Russell leaned over to River and stuck out his hand for her to shake.
River had been surprised to see how supportive Russell was. How wise he was to bring them all back to the Elder’s words. To her nokomis’s words. She liked this side of Russell. He seemed like a different guy from the one she had left the bar with. For the first time, it struck her that going to the party might be part of his job. That knowing gang members and kids in trouble was one way he could be there to help. He didn’t know how young and naive River was when they met. But he stayed with her and did his best to make her feel safe.
“Oh, come on, give me a hug,” River said with a smile.
“Good luck on your journey, River,” he said as they hugged.
“Thank you, Russell. You too.”
Jennifer walked the girls to the back yard of the centre. “I didn’t want to ask you all in front of everyone. But are any of you girls on your moon time?”
The other girls shook their heads no.
River’s eyes were wide. “No, I’m not. Why?”
“Nothing, really. It’s just that normally women don’t go into ceremony with others when they are on their moon time. But we’re all good!”
“Oh. Okay. Uh, can I ask why? Sorry, I don’t know anything about this.”
“No problem, River,” replied Jennifer. “It’s a woman’s teaching that you should probably ask an Elder for. But for now I can explain it to you a little. Women are the most powerful when they are on their moon time. Our bodies are completely in sync with the earth and water, with the moon cycles. The moon controls the tide, and that’s why women are also keepers of the water. It’s a time of rejuvenation for women, a time for healing. It’s a time for us to release emotions and give them back to the earth. But usually women do this alone. Men have the same sort of thing with the sweat lodge and singing. Their breath and their song gives their pain back to the earth. The sweat lodge is a man’s time for healing. Some women don’t go into sweat lodges because they feel it’s a man’s place. But everywhere is different. Everyone has their own teachings. Each nation has a teaching that may be a little different from the next.”
“How do you know all of this?” The lump in River’s throat was back.
“I learned most of it when I had my berry fast. When I was first becoming a woman.” She looked at River to see if she understood. “Going through puberty,” she added.
“What’s a berry fast?” River asked.
“A berry fast is a time you spend with the women you are closest to, maybe your nokomis. They teach you what it means to be a woman in the context of our culture. Why don’t you come back to the Elders Tea this weekend? You can sit and mingle with Elders over tea and cookies. And you can ask them questions.”
“Really?” The lump in River’s throat dissolved at the idea she could go and ask questions and not feel stupid. “That sounds exactly like what I need.”
“Yeah, us too,” agreed Stephanie. When Brianna glared at her, she changed it to, “Um, me too.”
“Great! We started the tea with the school kids to connect them with the Elders. The Elders loved it so much, they opened it up to the community. Many of them are lonely, and it helps keep them social. And it keeps our culture alive. So it’s definitely a win-win.”
“That sounds beautiful,” River offered.
“It really is,” Jennifer said with a smile, as she handed each girl a ribbon skirt, a shirt and a towel. “Get changed. Then we’ll go out to the back and see if the Grandfather rocks are ready.”
River had no idea what that meant, but she felt bad that she was holding them up with things she felt she ought to know. She changed and followed Jennifer out to the back of the building. The wigwam-looking lodge out there was made of willow branches and covered in layered deer hides. The scent of burning cedar and smudge lingered in the air. A young man in baggy pants and a white T-shirt poked the fire a little to move the rocks around. River counted seven rocks glowing red in the middle of the fire pit.
Jennifer handed the girls a small copper bowl and some small cedar branches. “Clean the cedar from the branch stem, by peeling it like this.” Jennifer showed them, placing the cedar bits in the bowl. “We use this in the water we will be pouring over the rocks inside the lodge.”
River listened, not saying a word. She peeled the cedar carefully. Her body tingled.
“When you are ready,” Jennifer went on, “have a drink of water before you come in. When you open the door and crawl in, crawl in to your left.”
River pulled her skirt up to her knees. Kneeling before the doorway of the lodge, she paused to take in everything she was doing. She pulled the warm leather hides to the side and crawled in to her left. Her lungs filled with warm air. It was kind of like a sauna, but even moister. Cedar branches covered the floor of the lodge. As she sat, she felt with her bare feet that the earth was cool beneath her. She dug in her toes. She wrapped her arms around her knees and closed her eyes. Her body relaxed. Her mind was at ease. She had no idea what to expect, but she did know one thing for certain. Being there felt right.
The young man keeping the fire closed the leather door after Jennifer climbed in. She shook her rattle. River remembered her nokomis’s story that the sound of the rattle was the first sound man ever heard on earth. She didn’t know the whole teaching, but she knew the rattle was a beautiful sound. Jennifer started singing. The song was like nothing River had ever heard before. Jennifer invited the glowing red rocks into the middle of the lodge and poured cedar water over them.
As the steam filled River’s lungs, she started to weep. It wasn’t from the heat. It was from the overwhelming sense of love, pain and joy that flowed into her along with the steam. River had no idea where the feeling came from or what it meant. But in the moment she didn’t care. It filled her up. It felt good. It felt right.