Moonflower, Medicine Woman

Morning in springtime, waking up in Na Na’s lodge, buried deep in cozy, soft buffalo robes on a spongy bed of washed moss, a little girl could lie daydreaming all morning. Na Na was not a late sleeper, though. The young lady who woke for the first time to her new name could hear rustling sounds coming from the fireplace. Limbs were placed on top of the smoldering coals. The room began to light up with an orange-yellow glow. She could now hear the snapping, crackling, and sizzling sounds of new wood catching ablaze. The smell of hardwood burning was unmistakable—it was sweet and musky. She peeked out to see more of what was happening. Na Na was preparing breakfast for them, roasting pine nuts on a large, flat stone, heating water for tea, and roasting trout on green oak spears. Moonflower could see a bowl rounded over the top with blackberries and raspberries. Another bowl was full of fern heads, tender in their odd spiral shapes, mixed with watercress and crushed roasted acorns and another green that Moonflower could not identify.

After browning the trout on both sides, Na Na wrapped them each in lemongrass and folded them neatly into wet clay pouches. She laid each one, six in all, on top of red coals alongside the blazing fire. By now, the spicy odor of tea filled the air, and Moonflower felt anxious to enjoy such a sumptuous feast. Is all this fuss being made for me? she thought. She could feel her stomach growling as she watched Na Na work in the glow of the flickering blaze illuminating her face. She marveled at her long, snow-white hair except for two stubborn streaks of black that refused to conform to the rest of her locks. Her face seemed to always be set with determination. Her eyes shone like two round pieces of black obsidian stone. She wore a slight smile, giving her the impression that she knew something that no one else knew. It was a benevolent smile, ever present on her mature but somehow ageless face. It was impossible to guess her age by the looks of her face; everyone called her the old woman because she had been around for so long. Her deerskin dress was soft to the touch. It was very fine leather, and it was long, reaching down to her ankles where the hem met the tops of her very fine elk skin moccasins. She had sewn beads of many colors onto the dress and shoes. She made them into symbols that had spiritual meanings to her. No one ever asked her what they meant, though everyone assumed that they were symbols of strong medicine.

“Will yourself to have a good day, Na Na!” Moonflower broke the silence with a voice that seems to sing her greeting.

Na Na turned slightly, smiling broadly and keeping her eyes on her work. “Will to have a good day, yourself!”

“I will!” responded Moonflower. Then she asked, “Is this great feast because of me?”

“Yes,” Na Na answered. “It is in honor of your new name and your new home. You will be staying here with me from now on and be my apprentice. This was arranged with your parents at your birth. It is now time. I know you’ve always known of this; you just didn’t know when. You have much to learn. In fact, it will take you a lifetime, and then you will not know everything there is to know. I have one question for you at this moment, however. You must answer me now.”

“What, Na Na?”

“Do you want honey in your tea?” Both of them had a great laugh as the tension broke in their conversation.

“Yes,” Moonflower said with a big smile. Moonflower loved the taste of sweet things. Flat bread made from corn fl our and drizzled with honey was her favorite. Honey made from the anise flower was even better. It tasted like nothing else she knew of except maybe a little like sassafras root, which was why they blended well together. Mint tea was one of her favorites. There was lemon mint, spearmint, and peppermint. All were delicious with a little bit of honey. This tea went well with all of the different flavors in the foods.

Na Na handed a ceramic cup down to Moonflower while she sat up in bed. “Here. You can wake up with this. Breakfast will be ready soon.”

Moonflower heard the pine nut shells popping open on the roasting stone. Na Na mixed green gooseberries with the red and purple berries, putting them together in the large wooden bowl and dousing them with honey. Then added sheep’s milk and mixed it all together.

“I’ll break the clay off of the trout, and you get yourself some greens and bread. I’ll brush the pine nuts into a bowl, and you can get some while they’re still hot. Do you want some fried corn mush cakes? I can do it easily right here on the fl at stone while it is still hot.”

“No, I have plenty,” said Moonflower.

“I think I will cook some, anyway. They will be good later.” So as the two of them settled into eating their meal, Na Na ate and kept busy frying corn mush cakes at the same time.