“Very good,” Yumo shouted back.
The big boat turned with practiced ease into the channel the men had made and maintained. Yumo called directions to those who rowed. Those who rowed had the skill to row at different paces or directions on either side of the boat to make turns smoothly. Little by little and slowly the big boat eased into the anchorage the People of Eagle’s Grasp had provided.
“Oars up! Drop anchors! Give each rope a two man length of slack.” Yumo shouted.
Huaga walked to the edge of the boat. “Most can’t swim, so we need to bring them to shore in the little boats. We have one.”
“We have two more. Counting this one, there will be four small boats. That should be good.” Hawk hand signaled to the People who used the boats that all of the small boats were needed. Those on shore went quickly to the small boats and rowed toward the big one, while Huaga’s boatmen prepared their small one.
Four People transferred from the big boat to the small one occupied by Hawk and Vole. The other boats of Eagle’s Grasp could take no more than two at a time. The small boat from the big boat could take four in addition to the boatmen who rowed.
Huaga said, “People, leave your things here. The boatmen will bring your things and put them in the meadow, where you can find them, when you know where they should be placed. All we want now is People.”
There seemed no specified order of transfer of People from the big boat to the smaller ones. Whoever was nearest the small boat transferred over. Boatmen stood by to help. One small boy fell into the water. A dive from a boatman brought him to the small boat, while the child sputtered and cried from fear.
All of the People from the boat including the boatmen gathered at the bottom of the path that led to the meadow. The People from Eagle’s Grasp led the way. Huaga and Yumo led the People from the boat. Instead of noisy bustling activity, there was little sound from the People as they climbed the path to the meadow. They went to the center of the meadow where Tuksook and the elders waited to meet the new People. Huaga introduced the name of each one of his People while Hawk, also an elder, introduced the elders, Stencellomak, Unmo, Moki, Togomoo, Anvel, and Hamaklob. Hawk introduced them to their Wise One. Those with exceptional memory remembered all the names. Those without that memory knew they’d know them as time passed.
During the introductions, Item touched Yumo’s arm where the bite had caused significant swelling.
“I see you’ve been bitten by a black-and-white legs,” Item said.
“What’s that?” Yumo asked.
“It’s a bug with shapes on the legs like this.” She put her thumbs and forefingers together forming a squarish shape standing on a point. “The shapes like this on their legs are black and white all fitted together. They give a mean bite.”
“That they do!” Yumo replied.
“We have expanded our bent tree house to accommodate all of you. We’ll show you where the space is, and Huaga and Yumo can lead you there to select your bench/sleeping place.”
The People from the old land had no knowledge of a bench/sleeping place, but they understood sleeping place. They were dumbstruck at the health that seemed almost to vibrate from the People of Eagle’s Grasp. They were also amazed by the size of the structure in the trees. It was nearly as long as the meadow, and it was covered by grass squares. They had never imagined anything like that.
People from Eagle’s Grasp had been warned to give the newcomers a chance to find their place and settle their things before becoming acquainted. The People of Eagle’s Grasp were horrified at the condition of those who weren’t boatmen. They certainly knew of the drought. That’s why they had migrated, but these People looked as if they might die. The single reaction to the People from the old land was intense sympathy.
“Follow me to your new places,” Hawk said and started walking to the south entryway. Huaga led, and the People followed.
Yumo went to the boatmen and told them to start unloading. He told them they had a place in the structure, and they would locate their individual places after the boat was unloaded. The men from Eagle’s Grasp who had helped in the transfer of people went to their boats to help transfer the unloaded things. With four boats the transfer shouldn’t take long.
When the People wound themselves through the entryway skins, they saw an amazing sight. The structure was not unlike a cave, except it was straight and provided space along the walls for the bench/sleeping places. There were holes at the top along the length of the structure, holes with poles attached to flaps. The holes let light in. Under the holes were hearths. The People didn’t see the wood piled all along the east side of the house or the bone pile near the dogs where the People would gather wood and bone to burn.
People of Eagle’s Grasp had prepared thirty-six bench/sleeping places. They had no idea how many of them should be double. As it turned out, they had made far more double bench/sleeping places than were needed. Hawk explained to Huaga that he should organize his People to determine where they’d sleep. All the bench/sleeping places had a furred skin covering for comfort.
Jowlichi burst into tears. Huaga walked over to her and put his arms around her. “What’s causing the tears?” he asked.
“I weep for those we left behind. You were right. For those of us who can fatten, this is the likeliest place for it to happen. All those we left will die. They might have lived.”
“I understand,” Huaga said and loosened his arms. “Some people will cling to a false hope like limpets on a rock, instead of risking change. They had a choice.” He had to assign his People to the bench/sleeping places.
Huaga set about the task with the help of Yumo. “I think with all these doubles, we should put the two girls without parents on one. They can share and comfort each other,” Huaga said. He called Paw and Lumu, and they came to find a soft fur cover on a large bed he told them they’d share.
“Girls, you may go to the meadow to find the bundles that Yumo gave you from the boat’s supply. Bring those for your covering skins and put them on your sleeping place. You’ll remember which one is yours?”
