MY Aunt Alice died. When somebody dies at home we have a big gathering, called a potlatch. Lots of people come from all over and stay for about a week. If they are from out of town they camp with relatives on the reserve. We only went for the day because Dad’s busy haying right now.
Mum said we’re not supposed to laugh or talk loud, or run around and make noise when somebody dies. She told me and Missy to wear the dresses she made us out of cotton flour sacks. My dad brought some deer meat to feed the people, and Mum brought some canned huckleberries.
My Aunt Alice’s body was in the house. Mum told us not to go in there, but we could hear the people praying and singing from outside. Sometimes they sing hymns in Indian. I know when they are making the sign of the cross, because they put their right hands on their foreheads, chests, left shoulders and right shoulders. We make the sign of the cross too, at school. It wards off devils, Sister Theo says.
My dad started talking and visiting with some other men, and Mum went in to help in the kitchen. Us kids went around the back of the house to watch the men carving out Aunt Alice’s name on the wood headstone. The wood shavings smelt nice like the pine sap that we eat in the early spring. We saw some kids there but we didn’t know them because our ranch is at the opposite end of the valley.
After awhile the priest came and some men carried Aunt Alice’s coffin to the church for Mass. The people followed singing hymns and praying and crying. We sat outside in the truck. My dad won’t go inside a church. When he sees the priests he spits. He doesn’t like priests. He says priests are not as holy as they like us to think.
When the bell started ringing everybody came out and we drove to the graveyard. I didn’t see what happened. After that everyone went back to Aunt Alice’s house and ate dinner. We ate fried deer steaks with gravy or deer meat roasted and sliced. There was salmon, potatoes, rice and carrots. An old man Mum said was the chief said grace. He asked God to bless the food.
After that we all ate. Suddenly Missy spoke up and said in a loud voice, “Salt, please.” The chief looked at her sitting there so tiny. He said some Indian words and everybody laughed and somebody passed her the salt. The chief said Missy is small but she has a big voice.
After awhile somebody started a bonfire and people lined up to play lahal, the stick game. That’s when my dad said we were going home. As we drove away we could see people around the fire still laughing and placing bets.