It is amazing to learn the history of a place where many years ago people depended on the river like we still do today. Bright and early today our team paddled down to the Catawba Indian Reservation. Ronnie, one of the many talented people on the reservation, gave us a tour. It was astounding to see how much of their lives revolved around the river that we have been paddling. They made pottery, grew crops, and fished along the Catawba utilizing every part of nature that they had. Ronnie shared with us some of their culture with stories and even sang a song of the tribes’. Apparently a lot of the sounds in their songs drone comes from the mimicking of how their songs sounded on horse back as their voices jumped to the horses step- so cool! Also, the Catawba used to scare their children with tales of the Yahasuri(which are little men) that annoy children. Their people are far different from many cultures, but similarities such as their stories to scare children connect across generations on the simplest of levels. After our tour and gift shop walkthrough, we began a service project to clear the reservations trails along the Catawba. Everyone had a blast and I loved the enthusiasm that went around, especially Kelli and Hutch! Sweeping went from mere work to rampaging warfare amongst the rakes. The job got done quickly and our added teamwork really made the work manageable for everyone. The day ended with Ronnie signing the Source to Sea paddle and some of Hutch’s delicious pineapple pizza by the river- doesn’t get any better than this.
Hey everyone! My name is Samuel Brown and I am a rising sophomore Biology Major at Appalachian State University. I am hoping to do conservation work in the future and want to work with rivers around the world.
It's really appreciable message for every body thanks for sharing this information
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