“All right, Bill, but tell me just one thing now: there was a world now; then there were a lot of animals living on it, but there were no people then…”
“Whad’you mean there were no people? Ain’t animals people?”
“Yes, they are… but…”
“They are not Indians, but they are people, they are alive... Whad’you mean animal?”
“Well… how do you say ‘animal’ in Pit River?
“…I dunno…”
“But suppose you wanted to say it?”
“Well… I guess I would say something like tee-qaade-wade toolol aakaadsi (world-over all living)… I guess that means animals, Doc”
“I don’t see how Bill. That means people, also. People are living aren’t they?”
“Sure they are! That’s what I am telling you. Everything is living, even the rocks, even that bench you are sitting on. Somebody made that bench for a purpose, didn’t he? Well then it’s alive, isn’t it? Everything is alive. That’s what we Indians believe. White people think everything is dead…”
“Listen, Bill. How do you say ‘people’?”
“I don’t know… just is, I guess.”
“I thought that meant ‘Indian.’”
“Say… Ain’t we people?!”
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