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Strawberries and Honey
Summer Rose's mom always kept
a jar of honey and strawberries, it sits on the
shelf for everyone to see, she can't remember
it not being there.
Mom planted fresh strawberries
every summer behind the garage, the shade was
perfect, just enough sun to make them bloom. Summer
Rose kept watch on them all summer waiting so she
could eat them.
Every year starting from the age
of two she was told the story of the Indian girl
who ran away and Strawberries and Honey brought
her back home. She was told to always keep a jar
of strawberries and honey in her home, it was part
of her heritage. it was to remind her to never
hold her anger inside of her.
The story goes like this.
An Indian maiden was upset one day
with her husband and she ran away. As the husband
came home, he called out to her but she
didn't answer and as he looked through the
forest, he saw her running, he couldn't
understand.
He called upon the Great One and
ask him, what must I do to get her back, she is
running so fast. The Great One ask him what he did
and he didn't know so they talked it over and
the Great One said, I will try to stop her and
give her a moment to think as to why she is angry.
The Great One placed a beautiful
tree in front of her path full of white blossoms,
but she didn't stop, she just glanced and
kept running, she was still angry. So then he
place a beautiful Huckleberry bush in her path,
she glanced at it but still kept running.
The Great one knew how curious
women were so he decided to place a plant she
couldn't see, hidden in the Forrest but yet
one she could smell, due to her being so curious,
she'd have to look for it, that would slow
her down.
All of a sudden she stopped and
wondered, where is that wonderful smell coming
from. Then she stopped and started walking toward
the smell slowly, she parted the bushes and looked
down on the ground, then she saw the most
beautiful red berries and they smelled so good,
she tasted one and then she thought, I must take
some home to my husband, he'll loved these.
She had forgotten why she was
angry. As she placed them in her dress to take
home she gathered as many as she could. When she
got home she wanted to preserve them to keep them
for days. She had a large container of honey on
the shelf, so she put some of strawberries in the
container with the honey. Now to this day the
Indians believe that if you keep a jar of honey
with strawberries in it, you will forget why you
are angry with one another. Summer Rose's mom
will teach her to make Strawberry Jelly at a very
early age. Meanwhile Summer Rose eats all she can
and gathers all she can in her little bucket, she
also takes some next door to Delaney to share with
her.
The Indians also make strawberry
jelly with lots of sugar or honey to always have
something sweet that will keep .
Summer Rose loves the story so
much and some day she will tell this story to her
children.
Indians believe in telling their children all
the legends and stories as soon as possible to
keep their Indian heritage going as we should
also do with our children.
© Harriett Dash 11/12/08
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