Friday from the Archives: “Mountain Biking, Bottle Trees, and Black-eyed Peas: Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle’s Creative Nonfiction and other Writings” by Mae Miller Claxton from NCLR 32 (2023)
As we pass into the next calendar year, many of us have special traditions and rituals to mark this time’s passage. Claxton highlighted Clapsaddle’s Cherokee rituals in her essay from our 2023 print issue:
“Several of the essays also discuss ceremonies or important rituals that convey meaning. In “With Any Luck,” while seemingly focusing on black-eyed peas as her topic, Clapsaddle also discusses New Year’s traditions of the Cherokee. She writes that major Cherokee ceremonies are not usually tied to a specific day but to a season, for example the Great New Moon Festival, held around October, which was linked to the creation of the world, believed to have occurred in autumn. Cherokee belief systems, she writes, offer “several opportunities throughout the year for both cleansing and forgiveness. None of which fail to account for our ever-changing environment and all of which ensure that food is celebrated for its nourishment rather than its resemblance to currency.” In fact, she notes that, unlike the obsession for self-improvement that is often associated with New Year’s Day, “The rejuvenation of Cherokee practice is not just about bettering ourselves as individuals, but building – sometimes rebuilding – friendships and other relationships. It is about community and collective progress, not just coins in our pockets.” Here, Clapsaddle advocates for a ceremony that honors group harmony, or community, and strong connection with the land.”
Culture being tied so closely to the land, it is no surprise that many of our cherished seasonal rituals involve food. And for those of us from North Carolina, the familiar smell and taste of black-eyed peas, collard greens, and a preserved pork product along with some kind of baked corn bread cut across any external differences we have.
Whether denoting the turning of a calendar page or signifying the winter season, Cherokee values, including: “Group harmony in community and kin relationships, and freely sharing and giving time, talent and treasures; Strong individual character, with integrity, honesty, perseverance, courage, respect, trust, honor and humility; Strong connection with the land and commitment to stewardship of the homelands of the Cherokee [Sense of Place]; Honoring the past by knowing one’s ancestors, identifying with and belonging to the tribe, and living and preserving Cherokee culture”–all of which can be found in Clapsaddle’s writing–serve like banners to being the best community members we can be.
Read the entire article on ProQuest or purchase a copy of the 2023 issue.
