Tuksook's Story, 35,000 BC

by Bonnye Matthews

  “I will do what is necessary,” Dipcaco said.

  “Good. Inside my backpack are many sticks of jerky. Give each of us one and keep replacing as long as someone extends a hand to you. Then, we’ll have you fill the dipper and hand it to us so we can drink. You participate in eating and drinking too.”

  “Yes, I will,” Dipcaco said. Despite the fact that his arms were killing him, Dipcaco found he reveled in his inclusion on the sea aurochs fishing travel. He’d do whatever was called for to be included.

  Stencellomak glanced at Vole. The parceling out of jerky and water would give Dipcaco a chance to rest his arm muscles briefly. The older men knew only too well how Dipcaco must be feeling. Rowing was not easy and when going against the current with a heavy load, it required great fortitude both of mind and body. It pushed the men to their limits, but they loved it. The challenge to return with a sea aurochs was one thing, but to start homeward with no stops for food or sleep was another thing. The second was the greater challenge by far. Dipcaco was just developing the feel of it. He had not felt the elation of success at meeting the challenge, now that he knew what it was. The challenge seemed overwhelming. He just wondered how they stayed awake all night. He was determined to do what the others did, giving all the effort he had. After all, he considered, he was young and they were old.

  They reached the place where the tree had become stuck. “It’s gone,” Stencellomak shouted.

  Dipcaco wondered what was gone.

  “Sure surprised me when that thing rammed us,” Vel said.

  “Yeah, me too,” Vole added.

  “How’d you know where the tree was stuck?” Dipcaco asked.

  “You learn the river and its sides as you travel it. When you’re familiar with it, then, you can locate things easier. You just make references in your mind web to things that stand out on the land, like that outcropping midway up that hill.” Stencellomak pointed.

  “Oh,” Dipcaco replied.

  Night wore on and the sky finally became dark. They continued on. This time of year there was always enough light to see, even after the sun had fully reached its lowest depth.

  The river at night fascinated Dipcaco. He wondered whether the men still saw their references on the land. They could see the river. Occasionally, the sea aurochs would snort. The animal breathed using lungs instead of gills. When it exhaled, it could snort with some force.

  Morning came and the dogs began to growl their quiet alarm. People left their bowls to see what the dogs were seeing. The fishers were returning with their catch. The People finished eating. It would take time for the boat to arrive at their shore.

  As soon as the boat turned to the tie up place, Dipcaco felt the exhilaration of meeting the second challenge. He had rowed the whole way stopping only to feed and water the others and himself. He didn’t know he could demand that much from himself. He was delighted. He was exhausted.

  Za, Mela, and Item met the boat, when it arrived. Men of the People quietly took over the boat, while Item called the men to her. She explained the loss of Mongo. She suggested they come to the meadow, stop at grave side a moment to be respectful, and then have some food and go inside the house to rest and grieve. The men did so. Loss of Mongo diminished their happiness in the results of their fishing, but their fatigue blunted a little of their feeling of grief. All of them were at the point of exhaustion.

  Stencellomak saw Tuksook. He put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Tuksook, I wish that Wisdom made temporary last a little longer.”

  She touched his arm gently as he walked to the house.

  Item waved to Tuksook. Tuksook walked over to her mother.

  “I have a surprise for you. Kouchu has been doing something for you. Come inside.”

  Tuksook followed Item into the bent tree house. She wondered what Kouchu did for her. It was mysterious to Tuksook.

  At sixty, Kouchu was having great difficulty walking. The death of Loraz struck her hard emotionally, and the arthritic condition of her hands and legs severely limited her mobility.

  “Thank you for coming to me, Tuksook,” Kouchu said. “It’s just becoming harder and harder for me to move around. I loved my mother and miss her daily. Loraz too. But my mother made the tunic you wear, and I love her enough even though she’s not here, that I couldn’t bear to look at the tunic much longer. It’s split on the side and the fur is rubbed off in several spots. When it was new it was the most astonishing tunic I ever saw. Now, it’s just sad. I’ve made you another, my Dear. Please accept it and wear it in good health.” Kouchu pulled the new tunic from behind her.

