October 26, 2019

Elders play a special role in our programs, helping to guide us with their wisdom, and modeling for us what it means to have a loving and forgiving heart... two essential ingredients in healthy culture. In addition to our Elder Council which serves to protect the health and integrity of our people and work, we welcome the participation of grandparents and elder-folk in the lives of our students - to come share a day in nature with us and bring a richness and depth to our community.

Last week both the Fire Tenders and Wind Gatherers held their annual Grandparents Day. Here's the story of the Fire Tender Day. Enoy!

Well, our day started in the cool, overcast, Pacific Northwest style: birds chirping in the woods, a light presence of wind through the trees, and the anticipation of another day at program.

We welcomed in many grandparents to our circle last Friday. We began our day with a game in the field, everyone running around trying to make it to their rabbit dens and avoid predators, kids and elders alike sprinting to safety! Once everyone had arrived we gathered in a larger circle than usual and spoke gratitudes. There were quite a few folks feeling grateful to be outside, in nature, with their grandchildren. We had quite a few folks who came from afar to join us. There was indeed much to be grateful for.

We had an extended nature update and heard from quite a few voices. It seems that the deer have been very present lately, as have viewings of coyote. Tacoma seems to have quite the population along its margins. I wonder how many of you have sighted coyote or deer of late, and if it seems like more than usual. I myself watched a young deer during my sit-spot before folks arrived, they walked within 20 feet of me near the parking area before noticing me and heading back into the woods. Our visitors also brought news of sightings from afield, of condors in South America and bears in Colorado at 7000 feet.

We played a large game of Jays and Juncos, many of us paired with our visitors. We practiced our bird language skills (what's the alarm call of the Dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)?), collected food from larders, practiced teamwork, sang some songs (and danced along), and a few of us got to play predators. We had quite the show-out of our elders during the game, some were sneaky juncos, while others were hungry bobcats stealthily stalking their prey.

After lunch around the fire we broke into small groups and explored the local area. Some folks crafted ancestor houses, quite a few worked on burn bowls, some worked on finishing our collective basket, and I took a small group to find an elder Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia) on the land. We spent a little time discussing the natural history of the tree, and what this particular tree may have seen during its lifetime there at Camp Sealth. We honored the ancient tree by crafting a small offering of mosses, lichens, branches, ferns, leaves and other natural components at the base of the tree. This offering will decompose in the following months, the nutrients returning to the soil, and becoming available for the yew to utilize. Which of these small groups was your child in? Did you get a chance to catch their stories?

We concluded with a final circle, sharing our stories from the day. We offered final gratitudes to our grandparents and thanked them for their presence. It was a particularly good day at program; the weather participated in its way, the land held us in our explorations, and we all thoroughly enjoyed having our visitors at program with us.