Several years ago, my uncle, cuz, & I went on the Nome Cult walk (as my aunt hauled the rig and tended camp) with the Round Valley walkers...we call it Nomqēl Yemey (West Residence Trail). There were dozens of forced marches across that trail as the military drove people from the Sacramento Valley over the mountains to Covelo. Any Nomlaki——or Pit River, Maidu, Wintun, etc. for that matter——that was interned at Round Valley during the early years came over that trail. After the Walk, I dreamed about this design...and even about the man who was to apply it. Its more modern in design and placement, but with a traditional foundation. The quail is a symbol of family for us. They walk in an organized orderly fashion, and when they fan out to forage, they always post a guard. If they scatter for some reason, they always re-group soon after. Their habits make them easy to drive or herd...the same way that our malnourished, malady stricken ancestors were brutally herded over those mountains. The piece is on my leg to symbolize the journey. One motif contains 3 quail plumes joined together (for the 3 of us family members who walked), and they follow the crook of my knee to symbolize the many turns in the road. There are 8 motifs joined together for the 8 sacred directions. The ending straight line is for those who continued to travel after they left this earth... Of course there is more, but those are the things I feel comfortable sharing with an audience ;)
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 19:10:11 +0000
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