Day 8: Absolution

I’ve spent today and yesterday, just looking around.  I had found the river and I’ve walked around the bridge twice.  The river is amazing.  I’ll have to get a blanket or something and sit there, embrace what I see and concentrate on my surroundings, and be thankful for my being there.  This would be much easier if it wasn’t winter, but I could just wear my old jeans and be thankful that I’m even able to reach the area.  The river is amazing.  The water is always cold, and is some of the freshest water I’ve ever had.  The water in the tap system is river water.  It’s always chlorinated and is really cold, or burning hot, no in-between.  The beach is long, and many minerals infest the rocky climate that the beach presents.  Surrounding the beach are also some magnificent lava beds, which is simply cooled lava that has settled.  The Nisga’a also has a national park for the lava beds – “Anhluut’ukwsim laxmihl angwinga’asanskwhl Nisga’a” (Nisga’a memorial lava bed provincial park) that is a sacred area.  People are allowed to visit, but major fines for not taking anything.  I haven’t seen the hot springs as of yet.  Been told that it was a ten-minute hike.  I should ask Lena when I see her next.

Snow is predominant in the village at this time.  We had around 8” of snow, yet the weather is undecided to what it should do.  The day begins and ends with snow, raining during the middle of the day.  Today, I was tempted to build a snowman, but I didn’t think to wear two sets of gloves.  I walked past the village, and I took some basic pictures of the mountains.  The clouds and the darkness surrounding the village were breathtaking.  The snow makes everything look pristine also.  I become breathless when I walk outside.  It may smell like smoke a lot, but you get used to it.  The smokehouses only run during March, June and July, respectively.  The smokehouses are cleared out and started in March, because of the Oolichan.  June and July are because of the other meats, mostly Salmon.

I’ve been trying to encounter a “Spiritual quest” for the last two days, but I’m not sure what I’m attempting to do.  I’m not looking for anything, and I know that people usually find what they want once they don’t really care, and it’s at the back of their mind.  I’m going around, embracing the wind, seeing and hearing the birds.  Such gorgeous creatures they are.  I had seen one eagle near the lava beds today.  I thought that they would be considered good luck (In the southern First Nations’ cultures they are), although Irene had mentioned that they are one of the four totems, and are seen commonly.  The other three are:  Wolf, Killer Whale (Orca is not used) and Raven.  One fact that I had noticed is that Gitwinksihlkw is known as “God’s Country”, and the represented church is the Salvation Army.  The other villages are Anglican.  I haven’t heard the story for that as of yet.  This makes me think that I’m in the right area, although it will take time.

            The only “Spiritual” (I quote the term, because it’s used loosely, depending on the reader – may think I’m doing something right, or others may not believe in it) realization I’ve had so far is that I’m starting to become closer with my tarot cards.  Not the two decks that I had bought, but the deck my brother bought me.  I’ve done a few basic spreads last night, and I seem to have everything come together.  I’m not going to find all the answers here, but they will come with time.  This has been a fulfilling experience nonetheless, and I’m happy I’ve gotten this far.  In time will come with becoming more influenced and enriched.  Being in someone else’s space, I won’t be able to do what I feel I need/deserve to do, but this is my temporary home, and I will respect what is given to me.

I’ve learned of two things tonight.   One of the major things is the name-giving system.  The name-giving system happens to be given to the person who is best suited for the name, and is given at the feast of the person who had just passed.  This may change, if the person has a desired role in their adulthood, such as a future chief, or a matriarch in the governance system.  The second is merely about haircutting.  I had learned that the Secwepémc (correct me if I’m wrong, Shawna) consider the hair to be spiritual.  They only cut it, traditionally, when a family member has passed, then the hair needs to be burned.  This is similar to the Nisga’a people, although the hair isn’t spiritual.  The hair is used more traditionally as a tool, and the people twine their hair with stinging nettle, to make nets.  Hair is used in bad medicine, along with fingernails and saliva.  This means that a person should never spit, because their saliva fingernails and hair could be used in bad medicine.  After cutting, hair and fingernails should be burned.  When someone passes away, a selected member of the father’s side of the family should only cut the person’s hair.

I decided I’m not going to focus on a language at this time.  I’ve been looking into learning Hiragana, brushing up on my Hangul and proper transliteration of Cyrillic.  Any desire to learn Spanish has disappeared.  This may come back someday.  Until then, I will sit down comfortably with my Nisga’a book.