  Tuksook looked at the new tunic. It was made in much the same way as the tunic Bruilimi had made for her. The differences were that the bottom was parallel to the ground between her ankles and knees, not higher in front and lower in back, and there was a yoke that was rectangular instead of the partial sleeves formed by the upper part of cat legs that graced the tunic Bruilimi had made.

  When Bruilimi first arrived in Eagle’s Grasp, she and Loraz would go to a creek to find gold pieces. They kept them. Kouchu had found that she could work the gold so that she could turn the end into a circular form. She took a very thin, soft, narrow leather strip and halved it. Kouchu put the loop at the half point through the gold nugget. Then she threaded the ends of the leather strip back through the loop in the leather. She cut two slits into the yoke. She threaded one of the ends of the leather through the first slit and the second end of the leather strip through the second slit. Then Kouchu pulled the strips forward through the slit that they had not been threaded into. She took the two strips of soft leather and tied a double knot, without gathering the leather. Kouchu trimmed the ends of the long leather strip so that the ends extended just a bit beyond the double knot. It gave a striking effect to the tunic. On the yoke of the new clothing near the neckline, a gold nugget from the stream hung, suspended on a strip of leather tied with a double knot. It was special.

  Item helped Tuksook into the new tunic. The fit was perfect. Tuksook felt the lovely soft leather bend with her every move. She bent over and hugged Kouchu maybe a little longer than normal. She kissed the cheek of the old woman.

  “I thank you so much, Kouchu. This is lovely and I really needed it. You are so very kind.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, when I look at you I can smile for two reasons. The first is that I love you and the second is that you look lovely.”

  Tuksook chuckled quietly.

  “Thank you again,” she said. “Now, is there anything I can do for you?”

  “Not a thing, my Dear. Thank you for asking.”

  Tuksook touched her shoulder and left to find Gumui. She wondered what he’d think of her new tunic.

  When she went outside, whoever saw her made approving comments. Apparently, her need for a new tunic was far greater than she guessed. Gumui saw her first. He came running.

  “That looks so nice. Who did it?”

  “Kouchu,” she replied.

  “It is wonderful and this little addition,” he said fingering the nugget which was about the size of his thumb, “is so unique. What a wonderful surprise—or did you know she was doing it?”

  “I had no idea she was doing it. I wish I could do something for her in return.”

  “You cannot bring Loraz back from the dead,” he said wondering whether he should have thought, let alone said, what he said.

  “Gumui!”

  “I know. I don’t often speak without reasoning. This was an error.”

  “Well, maybe not. Of all the things she might want, that’s probably at the top of her choices.”

  “I’d guess so.”

  Topo, one of Nipe’s three-year-old twins, came running up to Tuksook and Gumui.

  “What is it, Little One?” Gumui asked.

  “White birds! White birds! Over here!” He began to run in the direction of the path to the river level.

  Gumui and Tuksook looked out. Swans in large number were resting in th
e still water between the land and river. Gumui whistled the hunter—come call that did not require immediate response. Numbers of hunters came at a run anyway. When they saw the swans, they ran for slingshots. Some of the men started down the path without tools. The hunters with no tools slipped into the water and went under water to a swan, grabbing them by the legs and pulling them down. There, they’d twist the necks, killing the bird, and put the bird somewhere safe until they had captured another. When they had two, they’d take them to the food preparation place to the women. After the hunters finished they had sixteen swans. They would feast that night.

  Tuksook found Topo and said to him, “You did a good thing this morning by letting us know about the white birds. Topo, someday you’ll be fine hunter!”

  “Thank you, Wise One,” he said.

  The evening meal was a little late that night so they could enjoy the roasted swans. Tuksook had asked the women to save six of the roasted livers for her from the swans. She knew that Kouchu loved liver. When they were ready, Tuksook took a bowl of roasted swan livers to Kouchu.

