Ki'ti's Story, 75,000 BC

by Bonnye Matthews

  Domur, Minagle, Aryna, Meeka, and Liho were out gathering wood when Domur noticed some low growing vegetation sticking through the ash. She brushed off the ash with a stick and found a blueberry bush that had fruit attached. She asked Liho if she knew how to get back to the home cave. She nodded that she did. Domur asked Liho to get something to hold the blueberries. Domur said blueberry several times so that Liho would remember the word. Liho grinned with understanding and took off at a run. Domur began to shake the bush. The other girls found similar bushes. They were delighted. Tonight they could have a real treat. Liho returned with a plain bowl made of carved wood. Quickly and with great care, the girls began to fill the bowl. Liho started to eat a blueberry and was reproved by Minagle. The area had a number of blueberry bushes and the girls soon filled the bowl and Meeka carried it carefully back to the home cave where it was emptied and she returned with it for more. It took until high sun for the girls to pick clean the blueberry bushes in that area. Minagle carried the last blueberries to the cave. The other girls returned to their stick gathering, feeling well satisfied. Minagle joined them after delivering the blueberries.

  Totamu noticed Blanagah sitting hugging her knees on her sleeping mat. She went over to the girl and touched her shoulder. “What are you doing?” Totamu asked.

  Blanagah did not respond.

  Totamu shoved her. “Get up and put on a booted garment. Go to Cave Sumbrel and work on those skins. There are not enough people working the skins and there’s a need for someone to stretch skins and you’re strong,” she said loud enough for the entire cave to hear. Blanagah was frightened. Rarely were orders issued among the People. When they were, it was due usually to laziness or obstinacy. Blanagah got up and desultorily headed for the cave opening. It was bleak inside the cave without Reemast; it was bleak outside the cave with all the gray monotone; it was bleak to do skins. However, she would prefer to do skins than have Totamu escalate her attack. She did what she must automatically. Suddenly, every woman in the cave who was not inextricably involved in an activity that was critical to the group’s welfare gathered tools and left for Cave Sumbrel. Even Enut prepared to join them.

  Totamu stopped Enut. “Your cough is bad. Stay here.” Totamu doubted that Enut would have enough breath to make it to the cave. Her cough had gotten a lot worse even with help of the leaves. She wondered whether Enut might die soon. Enut retreated to her sleeping skins. Her awareness was at a low level. She responded simply to directions from others.

  Shmyukuk had been nursing Ey’s infant much more frequently and the baby girl was showing signs of life. It gave Shmyukuk a strange sense of fulfillment that she’d never experienced. Ey had gone to work the skins along with Likichi. Shmyukuk, Wamumal, and Mitrak were caring for all the infants of whom there were seven: Frakja was Likichi’s two-year-old boy; Mitrak’s two-year-old daughter was Ketra; Wamumal’s year-old twin boys were Ekoy and Smig; Trokug was Shmyukuk’s year-old son; Tita was Ey’s two-year-old daughter; and Seenaha was Amey’s three-year-old daughter.

  Wamumur was back listening to stories with Ki’ti and she had just finished the last story. She had not erred. Now, Wamumur was ready to move to the second stage of the examination. He wanted her to discuss the meanings or significances of the stories. As they began to discuss the significances, Ki’ti began to fail. It was one thing to know all the words and inflections but the significances, those were something else. He then realized that he would have to begin again. She would tell the first story and then they would discuss it in detail. He knew that with her memory, there would be little problem getting her to remember the significances. Even greater understanding would come in time as she repeated to herself or to another the significances. He would have to be sure that she understood the finer points. But he knew he had his replacement. On that, he could rest assured.

  Wamumur was intrigued with the dog. It seemed to have one desire in life—to be near Ki’ti. It did not bother anyone in the cave. The two seemed to have a special bond and that was captivating to the old man.

