November 24, 2010

Humility

Written by: Rachel Nielsen, Human Resources Clerk, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc.

My parents’ intent for a “big” family was for subsistence purposes. We had 14 kids in our family – 10 girls and 4 boys, 5 of which have passed on. Since there were more girls than boys, my father chose two girls to become hunters. Both had keen vision and were able to spot animals, people, boats, etc., at a far distance. Both were agile and excelled at shooting guns and hitting the target right on. The rest of us girls were the meat haulers, fish cutters, bakers, cooks, and cleaned house.

I was the baker. How I became the baker was when I was 10 years old, my father and mother awoke early one fall Saturday to fish for tomcods. Just before leaving the house, my mother glanced my way and said, “Make some bread.” Before I could reply, she was off and running. I cried for a few minutes feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. I sat watching my mother make bread every Saturday. With this knowledge, she knew I was ready to make bread on my own.

I got the bread pan (a light gray huge wash pan), flour, salt, sugar, yeast, canned milk and warm water. I put warm water in a small bowl and put some yeast in it. I mixed the floor, sugar and salt together. I placed the yeast mixture, shortening and more warm water and poured in the canned milk. I stirred it together and added the flour mixture little at a time making sure there were no flour lumps. I added floor until the dough was kneadable. I kneaded the dough using my whole body. It was a big “blob” over half my size. I rubbed shortening over the bread ball and placed a dishtowel over the dough. I placed the pan by the sun to make it rise faster.

When the dough doubled in size, running over the rim, I punched it down. I got a knife, cut a sizable piece, shaped it into a loaf, placed it into the bread pan, and rubbed shortening on it. When the bread doubled in size, I fired up the oven, and placed the bread in the hot oven. I baked the bread for 45 minutes, placed the bread on a rack and rubbed the tops with shortening.

When my mother and father came home, my mother was surprised that I made 13 loaves of bread. From then on, I was dubbed “the baker” of the family. So, with this said, I learned to embrace new and adventurous opportunities. My saying is, “Whenever an obstacle is in my way, I look at it as a challenge and I become stronger because of it.”