  “What do you have there?” Kouchu asked her.

  “I wanted to do something special for you for your kindness to me. Topo, Nipe’s boy, called to Gumui and me and kept saying white bird. The watery land below was full of swans on their way to somewhere. Hunters hurried and took many. I asked the women who are cooking to roast six of them for me. These are for you.” She handed the bowl to Kouchu.

  Kouchu lost a few tears. “How kind of you! I didn’t know you knew of my love of liver.”

  “I’ve known for a while now. So many of the People don’t care for it. When I found you did, it interested me.”

  Tuksook stayed and chatted with Kouchu. She realized that often Kouchu sat inside because moving was too difficult, but in doing so she was lonely. Tuksook would think on how to help. She decided that there might be a quicker answer. She went to find her mother.

  Item was busy in the place where the sea aurochs strips were being sun dried. The girls had been putting the strips too close together. Once she took care of the meat strips, Item walked over to where Tuksook sat.

  “Are you tired?” she asked.

  “A little,” Tuksook replied. “I have no reason to be tired, but I just am. There’s something I’d like to do, but I’m not sure how to do it. Kouchu is lonely. I’d like to find a way to relieve her loneliness, but I have no thoughts. I reasoned you might know of a way.”

  “Let me think, oh, I know,” Item said.

  Tuksook was amazed at how fast her mother responded.

  “Tuksook, there are numbers of girls who are over ten years of age, who don’t know how to sew. Why don’t you ask Kouchu if she’d be willing to teach the girls to sew? If she’s willing, we can set it up so they come to her to learn.”

  “That’s a great idea, Mother. It’s just what we need. It would introduce her to some of the People she doesn’t know very well, and they’d come to know her. She has great sewing skill. Passing it down is a wonderful idea.”

  Tuksook was delighted. She went back to Kouchu and asked whether she’d be willing to teach some of the girls to sew.

  “I will teach them if they will approach it seriously and be willing to do what I ask them to do.”

  “Great,” Tuksook replied. “I’ll let you know when I have the girls together.”

  “I know why you’re doing this, Tuksook,” the old woman said smiling.

  “Does it matter?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “They need to learn, and you’re the best at sewing of all of us.”

  “If you look at it that way, it makes even more sense,” she said and laughed an old lady laugh.

  Tuksook left with a wry smile. She spent the remainder of the afternoon looking for girls of the right age to learn to sew. She talked to numbers of girls and then selected five to start. She went to the mothers of each to obtain permission. Once the sewing lessons began, there could be other classes with other girls. Tuksook set up the classes for the next morning after the morning meal. The girls who were chosen were delighted. Tuksook knew because of that, they’d put forth extra effort. She wanted this to go well for Kouchu first. She also wanted to assure that the People had plenty of individuals who could sew well.

  After the evening meal and the council were over, Tuksook took a walk around the meadow with Gumui.

  “How are you doing now?” he asked.

  “It improves, Gumui. My belly still aches for the little boy, but I’m reminding myself this time what is—is. I am happy that between mother and me, we found a way to relieve the loneliness of Kouchu and teach a new generation of girls to sew.”

  “I think that idea is wonderful. Kouchu is someone who doesn’t stand out, but she’s so kind and thoughtful, so sweet, and she loved her husband.”

  “She did!” Tuksook replied. “She also is expert at sewing.”

  “You only need look at your new tunic to know how true that is,” he said. “Let’s go back. You look tired and I am tired. We can crawl into our sleeping place and be comfortable.”

  “Great idea,” she concurred.

  Chapter Nine

  Tuksook and the male elders: Moki, Togomoo, Hamaklob, Stencellomak, Unmo, Anvel, Hawk, and Wave stood near the center stone. They had marked a series of horizontal lines about a finger long, one under the other, to show the numbers of years the People had lived in the meadow. They were planning to mark the twenty-fifth line. Unmo, the oldest at sixty-eight, held a piece of sandstone. While the others watched, he made a dun colored line on the stone. Later, they’d have Sutorlo cut the line in the stone.

