Harvest and bounty

Today I helped kill a sheep. Tsa-Tsa, the second oldest, got word she had a job in UB and was off like a rocket. All the kids like UB way better than the countryside. They decided to harvest one sheep and send the meat with Tsa-Tsa. I’m not sure if it was to sell or for relatives there to share. Anyways, Tsemgee and one of the boys picked an animal and laid it on its back. Very calmly, Tsemgee cut a 10 inch slit along the ribcage line that runs throat to belly. He reached in, and with his finger, hooked the spinal cord and broke it. The sheep struggled a bit, but it was a very quick, bloodless death with minimal trauma for the animal. I helped with the skinning and gutting, and found it to be largely similar to field dressing a deer. The part that was different was how they dealt with the entrails. All the entrails were cleaned with water. The lower organs were emptied of their grassy bile contents, turned inside out, and washed. The stomach and other organs I didn’t recognize were cut into strips and stuffed into the intestine casing. The blood was carefully collected and mixed with flour and poured into intestine casing. The whole big bowl was then boiled until everything was thoroughly cooked. I handled everything very matter of factly and without issue until we got to the entrails cleaning.

In Alaska, I would keep the heart and the liver, but leave the rest of the mess for the bears as an offering. Seemed a good deal, so I didn’t have to bother with them, and the bears got a treat. Here nothing is wasted. I helped with the entrails washing, pouring the blood mixture into the intestine casing, and washing the organs. Then I needed to get some air, as I was feeling queasy. When they gave me a plate of organ meats to savor as they all dug in with lip smacking relish, I did my best to keep it together. I ate a little taste of each, except the blood sausage. I thought that would make me lose it. Everything was so tasty to Enhee, she couldn’t imagine why I wasn’t enjoying it. Nevertheless, she could see I was getting a little green. While the entrails were boiling, I had explained to her that because I am a hunter (which she thought was a hoot) the killing and processing of the animal didn’t phase me. With motions and pictures I told her Americans may eat the liver and the heart, but not the other organs. At least I think she understood enough not to be offended that I didn’t partake more in the feast.

I have embraced dirt, and am learning to accept the flies that often pester. I have made it a principle to try things with an open mind. If I don’t like it, I don’t have to keep eating it or doing it. That got me through the entrails meal. It also meant I gargled with this foul smelling herbal concoction used to treat a sore throat. It did help, but was very bitter and left a lingering harsh taste for 30 minutes. I have been sleeping on a hard board bed with a wool blanket spread over it. I have been sponge bathing in the river every other day, and will only wash my hair once a week or less (usually for me it was every 5 days, so not so much of a stretch). My arms and back are getting more toned, and my skin is tanner and my hair bleached by the sun. With all this I mean to say I am adapting and learning better to accept things as they are, redefining what I need, and toughening up a bit. I am finding what I came here to find, and more.