San Geronimo Day-Part II

Being invited to the home of an Indian family on the Pueblo for San Geronimo Day is quite an honor.  It began last April when I met Amitola (meaning butterfly, but not her real name) at a ranch and agricultural conference here in Taos.  Her intelligent question drew my immediate attention, so I approached her and explained my project.  After two long conversations at her favorite coffee shop and a couple of letters in between, she invited me to join her and her family on this special day.

I called her the day before to ask if my husband could come along and she said in her dry humorous style, “I don’t allow men in my house, but perhaps he could stand in the back.” Clearly the intervening months had not tarnished our playful relationship.  After the morning races, we sought out her traditional Indian adobe home down a dusty road behind the Pueblo plaza to leave off a ham, cookies and lemonade, then returned later for lunch. As we arrived, her daughter invited us to sit in the backyard—it was a beautiful, warm day and visit; Amitola and another friend joined us.  We were told of the history of this 1945 family home built by her grandfather when he returned from WWII.  Set among the red willows, replete with carved wooden columns and artwork, we felt as though we had move back in time.

The lunch was a feast. Turkey and dressing, salads, chili stews, homemade breads, posole, cakes and lemonade. Great coffee, homemade biscotti. Luscious.  Family and friends—including many children—gathered in shifts around a table in the kitchen sat for ten.  As one group finished, the table was replenished, then another group arrived, reminding us of the race.  The seven-year old grandson, who had shown his readiness to be part of the community by racing that morning, said the prayer.

Next, San Geronimo Day, Part III

 

 

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 8th, 2011 at 6:36 am and is filed under Education, Family, Fiction, Leadership, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.