Elephant, Elephant, Elephant

Elephant, Elephant, Elephant, and Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros, and Elk, Elk, Elk.

First, we select three different cards, a king, say, a queen perhaps and even a jack also. Then, as a group in consensus and harmony, we decide on an animal name by which we will identify that card. Thus, all kings become Elephants, Queens Rhinoceri and Jacks, for example, Elk. Or any animal of such ilk.

The deck is placed face down. The first card turned over. And the second turned over on top of the first, and the third etc. If it is a named card, the first player to say that named card aloud three times (saying, for example, “Elk, Elk, Elk”) gets that card and all the cards beneath it.

Now, to add intrigue, we might be using a double deck, or a pinochle deck. To add complexity we might find new names for the ace, and the ten, and the nine, and so on, even unto the three and two. To add danger, we might even consider playing this during a cracker-and-peanutbutter tasting. As you can imagine, this is an hilarious game to play while one is eating, all choking aside.

Of course, during those lulls between moments of gagging and hilarity, we might start singing a traditional Oaqui chant, naturally making up the songs, and words, and instruments as we sing along. Or, we might engage in the even more traditional practice of the Oaqui Family Picnic Gift Exchange.

We pair off cross-generationally and make things to give to everyone else. We make things out of candy and toothpicks, fabrics and masking tape, bread and food dyes. Little love sculptures. And then we give them to each other and then to everyone in the whole Oaqui family. And then we exchange them with the greater Oaqui family. Which often leads us to engaging in large scale construction projects for the creation of Greater Oaqui family monuments, shrines, and edible statuary.