Moon When Salmon Retun To Earth

Moon when Salmon Return to Earth

If you talk to the animals.....

They will talk to you, and

you will know each other.....

If you do not talk to them,

You will not know them, and.....

What you do not know you will fear......

What one fears one destroys. –Chief Dan George

Today, (October 4^th) I had the privilege of attending the beautiful celebration of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis the patron saint of animals, he lived in Assisi Italy in the late 12^th century. This day is a special day set aside to bless all animals. Animals can teach us many lessons if we pay attention, they teach us loyalty, compassion and the true definition of unconditional love.

Yachats resident Mary Crook presided over the ceremony. She said a prayer and then blessed a bunch of dogs and two goats. It was beautiful and gave me inspiration to write this column.

The Saanich (or Wsanec) Tribe of the Pacific Northwest venerated salmon. For the Saanich as well as other indigenous people, salmon played a dual role in their survival. First they represented a crucial part of the year’s food supply and secondly they offered an important spiritual connection with mans environment. Their return was the most important part of the year. The Native people did not know where the salmon were when they were not in their streams; they only knew they magically appeared once a year. An old legend recounts a story of when man did not respect the animals, in this tale a man caught a salmon sliced it open and filled it with burning coals. He then released the fish into a stream where it sparked and sputtered until it died. This angered the earth and a volcano erupted destroying all in its path. The people learned from this to honor and respect the earth and her creatures.

Salmon are majestic, mystical, enchanting creatures. They possess a supernatural strength, endurance, and determination that in many cultures equates to resurrection and immortality. They emulate all of the qualities mankind strives to be.

Long ago when the first salmon appeared the people prepared a huge celebration in which the first fish was treated as a visiting chief. The welcoming priest would sprinkle the fish’s body with red ochre or eagle down, and then he would make an elaborate speech thanking the fish for its gift and sacrifice in the hopes of a continuous bounty. The tribe would then sing songs and each member was given a piece of the fish. At the end of the celebration the bones were reassembled and returned to the sea.

The belief was that salmon bones placed back in the water would reassemble, revive, revert to its human form then return home. The skeleton of the first salmon had to be returned to the water in tact; later fish could be cut apart, but all of their bones had to be returned to the water or the salmon would be offended and not return. The salmon ceremony is a beautiful reminder of both the needs to establish a respectful relationship with nature. And acknowledge our dependence on nature.

Food myths of the northern lands indicate that arctic people believed salmon possessed magic powers. This salmon lived in magic well; a well that itself had magic powers. The Celts believed any thing that drank the water from the sacred well became eternally wise and possessed the power of prophecy. It was also believed that if a man could catch the salmon that lived in this water and eat it he would also be bestowed with these gifts.

The salmon is by scientific definition anadromous, this is a creature born of fresh water, it lives the majority of its life in salt water and then returns to spawn and die in fresh water. The salmon grows and lives in the ocean for up to five years depending on the species. Atlantic salmon, which is all but extinct, returned to the ocean two or three times. An attempt to breed the Atlantic salmon on the West Coast failed. Now they are mostly farmed at sea. There are still those among local tribes that carry on these ancient traditions, and for these few I am thankful.

“There is no degradation in the dignity in human nature In claiming kinship with creatures so beautiful, so wonderful, Who praise God in the forest as the Angels do in heaven.”

Linda Gavgani who works at Yachats Village Market gave today’s recipe to me.

Her Mom used to make these for her.

1- 14 oz. Can pink salmon

1- egg

1- tsp. Lemon juice

8 to 10 Saltine crackers

Vegetable oil

Salt and Pepper

Mix all ingredients together, add as many crackers as it takes to mold easily into patties.

Heat oil in skillet add patties, fry until golden.

Use lemon juice, tarter sauce or even catsup for condiment. Linda likes to freeze and use later as Salmon burgers.

Enjoy!

To reach Crystal Hayes: email crystalhayes@peak.org