get stuck in a mental trough? Prejudices, conditioning, beliefs, emotional
woundedness. Sliding into that trough is a survival mechanism also--we learned to do it to protect
ourselves. The draw back is that when we grow in awareness and are ready to step beyond and heal
through those strictures, we find ourselves bound tightly to them by our mental patterns. They set
up a neural response network--a trough--which is very hard to break down so that the mind can
work freely again.
How can we break this network down? By breaking down the simple, automatic habitual
patterns in our life. In doing that we deprogram the neural network, so that when the big things
come up that push our so-called buttons or slip us into unhealthy patterned behaviors, we will be
free to make other choices.
For example, if I learn to consciously choose which hand I will eat with, rather than
automatically resorting to my accustomed hand, I will be better able to consciously choose for
example whether or not to eat when I am stressed rather than automatically turning to food. All
choices big or small, philosophical or mundane, rely on the same neural patterns. Following is a
process by which you can break down those neural patterns to free yourself to realize your full
potential.

Being as a Question is as a tool to break mental patterns, as well as an outcome from

breaking mental patterns. Here is an example of how the two are related, and an exercise to help
with both.
A Woman was returning back to her camp from gathering acorns. She came across a hungry
Man and gave him three acorns. She gathered two more to replace the three. Then she came across a
hungry Child and did the same, and so it went all the way back to her camp. Yet, when she arrived
she had a full basket of acorns. How could this be?
Those of us who are locked into our mental patterns will typically try to come up with any
number of ways that she could keep the same volume of nuts while purportedly replacing every
17

three nuts given away with only two. Someone who begins as a question will not have made the
assumption that she began the trip home with only one basket of nuts. He will be able to see right
away that she may well have been carrying more than one basketful.

Circle, and thus cause for much joy and celebration. A girls birth into Womanhood is her First
Bleeding; a boy is born into Manhood upon receiving his LifeDream; he becomes a Guardian upon
returning from his Journey; the birth of ones first Child is a passage into Parenthood; a
Grandmother becomes an Elder when her people honor her so.

Those of us returning to the Old Ways find some Civilized habits and customs easy to let go
of, and some not. Birthday Celebrations seem to be one of the more difficult, even though for most
People, a Birthday is just a day. The next day it is back to life as usual, almost as though nothing
special had happened the day before.

All of these transitions -- these births -- bring new gifts to the clan. My Elders have told me
time and again that the gift of self is the greatest thing that anyone has to offer. These rebirths are an
act of gifting oneself all over again to one's clan, and the individual is welcomed as though he has
newly arrived. This occurs when a young man returns from his Journey of Personal Discovery -- the
fulfillment of his first responsibility to his People. Even exiting the Moon Lodge or Sweat Lodge is
considered a rebirthing experience, as the individual rejoins the world anew.

I think this is because in Civilized cultures there is so little recognition of our individuality.
In a city of so many nameless, faceless Beings going through lives of little distinction and even less
personal reward, we crave the time even if it be just a day when we be recognized and
appreciated just for existing.

All of these rebirthings are celebrated to some degree as we would celebrate birthdays. They
are relevant and meaningful times in a persons life. They are rites of passage. Something actually
happens on those days. There is something to commemorate, something that is felt and experienced,
something that affects the person profoundly and touches everybody within their circle.

Along with that, there are so few rites of passage, and those that exist are so pallid and
meaningless, that birthdays have been conscripted in a desperate attempt to fill the role.

These events are far from the abstract days on a calendar that the civilized Person celebrates
as birthdays. If it werent for watching the calendar, few People would know when birthdays are
occurring. This is merely another example of our general loss of connection with our real selves and
any real relevance in our lives. Instead of celebrating who and how we are here and now, we have
given our power over to yet another civilized external regimen which guides and controls our lives.
The same is true with many of our days of celebration, such as Fathers Day, Mothers Day, national
holidays, anniversaries. They all keep us connected to the calendar and attached to some abstract
ideal of belief as to what ought to be done on those particular days. Many of us feel it when these
days roll around I should buy a present. I should turn up for this or that party. I have to
take off of work or take up my weekend to attend so and sos anniversary.

The Birthday Celebration: Rite of Passage or Wrong Turn?

But why on a Birthday? Some will argue that the moment we were conceived, when two
energies and spirits came together as one, is certainly more profound than the day we were born. Or
what about other times in our infant life, such as the first step we take alone, which is deeply
symbolic. Why repeatedly celebrate something we have little, if any, conscious recollection of?
The main reason is that we, as Civilized People, live by linear time. We program our lives
by the clock and the calendar. Any other explanation that Ive heard put forth can be traced back to
our love affair with linear time. The following excerpt from my book, Spirit Fire, helps explain this.
Someone who lives this un-relationship with time could find himself feeling like a Hawk
yanked out of the Sky when he comes in contact with the (time)-directed World. Its oftentimes
caused not by the big differences in how life is approached, but by the affairs of everyday life. One
example is commemorative Celebrations such as Birthdays and Anniversaries. The difference is not
in how they are celebrated, but in whether or not they are even recognized. Natives, not being
inclined to capture the moment, do not to keep track of the dates of significant events. In fact, they
dont know what calendar dates are! Many, if not most, could not tell you their age. When life is a
continuum, there is little reason to keep track of time, and much reason not to.
If a Native were asked to chronicle the passage of his life, he would probably do so in
much the way that we would describe the unfolding of a Flower, from tender shoot to bud, to
blossom, and then to withered bloom and seed. For the Native, these unfoldings from one phase to
another of his life would be marked by Rites of Passage (which are the subject matter of Part IV of
this book). They, rather than abstract dates, are the story of his life.

A Native Person has many birthdays in the course of his or her life, which are akin to being
born several times over. Each is a metamorphosis at least as important as her Birth from her
Mothers womb. Like her first Birth, each Birth is transformative it brings a new Person to the
18

Although these celebrations can and do have some meaning for some People, they seldom
compare with the rich and meaningful celebrations of the individual and of the now which fill a
Native Persons life.

But werent Birthdays always celebrated? They seem to be such a natural! is a question I
hear from many People. In the history of our species the celebration of Birthdays appears only
recently only since we have become clock and calendar People. The commemoration of
Birthdays is no older than civic or religious commemorations such as our cultures Hanukkah,
Easter, New Years and Independence Day celebrations. All our pre-calendar Ancestors, and Native
People today (referring to those actually living the Native Way), have no concept of a Birthday as a
day of celebration. If you dont keep track of your age or the day you were born, its probably not
very important to you.
To a Native, a day is part of a continuum, part of a flow. To a Civilized Person, a day is a
chunk of time that is boxed off from other days. It has a special name and a special number. When a
People becomes agricultural and adopts all the lifestyle changes that go with it, such as sedentary
living, the accumulation of possessions and surplus, and boundaries of ownership, and then the
hierarchical structure to keep all that in order; they find it necessary to keep records. Keeping a
19