I’m very
happy to be visiting the Creatively Green Write At Home Mom blog as part of the
Deadly Addiction Book Tour presented by Bewitching Book Tours. Rémi Whitedeer,
the hero of Deadly Addiction, is a
half-white native man from Blackriver First Nation, a reserve in the Montréal
area. While conducting research on Iroquois myths and legends for my book, I
came across the Creation Story and the Three Sisters. Below is an explanation
of the Three Sisters and how I incorporated them into Rémi’s story.
The Iroquois Three Sisters
The Iroquois or Haudenosaunee
(“People of the Longhouse”) have a strong tie to the land and their beliefs
regarding the Three Sisters—corn, beans, squash—originate in the Creation
Story. In the Creation Story, the Three
Sisters grew on Turtle Island and provided sustenance to the people. Here is a
good recounting of the Iroquois version of the Creation Story: http://www.debramorningstar.com/docs/lessonplan_iroquois_creation.pdf
Why Corn, Beans, and Squash?
It seems
that these three plants have a symbiotic relationship of sorts. The Iroquois
Museum website (http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/three_sisters.htm) states: “The bacteria that occur
naturally in beans absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to nitrates,
which fertilize the soil for the corn and squash. Beans are supported by winding around the
corn stalks and the squash leaves provide ground cover between the corn and
beans preventing weeds from growing and increasing the amount of rain that
soaks into the ground.”
The Three Sisters Diner
In Deadly Addiction, there is a restaurant on the Blackriver Reserve
called The Three Sisters Diner. Rémi Whitedeer and Alyssa Morgan, the hero and
heroine, meet there on several occasions. Rémi’s favorite meal is white corn
soup because it’s the first meal his aunt made for him when he came to live at
Blackriver.
Alyssa
falls in love with Iroquois strawberry drink the first time she tastes its
refreshing sweetness. Below are recipes for Iroquois corn soup and strawberry
drink for you to try if you’re feeling adventurous. :D
Traditional Indian Corn Soup
• Wash and
put 1 1/2 quarts of "lyed" Indian White Corn in an 8 quart pot. Fill
with water 3/4 full and cover. Bring to a boil and keep at a rolling boil for 1
1/2 hours, corn should open full. You may want to cook corn a while longer . If
the corn is not fully open, stir occasionally. Do not let it stick to the bottom
of the pan.
• While the
corn is cooking, cut up 1 1/2 lbs of pork shoulder butt steaks into 3/4"
square pieces. Do the same with 3/4 lbs of salt pork. Place meat in a separate
pan and boil for 1 hour. Water should cover pork 4" or so. Add if
necessary...you will need this for stock.
• After the
corn opens to your satisfaction or two hours maximum, remove from stove and
pour through strainer. Do not rinse corn. Rinse out pot and put corn back into
pot. Add the cooked pork along with the stock.
• Open three
1 lb cans of dark red kidney beans and add.
• Rinse
cans, add water to cover mixture 3 inches or so. Boil mixture for another 1 1/2
to 2 hours, adding water if necessary. Stir occasionally; do not let it stick
to the bottom of the pot.
Serve in individual bowls, season with salt
and pepper after serving. Best if eaten with homemade, warm yeast bread and
freshly churned butter.
Iroquois Strawberry Drink
Ingredients
- Ripe
strawberries - 2 cups
- Water
- 2 cups
- Brown
or maple sugar - 4 tablespoons
Directions
- Wash
the strawberries in running water.
- Remove
the stems and leaves from them.
- Cut
the berries into small pieces and grind them with the help of mixer
grinder or blender.
- Now
add the maple sugar and water to the crushed strawberries.
- Now
shake the mixture really well so that all the ingredients gel well
together.
- Keep
it in the refrigerator for an hour. Once it is chilled, garnish it with
mint leaves and small strawberry pieces.
I hope this gives you a "taste" of the world of
the Iroquois. :) You can explore more about reservation life and the Iroquois
people--as well as enjoy a sizzling romance and suspense story--within the
pages of Deadly Addiction.
Deadly Vices Book Two
By Kristine Cayne
A proud people. A nation divided.
Rémi Whitedeer, police officer turned substance-abuse counselor, dreams of restoring order to his tribe. Violence and crime are rampant throughout the unpoliced Iroquois reserve, and a civil war is brewing between the Guardians, a militant traditionalist group, and other tribal factions. As the mixed-race cousin of the Guardians’ leader, Rémi is caught in a no-man’s land—several groups lay claim to him, but all want him to deny his white blood.
A maverick cop on an anti-drug crusade.
When she infiltrated the Vipers to take down the leader of the outlaw biker gang responsible for her brother’s death, police sergeant Alyssa Morgan got her man. But her superiors think she went too far. Her disregard for protocol and her ends-justify-the-means ethics have branded her an unreliable maverick. To salvage her career, she accepts an assignment to set up a squad of native provincial officers on a reserve.
A radical sovereigntist bent on freeing a nation.
Decades of government oppression threaten the existence of the Iroquois Nation. But one man, Chaz Whitedeer, is determined to save his people no matter what the price, even if it means delving into the shadowy world of organized crime. When Rémi and Alyssa uncover the Guardians’ drug-fueled scheme to fund their fight for true autonomy—a scheme involving the Vipers—Rémi must choose between loyalty to family and tribe or his growing love for Alyssa. Can Rémi and Alyssa leave everything behind—even their very identities—for a future together?
Amazon ebook: http://amzn.com/B007WNTXR4
Amazon print: http://amzn.com/0984903429
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007WNTXR4
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deadly-addiction-kristine-cayne/1110068745
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/154765
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-deadlyaddiction-784712-152.html
Kobo: http://bit.ly/M4wfbR
About the Author:
Kristine Cayne is fascinated by the mysteries of human psychology—twisted secrets, deep-seated beliefs, out-of-control desires. Add in high-stakes scenarios and real-world villains, and you have a story worth writing, and reading.
The heroes and heroines of her Deadly Vices series, beginning with Deadly Obsession, are pitted against each other by their radically opposing life experiences. By overcoming their differences and finding common ground, they triumph over their enemies and find true happiness in each other’s arms
Today she lives in the Pacific Northwest, thriving on the mix of cultures, languages, religions and ideologies. When she’s not writing, she’s people-watching, imagining entire life stories, and inventing all sorts of danger for the unsuspecting heroes and heroines who cross her path.
website www.kristinecayne.com
Facebook Author Page http://www.facebook.com/KristineCayneAuthor
Twitter: @KristineCayne
2 comments:
Love th bookmarks!
Thank you, Shauna! Good luck with the contest :)
Post a Comment