"In Indian country, there is that same kind of group gathering where a "funny" starts and then grows and grows until you're laughing so hard you can't breathe. Of course, as you get older, not being able to breathe puts a damper on the laughing.

I know some of the things are funny because of the culture. I remember my ex-husband, who is fluent in Hidatsa, telling a story about a horseback rider who roped a deer. I couldn't see any humor in it, though I laughed at their laughter. He told me afterwards that the language is so descriptive that it paints a picture that couldn't really be explained in English, and that picture is really funny.

At a family gathering when my mother still was with us, we had maybe a 30-minute laugh session. She was sort of "snoopervising" (as my aunt and mother called overseeing a project) while we helped my sister and her children pack in preparation to move. Her daughter-in-law and my sister were talking about the "gag" gift my sister bought for their wedding: My sister bought her (in addition to other gifts) red, thong panties.

The whole idea of the gift was cause for good humor, but it was my mother saying "She didn't like her thongs because they hurt between her toes" that caused the uproar."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Laughter is the best Native American medicine, too (The Grand Forks Herald 6/10)

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