Goulet.pdf

Barbara Wilkes
The very last person in the line was Marvin, known as the “Med-
icine Man.” Over the course of the Sundance, I had learned that
many of the women had “a crush” on Marvin and were also in great
fear of him, believing, they said, that he had “certain” powers about
which they rarely elaborated but often joked. In fact, the women
thought I was very brave to have spent some time alone with him in
the kitchen on the first evening of the dance, when he had arrived in
the kitchen shortly after midnight at the conclusion of the first pub-
lic sweat, and he came in looking for something to eat. All the food
had been packed away for some time, so I offered him a steak I had
in my cooler, cooked it for him, and sat with him as he ate. While he
certainly radiated a strong presence and gave the impression of hav-
ing experienced unfathomable depths of suffering, I was left with an
overall impression of wisdom. Beneath his somewhat inscrutable fa-
cade, he appeared, to me, at least, to be a very “gentle” man. As I
came face to face with him on the final day of the Sundance, I put out
my hand, but he did not take it. I hesitated, becoming confused and
somewhat embarrassed.
A moment or two passed as I stood in front of him before I looked
up at his face. He was smiling slightly, and when he caught my eye, he
actually laughed! I did not know what to do, but the stories the women
had told about Marvin’s “strange powers” ran through my mind. My
impulse was simply to walk away. An awkward moment passed be-
fore he softly said: “You know, I’ve been watching you. What Cal-
vin said is right. We will see you again—as a dancer.” I stuttered and
mumbled as I tried to explain that while I was honored at the sugges-
tion, and grateful for having been given an opportunity to learn about
the Sundance, I thought it unlikely I would dance. Again, he simply
smiled, giving the impression he knew something I did not. Finally, he
put out his hand, but as I reached for it, he once again withdrew it. I
believe I audibly gasped that time, and was even more humiliated. But
as I turned to walk away, not knowing what else to do, he reached
out and embraced me (something I was later told, by those who had
noticed it, was quite unusual) and wished me luck in my “prepara-
tions.” Having finished paying my respects, I walked away from the
line to seek Gloria and Edna.