Rez Life Wasn’t Just the Hard Stuff
As much as we had negative experiences, we also had the most unique and positive experiences as well. My Papa loved the outdoors, and he loved his grandkids even more. Any school break, we were with him and our grandma. I used to cry when summer was over and we had to leave them. Now that I think about it, I cried every time we had to part ways. They poured so much time and love into us. They spoiled us.
The summers would start with a huge cookout. Our moms would bring us into town and stay the weekend, and we would basically have a summer kickoff. Burgers with red onions, brats, baked beans with lots of brown sugar and mustard, oven-baked mac and cheese, any soda we wanted—the list goes on.
We would start the day with free breakfast from the elementary school next door. After that, the day was ours. We never came inside unless we needed to use the restroom. We drank our water from the water hose if we were thirsty. If it got too hot, Papa would set up a grass waterer that sprayed water in an arch, and we would run around barefoot, fully clothed, through the water.
I distinctly remember one time, my Papa let us run the water until we created a mud puddle. We were swimming in mud. We got in so much trouble, but it was worth the lifetime memory.
We also built a treehouse one summer. We worked on it every day, walking around the house and finding any scrap wood and nails we could find. It was nothing fancy, but it was our treehouse that we built. This treehouse was in a ditch that we played in all summer. We would take old battery-powered toddler cars and push each other down the ditch, crashing nearly every time, and drag them back up the hill to do it all over again.
We would walk the trails behind the house. My Papa showed us Indigenous plants we could eat, sour leaves and sour berries. My mouth is watering at the thought of them.
Then there were the fishing days. Papa would wake us up before the sun came up. We would pile into his big green truck and listen to the same green CD I loved, specifically the “Kung Fu Fighting” song. A stop at the country store was always a given. Supplies for cold cuts, chips, and root beer in a glass bottle were always on the list.
We would spend the entire day fishing, often catching up to 20 fish. He said, “I am going to show you one time how to set up your line and cast. I am not going to show you again, so you better watch and learn.”
And so, we did, and we fished all day right next to him. After, we would eat at Pizza Hut, then go home and fry the fish. Rainbow trout was my favorite.
There are so many experiences I could cover that were just pure fun, but I will touch on my favorite: Black River.
This was a secluded river on the edge of our reservation. Papa always knew the best spots. He would load up all the ice chests with everything we could need for the day. It was a family affair. All the cousins and family friends would come. We would fish, swim, eat, and relax until the sun went down. A fresh, cold watermelon was my favorite on these days.
We had swimming spots we loved. “The slide,” jumping off rocks, and floating down the river on your butt were my personal favorites. This is where I learned to drive, at 8 years old. It is so funny to think about now, but that was just rez life.
The good rez life.
The best rez life.
A lifetime that I long for these days. I would do anything to experience one of those days over again. I am grateful for all the experiences, good and bad. They made me who I am today.
