Blue River BBQ

By Jessica Imotichey

It's that time of year...graduation season. And this year I got to be the proud crying mom, who wouldn't stop telling everyone in sight, how her child is the greatest son in the world. Yay for me! Too bad for the others. So you can understand why I was especially excited to be going home this trip. I get to celebrate my bird leaving the nest. 

We planned a big family bbq on Blue River. You know when folks say, "think of your happy place"; well, my happy place is Blue River. I was swimming in this river before I could walk. Oh, let me back up...where is "home" and this mystical Blue River you may be wondering....both sides of my family are from a small community just outside of Tishomingo, Oklahoma - the original capitol of the Chickasaw Nation. Blue River cuts right through my mother's family's allotted land. During the summer, this is where we played and bathed. I still get a flutter of excitement every time my tires hit the dirt road to my maternal grandma's house. I watch the dust swirl behind me in the rearview mirror and I love to see the trees curve toward each over the road, like the branches are holding hands. It creates a shaded canopy from the hot summer sun, while little glimmers of light peek through the leaves. By the time I get to the house, all my world's worries are gone and my biggest concern is "I hope there's some tea in the fridge". 

Now comes the sad part, my mother passed on 19 years ago, and my grandma followed her 1 year later.  Since loosing them both, I have always had a mix of emotions about going home.  It's bittersweet as they say. Home has never been the same without them. For a few years, this deep sorrow kept me from going home.  It was just too hard. Each time I would drive by the cemetery and look over to see their gravesites (buried side by side), tears swelled in my eyes and my heart hurt beyond describable pain. Then one day I realized, I have to go for my children so they will know their roots...who they are and where they come from.

When I asked my son Miko how he wanted to celebrate his graduation and he said "I want a family bbq on Blue River," I thought that was a perfect idea. Why didn't I think of that? The day was filled with tons of food, kayaking, 4-wheelers, horseshoes, fishing, swimming, and the amount of laughter that leaves your belly sore for days afterwards. All in all, it was a GREAT day. As I type this I remember my sister asking my uncle why he has a baby crib in the front yard next to his cabin, to which he replied "oh, that's my hawk cage!" Like duh, of course, why else would one have a baby crib in the yard?! It seems he feeds the hawk, which regularly comes and goes. I should say my uncle is known for his critters. He had a pet raccoon for years named Beemer. The coons back legs were permanently damaged so he carried it around propped up on his shoulder. Beemer attended both my wedding and my bother's weddings (yes, he took the raccoon in the church!) and once got my uncle out of a speeding ticket in New Mexico (the cops couldn't believe there was a raccoon sitting in passengers seat, hahaha). I could go on and on about stories of my uncle but that would be a separate blog. For now I'll just say, he's happily in the moonshine business. 

As it goes, my son Miko's graduation was the weekend of Memorial Day, the holiday to remember those we have lost. This time, going home there were no tears of loss but only tears of joy and celebration. I am so proud of Miko and the opportunities that await for him. I know his grandmother and great-grandmother are looking down with the same pride. And love, always lots of love. 

Jessica Imotichey is an enrolled tribal member of the Chickasaw Nation.  She is originally from Oklahoma and now resides in Southern California.