“Everything on Earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence.” Mourning Dove (Christine Quintasket) 1888 -1936.
_____________________________

In the rain shadows
of the Cuyamaca Mountains,
at the confluence of Escondido Ravine and
Agua Dulce Creek, a river is formed that flows west
through the Prado, into Lake of the Woods,
and then down through Noble Canyon
towards the Pacific Ocean...
.
Checking provisions,
We cinched up our packs,
And began our ascent. Traversing
A narrow path near a burbling brook,
we were startled by a Quail family rustling
in the fallen leaves beneath the chaparral.
Foraging for daily nourishment;
the chorus of their voices -
“bee-oo-ah - bee-oo-ah - bee-oo-ah” -
echoed distinctly through chill morning air...
.
On we climbed, until
At last… we passed over
Into the ancient lands of the
Kumeyaay and the Kwaaymii, where
We were hailed by Ravens in a chorus of
staccato ‘Pruk pruk pruks’ and gravely ‘kraa kraas’...
.
Further in we came upon
an ancient lake bed where, on
knolls strewn with stately Ponderosas,
Kumeyaay morteros, and metates, remained
as a reminder of the porridge meals,
made of acorns and seeds,
the kindreds ate daily.
Scattered in the soil were
shards of pottery (once used for living)
and arrowheads (once used for hunting)
We were standing in the midst of them, and
in our spirits we could see them working,
and we could hear them singing...
.
“There’s something special here,” Michele averred.
“Look there,” I pointed.
Above, a red-shouldered hawk dipped down
to confirm we were known and accepted in this place...
.
Long had we wanted to realize
more than our own knowingness’s,
more than our own superstitions,
to delve beyond what we felt,
to touch the spirit of a
culture reabsorbed
now into the
flow of times river,
an enigmatic people
who understood naming
as an act of holy power,
who understood
living life
as a melody;
an allegoric cycle
of bird songs sung
in cantabile celebration...
.
Scattered about the periphery, prickly-pear cactus,
and holly-leafed cherry bushes, were interspersed with
stands of gnarled Black Oaks riddled with mistletoe.
In the distance, nearer the lake, scrub-jay, sparrow,
chickadee and mud-hen greeted the warming
sunlight in a chorus of unrehearsed singing.
We were standing in the midst of them,
And in our spirits, we could see...
.
richard lloyd cederberg
12/2018
.
Did you know that numerous Indian words have become part of the English language? Just a few of these include: barbeque, caribou, cannibal, chipmunk, chocolate, cougar, moose, hammock, hurricane, mahogany, opossum, potato, skunk, squash, toboggan, woodchuck. Happy New Year 2019
  richardlloydcederberg.com