Seiquia People

Year after year, the Seiquia sing their songs. The Men sing to the Tools, to the Animals, and to the Trees. The Women sing to the Fruits, to the Fish, and to the Young. The Two-Spirits People sing to the Water, to the Earth beneath our feet, and to the Sky and everything in it. Lovers sing to the Infants and to the Children. The Children listen, and practice singing to each other. The Old People sing the stories to everyone else, to teach us.

This is the way it has always been.

In the Springtime, trees grow wider and taller. The Men sing the trees into walls with archways and windows to peek out. In the Springtime, bushes grow lush and start to bear fruit. The Women sing the berries into ripened sweetness, and into the baskets that the Old People have weaved. In the Springtime, the Lakes and Ponds begin to thaw. The Two-Spirits People sing to release the Waters from their long slumber – restless, like the People, they run this way and that, carving new paths for Fish and other Life. In the Springtime, the People become Mothers and Fathers and Parents. The Lovers sing for safe, healthy babes. Children sing after Parents and Grandparents. Old People sing for their Families, and share Stories of Creation. In the Springtime, everyone gives thanks.

This is the way it has always been.

In the Summer, saplings have grown strong. The Men sing to form their wood and stone into useable items. The Women sing to bless them. In the Summer, the Men sing to Creatures who wish to offer themselves as food. The Women sing to the Young to keep them calm as they say goodbye to their parents. In the Summer, the Two-Spirits People thank the Earth and ask it for plenty. They sing to the Sky for Rain. They sing to the Sun to shine, and the Moon to light the way for Ceremony. In the Summer, children learn to talk and sing. They learn to care for themselves and each other. They learn to listen for Animals, and to tell the time of day, and to prepare some meals for themselves. In the summer, Lovers express their passions through sex and song, and they hope to plant the seeds for babies to come the following cycle. In Summertime, the Old People are well to weave, to dance, and to tell Stories of Joy and Humour.

This is the way it has always been.

In the Autumn, Earth offers forth a huge Harvest. All of the Seiquia sing the same songs, then – Prayers of request, of service, and of thanks. Autumn brings rainbows to every corner of the Earth – falling from trees, covering Land and Waters alike. Surplus Fruits, ash, coal, and Animal fats are used to dye fabrics, making clothes, bedding, curtains, tapestries, and bags with rainbows of their own. Men call an offering of Animals, who can be dry smoked in order to sustain the People for the whole Winter. Women and Old People make jams and other preserves. Children dig up holes to keep the food cold. Two-Spirits People take slate and birchbark for writing down the Stories. The Women who are pregnant begin to realize. Everyone takes care of them. The Two-Spirits People make medicines with help from the Old People. The Men feed the Women and Children. The Children dance. The Old People talk about Death. Everyone listens. The Children learn how to respect Fire, and the upcoming rations. We do not compete. In Autumn, we are happy, and we show our gratitude through dance and song.

This is the way it has always been.

In the Winter, Waters move more slowly; then, not at all. Trees shed for deep slumber. The Two-Spirits People sing lullabies. Men call the Wind to help move the seeds so they can gestate. Pregnant Women rest. Animals go underground and into caves. The Children and Old People huddle under blankets. Some infants and Old People die. The People sing songs of mourning, and of thanks, and of grit. They wait for Earth to wake up again. The Stories are about Patience, and the Old making way for the New, and going Home to where the Souls belong when they aren’t in our bodies. In the Winter, we don’t go far from home.

This is the way it has always been.

Year after year, the Seiquia sing their songs. It is how we communicate with each other and with the world around us.

…

This year, though, things have been different.

The Old People started to forget their stories. The Two-Spirits People went to the city to find their tribe. The Children stopped listening to their Parents. Lovers stopped singing together. Men had less energy to hunt. Women could not bear children. In the Springtime, the Waters did not thaw.

It is Summertime, now, but no one is dancing. The Sun does not shine the same. The Moon does not light our way – we have not held Ceremony, anyway.

Things are changing.

This year, things have been different.

My name is Anaha. I am of the Seiquia people. It is time for me to go to the city and find out where our Two-Spirits People went.

…

In the city, the People look very different. Their hair is the colour of berries and leaves. Their faces are painted with soft, dusty sticks. They are always in a hurry.

In the city, no one knows who I am. It’s a strange feeling. It’s a nice feeling.

In the city, there is a lot of noise; but nobody sings.

…

When I go to sleep, there are many lights on outside the window. It does not look like nighttime. People move around at all times; no animals come by. It does not sound like nighttime. It is very difficult to sleep.

…

In the city, year after year, things look the same. Plants do not yield fruit. Children do not dance in the streets. Fallen leaves are swept away. Snow melts on the concrete. In the city, year after year, the People do not sing.

In the city, after two summers, nothing has changed.

…

In my home, after two summers, much has changed.

The trees have been overcome with vines. The Fruits have been choked out by weeds. Fish have left, and Creatures no longer offer themselves as sustenance. No more Children have been born. No Lovers sing. There is one Old Person left, and she is dying. There are no Two-Spirits People left.

My Mother and Father have passed. My friend has left. My young sibling has nothing to eat.

I take Katya with me. We go back to the city.

…

In the city, we go to a school where they teach a lot of what they call Theory. They talk about how the world works, and why. Some of it is right. Some of it is wrong. Well… most of it is wrong.

In the city, we find a book of history. It is very different from the Stories our grandparents told us. It tells us how the City People helped tribes like the Seiquia by bringing new things and new Teachings. It does not tell us how the City People scared away the tribes’ food, raped the Earth, and replaced the old Teachings. In the city, the history is one-sided.

…

My home is no longer my home.

The city will never be home. I’m not sure it was meant to be home for anyone.

…

Katya has lived eight or nine Summers, now. I have lived fourteen, I think. We are old enough to bring our home back to health and wealth. We are ready.

In the city, we find other Seiquia people from across the Big River. We talk to them, and ask questions. There are Two-Spirits People, and Women, and Men, and even some Children and some Old People. They meet at a Centre. They know some of the Stories. They know many Songs.

…

Katya and I return to our home. We bring the Stories. We bring the Songs.

We will rebuild the walls with the doors and the windows. We will sing the Creatures back onto our plates, and the Fruits back into our baskets. We will sing the Children back into our families. We will thaw the Waters.

My name is Anaha. I am of the Seiquia People. I lead the next generation. We will thrive. This is the way it will always be.