  Totamu went to Eki and motioned for her to follow. Eki was one of the newcomers and was working with Munjun to cook the meat for the evening meal. Totamu deloused her hair and then cut it. That was followed by a trip for bathing and then Totamu sought out Pu. Pu had left for the skins. She looked for the other women who were new and could not find one. Then she realized that Blanagah had left with long hair. Totamu smiled to herself. Her comments to Blanagah had been very effective. Then she remembered Munjun. Munjun had been turning the large roasts that were speared and cooking slowly over the fire. Munjun had just returned from the privy and Totamu went to her. Munjun kneeled at the roasting pit and Totamu began with the delousing. Munjun had white hair but it was not the white hair of Totamu’s People which was fine and very white. Munjun’s hair, Totamu noticed, still had some black in it and the white color was more gray than white. It was thick hair.

  Down in the bathing area, Munjun was replacing her shaken out tunic when she beamed at Totamu and said haltingly, “I you thank.” Totamu smiled and put her hand on Munjun’s shoulder. “It’s ‘thank you’,” she said.

  Munjun looked at her, “Thank you.”

  Totamu smiled and lowered her head. It’s good, she thought. It is good. She patted Munjun’s shoulder.

  When the women gathered to begin to return to the home cave to help with food preparation, they divided up who would stay and continue working and who would go for food preparation. This division was handled well for the women who returned to the home cave did so willingly and those who stayed to work the skins did so willingly. No one seemed to notice that nobody who had long hair willingly returned to the home cave.

  Totamu had taken some of the grains they had and mixed them with blueberries that had been washed ash free earlier. When the women arrived, she had two of them take the grains and the blueberries and mix them together with a little honey from the gut bag and then roll them into little round balls and place them on a long sheet of leather to dry out. They would have a very special sweet treat.

  Totamu sent Wamumal to Cave Sumbrel to bring a long-haired woman back with her. Wamumal quickly put on a booted garment and went to do Totamu’s bidding. When she reached the cave, she said, “Totamu has sent for the first of you for haircutting.”

  Feeling that she needed to show an example even though she didn’t want to, Pu arose and followed Wamumal. As they walked back to the home cave, Pu touched Wamumal’s head and asked the best she could how it felt to have short hair. Wamumal, smiled and said, “Wonderful! No louse bites all day.” Pu understood. Pu’s arrival surprised Totamu. She expected People, not Others. She was secretly pleased.

  By the time the evening meal was ready, all but two women had been shorn. As soon as Totamu finished at the bath with one, that one would return to Cave Sumbrel and send back another. Totamu had been surprised that she had had to summon the women. They were supposed to have presented themselves after the morning meal. At least, the People were supposed to. Totamu had pushed the Others and made no apologies. Totamu, however, did not dwell on the shortcomings of her People’s running away that morning rather than being shorn. She might have done the same thing had she been young. Totamu was an administrator of sorts. If People neglected what they were supposed to do, she took it upon herself to poke and prod or do whatever was necessary to make the group function as optimally as possible.

  The evening meal was a great success. The roasts were wonderful and the blueberry-grain-honey rolled delicacies were really special. There were enough treats for one more night. All People enjoyed the unexpected luxury, except Frakja, who stuck a piece of the treat up his nostril and had to endure the discomfort of having it extracted.

  After the evening meal, Totamu caught one by one of the Others and cut their hair. She was surprised that the Others did not object, since she had no permission to cut their hair but then she thought, they are accustomed to being told what to do. Pu had indeed set an example. Sh
e smiled and kept on with her work to eliminate head lice.

  Ki’ti sat beside Wamumur after they ate. She looked up at his shaved head and beardless face again as if getting used to it was taking a while. At least he had his eyebrows. He felt her eyes on him and looked at her.

  She could contain it no longer. “Wise One, why do you call me Little Girl?”

  He put his arm around her and asked why she hadn’t been able to know why. She frowned and said it might be easier to understand if he was calling someone else Little Girl.

  “Very well,” he said, “I’ll tell you. You are our next Wise One.”

  “No, that’s impossible!” she protested, shocked.

  “Why so?” he asked.

  “I am not that important, Wise One,” she said with her head lowered.

  “Little Girl, look at me.”

