Find Reverence in All That’s Around Me

When I was a child, living in Morehead City, North Carolina, my parents took us on a weekend trip to Cherokee, NC.  A magical place where I was able to see how the Cherokee lived, danced and celebrated their culture.  Even at the tender age of four, this trip made an indelible imprint on me that lasted for years. 
 

I remembered being so intrigued by their costumes, dance, language and connection to mother earth.  I had Indian dolls and moccasins, of which I was very proud.  During this magical time in my life, full of wonder and curiosity and fantasy, I was completely enamored with everything American Indian - I wanted to embody everything American Indian.  
 

When I was old enough to understand, my grandmother (alive to this day at 99), shared with me that her grandmother was a full-blooded Ozark Indian.  It all made sense.  Whether it is nature or nurture, my DNA or my upbringing, I have long felt a deep connection to animals and nature and the American Indian culture and have wanted to impart that same connectedness to my three daughters.

Fast forward 40 years, I was living in Texas searching for summer camps for two of my three daughters.  I was looking for something very different than the stimulus-filled, adrenaline fueled camps my kids were being marketed to.  I wanted them in the wilderness, connected to nature.  I found the perfect camp in Black Mountain, North Carolina - only an hour drive from Cherokee, NC!  My youngest, Nikki, was four at the time.  We dropped her two sisters off at camp and away we went.  I couldn’t wait to share my pilgrimage back to this magical place with her. 
 

As we approached the Cherokee nation, I cannot express to you my disappointment - Casinos, cars, and thousands of tourists and touristy stops lined the two-laned road that led up to the parking lot.  I had remembered/fantasized that it was remotely tucked away in the woods (which it probably was 40 years before).  Once we arrived and started our walk to the entrance, it began to feel more like the place I had remembered.  

The Cherokee living museum was just that, a living representation of how the culture worked, played, cooked, sewed and celebrated.
 

As we watched the young indigenous people, so proud of their heritage, dance the dances of their ancestors, I was mesmerized.  It was one dance, in particular, that changed my worldview - the dance of the bear.  In this dance, they wore bear skins and explained how and why they revered this animal so much.  

It had given its life to the tribe to feed it, to clothe it, to protect it.  Every part of this animal was used, from its claws to its teeth, from its fur to its bones.  Nothing wasted.  Everything about this animal was celebrated.  This dance was the dance of gratitude and they would continue to dance this way for 30 days - expressing both their love and appreciation for the sacrifice of this animal.

THIS… THIS way of thinking, appreciating and celebrating has changed the way I view, well, everything - from the clothes I wear to the food I eat.  

When I skin a chicken in the sink or even when I buy the store-bought rotisserie, I silently thank this animal that gave its life to feed me and my family.  I do not take that for granted.  Not even a little.  I use every part of that animal and what I don’t use, it goes to nourish my three dogs.  The same thought process goes into the clothes I wear, to the cosmetics I use, to the fruit and veggies I grow (and compost!).  

Reverence and appreciation.

In addition to my indigenous heritage, I come from a long line of farmers - farmers that used the land and livestock for their survival.  Nothing ever wasted.  Nothing taken for granted.  This process of making food from seeds and soil, is soulful and soul-filled. Maybe this is why my grandma has lived so long…
 

My mother, to this day, has a tremendous garden from which she shares with her community all the fruits and vegetables.  What she doesn’t need or use, she shares or cans.  Maybe a tribute to her Indian heritage and/or her farming roots, she has passed this love and wisdom down to me.
 

The wisdom of our ancestors and the wisdom of these ancient cultures is what we need to heal, not only ourselves, but the planet.  In yoga we learn about Ahimsa, causing no harm.  A yogic principle that Ghandi based his entire life upon.
 

Learn how this simple spiritual philosophy, taken from both the Cherokee and Indian culture, can serve to build a deeper connection, appreciation and reverence to our food.  

I invite you to join me for a not so typical cooking journey where I combine my patchwork of education, fitness, coaching and heritage to the simple, yet delicious food we will make.

Won’t you join me?