In my heritage, native Alaskan woman are expected to follow the traditional ways when a young lady turns into a woman. Meaning when she starts her menstrual period. There are things a woman can and cannot do in the first year of her period.
When I started my first menstrual period, my grandmother and my mother, along with my aunties, told me all I needed to know about my first menstrual period. There were a lot of things I needed to know about my tradition. I realized that were things I didn't know about my heritage.
My first experience was scary yet normal because my mom told me ahead of time. So, I knew it was going to come. Yes, following these steps is difficult to follow having to memorize everything. My first year felt like I was under lock and key being watched like a hawk. I felt this way because there is more things you can’t do then you do. I knew from this point that I would have more responsibilities that I would have to take whether I liked them or not.
Now some of these will sound out of the ordinary, but this is my tradition and I believe them so I listened to my family and followed them for a whole year.
These traditions been passed down from my ancestors all the way down the family tree to me. All these steps are really important so you got to follow them. The first course of action is, you cannot do is to run outside no matter what because you will make it windy. Second step is you can’t swim in the river or you will scare the fish away. The third traditional step is you can’t climb because you will make the ground move or shake in other places. Fourth step you can’t look up while riding in a boat or you will become blind when you are older, same things happens when you look out the window of your house. The fifth action is you cannot pick berries because then berries won’t grow there any more. Sixth rule is you can’t swing or you will make rain. The seventh step is you cannot play or hang around with boys because you will get pregnant. Eighth traditional rule is you cannot jump or you will cause an earthquake in other places. The ninth course of action is you can’t eat fish or dry fish. The tenth traditional step is you can’t go into the church. You have to wear a bandana over your head when you go out or you will become bald. Same thing happens when you go for a boat ride. Well its obvious you can go out and be with your friends and walk around.
Now there are a few things you can do when you are on your first menstrual period. Let me tell you there is not a whole lot you can do, but there are some amazing things you are capable of doing. While doing these events you cannot be seen or they will not work. Although there are some things you can do in front of other people. You have to believe in them also and believe in yourself too.
When it is a rainy day and you want the weather to be sunny. You can go outside and tair [tear] open the sky. First you take both of your pinkies and lick them. Next you put them in the air having them touch each other. Then you separate them moving your arms back and you do the same think but in the opposite direction. Finally, you push the clouds back in every direction you face. That is how you tare open the sky. In order for this to work you must do it where no one can see you.
Okay, let’s say it is really windy outside and you want it to stop. You go outside and you face the wind. First you pull a strand of hair off your head. Next you hold it up in the air and you make a knot but you don’t tie it yet. While you are holding your strand of hair in the air, you slowly tie the hair as you bring your arms all the way down to the ground. Finally you step on you hair and then you spit on it. That is all it takes to tie the wind but you can’t have anyone watch you while you are doing this too.
When it is really hot out and there is no wind you can make a little breeze. You can make it windy by simply running or you can shake a branch on a tree. It doesn’t take much to make it windy. For this event you can do it in front of your friends. You don’t have to go where no one can see you to do this.
When you are on your period and you want to go pick berries, all you have to do is pull one strand of hair off your head and tie it to the bush or the patch on the ground. Then you can start picking berries. If you do not do this before you pick berries, then next year when you go back to the same place, there won’t be any berries for you to pick because they will not grow there anymore.
When you want to go swimming and you are on your period. You tie a strand of hair off your head and tie it on a boat that is in the water. Then you can go swimming. If you do not do this before you go swimming the fish won’t go there anymore because you scared them away. That is all it takes for you to go swimming in the river. You don’t have to go somewhere where no one can see you in order to swim.
These traditional rules are hard to remember at first but you get a hang of them later in the year. I liked doing the weather changing and all the amazing things I can do. To me this experience showed me that women have a lot of power and that they can do amazing things. I am 18 years old now and I still follow these traditional rules to this day along with my younger sisters. I know when I have girls in the future they to will follow these traditional rules because it is not only a part of me, but it will also be apart of them. I wrote about this topic because there are some small details that are forgotten in my heritage. I thought it would be nice to document these steps on paper so others will hopefully read this and keep the tradition alive, pass it down to the next generation to never forget about who you are and what your heritage is all about.
