Chippewa Strawberry Story

A Native American strawberry story for today...

When a Chippewa (Objibway) dies, his body is placed in a grave, in a sitting position, facing the West. The soul is supposed to start immediately after the death of the body on a deep beaten path which leads westward. The first object he comes to, in following this path, is the great oka-oka-o-min (heart berry) also known today as the strawberry, which stands on the roadside like a huge rock, from which he takes a handful and eats on his way.

It is said, that if the Iroquois let the last strawberry die out, the Iroquois would be no more.  So we should not let the strawberry die out.