Berrypicking with my Grandma

When I was younger my grandma gave us two options: either follow her and my aunt out in the country to fish or berry pick or stay home and do household chores. Usually I chose to go fishing or berry picking. I liked going places with my grandma because she always packed good snacks: soda, candy bars, dried fish, Pilot Bread crackers with cheese, cookies, and chips. These were snacks that we weren’t accustomed to having on a daily basis.

We spent hours upon hours berry picking. I don’t know how she and my aunt, Jolene did it. My back ached after about an hour and my little legs got tired of walking over stumps in the tundra. Sometimes I would accidentally trip while walking on the tundra and my berry bucket would spill. This only meant I had to fill it back up with fresh berries. I had to learn to walk carefully on the tundra so I didn’t make myself have more work.

My aunt would tell us that we were not going home until our berry buckets were full. Sometimes my aunt would bribe us to fill our buckets by saying that the first to fill their bucket would get $5. Compared to their 5-gallon buckets, our quart-sized buckets seem tiny now, but as a kid they took forever to fill. I guess it didn’t help that I would stop picking every so often and snack on my sweet berries. But, hey! They were so delicious: so sweet and juicy and fresh. Wild Blueberries and salmonberries are some of the best berries on Earth. They beat store bought berries hands-down. 

After we got done berry picking, we went home and my grandma would pour my berries into Ziploc bags and we would hop onto the Honda and bring berries to elderly ladies who could not go out and pick themselves. Some of the elderly ladies would give me knitted socks or mittens in exchange for my berries. I didn’t realize until I got older how I got the better end of the deal. Knitted clothing is something to be cherished especially when made by an elder. I wish I knew where my homemade gifts were today as some of the ladies are no longer with us.

My grandma is 78-years-old and she still participates in subsistence activities. Each time she does, she thinks of elders who cannot go out and subsist and she shares what she has with them. Even when her ankles swell or stomach hurts. Even with health problems, (kidney failure and heart issues) she does her best to provide for her family and immobile elders in our community. I believe she is the hardest working woman that I will ever know in my lifetime. She deserves to be Elder of the Year every year.

I am so grateful that my grandma and aunt taught me traditional values. These values are important to pass on to our next generations because they are what make our community special. I am very fortunate to have her as my grandma. She will always have a place in my heart.