Fry Bread Dreams
In the Fall of September, 2001, My sister, mother and I made
a journey to Southern Oregon. My Great
Grandpa Rand was from here, the Rouge
River. While at the Sherman Indian
school in Southern California, he met my Great Grand Mother, Rose . They eventually married, and moved back to
the Rouge, he a River Guide and mail
boat operator, She, the Postmistress in
Illahe . They had many children and
grandchildren, and my mama spent many of
her favorite times as a youth there at the old house in Illahe.
For me, this trip was a chance to reconnect with my Native
roots. There had been a longing in me,
to know the ways of my ancestors, yet there was no one I knew, who had the
answers I was searching for. My Grandma,
and sisters were told not to talk about being Indian, when they were growing
up. Their mission was to blend in. Grandma Rose had been taken to the Indian
school at the age of 5. Blonde Hair and
blue eyes, ( she was ½ native) She was taught
how to make lace, Keep house and inventory, how to be a servant. The
break in knowledge had already occurred, and I could find no threads back to
this place of knowingness I held with in me,
A place where we were equal with all beings on this earth, and our
connection to it as natural as breathing itself. Where were the tools, stories, teachings for
me? Lost in the assimilate or die
reality of my ancestors. My heart ached
for the knowledge lost and forgotten.
We arrived at Big Bend as they were getting set up for the
Pow Wow. We were so excited to be
there. In asking what we could do to
help, we were told we could pick up cow pies so the dancers wouldn’t step on
them as they were dancing. Being the farm
girls we were, we proceeded to pick up
cow pies… and thus started my first,
real deal, Native involvement.
It was a beautiful small, local Pow Wow. We met
some of our distant cousins, The Fry’s,
and Gilbert Towner, An elder who was one of the last speakers of Tututni. I loved the traditional dancing the
most. We were able to dance many dances
that weekend, meet many beautiful people, and even have a bear visit our tent
in the middle of the night. And of course….
The FRY BREAD! Oh yes The FRY BREAD!
Fry bread with powdered sugar, fry bread with berries,
indian tacos….. we ate till we
foundered…. At least 3 a day, it was so good! Sitting around the campfire with my
sister, tummies full, hearts full, and
minds still searching, we hatched a plan.
When are kids were grown up, we
would travel the Pow Wow circuit with a food cart and sell fry bread! It was
brilliant! Surely we could learn
then. We needed more time to hang out
with all these beautiful people who obviously knew more than we did about this
being an Indian thing. Here stood the
beginning of our Fry Bread Dreams.
My children were still small, my youngest 3 or so, and I realized it would be a long time for me
to be able to set off on this quest. In
the mean time I thought, I will do what
I can where I am at. I would
read , study, and pray.
Jamie Sams, Black Elk, Lame Deer, …..
too many to list. Trips to the
REZ at Morongo, Warner Springs, and
Santa Isabell, meeting our Linton Cousins.
Canyon de Chelly , Acoma, Sadona, Globe. Grandmother’s Council.
My sister went on to
study with Gilbert Towner in one of the first language courses they taught down
on the Rouge. My Mother and sister
bought land on quosatana creek. My children, when staying the summer on the Rouge
river, would learn Tututni from the language CD’s at night before going to
bed. Gilbert has passed now, he is still one of my constant companions on
this journey. Eventually Ester (the lady
with the amazing fry bread) her family and colleagues
started holding the Indian Education Summer Camp there. They have done this work for over 30
years. My youngest daughter Megan, has had the privilege to go to this camp,
learn drumming, dancing, Songs, and Native ceremony and ways. She has also been a counselor.
I have spent most of the past years deepening into plants,
and through them understanding my ancestors.
My children are grown now.
Last year, my sister hatched a plan, a fund raiser for my
Grandbaby who had a Liver transplant.
Our family and friends got together and did a Fry Bread booth at farmer
consumer awareness day. It was a
beautiful coming together of many people and talents. The committee recently sent my sister a
packet with all the information asking if we wanted to do another booth this year.
Our answer…
Are you crazy! That was way too much work!
Most know the genesis of fry bread. Our ancestors were given poor quality white
flour as one of the commodities the government handed out to the Indians put on
reservations. Fry Bread was our
Grandmothers making the most out of a bad situation. It was not what they were accustomed to. Their
skill and ingenuity produced something new, with what they were handed. This is what sustained them. Perhaps I cannot find some of the threads
back to the old ways, and yet the spirit
and connection somehow remains. I still
grieve the loss of direct experience of my heritage, and still see ….it is what
you do with what you have, and choose to use in a good way that matters. Still I search, still I go deeper. These are my Fry Bread Dreams…………….
Navajo Fry Bread
4
cups unbleached all purpose Flour 2
TLB Baking Powder
1
½ tsp sea salt ½
tsp Baking Soda
2
cups warm milk
Mix dry
ingredients together in bowl. Slowly add milk.
Turn our and knead on floured surface until smooth. Let set for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oil
in fry pan (I use an electric fry pan with thermostat) to 400*.
Divide
dough into 8 portions. Stretch out into
thin rounds. Fry in batches in hot
oil. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with whipped berry butter, Honey
butter, or as a base for Indian Tacos.
Tips for
success:
Letting the dough rest an hour or more before
stretching will make a softer fry bread.
Stretch
the dough 2 or three times letting rest in between. Have a parchment lined cookie sheet dusted
with flour to let them rest. Cover with
a Flour sack Towel to keep from drying out while waiting to fry.
A soft
white flour like the Famous Blue Bird Flour,
work really well. Bread Flour has
more gluten, and in this case, will make a tougher dough and Fry Bread. ( I
use Safeway Organic All Purpose Flour)
When
Frying, always flip bread away from yourself.
Raspberry Butter
½ cup butter softened 1/3
cup Raspberry Jam
1 tsp Lemon Juice 2
TLB Powdered sugar
Beat
together until light and fluffy
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