One of the organizations we donate our scarves and other items to is the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Center in Halifax. In 2015, we were able to help them assist 39 families with Christmas presents and dinner. Earlier this month we received an invitation to attend their monthly senior & elder supper as a thank you for our support of their Christmas Cheer program. That supper was held on Tuesday February 23.
Both myself and Nancy Schultz attended the supper. We were treated to a warm, loving blend of traditional food and culture. Fresh salmon, potatoes, vegetables and dessert. During our conversations before the meal, we were given an explanation of the smudge ritual and one elder shared a story with us about what the Last House on The Block symbolizes in Native culture.
One day, a man wandered far from his home and was lost. He came upon a great village with many houses. Each house bore the emblem of its clan over the door. He knocked at each door, seeking food and shelter, but each house denied him.
Until he arrived at the last house on the street. The clan of the Bear. There, a woman let him in. She fed him, allowed him to bathe, gave him fresh warm clothing and a warm place to sleep.
In the morning the man was ill and asked the woman to get him a certain plant to heal him. The following day, he was ill with a different malady and asked her to bring a different plant to heal him. This continued for many days. Each time he would instruct her on which plant to use. Sometimes it was a combination.
On the last day, the man told the woman that he was in fact The Creator, that since all the other clans had refused to help and that she had not, that to her house, to her clan, the Bear Clan, he offered the gift of medicine so that her house, the last house on the street, would be a house of healing.
In a sense, that's what our organization is. The name was chosen because of its significance to people in recovery from addictions, that often the place that helps them is the last house they come to, the last house on the block. For myself, personally, AA was the last house on the block. For others, it might be something else. We thought the analogy was very fitting.
After the meal, we received an unexpected honor. We were awarded a certificate of appreciation for the work that Last House on the Block Society does (and for work we as individuals do) in support of the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Center. We also received the carving in the opening illustration of this entry. A dream catcher embedded in a turtle.
Although it was Nancy and myself who attended the supper and were there to receive the award, the gift was given to Last House On The Block Society. The board of directors, the volunteers, the knitters, anyone who donated to our cause during the past year, you are all a part of what we do. None of us do what we do for recognition, but sometimes it's nice to know that you are appreciated.
