Indian Summer

A little Indian lore from a complete White-Eye, albeit, I have a lot of Indian friends. Most of us live in peace together, so who says that a Whiteman can’t keep a treaty? The world is slowly becoming homogeneous. Sadly, what I miss the most, is the Indian history that has been lost and discarded. Most my relatives, that I knew, always spoke well of the Indian people, and our folks worked and played together and were friends. There are many Indian people in the Garberville area that have deep history right here in the local area. Most of them are not even thought of as Indians, but as friends, firefighters, business people, and so forth. Most of the people that don’t carry their own weight in Garberville are white.

On work parties for the fire department, we often get into respectful banter about standing in the rain or some other thing that our local Indians seem to like to point out that the white-eyes are sissies. I don’t know if they can take the cold better than me, or they are just more stubborn, but I do know that I will dive for cover before them. I know, that’s racist, but oh well. While I’m being racist, I sunburn easier than they do. Some differences are obvious and some less so, but they will be the first to point out differences. Does that mean that they shouldn’t be given the same opportunities as me? Not hardly.

We are in the midst of “Indian Summer”. Around here that is the little bit of real good weather after the first big rain of the fall. Most places it’s defined as the warm dry weather after the first killing frost. Back east, where the term started, it was the period of warm weather that melted the first snow fall. The eastern Indians would use that period to raid the white settlements, because they couldn’t be tracked on the wet ground, and they wouldn’t leave tracks in the snow. Whether or not the raids were justified is a point for another time and place. I’m just here to say that it was named “Indian Summer” because that was the time of the year that the whites had to keep a close eye out for Indians.

Here is another story that was also from the eastern U.S. Indians. It has to do with “Indian giver” meaning something given then taken back. Supposedly, an Indian person would give a miscreant a present to change their mean or evil ways. If the person didn’t change their ways, It was considered to be a dishonor to the Indian that gave the person the gift, so it was taken back. Indian summer is a gift that is taken back when winter sets back in, so the warm weather is a gift that is taken back. Thus: “Indian Summer”.

Another story about “Indian Giving” is that there was a large language barrier between the Whiteman and the Indian. Trade between the Whiteman and the Indian often became confusing. The Whiteman would try to trade beads or some other object of value to an Indian. They would sign back and forth until they reached an agreed price. Often the Indian person would give something to a White. Indians often gave gifts, so they just took what was offered without thinking much about it, but the Indian person was really placing something of value in the Whiteman’s hands, like a bag of Salmon jerky, as a question of “what can I get for this?” When nothing was offered in return the Indian person would take it back. I can’t say that I blame them, there is an old premise that “there is no such thing as a free lunch”. But, that became known as “Indian giving”.
 
With due respect to my Indian friends.... But, if you have any salmon jerky to trade, I'm well know as a fair and honest trader. I will trade beer or money. Charley Two Crows and I are looking for some canned pickled surf fish. Anybody else have any orders?