Hello, my name is Lajah Warren and I am from Lekwungen territory, a part of the Chilcowitch family group. I also come from Cree, Metis, Ojibwa, and European descent. For myself, stories have always been a powerful way for me to relate with food. For my family, stories acted as the road map for me to connect with the world around me. Looking back, I see how connected these stories have always been to food. Food is not just a matter of nutrition. They represent a spiritual entity, filled with their own stories and knowledge. It was at the table that I would hear stories. As I would ingest the food, I would also ingest the stories and wisdom with it. My Kookum shared one story that always stuck with me. She told me the story of the Peach Tree.
One day, there was a peach tree that loved to share her fruit. She loved to make the fruit and everyone would come and enjoy the peaches. The people would sing and dance around her. She loved how it filled everyone with joy. Peach Tree entered wintertime and would stop producing peaches. She grew very lonely and missed the people. She decided that this year in the springtime and the peaches came, she would continue producing peaches. She would do this into the summer, fall and winter because it made the people happy.
Summer passed and Peach Tree continued to produce peaches. The Sun said, “you need to rest, you need to stop producing peaches or you will die”. Peach tree said, “ I must continue. The people are happy”. Then the river said, “ Peach Tree, you need to take in water. You need to get the nourishment”.
Winter ended and all the trees prepared to fruit once again. The people heard the birds singing a death song. The peach tree had not nurtured herself and was slowly dying. The people heard the birds singing and they went to the tree. They sang and danced around her. They fed her water that went into her roots and continued to do this for all of time so that she would not feel lonely.
This story teaches us about caring for yourself. It reminds us that in order to take care of our families, we also need to care for ourselves. This is why peach trees have to be nurtured all year round to be able to grow and have flowers. My Kookum tells me about how much she would nourish her peach tree and saw how abundant the tree would become.
I hold this story dear to my heart. Some days, I hold myself responsible for nurturing those around me more than I nurture myself. I do not see how intrinsically connected my wellness is to those around me. My Kookum would tell me this story because it helps remind me that I need to find balance and recognize that I cannot help my family stay well if I am not well.
~Laj