Drawing on Rocks with Smoke Bombs

               June 20, 2026  |  Saturday 

The first thing I bought with my own money

I honestly do not remember. I remember helping family members sell fireworks at the fireworks stands here on The Rez when I was a little girl. My cousin Bee & I worked at her Mom's fireworks stand and it was a lot of fun. During fireworks season as a little kid I worked in exchange for fireworks. However, because we were so young, LoL, we didn't actually work! We would create skits and holler from inside the fireworks stands & try to bring in customers that way! Or, we'd stand in front of the fireworks stands as the adults stood inside the fireworks stands & try to wave people in! "Come to our Fireworks Stand! We have the best deals!" 🤭🤭🤣 Me & my cousin Bee were 5/6/7 years old & we thought that we were actually & truly working! Her Mom or Dad would then tell us to choose what fireworks we wanted for the day & we'd excitedly choose & run out to the open yard behind us & light them off!

I would always choose Morning Glory sparklers, the pink Buds & Bloom colorful fireworks, 2 smoke bomb packets & either Pop Itz or the mini red firecrackers! 🧨They were really small & had a slow fuse. I couldn't toss the bigger firecrackers quick enough because as soon as I used the punk to light them, they'd pop the very second I released them & that scared me! Other than spelling my name with the pretty colors of the sparklers at nighttime, I loved to color & create images on the rocks with the smoke bombs! Even today, those are my two favorite things to light off during the 4th of July season. I don't light anything else off, but I love watching the aerial displays when it's dark outside. 🎇🎆🎇

My very first real job was when I was 12 years old. I worked as a T.A. - Teacher's Assistant at our tribal headstart program. It was a fun job for me. I didn't realize it at the time, but the teachers who worked there were mostly family members. I didn't grow up on The Rez so I didn't know my extended family that well. I made $4.20 an hour. I honestly do not remember any of my paydays from my very first job.  However, I know me. So, I know that I most likely bought small gifts for my mom & siblings. Or, I bought them snacks when we walked to 7-11 on those hot summer evenings. I love to share what I have, so I know that I shared some of my earnings with my family. 

That's all that I can remember when it comes to my very first job & the summer youth employment program. Either working at the fireworks stands counts, or doesn't count as my first job. Because, as I got a little bit older I did work in my mom's fireworks stand occasionally. Not as a regular employee, but, I'd fill in when someone had other engagements that they couldn't miss. Mom would pay me a decent amount for working half or full days. Or, whenever she needed me to work. 

Then, when I was 12 years old, the tribe had the first summer youth employment program & I loved my job. I have no memories though of what I spent my money on. Is that strange, or what? How can so much time be forgotten? How can I have absolutely zero memories from that time? I don't know. 🫤

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