Tuksook's Story, 35,000 BC

by Bonnye Matthews

  Gumui smiled. He was more comfortable now talking in council. “Tuksook and I traveled far. Near the toe of the eagle in our valley, the toe that points east, at the far east part, there is a wet forest. I call it that, because we have no name for such a place. After the drought we’ve seen, this place is beyond imagining. Trees grow monstrous. When a tree dies, it lays itself down and other trees grow from its trunk, as if the tree were dirt. Moss covers everything. It’s a pale green. Inside the wet forest the moss stays wet all the time. Just outside the wet forest, the same moss is dry. You just step from a dry area to the wet one, and everything changes.”

  “Tuksook and I hiked into the wet forest. It is a little fearsome, because the wetness deadens sound. A woolly rhino could creep up on someone easily and never give itself away.” Gumui looked up. “I haven’t seen a woolly rhino in this land.” He paused. “In the wet forest, you don’t hear little things scurrying about. It’s as if all sound is sucked out of there.”

  “At the top of the wet forest in one of the meadows there, we saw the huge deer with the strange antlers. A cat was going to attack a newly born giant deer. The mother raised up on her hind legs and beat the cat to death with her front legs. She was so tough defending her young one! It all took place in silence. She must’ve broken every bone in that cat’s body and she did it so quickly. Once the cat was dead, everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. For me it was quite some time before my heart beat normally.”

  “I’ve asked Tuksook to draw the location of the wet forest. Let me smooth out the sand here,” he said. They had a pile of sand that eventually would move to the house where the council would take place inside when the weather was cold. It hadn’t been completed.

  Tuksook drew the same picture of her flight. She marked the part of the eagle’s toe where any hunter could find the wet forest.

  “I have an additional thing to add at council tonight,” Gumui said.

  The Wise One nodded at him.

  “I went to observe the construction of the lodging for the dogs. It greatly impressed me. I am persuaded that the dog’s house will be warmer and stronger than ours because of the blocks of dirt, roots, and plants the young men have harvested. There is plenty of time, so I would like to add those blocks to the outside of the bent tree house. Because they harvested the blocks from the lower level of this valley, taking the blocks would not affect the meadow. I am concerned that we live farther north than in our old land and that the cold time can be colder here and come sooner. Those are the reasons I urge you to approve my request and help in more construction.”

  There were murmurs all around, but they sounded positive. The Wise One let the comments continue until they died down.

  “Are there any negatives?” the Wise One asked.

  Silence.

  “Then any willing to work on this project, meet Gumui after the morning meal.”

  “Is there anything else the council needs to consider?”

  Sutorlo nodded.

  The Wise One nodded at Sutorlo.

  “We would like to thank the hunters for the skins for the dogs’ house. The two are exactly what we needed.”

  “You’re welcome to them,” Hamaklob said.

  “Is there anything else for the council?” the Wise One asked.

  Silence.

  “The council ends,” the Wise One said.

  Chapter Five

  The cold times arrived: the People watched the leaves on the hardwoods yellow and fall; the days shortened; lower mountains near the white-topped ones received snow, which melted until now, when the icy crystals just continued to increase; and the temperature was significantly colder. The north part of the house was very well provisioned with much dried meat from fish, sea aurochs, giant deer, camels, horses, and dehydrated vegetables and berries. Elders estimated that their food supply would keep them fed until the summer solstice, so they were overly prepared. The People could have added many horses, but they deemed horse meat sticky and preferred other meats over it, though they added it to the food for dogs. The bent tree house was sided with blocks of turf, following the construction plan of the dog’s house, and despite the cold outside, it was very warm inside. The People had even sewn the skins of sea aurochs together and over covered some of the roof of the bent tree house with the skin as added protection.

  Hapunta, Togomoo and Brill’s first child, a ten-year-old daughter, had been feeling unwell all day. She staggered from her bench/sleeping place to make a run to the privy. She coughed, sitting back on her sleeping place. She wouldn’t be running anywhere, she realized. Togomoo instantly stood up. The cough did not sound right. He went to Hapunta and felt her arms and forehead. She was burning hot. Brill arrived at the side of the sleeping place.

