The Blue Disc

by William B. Waits

  “They must have gotten some effective European weapons ashore,” Rick commented.

  “As you know from the ‘Origins Poem,’ their most powerful weapon, their cannon, could not be saved. To this day, it rests at the bottom of the reef that wrecked the Cork. Of course, even if they had been able to get the cannon ashore, I doubt they could have transported it up river past the portages. The trip inland was hard enough, transporting the scant provisions that our forebears had saved from the Cork. No great loss, as it turned out, because the cannon’s utility would have been limited in the mobile, stealthy warfare that prevails in the rain forest.”

  “They used all their other weapons?”

  “They used everything they had, but soon learned that some of them, for example, muskets, swords, and broadaxes, while useful early on, were ill-suited for rain forest fighting in the long run. Admittedly, the muskets had a fearsome, almost magical effect on the natives, who were, of course, encountering them for the first time. However, gunpowder was exceedingly limited, and it kept getting damp until they learned how to protect it better. It took them several decades to figure out how to make more in their new environment. Shot was difficult to make and heavy to transport. Within a few years, their European weapons rusted away in the wet conditions. They tried the best they could to protect them with oils from various plants but ultimately, the rain forest won. The more primitive weapons, the swords and broadaxes, at least lasted longer than the muskets.”

  “Wasn’t there other knowledge about fighting that they carried with them?” asked Rick.

  “There were a few things that helped them…at least for a while. For example, their metal shields were better than those of the natives, at least until they rusted away. They had helmets while natives didn’t, certainly an advantage in hand-to-hand combat, but much of the fighting here was done by stealth rather than in open battle. Catapults helped our forebears as did their use of fire in warfare, but their biggest advantage came from their knowledge of forts. That gave them some security, but once they had built one, they were stuck inside and could not keep moving up river. They had bows and arrows, as did natives, but in addition, they had crossbows, about which natives had no knowledge. However, as soon as their enemies captured or killed Euromamo warriors, they also captured their crossbows and quickly replicated them. It wasn’t long before all surrounding groups had crossbows and our forebears’ advantage was lost.”

  “There was much bloodshed in their early battles?”

  “Yes, throughout this ‘Time of Violent Battles’, as we call it, many got killed and injured, both Euromamo and our enemies. Natives were very skillful at using blowguns with poison-tipped darts, which were unfamiliar to our forebears. The blowguns were very accurate and made virtually no noise whereas our forebears’ muskets made a loud ruckus every time they fired, immediately giving away their position.”

  “Did your forebears win most of the battles?”

  “Yes, they managed to win most. As I reflect on it, the early Euromamo must have won a good share of them or we, their descendants, would not be here.”

  “If they won early battles using European techniques of warfare, what persuaded them to abandon them? If you had used them yesterday against the Islamamo, you probably would have won, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes, I suspect we’d have won yesterday had we used them, but the outcome wouldn’t have been as certain as you think. Traditional battles here are not pitched fights but are stealthy attacks at close range by concealed fighters, and the dart tubes can be reloaded much faster than modern weapons like catapults and muskets.”

  “I can see how native weapons would be quite effective,” said Rick.

  “European weapons have the greatest impact on people are assembled or in the open, for example, in villages or clearings. Our forebears’ use of them caused many deaths and injuries, but natives used effective tactics of their own, such as quick ambushes. Casualties were high on all sides, resulting in grief and long-term animosity.”

  “In adopting the Rules of Warfare, your forebears faced a great challenge in reducing the types and numbers of weapons, didn’t they? The transition must have been very difficult to bring about.”

  “It was. It required quite an adjustment for us, coming out of our European tradition of violent warfare, and it required an equally challenging adjustment for neighboring groups. Through negotiation over years, weapons were trimmed down to blow tubes with paint darts, as you saw yesterday. For it to work, everyone had to buy in to the system.”

  “Have you given up all of your European weapons?”

  “No. We can talk about that in a moment, but the short of it is that we have stored a supply in case we need them for a violent conflict outside the Rules of Warfare, and we still use them for hunting.”

  “I want to hear about that, but first tell me more about how the change to the Rules of Warfare occurred?”

  “In the second half of the nineteenth century, we had a gifted leader named Timothy Gallant, a descendant of the Cork’s brave captain, who showed a way forward not only for us but also for our neighbors. Early in his life, he was a strong and brave fighter who led us to important victories using, as we did at the time, violent weapons. Although he was held in high esteem for fighting, he was saddened by the deaths that occurred among us, even when we were victorious. The grief of the families was immense and cast a shadow over the rest of their lives. He also was struck by the residue of ill-will between combatants, especially in the minds of the defeated. He realized the other groups we fought experienced grief for those they lost every bit as deep as the grief we felt. Both sides were caught in a cycle of violence and recrimination.

