October Cherokees

Last year the Mt. Hood Cherokees went on a field trip to see a sacred site along the Columbia River. It was a hit and the trip was scheduled again this year, again with our member Joe Cantrell as last year. Joe has permission from the Park Rangers to guide people. We feel lucky to have his guidance, otherwise no one is allowed to unlock the gate or visit without permission from the Columbia Hills State Park.

Joe is also a Cherokee Nation citizen, and beloved among the Mt. Hood Cherokees. He gathered us together and spoke to us about the legacy of Native people in these lands. He reminded us that this ancient Wishram site is the site of ancestors, and to stay on the trail because it is their land, not ours, and we must respect that.

There is a short hike (less than one mile) to Tsagaglalal. Our group of Cherokees carefully picked our way between boulders and made sure to stay on the trail. All the images on stone along the trail are pictographs, or images created by applying pigment to stone. The images from our hike last April are much better because the sky was more accommodating. Please click the link if you want to see it all more clearly.

On this trip we had different members of the local Portland Cherokee group. One person pointed across the river and showed us how to find a cut through the hill that was once the Oregon Trail. I had never seen it before and I’m so happy to have this new knowledge. It is exciting to me when I see a piece of the Oregon Trail, even though those who traveled along that trail brought disease and unrest to Native people. My home today was built by those groups whose histories are intertwined and so must mine be.

Then we arrived at the basalt walls, and began to spot pictographs. Pictographs are made by applying pigment to a surface – typically a stone surface.

Tsagaglalal watches us from safely up above the trail so people cannot easily touch her. Wishram stories tell us that she was a very good Chief of her people, and was turned into stone so that she could continue to watch over the people forever.

This field trip was actually a bonus October meeting. Originally, we had planned to visit Tsagaglalal earlier in the summer, but canceled due to a wildfire too close to the highway. Earlier in the month we had a different kind of meeting, in which we all gathered to learn to play the Cherokee game Winter Rabbit. One of our members, Joni Ketcher, is part of the creative team that developed the game. She had planned to attend and teach us all how to play it. Sadly, Joni had to cancel at the last minute, so in her absence we all did our best. My Kellen, and their partner, Cameron, came to that meeting, which made our group the luckiest group, because they are regular gamers.

Cameron launched right in and soon we were actually playing! There are twenty pages of instructions, which was intimidating. I don’t think I would have ever learned without Cam’s help. We took a break and went to get food.

What Pedro likes to explain about the game Winter Rabbit, is that it is a cooperative game. The goal is to get the village ready for Winter. Villagers are Otter, Wolf, Terrapin, Bear, and Opossum. Unlike other games, the only way to win is if the village first gets enough supplies for Winter. If you don’t help the others, you can’t use your score to win. Many of the tasks you do are filling other villagers’ needs and not your own, and during play, almost every time you get something, someone else also gets something. It is also resource-conscious. When you need to cut trees to get more resources, the space is a disadvantage until you replant the forest. There is a sneaky Jistu (Rabbit) who tries to steal your winter stores.

I like the game because it’s written in both Cherokee and English. In fact, there is a full Cherokee set of cards and instructions if you want to practice the language. There is an optional story telling step, where you tell a classic Cherokee story. I like the immersion in Cherokee culture while playing. If you want to get a copy for yourself, they are sold by Absurdist Productions.