Hannah & the Spindle Whorl (18 page)
Read Hannah & the Spindle Whorl Online
Authors: Carol Anne Shaw
I snap my journal shut, get up from the couch and go to the back room — the junk room, as Dad and I call it. On one side of the room is an old cedar chest. It’s covered with bric-a-brac, not to mention a half-completed jigsaw puzzle of a grizzly bear in an alpine meadow. I sweep it clean and open the lid. There it is, a cloth bag with sunflowers and little brown birds painted across the front of it — my mother’s knitting bag.
I lift it out and open the wooden slats at the top. There are lots of brightly coloured balls of yarn in the bottom of the bag, shades of yellow, peach and bright red. And there’s my dad’s old grey work sock that I remember so well, filled with knitting needles of all shapes and sizes. I close the bag, and lug it through the living room and up onto the deck. After Mom died, Dad put all her stuff away, telling me where things were and that, whenever I wanted them, they’d be there waiting for me.
I haven’t been able to think about it for a long time. But today, something seems different. Today I feel tough and brave, like Yisella. I pull out a pair of needles from the old sock, feeling the smooth metal, cool to the touch. Then it happens. My palms start to get warm and I feel a familiar twitch in my fingertips, the same electric jolt that I felt back in Tl’ulpalus when I picked up Skeepla’s spindle whorl. Only this time I’m not surprised. This time I’m ready.
I reach down, pull out a ball of red yarn, and begin to loop it in and around the fingers of my left hand. I remember the hours I spent watching Mom knit during winter evenings. The way her needles had flown back and forth, and the ball of yarn had jumped on the floor beside her feet every few seconds. I remember how to do this.
The needles clack together rhythmically and the rows of red stitches grow fast and even. I’m not surprised. Somehow I knew I could do this, that it would be this way. I look up and over the row of boats on the dock, out across the water, until my eyes come to rest on the spit of land that sits in the bay. And there I see him. The big black raven flying low over the beach. He circles in the air a few times and then glides effortlessly in my direction.
When he reaches the houseboat, he swoops down low and flies right toward Poos and me. I can see the sunlight reflecting off his blue-black wings, and his round black eyes look directly into mine. He releases something as he passes over my head and it drops safely into my lap. I look down at the delicate crescent of turquoise and silver attached to a black leather cord. It shimmers like a rainbow as I turn it over and over again in my hands. The smile on my face could not be any bigger.
I watch Jack soar high up into the sky until he’s nothing more than a tinyblack speck that finally disappears behind the clouds.
My stomach growls and I remember about the Cheerios. I wonder what Poos will look like with a Cheerio stuck on
his
nose?
Coast Salish
Among the First Nations of the North West Coast there are thirteen different language families, making up thirteen nations. The Coast Salish are part of the Salishan language family, forming a cultural continuum from the north end of the Strait of Georgia to the southern end of Puget Sound, covering coastal regions of British Columbia and Washington, including parts of Vancouver Island.
Huy chqa
This is the Hul’qumi’num’ word for “thank you.”
Hwunitum
This is the Hul’qumi’num’ word for “White Man.”
Nahnum
The Nahnum (or fire circle) is a gathering place where stories and teachings are shared among the Quw’utsun’ people.
Poos
This is the Hul’qumi’num’ word for “cat.”
Quw’utsun’
The Quw’utsun’ (Cowichan) people are part of a larger group of aboriginal people — the Coast Salish. They have occupied their territory for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence dates their occupation as long ago as 4,500 years, but their historical memory says that they have been here since time immemorial. While they have become a part of modern society, many of their cultural practices and traditions have been carried on for generations, and are still woven into their culture today.
Sxhwesum
This is the Hul’qumi’num’ word for Soapberry, a native plant that to this day is still used to form the frothy “ice cream” treat that Hannah enjoyed.
Syalutsa and Stutsun
According to the Quw’utsun’ people, Syalutsa and Stutsun were the first ancestors, who fell from the sky to land in what is now known as the Cowichan Valley.
S’yuw wun
Through ritual bathing, the Quw’utsun’ people could gain
s’yuw wun
, or special spirit power.
Ten
This is the Hul’qumi’num’ word for “mother.”
Thumquas
The Quw’utsun’ people knew of a great hairy woodland creature and gave him the name “Thumquas.” This quasi-mythical creature is known to most of us as the “Sasquatch” or “Bigfoot.”
Tl’ulpalus
The name of the Cowichan settlement that was located in the heart of what is now Cowichan Bay.
Uy’ skweyul
This is the word for “hello” in the Hul’qumi’num’ dialect, which is part of the Coast Salish nation’s language. The Hul’qumi’num dialect was spoken in the Cowichan area.
Ever since she can remember, Carol Anne Shaw has loved to write stories and doodle. As a child, she was forever being reprimanded for drawing in her textbooks and creating cartoons of her least favourite teachers.
Hannah & the Spindle Whorl
, her first novel, grew out of her fascination with the history of British Columbia, and especially its First Nations people. She spends a fair bit of time enjoying the natural beauty of Vancouver Island where she makes her home along with her husband, two sons and two dogs. When she isn’t writing, she can be found painting at her easel, walking in the woods, and finding excuses not to wear shoes. You may visit Carol Anne at her website at
http://carolanneshaw12.blogspot.com
.
