Tanayia--Whisper upon the Water Excerpt (and more) By Connie Vines #Native American, #First People,

Tanayia-- Whisper upon the Water, First Peoples Series

Prologue

1868

The Governor of New Mexico decreed that all Indian children over six be educated in the ways of the white man.

Indian Commissioner Thomas Morgan said, “It is cheaper to educate the Indians than to kill them.”

1880, Apacheria, Season of Ripened Berries

Isolated bands of colored clay on white limestone remain where the sagebrush is stripped from Mother Earth by sudden storms and surface waters. Desolate. Bleak. A land made of barren rocks and twisted paths that reach out into silence.

A world of hunger and hardship. This is my world. I am Tanayia. I was born thirteen winters ago. We call ourselves N’dee, The People. The white man calls us Apache. 

Chapter One

Only a soft light from the east lit the dirt path I soon would walk. I rose from my blanket and dressed in my favorite buckskins and moccasins. After combing my hair, I stepped from my wickiup and walked toward the center of camp. Women from neighboring Apache bands, dressed in their best clothing, squatted around their campfires, patting tortillas and fry bread. My relations traveled great distances to share my coming-of-age ceremony. I am proud and happy. I smile and call out my morning greeting, ya'atche."

"Many blessings, my child," several replied as I passed.

The sharp scent of crisp dough and the bitter scent of acorn stew floated in the cool air. My stomach grumbled in hunger. Large feasts, such as the one my people prepared today, are no longer common. Grandmother, Ligai Tlenaai- White Moon, however, remembers the long-ago days when her band feasted at each change of season. She told me of times when food was plentiful.....

Greeting the sun

Preparing the feast

Wickieup

Chief Geronimo

Native American Boarding School, 1890s

There were certain things the Apache would not eat. It was taboo for the Apache to eat fish or waterfowl due to their fear water was associated with thunder. Eating bear meat was also considered taboo by most Apache groups.

Traditional foods are still eaten today, but as in all communities, modern fare is the norm.

Fry Bread Recipe

4 cups white flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

Lard or shortening

Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Add 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water and kneed dough until soft but not sticky. Shape dough into balls the size of a small peach. Shape into patties by hand; dough should be about 1/2 inch thick.  Fry one at a time in about an inch of hot lard or shortening in a heavy pan. Brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with honey, jam, or powdered sugar. If you want an Indian Taco add beans, tomatoes, onion, cheese, and salsa on top.

I hope you enjoyed this month's post.

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Happy Reading :-)

Connie

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Why Does Writing a Novel Remind Me of Pizza? By Connie Vines #BWLAuthorBlog,

My creation!

Like most writers, I get excited about beginning a new project.

I select my favorite pens, a fresh college line notebook, 3 x 5 lined cards, and my 'new favorite coffee mug. I even set up my playlist for the main characters (music he/she like listening to).  I might even have a rough draft of my book trailer in place.

Then I sit down at my laptop (yes, I'm still a hardcore PC person), however, my laptop has a dictation feature which seems to work well for free-flow thought.

Why do I think about pizza 🍕?

You begin with a blank computer screen white piece of paper. And as I stated in my opening paragraph I have everything in order.

To begin your pizza dough you arrange your ingredients: Yeast, Water, Flour, Oil, Sugar, Salt, and Cornmeal (for dusting the bottom of the crust). You may even wish to add garlic or Italian seasoning to the flour.

You will have your favorite bowl handy. 

Like a novel, pizza dough will require kneading, resting, and kneading again.

Your pizza dough should be shaggy and lumpy, to begin with, but if you've kneaded it for a while it should be slightly tacky to the touch. If your dough doesn't ooze or sag when you hold it up, it's another sign it is well kneaded.

It's not unusual for my plot and opening scene to be a little lumpy at the beginning. However, with work, an unending supply of hot coffee, and pacing, my story takes shape. 

I may take a day or two off to let the ideas rise to the surface. Then I'm back at the computer again.

A couple of chapters later I realized my story may need a bit of extra seasoning, and several new toppings or I may need to toss out the pie and start again.

But hopefully, like the glutamate in pizza toppings, my stories cause my readers' brains to get excited--and crave more of my novels!

Happy Reading and "gustare la pizza",

Connie

https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/

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