I hope I don't get sick...

Last night as we gathered, a pair of teachers drove by the large viewing window of Lyndon’s living room, and saw our gathering. They came up only to say hi, because one of the teachers was sick. The older of the Naskapi women said that she would make some medicine for her that will help her heal quickly. She was asked what was in it, and told us that it was a secret, but that we probably didn’t want o know. This sufficed most peoples curiosity, but not mine or that of one other teacher that has been in the community for over 20 years. She asked if it was Labrador tea, made by boiling a local plant rich in vitamin C. We were told that this was in the medicine, but was only part. The topic was changed but I still wanted to know.

My chance came later in the evening when we moved to a local bar known as the Disco. There was no disco music, but there was a live band that sang Montagnais pop-rock. The older Naskapi woman was slightly inebriated by this point, and so I asked about the medicine again, and received an answer that I thought could not have been correct. To clarify, I asked “beaver’s paws?” which was replied to with “no, beaver’s balls”. Trying not to create an awkward silence I think I replied something stupid like “isn’t that interesting”. And I was told that the medicine has a variety of purposes. The woman has diabetes and will be going in for hip replacement surgery very soon, and swears that it keeps her blood sugar regular and helps the body heal quickly. Let me just say, I hope I don’t get sick, and if I do, I’ll be sticking to my Tylenol and Nightquil.