  “Then, one fine day in 1870, Gallant was watching children play and noticed that they took their games very seriously. The contests produced winners and losers and each child wanted very much to win. At stake was a large dose of self-esteem and status with their playmates but, even so, they almost always played according to rules. Certain behavior was fair while other behavior was unfair. By the end of the game, one child or team would have lost, and they generally accepted the result. That was the crucial point. The children were willing to lose without stepping outside the rules of the game, for example, by starting a fistfight. Of course, from time to time, some cheating and fighting occurred in violation of the rules, but that was uncommon.

  “Gallant saw in a flash what an advance it would be if wars were fought according to rules, particularly rules that controlled the violent aspects of warfare. As he thought it through, he realized that even our wars with neighboring groups had some constraints. No one tried to poison the food of their enemies, although many groups blew poison darts into them. No one killed pre-adolescent children, although taking them prisoner was done by a few groups. No one used disease as a weapon. So, it seemed, wars in the rain forest were conducted by rules, even though the combatants may not have realized it. That led Gallant to a further insight: it might be possible to expand these rules of warfare to reduce the amount of deaths and injuries that occurred. That became the major goal of the reform movement: expand the rules to encumber violence. Generally, the more rules the better. Of course, this required a dramatic shift in thinking not only among the Euromamo, but also among our neighbors. It took several decades to get most of them to fight battles by paint darts rather than violently.”

  “However, you mentioned that you keep some violent weapons.”

  “Yes, we do. For all our attachment to paintball warfare, we think it would be naïve to give up our violent weapons. Therefore, we’ve kept our ability to wage violent warfare as have neighboring groups. As I mentioned, we use these weapons of violence regularly to kill food.”

  “What if you lose to a group in a paint dart battle and you don’t want to accept the results?”

  “Lose like we did yesterday?” offered John.

  “Exactly. What kept you from using your superior armaments to attack and defeat the Islamamo? You’ve a
lready said that you think you could have defeated them if you had used all the weapons at your disposal.”

  “Like when a sore loser of a playground game starts a fistfight?” John asked rhetorically. “You have hit at the most important rule of all: the loser in a paint dart battle must accept defeat and its consequences rather than engage in violent warfare outside the Rules. But this does not respond to your question. Why should the loser in a paint dart battle accept the result, particularly if the loser can fight through violent means?”

  “Yes. That’s my question,” said Rick.

  “There are several reasons. Battle by paint darts eliminates deaths and serious injuries. That has great value for the losers as well as the winners. If we abandoned the Rules, we would be back where we were before the reform, back to the Time of Violent Battles. The greatest challenge is getting stronger groups to resolve conflicts by paint dart rather than by violence. They think—rightfully so—that they can usually have their way through violence without risking a loss in a paint dart battle. From their viewpoint, if they have a better-than-even chance of winning through violent war, why would they accept the possibility of losing under the paint dart Rules?”

  “That’s a thorny question,” said Rick.

  “The solution is to give them exactly the chance they would have in violent warfare.”

  “How is that done?”

  “Rules People analyze the combatants before a battle and give the group that is stronger in conducting violent warfare more paint darts than the group that’s weaker. That increases the stronger combatant’s chance of victory, although it does not assure it, as you saw in our battle with the Islamamo. This parallels violent warfare where weaker groups can defeat stronger enemies, although they usually don’t. All we’ve done is to take out the violence.”

  “I see.”

  “Another reason why strong groups agree to paint dart warfare is that some of the most nettlesome results of violent warfare have been eliminated entirely. For example, winners in paint dart battles are never allowed to govern the losers or to take over a substantial part of the loser’s territory. The hostility generated by such an outcome would last for many years and would likely lead to more violent battles. However, some territory is commonly at stake and may change hands, as are hunting rights, trade obligations, and travel privileges. In addition, the losers commonly pay some form of tribute to the winners in the form of crops or other wealth agreed to ahead of time.”

  “The conveyance of territory is particularly intriguing,” said Rick.

  “At the conclusion of battles, the boundaries between the territories of the combatants are usually changed to reflect the outcome. Real territorial issues are at stake. You saw a symbolic enactment of that yesterday when, after the battle, we had to march backwards ten steps symbolizing giving up some of our territory.”

  “How are real territorial adjustments made?”

  “It’s all under the control of the Rules People. After the Leader and our four warriors are returned to us in good health, a delegation of Euromamo, Islamamo, and Rules People will go to the territory at issue. The Rules People will make sure that the adjustment of ownership or rights is made according to the agreement that the combatants bound themselves to before the battle.”

  “What did the Euromamo lose in today’s battle?”

  “We lost a portion of our hunting territories on the other side of the Great Lake. We hated to lose it, but we’ll abide by the result. We’ll also pay the Islamamo tribute in the form of some bushels of corn. It’ll reduce our supply, but we can manage it. In any regard, it’s better than having our young men and women killed or wounded in violent warfare.”

  “What about the Leader and the four warriors having to leave with the Islamamo?”

