Bratva Mother

The Village Welcome

Quick note, besides Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks and Nome; my villages and towns in Alaska will be made up. You won't find these names on maps or any other place.

After her appointment with the doctor, Carol and Travis met up with their other brothers at Carol’s hotel. There they made a plan. Carol would need someone to check in with her from time to time and deliver supplies. Her due date was the middle of winter and she would need fresh food to survive the wild and other necessary items during her pregnancy.

It was decided that Junior would travel with her back to at least the village. He had to get back to the mine anyway. There was still time to get some mining done before the permafrost made mining impossible. Phillip needed to get back to the base and report in. Travis had a haul to take care of that required him to travel through Canada. So Junior and Carol made plans to go shopping for the locals and get fresh fruits and vegetables for them, as promised for picking berries for her. They also got a couple tickets to fly to the village as soon as possible. Which for them was lucky because the next available flight was Tuesday morning.

Carol and Junior spent time and money in grocery stores looking for fresh products that would last the flight home. Lucky for them Anchorage stores were used to village people shopping in bulk for things like fruit, vegetables and things like milk and eggs. So accommodating Carol’s needs wasn’t new for them. Honestly it was a sense of nostalgia for Carol, it was like a breath of fresh air. How did she spend so much time away from Alaska and the craziness of shopping for simple things while in the biggest city Alaska had? She’ll never know. She was happy though. Junior and Carol had a fun time packing it all up and making sure the luggage didn’t go past 25lbs.

“Junior, how will we get from the air strip to the house? Did you leave your four wheeler parked there?” Carol asked after putting the luggage and totes away for tomorrow morning.

“No, I didn't leave my four wheeler at the air strip. The owners of the mine dropped me off, they’ll have one of their grandkids come get us. Some of the groceries we got are for them anyway.” He shrugged but got comfortable. He decided to move to her room instead of his own room. That way they could make sure each other was awake and ready to go tomorrow morning.

Carol remembered the people and how they all went to the air strip to see who was coming or going. She didn’t think much of it but agreed. Those who were expecting groceries would come and see the plane. They would know Frank Junior would be returning from his short trip to Anchorage. She also got comfortable, set her alarm for 7AM so she could shower before getting on the smaller plan going to the village. It would be an hour flight to the village.

The next morning Carol went down to breakfast and brought up a plate and coffee for her brother. She then went to shower while he ate. He was a grump in the morning without a proper breakfast and time to himself to wake up. She knows just how to get him moving without protesting much. She was practically bouncing around the room excited for going back to the village.

Junior was a little annoyed but mostly amused with his sister and her antics at the hotel and the airport waiting for their flight to the village. Boy was she in for a surprise when the village of *Dagàii Oozrii` welcomed her with their native dance and song. Only those who were gone for long periods were given such honor as a welcome dance and song as soon as you arrived. He would also bet money some would be in regalia too.

* Gwitchin word for White Moon, regalia is custom outfits made from fur, cloth, beads and other decorations.

The flight was long but uneventful. Carol knew how to keep from being sick thanks to Aina and her tips. Also thanks to the village getting funding they didn’t have to stop at the other village *Zraii Chuu like she remembered having to do as a little girl. Which she was grateful for. Tricks or not, this flight was long already. She just wanted to be home.

*Gwitchin word for Black Water.

However she got a surprise when the wheels touched asphalt, half the village was lined up against the trees, dancing and singing. She noticed a few drums too. Some were in front of trucks, some four wheelers and others had buggies. But they were half regular clothes and half regalia. Carol had tears in her eyes seeing and hearing them. The surprise, she knew almost every face that came to see them.

These people got older than she remembered. Some of the faces were little kids last she saw them and some faces were completely new to her. However, they were all here to see her. They were welcoming her home, the way of the native. She saw an elder sitting on a four wheeler in full regalia, not just any regalia either. True, handmade no thread, cloth, or anything bought from a*****e regalia. That is a big thing to be dressed to the nines in full true regalia. This means this elder is no regular elder either. She is either a shaman or a medicine woman to the tribal council.

She climbed out of the plane and listened to the songs and listened. Even the pilot stopped what he was doing to listen, it was memorizing. When the dancing and singing stopped, the elder was assisted off the wheeler and brought in front of Carol. She may have been old, but she was strong spirited. It showed in her eyes. The young man who accompanied her, opened a bag and offered it to the elder. The elder kept her gaze on Carol.

“What is your name?” The elder said.

“My great aunt named me Miss Kàltsa, tsuyda”

*Tsuyda is a native word for grandma.

The elder smiled, reached into the moose hide bag offered to her and pulled out sage. This woman is the shaman for the tribe. The spiritual guide for the people. These days the title was an honorary one, not many elders still held onto the traditions. Boarding schools and missionary people pretty much beat the fear into the kids who came to them for education. Making them fear their traditions, language and way of life. There are a few out there who hold onto the traditions and the languages despite all the people telling them ‘no’. This elder must have been one of the few who held on.

