From where I sit in the shade, out past the crop-topped White Birch I can see two hills.  The Weather Channel's 20% chance of rain here seems in the clouds out past those hills, drifting slowly towards afternoon while a ground breeze slaps at the newspaper articles I am reading.

  Dr. Harold Black takes a somehow centered position in asking the question, Will the EPA cause Michigan to flip?  

  City Council to add Historic Overlay District to Sunsphere by Mike Steely tells us about "block grant funding."

  And an exceptionally well-written article by One Feather Intern Reporter Mattilynn Sneed summarizes the many details of the case of the Ela Dam.  The multi-page article is titled, Dam issues; The Ela Dam: A complicated but crucial journey ahead.  In it we read of environmental problem caused by aging man-made.  But we also have strong, living example of many groups working together to come up with solution.  Like the Cherokee symbol of a spider with many legs, the dam issue involves many aspects or parts.

  On my way into the Museum of the Cherokee People I get the chance to chat with some young people.  They are part of a group called "The Firebuilders".  Peanut has a gigantic smile.  Ava is working on a black and neon pink finger-woven belt.  And Dylan explains their group works out of the museum.  We do what we do "for everyone, but mainly to teach our different communities." "Oh!? You have different communities?" I ask.  The young people explain all Cherokee People and our Tribe has a way of basically classifying where we live.  There's Big Cove, Wolf Town, Yellie or Yellow Hill, and Bird Town and Snow Bird and, Paint Town they round out the list together.

  Peanut passes the beaten drywall saw to Dylan for a turn cutting a block of rock.  "It's like soft granite," Dylan tells me.  A soapstone found near granite deposits.  The strands of Ava's yarn move gently in the breeze below where her hands weave together the belt.  The L-shaped Minnesota Red Pipestone piece that Dylan is working on absorbs the sunlight making the color even richer.  I wonder to myself if the rock's coloring is like that of the sicklefin Refhorse fish.  

  Inside the museum is cool and refreshing.  A steeply slanted roof outside effects the inside of the building.  Richard Saunooke sits at a table working on a piece of leather.  If you have any questions, he tells each visitor.  So I ask him, "What are you working on?" He is making a knife sheath.  He's taken some things "off the wall" for today's display.

  A British "gorge-ette" in a special case looks different.  Richard tells it was worn as a medallion by officers; it's a quarter moon.  His own hand pats a medallion he is wearing, "A full moon."

  There is a, "I can't remember from my reading," and Richard finishes my sentence, "story belt".  The purple is wampum beads and the white is of welk shell.

  "Are these your medals?" I ask of the encased coral-colored pieces.  "These are Peace Medals," Richard clarifies.  Lewis and Clark gave one to every chief they met so they'd know who the ptesident was.  This shows a Cherokee Code-Talker.  The embossed medallion shows a WWII soldier but Richard explains the Cherokee did code-talking in WWI as well.

  On the table are also ceremonial pipes--tiger'd maple buffed to shine, inlaid with pewter and silver.  "What's this?" Blurts out of my mouth when I see a knobbygnarly item, "Another pipe?"  "It's a war club," Richard says.  "An Irish shay-lay-ler; outlawed in Ireland; so they made these of those," he indicates a walking stick resting against the wall.

  Back outside the young people are sawing away at the white-ish colored rock.  The men are discussing whether or not to try and snap it at this point.  So sloooow, they agree and recall other projects that took time to produce end result.  "Like my Grandpa said," Dylan says, "inchin' by a mile."

  I ask them then their favorite part about working with the Museum.  Peanut answers first and, it turns out for all, Going up to Kituwa (Gid ooo ah) to teach the little kids.

  Dylan rasps at the red soapstone and says, "Because you can see the difference." "Yeah," Peanut gives a nod of affirmation.  "High Fives at first, but by the end of the year--hugs!"  Dylan explains, "Answering questions of tourists is one thing, but with tourists you don't know if you've made a difference.  With sticking in your community, you see that.  You see a community member knowing self better."

Dylan, Peanut, and Ava (2024)