  “They will have a hard four days, that’s for sure. They’re required to wait on the Islamamo hand and foot and will be taunted and insulted. They’ll get little sleep and only one meal a day. You can be sure the Islamamo will do everything they can to make their stay unpleasant. Their treatment may seem harsh to you, but it gives leaders and warriors a personal stake in the outcome of the battle. Without it, they might treat battles as mere games and be too inclined to fight. Therefore, we’ve given our paint dart battles a bite that our recreational games do not have.”

  “Are there other limitations on what the winners can do to the captives?” asked Rick.

  “Yes, and they’re important. Even though the captives are greatly outnumbered in the Islamamo village, their treatment must remain within the Rules. For example, they cannot be physically tortured and no one can take sexual advantage of them, male or female.”

  “How do you know the Islamamo will abide by these rules?”

  “A Rules Person stays in the Islamamo village for the four days to monitor their treatment.”

  “What other rules limit how the winners can treat the losers?”

  “The winners cannot destroy the food supplies of the losers or destroy any of their buildings. They aren’t allowed to enslave losing villagers except, of course, for the five captives who are servants for a while. If any of these actions were permitted, it’d create long-term resentments. Taken together, these controls keep the results of the battles within the bounds of acceptability for the groups that lose. Even groups that are strong at violent warfare accept the outcomes of paint dart battles when they lose. As we say, ‘It is better to lose a paint dart battle than to win a violent battle.’ We repeat it frequently so that our youths internalize it and use it as a guide for thinking about war.”

  “That certainly limits the downside of your paint dart battles, but does that leave enough at stake to make them real battles?” asked Rick.

  “There are always real interests at stake. In fact, paint dart battles aren’t held at all unless there are real interests at stake that can’t be resolved through negotiation. They’re certainly not held for pleasure like sporting events are. In short, our paint dart battles, even though they’re non-violent and constrained by the Rules of Warfare, are serious. That’s why there’s no preset schedule or a season for paint dart battles like there are for our recreational games. Paint dart battles are only scheduled as issues arise.”

  “Aren’t there times when a group gets so angry at another group that they revert to violent warfare outside the rules?”

  “Yes, tragically, that happens sometimes despite the commitment of most groups to fighting with paint darts.”

  “What happens in those cases?” asked Rick.

  “The other groups who are a part of the paint dart system take concerted action to stop the violator. Therefore, violators of the Rules know they’re almost certain to be defeated if they step outside the Rules and engage in violent battles. One group doesn’t have enough warriors to defeat a coalition of everyone else. Therefore, the mere threat of collective action is almost always sufficient to persuade a rebellious group to abide by the system of paint dart warfare.”

  “When the coalition must fight, aren’t groups reluctant to send their warriors to a violent encounter, even if they have good odds of winning?”

  “Yes. Violent warfare, even for the side with superior numbers, is a fearful enterprise. You can lose an eye or limb—or your life—and you can do so even if your side prevails, as you know.”

  “How do you get all to participate?”

  “It’s a solemn obligation of all groups to support collective efforts against those who act outside the Rules of Warfare. If groups didn’t honor this obligation to act collectively, the whole system would collapse.”

  The discussion left Rick with much to contemplate. He wrote notes in his journal all afternoon until dinner.

  CHAPTER 6

  The Committee

  When Rick awoke the second day after the battle, he bristled at the thought of being stuck in the bunker until the Leader was released by the Islamamo and would decide his fate.

  I need to do research. Got to get something in my field j
ournals. I try talking to the guards, but that doesn’t work. No response. Perhaps John or the Leader told them to clam up. What’s so damn important that they are trying to hide? I might as well look out the windows. Maybe I can see something. Damn. No activity. I need to use this time or I’ll go crazy. I know! I’ll make notes on the events that got me here. I probably won’t use them in my dissertation, but I want to make notes on something. I’ll get a field journal from my backpack, fill my pen, and gather my thoughts. Why I brought a fountain pen here, I don’t know, but I love writing with it. Since my graduate committee sent me here, I’ll start there.

  As he wrote, he recalled the conversations and details well.

  It was early March 1985, and it was time for my graduate committee to meet. The weather had turned warmer in New Haven, unlike the long 1983-1984 winter when my ankles got sore from wobbling on the deep footprints frozen on top of the sidewalk. It had served me right, being a Southern boy who decided to go to school in the North. I was heading toward tougher terrain again, albeit of a different sort. At my upcoming committee meeting, I’d present my proposal for fieldwork, which is a requirement for completing my doctoral degree. My goal was simple: get the committee members to OK my fieldwork. During the weeks leading up to the meeting, my back was far tenser than usual. Come to think of it, I don’t think it had fully relaxed since I began graduate school. It was not just the mental and physical effort. It was financial stress as well. Graduate school had depleted my money, leaving me with only two pairs of blue jeans, worn out and an embarrassment. Through constant attention to thrift, however, I had cobbled together enough money over the years to keep me going, but I still worried about whether I’d have enough to finish the program, although I was willing to devote everything I had to it. I wanted desperately to finish.