The elder then proceeded to light the stick of sage, she had the young man hold it so she can cleans herself, she took it from him and made a circle around Carol, mumbling the whole way. Then she stopped back in front of Carol and asked her a few questions. “Will you accept the guidance of the spirits around you? Will you allow the sage to cleanse your spirit? Will you teach your young one the values of your people?”

That last one shocked Carol, she didn’t think her brothers told anyone in the village she was pregnant. Just that she was back in Alaska and wanting to spend time with nature. She gave a startled look to her brother who was also stunned. He didn’t say anything, so how did she know? Carol looked back to the elder who was still holding out the lit stick of sage that was slowly burning. It gave off a sweet scent. The elder didn’t look surprised or worried. So Carol said yes to all the questions and guided the smoke from the sage to flow over her. She pretended it was like a shower, she was cleansing her soul from the world. Letting her ancestors to guide her and protect both her baby and herself. She believed.

Once she opened her eyes again the elder was smiling like she knew Carol would agree. She handed off the stick of sage to the young man who started to put it out. The elder then grabbed Carol up into a hug and truly welcomed her back to the village where Sesi was raised in.

Carol spent time with the people who came to greet her and welcome her back. She handed off groceries to those who requested it and chatted with people. She almost felt like a celebrity with the amount of people there to see her. She thought they would be here to welcome Junior back or get groceries. They were happy with the food she brought, but she was a fresh face that has been a way for a long time. Sesi took pride in her family and knowing her grandkids were going places. She always said that her legacy was safe with her grandkids. As little kids Carol didn’t know what her grandma was always going on about. However as an adult she can appreciate the work and effort your elders put into you turning out right.

Eventually the crowd allowed her to climb into the truck the mine sent for Junior. They were off with their things. Lucy’s grandson Ricky, dropped them off at the little cabin that belonged to their grandma. They agreed that they would stay here the night, recollect themselves and see who would drive a boat up river to bring her to camp. Plus the eight dogs who would be going with her. They were tied up outside with their dog house, food and water.

After dropping the bags off, Junior introduced her to the dogs going with her to the campsite. They weren’t big, but they weren’t small either. They had a good coat of fur, it would keep them warm for sure. They all ranged in color though and they all still had their harness on with the collars. He named them while pointing at each dog so she knew by sight who was who.

“This lively one is Saga. Him and his buddy make good wheel dogs.” Saga is a tan ish dog with brown eyes. He was certainly lively and can see how he got his name. Saga is another native word for either frog or warrior. That one always made her giggle. Thinking of a frog wearing armor and carrying a sword or shield. Yes natives aren’t the same, however her ten year old mind didn’t know that. Carol isn’t sure she can take this dog seriously with a name like that. However he was cute for sure.

“Who is his buddy if he is this lively at first meet?” She bent down to let Saga sniff her. When meeting new animals, it is always wise to allow them to make the first move of acceptance by giving your hand to sniff.

Junior moved a little to the side to look at the buddy of Saga, to an off white dog, he was mostly white with a few tan colored fur. He introduced her to it. “This is Saga’s buddy Nook, because he looks almost like a polar bear.”

Carol could see how Nook got his name. He did look almost like a polar bear in color. His eyes were blue and not brown like Saga’s. He was beautiful. Junior went through the whole team. Each dog had some version of a native word for their name. There was Zraii, Srii՝, Chuu Łaii, Kegluneq, Jiraishin, and Misriha. All their names mean, black, sun, water dog, wolf, ice blade, and weasel. All their names suited the dog in question.

She did notice as soon as each dog sniffed her, they didn’t wander too far from her. She took each dog off the leash they were chained to and brought them all to the fenced area to see who played with who. She noticed that Saga and Nook stayed close. So did Chuu Łaii and Kegluneq, Srii` and Jiraishin laid in the sun together while Zraii and Misriha didn’t leave her side at all. A vet was visiting the neighboring village of Zraii Chuu, so she asked him to come and take a look at the dogs. He agreed, while he was checking each one inside the fence with her, most of them stayed near her, when he was done with one they ran back to her and she had to take the next one by the harness to get the next one checked. She was fascinated with the dynamic of the dog pack.

Once finished the vet watched the dogs and how they interacted with Carol herself. “You are aware that they are protecting you right? I am an unknown human around one of their most vulnerable pack members.”

Carol was startled by that statement, but looked around. Sure enough, all the dogs were in a circle around her facing off the one human. Zraii and Misriha in front with some of their fur up. They weren’t growling or in a fight pose, just puffing up their fur to look intimidating. She was in awe, she just met all these dogs and they have already accepted her into their fold. They know by smell or sixth sense she is pregnant so the most vulnerable of them all.