By ROBERT JUMPER
One Feather Editor
The staff at Tsali Manor invited the One Feather to join the elders on Halloween morning for a celebration. It was an honor to be asked to join the elders for their holiday. A group of elders decorated each table in fall or spooky decorations, and we were to be the judges of their creative efforts.
Every trip up to Tsali Manor is a learning experience. Our tribal elders are kind, witty, and willing to share. From politics to agriculture, there is much wisdom among our mature population. If you stand still for a few minutes in their meeting hall, it won’t be long before a distinguished gentleman or lady strikes up a conversation with you.
The caregivers at the Manor went all out to give the elders a special day and experience. They created several games for the elders to participate in and enjoy. One station featured a ring toss by which an elder could win a two-liter soft drink. It was very popular with elders and not long into the morning, several elders were proudly lugging around two-liter drinks. Apparently earlier, some seniors took a stab at carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. These were put on display and the partygoers were invited to participate in voting for their favorite “best” pumpkin hack job, voting with little colored glass beads. The elder artwork with the most glass beads would be deemed the best pumpkin sculptor.
Speaking of pumpkins, the staff had a large pumpkin on a table for another contest. The object of the game in this one was to guess the weight of the pumpkin or be the closest guess to the weight. Best guess gets the pumpkin. And then there was a jar of candy and the opportunity to win the jar and candy with a correct or closest guess as to the number of pieces in the jar. Pumpkins and candy are a good way to celebrate the season.
A highlight of the visit was seeing the creativity and sense of humor of our tribal elders displayed in their costume contest. From themes of silent movie stars to “day of the dead” characterizations, there were some pretty elaborate costume creations. One participant had a “doll” as part of her costume that is going to give me nightmares for a while.
The judging of the tables turned out to be a challenge. Several of the tables had been decorated by Manor elders, each with a unique theme. And our elders are not beyond a little good-natured salesmanship, each promoting the reasons their table decoration was best. We finally settled on first, second, and third place tables, and everyone celebrated their wins.
There were several tables lined up with covered dishes waiting for the celebration activities to wind down when lunch would be served. Even the lunch menus had creative listings with spooky food names. I didn’t get to stay for the meal (I was called away before the plates were passed out). But judging by the crowd’s anticipation, some good food was served to round out the elder holiday party.
Two things were very clear. We have some of the best caregivers for our elders at Tsali Manor. Their kindness and patience showed in the way they conducted the contests for our senior citizens and how they cared for their wants and needs at the tables and throughout the room. The extra effort to decorate the room and help the elders with costumes and tables spoke volumes about the quality of care at the senior center. The staff’s kindness extended to all who came to the celebration, and they took great pains to make sure everyone was included and felt welcome. They made sure to invite visitors to “come back and visit anytime.”
And that is the second thing. The elders sincerely enjoyed the fellowship of the day. If you hung around a table for even a few minutes, you were quickly drawn into a conversation. Fellowship and companionship were in great supply at this gathering. But that is not always the case. I am not sure if anyone could overstay their welcome with our elders, because they enjoy that companionship so much. As we grow older, loneliness becomes a real and unwelcome feeling. The family is often busy living lives and visits may be few and far between for our elders. Old friends age right along with us and, eventually if we live long enough, they disappear from our lives.
There is not a more precious thing you can give to another person than time. Time is something you cannot buy, and it is not something that you can get more of once you spend it. Many of us put off things because we think that there will always be a tomorrow. Or maybe we don’t think much about time at all, too busy living it to think about it running out. My point is that, if we live long enough, we may find ourselves in need of a friendly or loving visit from a family member or friend. And we will want someone, possibly, eventually anyone to come and spend a few moments with us. As time passes, that quality time with our elders and opportunities for that time are growing shorter.
Our tribal elders have a lot to offer in the way of sharing oral history and wisdom. Many like to talk about politics, sports, culture, and grandchildren. And fishing, hunting, and cooking. They love to tell jokes and they have some great ones (some of those jokes might be several decades old but they still work). When we have the opportunity, we should take the time to visit with our elders. Let’s take the time before the time taken from us.