  “She’s very hot,” Togomoo told Brill.

  “Let me find Item,” Brill said and left quickly.

  “Father, I need to go out.”

  “First, let’s see what Item has to say.” He gently caressed her sweaty forehead, pushing the wet hair that covered her face towards the back of her head. She was limp in his arms while he sat on her sleeping place holding her.

  “Let me see her,” Item said. “She is hot.” Item made the comment matter of factly, but she was concerned. Hapunta was very hot. Item put her head ear side down on Hapunta’s chest. “Brill, ask Heek to make some willow tea.”

  “She wants to go to the privy, Item. Is that okay?”

  “Carry her there,” Item replied. “Her lungs are filled with mucous, so doing much walking is not a good idea. Has she been like this long?”

  “She wasn’t hot until tonight.”

  “I think to be safe, she should take one of the sleeping places in the north part of the house. There are two sleeping places there. Just in case she has an illness that can make others sick, it’s best to keep her at a distance. One of you two should stay with her, not both of you. Hapunta will need to drink much water while she has this illness. During the day, not at night, put some red sphagnum on her chest and let it remain there as long as it has warmth. Do it two or three times a day.”

  Item left and walked over to the west side of the house to Tuksook and Gumui’s bench/sleeping place.

  “Tuksook, Gumui,” she said, interrupting a conversation between them.

  Both looked up at Item.

  “Hapunta is very ill. Because you, Tuksook, are learning to become Wise One and you’re young, I want you to stay away from Hapunta and Brill. If Brill asks you for something, come find me. Gumui, you are also young and I want you to avoid Hapunta and Brill also. If there is a way this illness can spread, we cannot have Tuksook acquire it nor you, because you look after her. Do you both understand?”

  “Yes, Mother, I will obey,” Tuksook replied.

  “I also understand and will obey,” Gumui replied. “Is there anything we can do to help?” he asked.

  Brill returned to Togomoo and Hapunta. “Heek will be happy to make the tea,” she reported. “I’ll stay with Hapunta in the north part of the bent tree house.”

  “Right now, I’m going to take Hapunta to the privy. Would you wrap that skin around her, Brill?” Togomoo asked. He stood up so Brill could cover the girl. Then he headed to the east entryway. When he stepped outside, he came to a complete stop, almost dropping Hapunta.

  Hapunta looked up. “Is the earth on fire, Father?” she asked.

  Togomoo whistled his “Come—now!” hunter whistle. Hunters from the house jumped up and raced to the east entrance of the house. When they reached outside, they were shocked. The entire sky was new blood red.

  Midgenemo whistled a call to come to all the rest of the People. The house emptied fast. Once outside, there was dead silence. They stood there, never having seen anything like it. They feared, not in the way a hunter might fear. This fear was more of a spiritual nature. Red sky was outside their knowledge. It conjured up thoughts of evil and bad omens. The sky seemed to move as flames—but not flames. There were no words
for what they witnessed. Some of the People wondered whether someone had broken from Wisdom’s way and brought evil on them all.

  Tuksook thought she heard something. She stepped away from the group moving to the north to try to hear better.

  “Tuksook,” the quiet voice said.

  “Wisdom?”

  “Yes. The red sky is a normal part of this land. There are other times the lights in the sky will be white, green, or blue. There is no cause for concern or fear.”

  “Thank you, Wisdom,” she said softly.

  “Keep my way, Tuksook.”

  “I will, Wisdom,” Tuksook whispered.

  Togomoo quietly walked to the privy carrying Hapunta. Poor child, he thought. Her hair was soaked and now this red sky. What was it a sign of? He wondered. Was something awful about to happen, or was this a normal part of the place to which they’d moved? The girl made water, and then she stood there, coughing up lots of mucous. Togomoo carefully covered it with dirt from the fill back hill they’d made at the edge of the ditch. The back fill was frozen, so he had to fill it in hunks. He left her standing on the ground for a moment while he wrapped the skin around her better. Then, he scooped her up and headed back to the People. The sky continued to be red.

