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“Sage Bear and the Ancestral Foods”

~ Daniella James

Sage Bear was a curious little girl with

dark eyes and a bigger-than-life spirit.

She had Apache and Navajo ancestry

flowing through her, and she loved

spending time with her mama learning

about life.

One day, Mama came home from college with a special basket, her smile as bright as the desert sun.

"I'm learning about Apache foods in my class," Mama said, eyes shining.  “I want to share them with you, my favorite person in the whole world."

Sage Bear’s face lit up and climbed onto a stool beside her mama in the kitchen. Together, they opened the mystery basket of foods their ancestors used to eat.

"These are from our people," Mama whispered. "I'm discovering them for the first time too."

Sage Bear picked up something that looked like little red berries. It was sumac. She popped one in her mouth.

Her face scrunched up like a raisin. Mama tasted it too and made the same funny face. They laughed and laughed, making tart faces at each other across the table.

But the real magic happened when Mama made elk stew with acorn flour, just like she'd learned.

"This is what kept our people strong," Mama said, stirring slowly.

As soon as they took a spoonful, the kitchen filled with natural sunlight and good energy.

They closed their eyes and had a vision of sitting beside a warm fire with grandmothers and grandfathers they'd never met, but somehow, they knew them. Our ancestors ate this exact stew and knew these exact foods.

"Welcome home," the ancestors smiled at them both.

They ate the same stew together, and it tasted like stories and time travel.

When the light faded, Sage Bear and Mama were back in their kitchen.

After supper, Mama cut open a yellow watermelon. It was the most beautiful thing Sage Bear had ever seen. It was not the bright red from stores, but a soft, lovely yellow.

One bite. Sweet. Not too sweet. Perfect.

"Our Native American foods are the best foods," Sage Bear said, hugging her mama tight.

"And now you know our stories too," Mama said. "That's what I'm learning in college. Our traditional foods are our history, language, culture, and connection."

Sage Bear decided that she would taste more magic with her mama.