WAMBDI AWICA WA'STEWIN |
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Whenever I begin to take an interest in a brave, my father starts talking about his shirt. It's traditional for a daughter to make her father a shirt before she marries. Throughout my life, my father has described the shirt I will sew. As a child, I knew it would be white buckskin. Of course, tanning a buckskin single-handedly would take considerable time. The process of obtaining the whitish tint adds even more time. On the whole, if I worked industriously in every moment if free time--it would take about five months. When I found myself with suitors, my father added white fringe. He would measure off practically three feet when he held his hands out the length he desired. In the past few years, I have discovered that his shirt will be intricately beaded with his life accomplishments. "Dad, now correct me if I'm wrong. But won't this shirt take me a good two years to complete?" "Daughter, as you sit and work on it, you'll have time to think about the implications of the shirt and whether or not it is worthwhile. You are right, though. It would take about two years." Dad looked at me for a few minutes and then said, "Why don't you bead the sleeves with the history of our tribe, too?" |
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