  When he returned, Brill met him and held out her arms. “Let me take her in and put her on the new sleeping place.”

  “She coughed up much mucous,” Togomoo said.

  “I’ll share that with Item,” she told him.

  Brill took Hapunta into the house. She’d already transferred the sleeping skins and the bench/sleeping place cover from Hapunta’s sleeping place to the one in the north part of the house. She laid Hapunta on it and noticed that the tea Heek had made was ready. Heek had gone outside and come back in to be sure the tea was ready as soon as possible.

  “Thank you, Heek. I appreciate your kindness,” Brill said.

  “You are more than welcome. I wish Hapunta well. Here are several pouches that contain measured amounts of willow for the tea. If you need, return the pouches for more. I hope this helps.”

  Brill nodded, thanked Heek, and took the tea to Hapunta.

  “I want you to drink all of this,” she told her daughter.

  Hapunta looked at her. She really didn’t want anything, but she knew as all the children of the People knew, when a parent, adult, or elder told you to do something, you had to comply. She sat up and dangled her feet off the sleeping place. She took the small steaming bowl and began to sip the tea. It wasn’t a taste she’d choose, but it wasn’t bad. She’d had it long ago.

  Brill was patient. She sat on the edge of the sleeping place and watched Hapunta finish the willow tea. Then, she had her lie down and Brill carefully covered her. “I’m going back outside. I will return soon. Sleep, my daughter,” she said, pulling a furred skin around her own shoulders.

  Back outside, the night sky was still flaming red. Whatever the red was, she could see stars through it. It was very late. The color seemed to be decreasing in intensity. As the People watched, a very strange thing happened. The color faded and the red left the sky. The night sky looked like any other night sky they’d seen since arriving at Eagle’s Grasp. The People returned to their sleeping places wondering at the red sky.

  Brill checked on Hapunta and found the girl sleeping. Togomoo brought Brill some skins for her sleeping place in the north part of the house. He regretted that she would not be sharing his sleeping place as usual, but understood the need for one of them to be available to Hapunta.

  After some time, Brill found Hapunta definitely had cooled down. Brill slipped into the extra sleeping place and made herself comfortable. She fell to sleep right away. When Hapunta stirred, Brill jumped up and went to touch her daughter. She was hot again. Brill went to the food preparation place in the house, with tongs picked up a hot rock near the expiring fire, and dropped the rock in the boiling bag. The water began to boil. She took the little leather bag of willow that Heek had prepared for a single dose and put it in the small bowl. She added the hot water to the herbs. She stirred it. Carefully, she carried the small bowl to Hapunta.

  Hapunta drank it, knowing the effect it had. Soon she felt better and went back to sleep, but the cough was still there—maybe not so bad as earlier. Brill was disturbed. Nobody else had anything like this lung sickness. Brill knew there were many lung sicknesses, but you’d never know what the illness was until it had progressed for several days.

  While she was up, Brill went to the east entrance and stepped outside. Momeh, her nephew, was at the entrance outside.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here,” Brill whispered.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here either, Aunt. I am on watch tonight. Since we had the red sky, I wanted to see whether it returned. It has not returned all night.”

  “It was strange, but it didn’t seem to do any damage.”

  “I agree,” Momeh replied. “This is an unusual land. Have you ever heard of a red sky?”

  “Never,” she whispered.

  “If it were up to me, we wouldn’t have any more of them. It makes me feel as if strange spirits take huge steps among us.”

  “If that bothers you, talk to the Wise One in the morning. I’m going to try to sleep before Hapunta wakes up again.” Brill left and went to her new sleeping place. She didn’t want to have her mind web troubled with red sky and spirits. She had enough to occupy her mind web with Hapunta.

  In the morning the People were subdued, wondering about the red sky and whether it might be an evil omen. The People took the morning meal quietly. After he finished eating, Midgenemo touched Tuksook on the shoulder and said, “Come outside with me so I may talk to you.”

