Land, water, women — voices too often on the edges these days.

That has not always been the case though. To recenter those stories, Harvest Moon, a renowned Quinault weaver, storyteller, and honored cultural historian, will take centerstage at Unity Church from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9.

She’s been telling stories on the side while weaving for more than four decades.

“Basketweaving and storytelling have been my bread and butter,” Moon said.

She’s even caught the eye of movie and television cameras, but those mainstream media outlets have yet to give her a speaking line.

To rectify that, this event will be her premiere in the spotlight celebrating her voice through story.

“I’ve always been giving lectures and teaching, and I always end up just with a short legend at the very end,” Moon said of her beginnings carrying stories.

Stories which have roots going even farther back.

TALES THAT BIND THROUGH TIME

“I have an inherited, gifted storytelling through my family,” Moon said.

One of those stories she’ll share comes from her great-great-grandfather telling how the Native Americans discovered Willapa Harbor.

“It was really breathtaking to get a copy of this,” Moon said. Originally told in Chinook Wawa, or Chinook jargon, Moon found an English translation from which she works.

“I believe the person who translated it also put it in the most common language during that period because he speaks of ‘happy hunting grounds,’ — you know what I mean? — and white people,” she added.

At first, she thought she might update the words for modern times, but something inside told her not to.

“I didn’t touch it. I memorized it word for word, and it gives me the ‘ibby-jibbies’ because I’m the great-great-granddaughter retelling his story,” Moon said.

Another of her stories will come from the Quinault from who she has been given to hold Big Foot, or “Shy People” legends.

“The Big Foot legend is so cute,” Moon said.

“It’s my little opening legend so that people can get an idea of a gifted, inherited storyteller,” she added.

She’ll even entwine her storytelling and weaving, a combination she said was common in the past.

“Years and years ago, the basketweavers nine times out of 10 were the storytellers in the longhouses because they were closest to the fire where there was light, where they could weave their baskets. People would always circle around her and see how far her pattern has come and watch her fingers as she weaves, so she would have a captivated audience. That’s where she would then begin storytelling,” Moon said.

“There will be one where I’m going to be sitting and weaving a basket and telling the story as if I’m in the longhouse long ago.”

Harvest Moon has lectured and taught for years, and event acted in television and film.

REALIZATION THROUGH RITUAL

She used to sell her baskets and weavings at the farmer’s market in Port Townsend, but is coming to town now with a different purpose: to hold space as an elder at the Women’s Grief Lodge, a touchstone in her life.

“I wanted to go through this transformation into elder,” Moon said. “Sadly, with the traditions of the Native, there are so many elders that no longer live, and I knew deep down inside that I was going to go through this ceremony one way or another.”

Three years ago she found her way to the ceremony hosted by grief doula Nala Walla and found her moment.

“When I read what they do, I go, ‘This is it. This is my ceremony. This is for me.’ It really was a cleansing,” Moon said.

“The grieving and gratitude is an opportunity where women can gather and let go. It’s not just for someone who passed away. In my circumstance, what I was going to grieve and let go was my past,” she added.

MOVING TOWARD TODAY

With her past settled, a new phase opened.

In the last three years she’s landed roles as a background actor in movies like “First Cow” in 2019 and “The Dark Divide” in 2020.

“During the cootie-germ, because we all had to go into isolation, I went in and polished all my old stories and also put in more acting,” Moon said.

While alone, she’s used her dog as a practice audience.

“My little blue heeler, when I’m telling a story and she perks up and listens, I go, ‘OK, I’m keeping that in the legend,’” Moon said with one of her infectious laughs.

Now she’s going further to put herself out into a field that has been dominated by men.

“After the white men came, most of the storytellers are and have been men,” Moon noted.

With her elderhood, womanhood, grief, and joy empowering her, she believes nothing can stop her.

“You guys better get your canoe cleaned up because I’m coming out, man,” she laughed. “I’m going to knock your canoe over, man, just warnin’ ya.”

A true entertainer, she has learned how to grab an audience, like barking when a dog enters the tale.

“My stories can reach newborns to elder,” Moon said as she discussed studying different techniques in timing and vocabulary to teach young children and college students, which she combined.

“So that each person really believes that I’m telling the story just to them,” Moon said.

“You’re going to get all three-ring circus in this beautiful presentation because this didn’t take me just two years to accomplish, this took me — may I say — a lifetime.”