Kris by J. J. Ruscella & Joseph Kenny

Author:J. J. Ruscella & Joseph Kenny
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HigherLife Publishing
Published: 2010-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

The Sami village was made up of a hundred members, or perhaps a few beyond, of all ages, and each with something to contribute to the others and a job to complete. The village was a busy hive of activity necessary to sustain a nomadic lifestyle. They moved about to follow and herd the reindeer through different seasons. They hunted, fished, and collected the wild herbs and berries they desired. Pel and his people remained separated from the rest of the world.

It was not unusual for them to have occasional contact with outsiders, as traders sometimes appeared and brought them cloth and tools, rare foods, or weapons and supplies, for which they exchanged dried reindeer meat, hides, antlers, carved bone knife handles, and the simple toy dolls made of sticks and straw that were wrapped and tied in pieces of torn cloth.

Pel and his people moved with the seasons. They saw time as a spiritual entity and cyclical journey governed by changes in the visibility of the sun and moon, the weather, and the migration of the reindeer.

The Sami people were an inseparable part of nature, like the animals they herded and hunted and lived among—reindeer, wolves, bears, birds, and fish.

All living things were treated with respect because each had a spirit, just as we all do.

The Sami had so many words for snow, I could never hope to master them all. Snow was named for its freshness, or its age. Its density. The way it fell upon the ice. Or melted and refroze. Or the sound it made as you walked over it, or as the reindeer hooves cut into it. Reindeer, too, were described in countless ways, based on their age or sex, their disposition, the shape and spread of their antlers, their size, strength, and speed, or the color of their coats. Each aspect of their nature and condition received a special name. As with the naming of the snow, I learned the reindeer had so many different names because they had so many different purposes and spirits.

One afternoon I came upon Pel grinding reindeer antlers into a fine powder as he squatted next to a blazing fire. I sat near him and watched in silence. At times he looked up to point at me and laugh.

I had grown accustomed to Pel’s laughter and cherished it. His laughter revealed his strength of spirit, his warm heart, and the humor he found in almost everything.

When he finished his grinding, a large pile of powder lay before him and he let out a YAWP that startled me. Then he looked me in the eye.

“This for you,” Pel said. “You stir this in reindeer milk. And drink. Two days. Then you have big love.” Then he laughed and laughed and whistled and sang in his native tongue.

I was horribly embarrassed by his knowledge of my thoughts and desires and he enjoyed my discomfort immensely.

“If it has not happened, it will. Soon enough. You do plan to make her a home?”

I nodded in reply.

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