  The stone carried an image of Eagle’s Grasp. A few years back, Kew had asked Tuksook to mark Eagle’s Grasp on the flat part of the rock. She had done it exactly as she had when she drew it on sand in the boat. Toward the top of the rock was the south part of the land and to the bottom was the north. That showed the Eagle’s Grasp as one might easier see the leg of the bird. The size was precise. On the rock it measured two man forearms (elbow to middle finger tip) tall. It was a very special thing to the People. Once the image was drawn, Kew asked Sutorlo to make it permanent on the flat face of the rock. Sutorlo had learned to make marks on rocks that had good depth and would last a long time. He made sharp cut straight lines and curves. When he worked on the chipping of Eagle’s Grasp into the center stone, a sliver of rock lodged in his left eye. Item removed it, but Sutorlo lost his vision in that eye. Sutorlo did his work with his own tools, tools he made for this specific purpose. He was teaching Dipcaco to chip out designs in rocks. If the People could be said to have had a treasure, their center stone would qualify.

  Often when People talked with one another about locations, they’d walk to the rock and point out the specific place or places, so there was no confusion. They could precisely point to special hunting areas for bison, where to have the best opportunity to fish for sturgeon, areas the last kelp heaps from sea aurochs had been washed ashore, where to find good stone for spear tips, places shelters could be found quickly—the uses seemed endless. At the very first, it took some of the People a long time to understand how to see the drawing. Once they understood, it was a great help. All of those old enough to use the drawing could see it.

  “I’ll let Sutorlo know it’s time to mark the line,” Unmo said.

  The elders began to disperse walking off, a few stopping to chat.

  “Is she doing better?” Stencellomak asked Tuksook.

  “Kouchu has been in severe pain for so long,” she replied. “She claims she’s becoming a stone,” she added. “I am so awed by her continuing to teach the girls to sew, day after day, and she never complains. They learn well from Kouchu.”

  “Hunters could learn something from her ability to withstand pain while keeping her attention on the duty she has,” Stencellomak said.

  “We all could,” Tuksook said quietly. “It hurt so badly to hear of her fall back by the privy. To see her cry ripped my
belly apart. She didn’t want any of the girls to see her like that.”

  “I think we should make a privy for Kouchu that she can use privately in her part of the bent tree house, one that we could take to empty. She has a need for help there. Kouchu could break a bone going off and falling like she did.”

  “Stencellomak, that’s a wonderful idea. Will you do it?”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “We must remember that she’s seventy-one. Because she’s so tough, it’s very easy to take her abilities for granted.”

  “I agree. I’ll talk with others and we’ll find something as fast as possible.”

  Elfa walked across the meadow quickly. She stopped at Tuksook and Stencellomak and waited to be recognized.

  “Yes, Elfa?” Tuksook asked.

  “Ren, is having her baby now. Can you come?”

  “I’ll be there very soon. Thank you, Elfa.”

  “I’d better go,” Tuksook said to Stencellomak.

  “Me, too. May your day be good.”

  “And yours,” she replied.

  “Wise One!” Awk, Abet’s six-year-old, shouted out.

  Tuksook looked up and saw Awk running toward her followed by Mi, his sister, who was two years younger. Tuksook waited for them to arrive.

  The two children remembered to wait for recognition.

  “Slow your mind webs,” Tuksook said, and the children lowered their heads. “Now, Awk, with deliberation, tell me what you have to say.”

  “I, I, my sister won’t stop following me.”

  Tuksook almost laughed.

  “I just want . . . .”

  “Wait, Mi. It isn’t your time to speak yet,” Tuksook admonished.

  Mi hung her head as low as possible.

  “I just want to have some time with the boys,” Awk said. “She interrupts us; it’s more to annoy me than to be with me!”