Don ’ t Save It . It will save you !”
— Peyote Roadman
baking a fool OF MYSELF
by Watermelon
I am lucky to have participated in a few Native American Church gatherings . We “ stay awake ” all night in a tipi consulting peyote and singing songs . The Roadman ( a conductor of the ceremony ) would often say , “ Don ’ t save it . It will save you .”
thought he was referring to the peyote itself . Like , don ’ t
I hoard the peyote : do it , or share it , or gift it . But now I know he meant everything — everything in life . Don ’ t wait or save things too long . Use them , share them , gift them , and move on . The potlatch , meaning “ gift ,” could be the single greatest social invention ever outlawed by government from 1885 – 1951 . Not only is it an epic gift-giving event complete with feasts , dancing , marriages , and baby naming , it is also the perfect time for its host to bestow most of their worldly possessions to others , not uncommonly to the point of bankruptcy . In accordance with some native cultures , hosting a potlatch can earn a person the greatest respect amongst their tribe and even their enemies . A time-honored way to increase social status , the person with the least has the most or , as I once read , “ a great chief dies poor .” In 1885 The Indian Act legislation in Canada specified that : Any Indians who take part in “ any Indian festival , dance , or other ceremony of which the giving away or paying or giving back of money , goods or articles of any sort forms a part , or is a feature ” are guilty of an indictable offence . Indigenous Coastal Peoples found themselves forbidden by law to practice such an ingenious socio / political ceremony thanks to colonization . Imagine the fiscal disdain of European settlers witnessing such a well-oiled , anti-capitalist system of economics and power . Anathema to their philosophy , they would have no choice but to outlaw such “ wasteful ” and non-taxable business dealings , disguised as an extravagant weeklong party . I like to imagine the host simply attends another potlatch the next “ weekend ” and gets a few essential items back . This cycle goes on until he ’ s hoarding again and must throw another party . The potlatch seems so elegant to me in 2020 when over-consumption is the fashion amongst my peers . Here is an ancient solution to the modern problem of hoarding and poverty . Free is such a foreign philosophy to the modern world . Free is a gimmick . Bait ! The concept lures you in , but its intentions are unlikely pure , and its costs are usually hidden . I love to recall hosting Free Watermelon Day on Wreck Beach . It was the most exhilarating and satisfying event I have ever produced . I bought 440 pounds of watermelon and humped it down 500 stairs , thankfully accompanied by volunteers and that is just the start . It would then take me at least six hours to cut and give away that much watermelon . My hands would be blistered , and I would be exhausted at the end of the day .
80 Maximum Yield