“Yes,” Paw said, “This one has a tree that has the face of a cat. See?” She traced the face and Yumo actually saw what she saw. “This is for us? I’ve never slept off the ground. It is so special. I don’t feel deserving.”
Yumo laughed. “That’s what they provided for you and all of us. Just be grateful.” He’d been looking at the place Paw showed him. “I see the face of the cat! You will find your place again easily.”
Paw and Lumu went to see whether they could identify the skins that they’d used on the boat.
Huaga had decided to put the families nearest the People from Eagle’s Grasp and the boatmen at the end nearest the entryway. Everyone was delighted to have a place to sleep already provided. The quality of the new place was beyond their comprehension. Almost all of the People had to take a moment to try the sleeping place. The comfort of it was unexpected. They marveled that they had left a desolate place and come to a place of comfort.
Little by little the People returned to the meadow to gather their sleeping skins or anything else they’d brought. They carried them to the bent tree house and put them on their bench/sleeping places. They went shyly to the meadow to observe the place where they had come to live. The boys and girls and men and women of Eagle’s Grasp went to meet those of their age. The newcomers were shy but warmed up quickly to the People who welcomed them so generously. The People of Eagle’s Grasp were careful that no one was left out.
Meanwhile the women of Eagle’s Grasp had to plan to feed all the People at the evening meal. They brought the women from the boat with them to show them the food preparation area and how they functioned to put together the evening meal. Women scurried about selecting the meat and sending girls to gather whatever greens they could find. The Eagle’s Grasp children warned the others of the mother of red rash. They showed them plants that were food. Boys were sent to gather wood and smaller bones to build up t
he hearth fire for the evening meal. The boys also brought wood for the hearths inside the bent tree house to provide warmth through the night. Hunters instructed them to lay the materials beside the hearth, not add to the fire. Some of the boys wanted to practice slingshot after they finished gathering materials for the hearths.
Gumui stood by Tuksook. Mi was at her side. They looked at the far greater peopled meadow and the way the People were coming together. They did not see any of the newcomers alone, instead they were mixing well.
“You did well to foresee the possibility of their early arrival. Had we not hurried to complete the bent tree house and gather meat and skins for the cold times, we could have had a disaster. The cold times are near.”
“I am not responsible, Gumui; Wisdom is.”
After the evening meal of sturgeon, all the People attended the council meeting outside where there was much to discuss. Tuksook had just nodded to Yumo.
“We wish to thank you for welcoming us. We arrived here from the terrible drought in the old land. It is hard for many to imagine the luxury you have made in this new land. Never had any dreamed of such bench/sleeping places. It’s almost too much to believe. We’re very grateful. All of this means life to us.”
Tuksook replied, “Know that all of you are completely welcome. We are one People. The luxury you describe, Yumo, is our rendering of the stories of Ki’ti and their bent tree house.”
Huaga laughed.
Tuksook was surprised but she nodded to him.
“That’s what made me feel that there was something familiar about this place the first time I saw it. Just now, I felt as if I’d been here long ago, but I knew that wasn’t true. It’s from the old stories?” Huaga shook his head and continued, “I’ve heard the stories many times but never thought of the structure as having meaning to us. This structure probes my mind web. It’s as if you created a cave from trees. I never could imagine how the place looked that Wamumur had the People build.”
In the clear sky, a full moon began to crest the hill. Paw wondered whether her family back home could see the same moon, and she wanted to cry when she thought of her family. She doubted Lumu was happy to remember her family well. Her father had assured her that when they ran out of food, she’d be the first eaten. Where once he had cherished her, she could tell that his feelings toward her had hardened. In the conditions under which they lived, Lumu knew that was not an idle threat or a tease; it was a certainty. Yet she had no place to run—until the boat arrived. Lumu escaped murder, and Paw came for two reasons: to live and to keep her friend from being alone. They leaned against each other for reassurance.
Tuksook looked up. “Hawk, would you introduce the People to what they need to know in this land?
Hawk hadn’t prepared to speak so he remained silent briefly while he reasoned. It was a common practice. Then, he began.
“This land becomes very cold. Colder than you’ve ever felt. Protected with the clothing the women have been making and will continue to make, until all are prepared, you won’t feel the cold. This land has very little sun in the cold times. We spend time in the bent tree house doing what is hard to do in the warm times, such as making or repairing spear tips and other stone tools, making spears, grinding ochre, sewing. We have tunes and dance. We have a food preparation area in the house and a council area. To sit outside when it is very cold is unwise. In the cold times that are coming you’ll go out quickly and return quickly. This is much like life in the old land, but colder.”
“In the warm times, this place transforms! You can see the green, though it now turns yellow. You have tasted sturgeon. It is a huge, strange looking fish that lives in the river.” Many of the newcomers smiled at their memory of the evening meal they’d just consumed. Hawk continued, “Sea aurochs live in the sea. We take boats out to sea to fish for them. We have to enter the cold water to swim down to encircle their tails with rope. Then we haul them back. They are wonderful. They have much fat; their skins make a protective barrier against rain, snow, and wind over the bent tree house structure; and their meat is very tasty. You’ve had jerky from sea aurochs, but that’s not as good as the roasted fresh meat. We eat other animals, such as camel, giant deer, beaver, and an occasional bear. You’ve noticed we keep the dogs. They eat horse and dried salmon. Salmon come upriver in masses. Dogs bring our packs in pouches we attach to them when we hunt, so we can carry home the meat. Animals that lived here before we came are different from the ones we had in the old land.”
