GBE
2: Blog On
Week # 125
Respect
He
bent over the fallen deer and thanked it for sacrificing itself for his
family. Deftly, he pulled his knife from
its sheath and began the process of cleaning the venison before taking it back
to his family. Swiftly, he pulled the
heart and took a bite. The blood ran
down his arm. He grimaced.
Flaring
Star did not care for eating the heart immediately, but it was expected of
him. He felt it was too soon after the
animals death. He felt to truly respect
the animal, one should wait until its soul had completely left the body and
even the area. But,
tradition/religion/past practice dictated that he should eat the heart
immediately for all to see. The rest of the hunting party soon encircled him as
he hunkered over the felled stag. They too were starving. The sight of meat began a stomach rumbling
heard throughout the thicket. The
venison was loaded onto the makeshift cart with the other carcasses; squirrels,
rabbits, ducks and blue jays.
At
the camp, the women divvied the meat among the families. Times had become difficult with an early
harsh winter. Many of the hunters had
come back to the camp with only tree bark of the birch to feed the tribe. Many children and the elderly had become
sickly. The tribe’s women took care to
divide what little they had among all the families.
The cook pot over the fire was mostly warm water and herbs. Foraging daily for roots and vegetables, the
women took care to stay away from the hibernating bear caves, respecting the
ire they may encounter should a sow be awakened by their chatter.
Honoring
one another. Caring enough to be
grateful. Thoughtful of others well-being.
Respect.
leigh
I love how you illustrated respect of nature. I felt a little queasy about eating the heart...Ewww but completely got the symbolism and meaning behind it. Brilliantly written and captivating tale. ♥
ReplyDeleteI always wonder what may have become if we had let Native Americans keep much more of their land and aimed to learn from instead of bulldoze. I love their respect for nature, great idea for the topic!
ReplyDeleteI believe we have lost respect for nature more because we have taken over so much land that we forget the animals were here first. Excellent story, though the heart eating thing does gag me.
ReplyDelete