At last, yesterday morning we arrived at Wishtoyo. We were greeted with a small ceremony which led to a big one, and every person involved was excited and somewhat anxious for the day. After the ceremony, we all got right to the crafts. Mati hyped me up by showing me the staff he created with burned on prints via magnifying glass. I immediately knew what I was going to spend time on that day. I chose a dog bane stick and proceeded to splitting/shaving. Once sanded down, I asked Mati for his magnifying kit and sat in the blistering sun for a solid hour. I felt the beauty of taking time on an object that contains meaning. This clapper stick will be the entity in which thousands of memories and prayers will be brought with me back home. When people ask me about the stick’s story, I will share with them the process of creation through the reality of transformation. The dog bane stick, like all other life forms, contains a spirit which I believe can be morphed. I didn’t make the stick, I simply shaped it. Now, the stick will shape my life. Simply by taking time on it, wielding it, and loving it, the path of my life has been altered.
Aho
nativeyouth2college.org 