“Besides temperature and food, we call this river valley Eagle’s Grasp. We have a large stone over there that marks the rising and setting sun and high sun. High sun isn’t overhead in this land. It is that general area.” He pointed. “Sun arcs the sky near the horizon here in the warm times with little dark. Carved on the stone is our valley. It looks like the leg of an eagle. We use it to communicate places to each other. The carver, a man named Sutorlo, recently died when he fell from the edge of the meadow down to the river level. We have few rules, but one rule is that no one puts himself closer to the edge than a man height. Another is that no one climbs out on the tree that leans over the lower level. It grows near the area where the dogs are confined. Another rule is that no one goes anywhere alone. There are large cats in this land that can sneak up from any side and from above in the trees. Finally, we do not bend the rules of Wisdom. If you see wrongdoing, report it at council or speak to the Wise One. Do not remain silent about it.”
“At dark in the cold times, we often see colored lights dance in the sky. We call them sky lights. They are white, green, blue, and red. One night we were greatly awed, because the entire sky turned red. Imagine looking at the sky and seeing it in red. It was frightening until we learned that the colored sky is part of the sky lights. Sky lights can move straight or wave through the sky, or they can cover it. Rarely do they cover it. We also have earthquakes. Some of them are powerful, but they have not done damage here that wasn’t repairable. Occasionally, in the cold times, we have very strong winds. That’s why you see the black cover over the bent tree house tied and then lashed to the trees at their base. The sea aurochs skins protect us from wind and water. When it’s very cold, when the wind blows fiercely, or when mammoths walk through the meadow, you must come inside.”
“That is all I have to say.”
Tuksook looked out over the People. She waited for eye contact. There was none. She said, “Is there anything else that we should share tonight?”
Silence.
“I feel certain that all who traveled here are tired. Best for that is rest. There is much more to share. We will share it. Right now, council ends, and I encourage you to go to your sleeping places for some sleep.”
People dispersed for the bent tree house quickly. Fatigue was great.
Lumu and Paw unrolled their sleeping skins, hung their tunics on pegs, and crawled into their sleeping place. Each covered in her own sleeping skins. They lay there looking around. The bent tree house was warm from the hearth fires and the numbers of People. There were many People, but the noise was muted. They felt surrounded by caring People, where starvation certainly was unknown.
“The children are snuggled in their sleeping places, my husband,” Jowlichi told Huaga. “I still cannot believe the difference in what was and what is.”
He sat with her on the bench they shared. “This is a good place. Can you see why I caused the boat to leave early?”
“Knowing what you knew, it must have pained you to see us gathered together weak and hungry.”
“It ripped my belly apart. I changed the timing when I learned that a boat worker named Slantmin planned to steal the food we brought with us. I couldn’t let that happen. I suppose we might have convinced some more, if we’d had three days, but it wasn’t worth the risk of losing the food we needed to bring us here.”
“What is this skin on our bench/sleeping place? It’s a beautiful brown color and it’s soft,” Jowlichi asked.
“I think they call
it beaver,” Huaga replied.
“What’s beaver?”
“I have no knowledge. That’s something we’ll learn. All I can know is that they are very large.”
“And soft,” Jowlichi agreed.
Down the south part of the house from them, Yumo and his wife, Limilow, sat beside each other on the bench that would soon become their sleeping place.
“Husband, I must speak,” Limilow said anxiously, her head lowered.
“Speak,” Yumo said.
“I have wronged you. I ask your forgiveness. I was lonely. I found comfort in Phantic. I knew he was joined, but we would sneak off together. It ended before your return, but I feel unclean next to you. Do you wish me to find a different sleeping place?
“Do you still wish to remain my wife?”
“More than anything,” she admitted truthfully.
Yumo took a soft skin and said, “Come with me.”
He walked with her to the place where water fell for bathing, where he sat on a stone.
“Bathe, Limilow. Wash all the uncleanness you feel away,” he said, putting the soft leather across his leg.
Limilow looked at him in disbelief, but she removed her tunic and walked under the water. She scrubbed her scalp and ran her fingers through her long scraggly hair. She took some sand from the place where the water went when it left the bathing area, and she rubbed it vigorously on her skin. It felt wonderful. Limilow asked Yumo to rub her back with the sand. He did. She was shivering cold, but she felt that once again her skin could breathe. Limilow felt clean. Yumo handed her the soft skin so she could dry the water from herself. Yumo remained horrified at her emaciated body and thinning hair.
“Wife, I forgive you. You have just washed away the uncleanness. Do not stray again with another.”
“I will do as you say,” she said, wringing the water from her hair by twisting it tightly. She pulled her tunic over her head.
She and Yumo returned to their bench/sleeping place. She hung her tunic. He removed his leather strip. Despite her emaciated condition, he wanted her.
Tuksook's Story, 35,000 BC Page 36