Theres a couple of leguminous trees in the Sonoran Desert that the locals use extensively. The first one is the honey mesquite. Its gives shade on sun beat trails, got pods good for eating, hard wood for darn near everything, and pliable strong roots for making rope.
Story goes that there was a dude who was getting ready to go somewheres
but he got to thinking too much, vacillating, contemplating, being wishy washy,
uh maybe, maybe not. perhaps after the sun goes down. but what if. well okay just one more bite to eat. procrastinating, putting it off till later, and so on.
he paused for just a little too long
by then old man coyote was done spinning, twisting, and rolling the fibers together into rope
and he hung the indecisive person with the mesquite cordage.
the end.
guess the moral of the story, if you want to call it that, is – just go!!!
Theres another legume tree that is awful hard, its called ironwood
it was the material of choice for harpoon foreshafts, hunting clubs, footballs, and bull roarers
its said that when the waters are rough in the estero, and you are paddling around in your lil balsa raft
you chew a mash of ironwood seeds, and spit it out onto the wind and waves
the waters would then calm down and be still
and you would be able to see your prey
this was taught to the Seri by the giants of ancestral times
I cant wait to try this one out, and spear a snapper or a crab
A couple of brothers, angry with their kin, left the village in the old times
and made their way across the Sea of Cortez to Baja California
they were lost, then found by giants – a couple of women giants
the women rubbed their hands, feet, and heads with the brains of whales
and turned them into giants in this manner
it is not said if they then married the ladies, or travelled further, or what?
however, when the red fruit of the pokeweed relative Stegnosperma was ripe
in the middle of summer, in june
the brothers went home to Tiburon Island
and lived __________________________ ever after
Mission Azul 