The Kumeyaay Way - Winter 2008 - (Page 16)

P r e s e r v i n g c u lt u r e & H e r i ta g e Cultural Embrace with a metal spoon. It turned the shawii purple and I almost ruined it. Luckily, I was able to take it out in time so all of our shawii wasn’t destroyed.” Carrying on tradition Christman’s memories of her family are vivid. When she talks about making the shawii with her mother and aunties, she is sharing an important and sacred tradition that honors her ancestors’ wishes that the practice of gathering and preparing the acorn is passed down to future generations. “I told you how the acorn was prepared in my family. I can only tell you how I learned as a child. This is one way, but I www.viejasbandofkumeyaay.org Christman’s brother, John Chissay, Jr., gathering acorns at Cuyamaca Park 16 was lucky enough to live with other families here on the reservation and I watched them prepare the shawii in different ways,” said Christman. “What I have told you today, I am telling you how my family made the shawii. I am the messenger, honoring my family’s stories. I’m the oldest one of my family and from the LaChappa family at Viejas who is left. At this time of year, I think about my family and making the acorn, the shawii.” Traditions like the gathering and preparation of acorns is how the Kumeyaay people retain their heritage. “We take what our ancestors have taught us. We learn from them and pass along these things, like how to make the shawii,” she said. “There are ways the Kumeyaay make shawii; by that I mean what pots and pans are used. Things might be different in some families, like the men will make the shawii or they use trays instead of baskets, but no matter the difference, the essence of the process remains the same,” said Christman. “After the leaching I would be asked, ‘How’s it taste?’ I used to tell my mother and aunt it tasted like ‘nothing,’” she laughed. “Then they would know it was done, because all the bitterness was gone. I think it tastes good plain but you can serve it with other foods like beans, rice, vegetables, or whatever was for dinner.” In the fall, as the oak leaves turn colors on the mountain, Christman remembers her family and their trips to gather up the acorns and prepare the shawii. Like centuries of Kumeyaay women before her, Christman makes the shawii for her family and friends and has shared her family’s traditions with her own children. “I don’t make shawii often, but sometimes in the fall I do, especially when I think about making the shawii with my mother and aunties,” she said. “It’s a lot of hard work to make shawii.” The acorn will always be part of the Kumeyaay culture, Christman acknowledges, even if people don’t make shawii as often as they used to. “Just think about it. Our connection to the acorn and the food it brought to our people all began with one Kumeyaay lady who had a beautiful dream. I’ll always remember the story my aunt told me. She said that at one time the animals and people could understand or speak to each other and that it was the animals who said what could be eaten from the land,” recalled Christman. “She knew the acorn would always be good to our people, if we followed the ways to respect it,” she added. Respecting nature and the gifts from the earth is an inherent part of Kumeyaay tradition. “I was told by my elders, even if the shawii someone gives you doesn’t taste good to you, always eat it and don’t say anything,” said Christman. “The elders told me to remember that the Creator gave us the acorn and it is one of our [Kumeyaay] foods. Remember to always eat the shawii, and be respectful of the acorn. It is the Kumeyaay way to do these things.”  The Kumeyaay Way  http://www.viejasbandofkumeyaay.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Kumeyaay Way - Winter 2008

The Kumeyaay Way - Winter 2008 Contents Kumeyaay History Looking Back at the River of Tears Keeping the Borders Open for All Kumeyaay Tribal Security—Safety First Cultural Embrace Viejas Tribal Member Rescues Eagle Education for All Future in Their Hands Viejas Pow Wow Honors Native American Veterans Growing Traditions—Viejas Community Garden Remember When

The Kumeyaay Way - Winter 2008

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