Cedar Woman (35 page)

“
W
e
c
a
n
b
e
g
in
.”

P
i
ck
in
g
u
p
a p
i
t
ch
f
o
r
k
a
nd w
al
k
i
ng
t
o
t
h
e f
ir
e p
it
,
De
a
n
s
co
op
e
d up f
o
ur
of
t
h
e
s
t
o
n
es,
a
nd
b
ro
u
g
h
t
t
h
em
to
the
sweat
lodge.
Placing
them in t
h
e
ca
v
ity
in
the
m
i
dd
le
o
f
t
h
e
lo
dg
e
,
h
e
t
u
rned
and
e
x
ite
d
, ret
u
r
n
ing
with four
m
o
re
stones.
This
he repeated unt
i
l
all
16
w
e
re
in
t
h
e
circular de
p
ress
i
o
n
.

Le
n
a sat up
o
n t
h
e lar
g
e, flat r
o
ck
which
played
so
m
u
ch in
t
h
e day’s event
s
.
So
m
e
cru
m
bs
lay
upon
t
h
e
stone.
She
pick
e
d
them up
and scattered
t
h
em
on
the ground,
where
a
s
m
all
sparrow
e
a
gerly
bounced forward
to
d
ev
o
ur
t
h
e
m
.
Her
m
o
t
h
er
was
prep
a
r
ing
to
smudge
t
h
e
are
a
, to cleanse
it,
a
n
d pr
e
p
are it
for the
i
m
portant
ev
e
n
t about to take
place.

She watch
e
d
s
o
le
m
n
ly as
her
m
o
t
h
er pe
r
f
orm
ed
a
rite
Lena
w
o
uld
p
erform
twe
n
ty-two years la
t
er
w
h
en
s
h
e
c
l
eans
e
d
her
n
e
w restaurant.

Lena
s
m
elled
the
ced
a
r
needles, wild
sa
g
e
,
wild
sweet
g
r
ass,
a
n
d tobac
c
o.
She
watch
e
d
as
Mary
“bath
e
d”
h
e
rself
with
the
fragrant
fu
m
es,

²⁰
W
a
h-se
e
-
c
h
e
w – Wh
it
e
per
s
on

²¹
Lee-l
u
h – V
er
y or
m
u
ch

²²
C
h
ee-a
a
h – O
l
der
b
r
o
t
her

as
she
cu
pp
e
d
her
h
an
d
a
n
d
capt
u
red
t
h
e
floati
n
g
r
i
b
bo
n
s
of
s
m
oke, pass
e
d
t
h
em ov
e
r
her head,
s
h
o
u
l
d
e
rs,
t
o
r
s
o,
and
u
n
d
er
ea
c
h
f
o
o
t
. Obs
e
rved
as
s
h
e
prayed
to
the
Grandfa
t
hers
of
t
h
e West,
t
h
e
Nort
h
,
t
h
e East,
and
then
the
South,
and
then
to Fa
t
h
er
Sky.
Kneeling,
she
s
e
nt
her prayer to
M
o
ther E
a
rth.

Fi
n
ally s
h
e a
g
ain
raised
t
h
e s
t
ill
s
m
ok
i
n
g
bowl to
t
h
e s
k
y a
n
d
ad
d
ed a p
e
rsonal
ple
a
:

“
Creator,
this
is
One
Fea
t
her,
I
a
s
k
that
you
keep
m
y
feet
true
and on
t
h
e
G
o
o
d
R
ed
R
o
a
d
.
I
ask
t
h
at
y
ou
gu
i
de
m
e
on
t
h
is
da
y
,
a
n
d
all
da
y
s,

so
t
h
at
I
m
ay
con
tin
ue
o
n
t
h
e pa
t
h
of
w
isdo
m
.
I
ask
t
h
at
you
s
e
nd
t
o
m
e t
h
e
sig
n
s
t
o
h
eal
m
y
hu
sba
n
d
,
Spotted
Ea
g
le.
I
ask
t
h
is
with
all