Sparrow in the Wind by S. Rose

Author:S. Rose
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction - Literary
Publisher: Bedazzled Ink Publishing
Published: 2016-03-22T16:00:00+00:00

HOLY CRAP! I stopped short on the way to my room, struck by the realization that everything was riding on this party: my social life and that of my parents, not to mention the success of the resort. It wasn’t lost on me that my birthday provided an opportunity for Dad to show off the chalet and spread the word about his business. And after my spectacular debut at the new school—what if nobody came?

“Sorry I took so long, but Mom was showing me these. I have one for you, but wait . . . I’ll get a pen.” I carefully inscribed, Sparrow Flies-in-the-Wind, and handed it to her. She smiled when she saw what I’d written and opened it carefully.

“I’ve never been to party,” she said quietly.

“Well, you’re going to one now,” I announced cheerfully, pretending I didn’t notice her embarrassment.

“My father gave me my Ojibwe name,” she said all of a sudden. “I don’t think it’s a lie for me to own it; seems like more of a lie to use the name of some white man my mother used to be married to. Besides, I got my Ojibwe name first. A week later, Ma took me to a Catholic Priest and got me baptized. She picked Lisa after her sister who died. Ma’s name was still Schimschack, so that’s what went on the white man’s certificates. It don’t even count.”

“I don’t think it’s lying at all. I just kinda wish you’d told me before I found out the hard way at school.”

“Sorry . . . guess I was afraid you wouldn’t like me anymore. I was being stupid,” she added.

“Well, never mind. Hey—how exactly do you get an Indian name?”

“The Ojibwe have a special ceremony—I’ve been to one. First the parents bring a gift of tobacco to a medicine man, a tribal elder who knows about dreams and signs, and ask him to name their child. He fasts and prays for a while, then the whole family gets together with their friends for the ceremony. The Ojibwe believe that the Great Spirit chooses the name and sends it through the medicine man . . . but that’s not how I got my name. My father knew his relatives would never come to a naming ceremony for me.”

“Because your mom isn’t Indian?”

“No . . . not really. I’m not the only half-Indian. It was because my pa was still married to his Ojibwe wife,” she said abruptly, then searched my eyes to gauge my response. I nodded sympathetically without revealing that I already knew. Sparrow continued, “Even though they’d split up a while back, the relatives weren’t too happy when I came along—Grandpa Wind wouldn’t even look at me ’til I was five years old. We get along okay now, but nobody talks about it.” She fell silent. I waited patiently.

“My father gave me my Ojibwe name, and he done it just as good as any medicine man. Pa didn’t make up any old name: he was given a sign by the Great Spirit.

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