Playing Sherlock

I’ve been doing some research after seeing an interesting pattern develop in my occasional forays into my DNA makeup at 23andMe. It’s taken me a bit to put enough stock into what I was seeing to really dig in, but I happened to get one of those regular emails from the service that tells me “X number of new relatives” have been added to the service in the past 30 days.

I decided to meander over to the map section and was reminded that their new prediction model release last July jiggered things around a bit with some interesting results.

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A Poem by Nils Aslak Valkeapää

I do not own the copyright to the following poem.

It was written by Nils Aslak Valkeapää (1943-2001), a prominent Sámi writer, visual artist and creator and performer of yoiku music also known as Áillohaš. Below is a poem from his book, Trekways of the Wind.

For a moment I was with you
rested for a while

And now my friend, my dear bird
it is time to leave again
It is always like that towards the end

And I take out the white reindeer fur coat
not so new any more
but not worn either
And I take out the mottled fur shoes
new shoe strings
nice dark fur leggings
the silver belt the gákti
the silk scarf the cap
the fur gloves
And the food pack

I leave
to arrive
go away
to be closer

To the space of your thoughts
to your heart
I crawl
into the heart

I journey
on the sea of time
follow
the tracks of the wind