But everything went well, along with the joy of gathering and seeing each other again, except the powerpoint presentation that my sister-in-law Grace patiently put together and which was most reluctant to start. The big screen showed our pup Sitka (the background screen of our laptop) while Grace kept busy working on the settings of the computer.
Sylvia, daughter of one of Larry’s sisters (he was the younger of 10 children) spoke of the Pima traditions she knew of. She mentioned that available young men would race, and young women would run after them. If they could catch up with them, they were allowed to date. Sylvia suspected that her grandfather slowed down on purpose so that his wife-to-be could draw level with him.
As it is customary, the blankets were opened by Irvin and his brother Fred when they presented them and they then wrapped it on the person who would receive it.
This memorial also allowed us to see Bill again. Bill is Hopi, a tribe from the Northern plateau of Arizona. This tribe has kept most of its original culture. Bill and his sisters still fluently speak Hopi. He calls me “Me Wee”, which means “daughter in law”. Bill is the second husband of Eloise, Irvin’s mother, who passed away in 2006. He used to feel such jealousy toward Larry that he would not stand seeing pictures showing them together. At the end of Eloise’s life, he cared for her with great dedication and his feelings evolved. And here he was, travelling through Arizona to be part of a day dedicated to Larry that included many pictures of the past.
Eventually, a grave stone designed by Ron, one of Irvin’s brothers, was set up on Larry’s grave.
More pictures can be seen on the French version of this post: http://anne-cecilenews.blogspot.com/2010/10/un-memorial-pour-se-souvenir-et-dire.html
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