  Tuksook wasn’t finished eating, but she put her bowl beside Gumui, leaving him with a knowing look, and followed her father. She turned back for a moment to grab a hairless sleeping skin to put around her shoulders.

  “What is it, Father?” she asked.

  “You talked with Wisdom?”

  “Of course.”

  “I haven’t talked to Wisdom yet. What is the importance of the red sky?”

  “Wisdom said it is a natural occurrence. We may see lights of blue, white, and green. It is nothing to fear.”

  “Do you wish to share that with the People? They are troubled.”

  “Father, I think you should tell them that Wisdom says they are natural in this place and there’s nothing to fear.” Midgenemo was glad she didn’t choose to be the one to deliver the message. He didn’t want the People to know that she had spoken to Wisdom about it while he hadn’t. He didn’t think to ask whether she or Wisdom initiated the interaction.

  “I will. Come inside and let’s calm their fears.”

  Tuksook followed him into the house. She had gone out barefooted. She needed to remind herself to put boots on her feet. It was too cold for uncovered feet. Tuksook returned to Gumui and he handed her bowl to her. She resumed eating, as if there had been no interruption.

  “People,” Midgenemo called out. Slowly all the People gathered at the central hearth.

  Once the People assembled, he said, “Wisdom has spoken. The red sky is a part of this land. There will also be sky lights of white, blue, and green. There is nothing to fear. Do not trouble yourselves over last night’s red sky.”

  Most of the People visibly relaxed, because clearly the Wise One was not concerned any longer. A few, who had lost their complete trust in the Wise One, wondered whether he had made that up to keep them from feeling too anxious. Each decided individually that time would make it clear.

  Brill went to check on Hapunta. The girl was in a heavy sweat again. “How do you feel?” she asked.

  “I feel bad. My legs, arms, and even my fingers ache. I think I would like some more willow tea.”

  Brill felt her. She was very hot. She patted Hapunta’s shoulder, picked up her small bowl, and went to make more tea.

  When the tea water was boiling, Brill added it to the small bowl, stirred the m
ixture, and carried it to Hapunta who had fallen back to sleep. She shook her to waken her. “You need to sit up and drink this. Then you may sleep again.”

  The girl pushed herself to a sitting position, leaning against the tree that was part of the bent tree house. She ached terribly but knew she would feel better after she drank the tea. It was hard for her to remain awake, so she drank the tea as fast as possible, sipping carefully to avoid burning herself. Brill warmed some red sphagnum and laid it across Hapunta’s chest. The girl seemed to enjoy the warmth.

  A few of the hunters dressed warmly and went outside to check to be sure that the red sky had done no damage. By the dog house, Stencellomak laughed with Loraz, “The Wise One may be right. I see no damage anywhere except my fingers and they’re becoming terribly cold.” He was trying to withdraw his hands further inside the fur he had wrapped around himself.

  “Yes. I’m having the same problem. I should have put on hand coverings,” Loraz complained.

  “We’re a funny looking People. At least we can cover our heads with the skins. Remember the time we put caribou skins over us to try to fool the caribou into thinking we were one of them? We were funny looking then! If it’s this cold now, can you imagine the shortest day of the year?” Stencellomak said as he stepped over to check with the central sun tracking pole.

  “That’s going to be very cold. Makes me shiver to think of it. I wonder how much snow we’ll have,” Loraz said.

  “I’m thinking much more than we had in our old land. The days are still becoming shorter—that’s no surprise,” Stencellomak said, his breath white, lingering in the air.

  “Probably we’ll have more snow than we did back home. It was so dry back there. I don’t know what snow would’ve come from. When we were young, we had some snow but lately with years of no snow at all, some of the young People will see snow for the first time this year. The women are making beaver head and hand coverings for us. These boots are wonderful! They’re making something else, but I’m not sure what it is.”

  “Let’s hurry back. I need to thaw,” Stencellomak said.