As the 3-day Brister Family Reunion 2021 was drawing to a close Sunday afternoon, July 4, Cousin Camp 2021 was gearing up. Approximately 75 Brister cousins stayed at the family ranch on Rough Creek to enjoy another week of fun, fellowship, work and learning without television, radio, cell phones, or any electronic device requiring an internet connection.
Enjoying the 4th of July fireworks at Mill Pond Park is a Cousin Camp tradition. Somehow in the chaos of deciding who was going to ride with whom, everyone was loaded into vehicles and traveled into town to enjoy the excellent show. The fireworks continued (thanks to Marilyn Brister cleaning out the fireworks stand on her way back to the ranch) long after returning to the ranch much to the delight of everyone except those trying to sleep.
A Cousin Camp rule allows campers to stay up as long as they want to at night but they must get up when summoned the next morning, do whatever is required of them the next day without complaint with no mid-day naps. The breakfast bell starts clanging around 7 am and everyone is required to appear at the pavilion to join hands in a circle for the morning prayer and blessing within minutes of the sound of the bell. No one under 2 years of age is exempt. Usually by the second night, everyone is ready to go to sleep at a decent hour.
The question is asked, “Where does everyone sleep?” The house is small and reserved for mamas with babies and “senior” cousins and those that can be very quiet and willing to sleep on the floor if all the bunks are occupied; but the majority sleep in tents, under the pavilion, on the trampoline, truck beds, RV’s, and an assortment of other places.
Monday morning the kids were divided into 3 teams. Certain chores are assigned to each team; such as kitchen duty which entails helping with food preparation, cleaning up after meals and washing and putting away dishes. One team is responsible for cleaning the restrooms and sweeping the floors; another is responsible for straightening up the grounds, picking up and hauling away trash. The teams rotate every day giving everyone the opportunity to help.
The theme for this year’s Cousin Camp was Native American Culture as a tribute to the Comanches that were the last Native Americans to occupy the ranch. Climbing into the rock shelters on the Indian Head Bluff, checking that the faded Indian pictographs painted on the limestone wall below are still there and gathering Indian paint from the Indian paint mine are traditional activities done at least once every Cousin Camp.
This year we expanded on the theme. Monday the kids rotated between painting Indian symbols on a 20 foot tarp cut into a semicircle and stringing beads and painting rocks for Indian jewelry. The men cousins lashed together and raised the heavy cedar poles for the tipi frame and later helped to lift the tipi cover and secure it. Although not perfect, the brightly colored tipi served as an example of the kind of house the Comanche people used.
Tuesday morning, Don Bridges and his wife came from Belton with his collection of Indian stone tools and projectile points. Mr. Bridges gave an interesting presentation about his collection, the difference in some points and about knapping flint. The kids were allowed to use a die that Mr. Bridges had built to flake the flint. Mr. Bridges awarded handsome mounted arrowhead plaques to winners of the contests he conducted. He also had some “Indian elves” hide almost 100 beautiful arrowheads—both authentic and made by him—along the creek for the kids to find. Everyone got at least one arrowhead and some kids had several.
More special guests, Glen and Ardith Lemming, arrived on Wednesday from Sulphur, Oklahoma. Ardith is the greatgranddaughter of Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche Chief and Glen’s specialty is making traditional leather clothing from hides he tans in the old way by using the animal’s brains. Together they made a fascinating presentation explaining the tanning operation, bow making and the use of the extensive array of Indian artifacts they brought to display—more things than are displayed in most museums. The display included tiny things like bone needles in sewing kits and baby rattles made from elks teeth to paintings made on the underside of huge buffalo hides, bows and quivers made from river otters. It takes hours of work to get the hides ready to make into garments. The warrior shirt took four deer hides to make not counting the fringe and is soft as an old t-shirt. Ardith’s wedding gown of soft tanned leather is beautifully beaded and fringed and the matching beaded moccasins that came up to her knees were stunning. The couple graciously spent the rest of the day answering questions, helping with the teepee and explaining in greater detail the tanning process and bow making. Cindy Prater and Ashton Walther were honored to be presented with beaded medicine bags filled with cedar, sage and sweet grass.
Arturo “Cheese” Martinez, who formerly taught survival skills while serving in the military, patiently taught those wanting to learn how to tie knots in rope for different uses, how to make a rope from materials available in nature, how to start a fire without a match or lighter, how to catch, skin and cook a fish over a fire and the art of eating grasshoppers when in a real pinch.
Interspersed into these activities were the usual hours spent in the creek swimming, kayaking, fishing or enjoying the thrill of dropping into the water from a rope swing. Rides in ATV’s on the roller coaster hills are also a favorite tradition. A dump truck load of sand, delivered by Jackie Brister, made a pile of sand at least 4 feet tall but was reduced by the younger cousins and an assortment of toys to just a sandy bump by the end of the week.
This was Cindy Prater’s 23rd Cousin Camp to organize. The success of the camp depends on the help and participation of other adult cousins and family members. They willingly make time to help because it is fun but mostly because they believe in the purpose of Cousin Camp which is to make memories and bond the next generations of the family. Therefore, plans are already underway for Cousin Camp 2022!