American Narrative

Looking around at American culture I see few places where people tell stories. There are plenty of places to hear stories, the movies, television, but where can you go to tell a story of your own, and hear other peoples stories.

This Thanksgiving I spent an extra day at home and got to go to my fathers hunting cabin. The experience was nothing new for me, I had hunted as a child with my father. He was part of hunting club called The Mahogany Ridge Runners. Mahogany having a double meaning. One for the type of tree in the woods that they hunted and the other that Mahogany is a popular wood found in bars.

About 15 men sat around before lunch drinking beer and talking. Of course I made the rounds of introductions and small talk about Boston. After a while the conversation turned to hunting. Everyone has a story to tell, even Sam the 14 year old. Stories of what they saw in the woods, of deer they had killed. Even telling other peoples stories were fair game. The cabin was filled with the sound of conversations.

Having lived in the city for so long, where community sometimes seams forces or fake and conversations are usually more intellectual in nature, it was refreshing to see this form of community. Men, who only see each other a couple of time a year, settling into a comfortable space with each other. Able to tell stories from their lives and joke around with each other. This is something that I wish I could experience more of in my life.

PS on my way back from PA I heard the song the "Second Week of Deer Camp." I wasn't able to find a recording but there are the lyrics. It is a snap shot into hunting culture. Enjoy.