I remember this day...

I remember this day like it was yesterday 1986 August 3rd a Sunday afternoon; this one was special day; truly any time I had with Granny was special. Granny loved it when anyone came over to visit but this time I was busting in the door, needing her advice as I was pain the burning kind the kind that even cold ice can’t give relief.

On this particular day I was out in the woods along the river during this time of year in that part of the world Eagles will molt feathers little ones big ones and even the Eagle down but you have to look hard in the trees for those as they tend to get caught in the branches.

I always took my dog Eddie he was big sheepdog and loved to be at my side all the time; and I felt good to have him along if any bears or cougars came along. Eddie and I were making our way through the woods along the river; we had good day of hunting feathers and down we had a full bag of feathers today.

It was a hot day you could smell the cedar and the fir trees in the air it was as if the sap was running free like the  rivers, the earth and nature were in its glory;  the ground crackled as all the moisture was gone and you could hear your every step.

We came across an area we had not been in found many feathers; I stopped on mound to get a better look of the land; I look down and Eddie is snapping at the air; “Eddie what’s the matter?” Then I realized the dire straits we were in; the mound I was standing on was a wasp’s nest; “Run Eddie! Run!” before I could even step one foot off the mound I was stung 3 times on my right calf; I could hear the buzzing  around my head we ran and ran through thick bush over and under trees; ran till my lungs were burning as  much as my leg was.

We got ourselves to the road and when; I stopped the pain ran up the leg as if a knife was making its way up deep in the muscle.

We got in my truck and we drove to Granny’s to find out if this was bad omen or not; we burst in to Granny’s.  “Granny something terrible happened!” “What is it my child? She said, and then I went into great detail of what happened. A few moments passed after I finished telling my story; then she laughed out loud!

I was confused by her response to my pain; Granny considered everyone a relative she would explain the ties that bind each and every one of us Nuu-chah-nulth how we are related including the animals and nature we are one she would say.

In pain she told me the story of my ordeal, she said, “when was the last time you were in the woods?" I said, “well it’s been a sometime; but I prayed before I went in and I did all the things you told me to do.”

Let me tell you why this happened to you; the woods are connected to the wasps; the woods are connected to the Eagles the eagles had a conversation with the woods. The Eagles noticed you had not been there to visit for such a long time; so the Eagles had a conversation with the woods, and the woods had a conversation with the wasps, and what the wasps are telling what the Eagles want. The Eagle wants you to go to the woods more often! Then Granny let out a big laugh the one where her whole body jiggled, then we both were full laughter and the pain in my leg was gone but the teaching stayed forever.