After school Neewa and I walk to Heather’s house on the other side of town. Heather is the tribal Medicine Woman and very powerful, maybe the most powerful person in all the reserve. She called yesterday to say she is expecting us at four o’clock.
Dad and Jackie are waiting in front of Heather’s house as Neewa and I turn the corner onto the dirt path that leads there.
“Neewa, Neewa,” Dad shouts as he sees us walking.
She runs like the wind to Dad and gives him a welcome lick on the hand. As he pets her she wags her tail, thumping his shin, “Thump, thump, thump,” and circling him in delight. After which she jumps up and puts her paws on his shoulders, stretching her body out. Pushing him backwards, she jumps down on all fours and puts her cold, wet nose in his hand, and steers him to Heather’s front door.
Watching the whole thing I say, “Dad, she’s leading you towards the house. What does she know about Heather’s house? She has never been here before?”
“Nothing that I know of,” Dad shrugs.
Heather’s place is the oldest home in the colony. It is one level and made of railroad ties with cement plastered in between the rows to hold it together and keep the cold out. The flat roof is tarpaper, with extra tar spread on top of that. It looks very humble with dilapidated front steps, only three small windows, and a front door with deep gorges and peeling paint.
Her compact yard is overgrown with plants and vegetation and has footpaths worn down over many years leading to every section. The outhouse is in the back, just a quick walk from the door. Beyond that is desert, sagebrush, and sand as far as the eye can see.
Diane, who is Heather’s daughter, told me at school that their burial ground is underneath her house and that spirits visit them all the time. I don’t know if I should believe her or not? She is a nice girl, but that seems a little too far-fetched. A burial ground under your house? Why would anyone put it there?
I did believe her when she told me she was apprenticing to be the next Medicine Woman. After all her Mom is the Medicine Woman.
Diane told me herbs and plants grown throughout the front and back yards. She says the plants are used for healing ceremonies to treat illness and rituals to keep away evil. Each plant has a particular purpose such as the treatment of headaches, stomach problems, or arthritis, while other plants are used for incense or sweat baths.
Stepping up to Heather’s door, Neewa is at my side as we follow close behind Dad. As he raises his arm to knock on the door, it opens, and she appears smiling.
“Come in, come in, I’ve been waiting for you,” she grins.
Before I walk in I order, “Neewa stay here, wait for me.”
Quickly Heather asks, “Can Neewa come in? I would like that. We don’t have a dog or a cat and Neewa can go wherever she wants.”
“Sure,” I reply to Heather.
I walk into the dimly lighted home, barely able to see. It feels damp, but that is due to the dirt floor covered with wooden planks that creak and squeak as we walk.
Heather ushers us over to the kitchen table with a single light bulb hanging just above. Near by is a big sink with a hand pump for water. We pass a wood stove that seems to be in the middle of the main room with the stovepipe above it. The wood stove provides badly needed heat and light.
As my eyes adjust, more of her home comes into focus. Oversized woven rugs separate the one-room home into three sections. Her two daughters each have one area and Heather has the rest.
It looks like a museum inside. In the front room there is a frightful mask all painted in red and black. It looks creepy. Nearby is a beautiful headdress made of lots of eagle feathers, with a colorful yellow and red beaded headband. On one wall is a robe with intricate hand-sown bead designs of animals and hieroglyphic symbols. I can make out the symbol for the sun, and the other symbols might be water and fire.
The darkened ceiling is open and made of thick timbers with planks resting on them. Two more electric wires hang down with light bulbs on the ends that seem to sway ever so slightly.
Neewa runs around the house following her nose into the corners and along the walls, then positions herself at Heather’s side. As Heather moves around the house, Neewa follows her like a shadow. If Heather sits down, Neewa rests nearby on a rug and seems to be looking all about the house, particularly Linda’s room. Linda is Heather’s oldest daughter who is away at college.
Heather speaks, “On the table are packages of herbs for each of you. They are from my garden, take them now and put them in your pocket.”
“Thank you,” Jackie and I say in unison.
“The herbs will protect you from evil,” Heather adds.
I look at Dad and Jackie and they look back at me, and then at each other. None of us know what to say to that.
Heather is quite old, maybe eighty or eighty-five. She is about five feet tall, stout, and steady on her feet. She has a round face with light brown wrinkled skin. Her long silver hair is held tight in a bun by a handmade beaded bun cover. She is wearing a gray wraparound housecoat covered by a long woolen beige sweater. On top of that, she wears a handmade bandolier bag of the finest quality.
I have no idea what her last name is, so for now I will call her Heather. What do you call a Medicine Woman anyway? “Hey Doc?” No, of course not.
“Heather,” at last I say, “where is Diane?”
“Go into her room, Christina, she is doing her homework. Perhaps you can check it for her?”
“Okay,” I say as Jackie and I walk toward the single light in her room. Pushing aside the vertical rug that separates her room from the rest of the house, we enter.
Heather starts talking to Dad about the history of her people. My guess is they will talk about some of the events that have happened here over the years.
“Presently,” I hear her say in the background, “everyone on the reserve has a new house except me. My new house is coming, they say it will be here soon, but other families need one more than me. They have young children, so I let them get their homes first, before me. I only have Diane now. My oldest daughter, Linda, is always away at school and Chester has his own home for a long time.”
***
Jackie, Diane, and I emerge from her room.
“Let me show you my garden,” Heather motions with her hand.
All of us step out the back door of the house as the wind begins to blow sand around. As we walk around, the gusts begin to get stronger and stronger. The wind is whipping around as we make our way to the back steps.
It reminds me of the storms we had down the shore. The winds were hurling the sand sideways and the ocean waves crashed against the breakers.