Sunday, August 14, 2011

"I Am Zarahemna"

Here's an artful triptych that's going to take some explanation.

Many moons ago, when our youngest was just a kid, maybe five or six years old, we encouraged him to read along in his Book of Mormon scripture reader when we read our scriptures as a couple. Sometimes, to maintain his interest, I'd read along with him. That, of course, led to some running commentary that was, on occasion, not very helpful in helping our son understand the scriptures.

For example, when we got to the story of Jacob and Sherem, I commented in nearly every photo that Sharem had a basket on his head. Well, because, he has a basket on his head:


Later on in the book, we encounter Zarahemna, one of the bad guys who gets scalped when the good guys get fed up dealing with him. Our son really, really liked that story. I had to read it to him over and over again. Once he asked what Zarahemna did when he got scalped. I said, "Well, he does like everyone else in the Book of Mormon: He put a basket on his head," harking back to Sherem.

Soon after, our son found a wicker flower basket and, when he thought no one was looking, put it on his head while saying "I am Zarahemna." He was, of course, observed, and has been dogged with that bit of humor ever since. So today, I drew this picture for him.


He did a counterpoint drawing, showing, perhaps, he'd like to move on from Zarahemna. No way am I going to let that happen.


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