  Ki’ti looked into his eyes as he continued, “Wise Ones don’t select themselves. Wisdom searches the People and selects the Wise One. Wisdom does not search for someone who deserves the mission but rather the person Wisdom chooses is the one Wisdom chooses. Wisdom didn’t choose you because you have a better or worse mind web than someone else. You are able to remember the stories because Wisdom gave them to you. Wisdom is wiser than either you or I will ever hope to be. You cannot argue with Wisdom. You have a mission and you have to fulfill it now that Wisdom gave you the stories. Also, there will be a time when I die. Your mission is to follow me. The People must have a Wise One or we lose all our knowledge. You have the knowledge but not the understanding right now. It is my job to give you the understanding. But there is great danger in knowing that you will become Wise One and in being one. The danger is that you can come to see yourself as more than you should. People think better of themselves than they should all the time. For a Wise One to do it threatens the life of the entire People. It is very tempting to get puffed up with pride, and then you are not only worthless but the People can also perish because of it, because you think of self first. You have to guard against it for the rest of your life. I call you Little Girl to remind you now and in the future that you are to kill your pride every time it raises its head. You will remember my calling you that. You will remember my warning about pride. A prideful Wise One is a fool. You are critical to the survival of the People but that makes you servant to all, not chief. Sometimes you will want to do other things and you will have to deny yourself. Do you understand my words?”

  “Yes. Wise One, did you ever have to deny yourself?”

  Wamumur chuckled to himself. “See that woman there?”

  “You mean Emaea?”

  “Yes, I do. When we were young and of the age to join, our groups met. It was a very long time ago. We wanted to join. We burned for each other. I know you don’t understand that yet. But we had to part.”

  “Why, Wise One?” Ki’ti looked sad.

  “Because she is the Wise One of her group and I am the Wise One of ours. It cut our bellies to the core to have to split—I felt as if my belly bled for years, but that is the way of Wisdom. Our bellies were cut for the rest of our lives—until I walked into this cave and we were together again. Other times, you want to do other things. There were times when I wanted to hunt or explore. Those are things that are denied a Wise One. We end up protected. Even when we don’t want to be protected.” He looked off into the distance farther than the walls.

  “So that is why you haven’t joined now that you’re together again? In case you have to part?”

  “You are very perceptive when the subject is not yourself,” he acknowledged with a small laugh.

  “So you are starting to get me used to having to deny myself by calling me Little Girl?”

  “Very good, Little Girl.”

  “But it makes me sound younger than I am,” she continued to protest.

  “Yes, it does. Imagine how you’ll feel when I call you that and you are” and he flashed thirty. He seriously doubted he’d be alive when she reached that age.

  “You wouldn’t do that?” she said questioningly, horrified.

  “I will do anything I can to keep you from pride,” he vowed. “The very feeling of resentment you are having right now is pride, Little Girl.”

  “I like Falling Star a lot better than Little Girl,” she said. “Please tell me that the People won’t start to use that term.”

  He smiled. “They won’t unless I tell them to do it. Right now, your words are pride, Little Girl.” He was becoming testy.

  Ki’ti lowered her head. “Forgive me?”

  “Yes. Start thinking about your pride and begin killing it off. Right now, you are concerned with what you want and what you like. Get rid of those feelings. That is not what being a Wise One is all about. Put first in your mind that the People are more important than any want you’ll ever have. You are servant.”

  After a while she asked, “Do the People know I will become Wise One someday?

  “Some have thought it out and know, but I’ve told no one yet. I will have to do it soon because you have to be protected. In fact, there is no better time than right now.”

  Wamumur rose and asked whether anyone was missing from the cave. Blanagah wanted to scream that Reemast was missing, but she held her peace. No one was missing. Then he began the pronouncement. It was directed to the People, not the Others as much, but he made it to the whole group. Wisdom had selected Ki’ti as the next Wise One. From that moment forth she was to be protected. The People knew what that meant and each took it seriously that instant. The hunters who were learning the stories would not be relieved of their duties to continue to practice the stories, but the next Wise One would be Ki’ti.

  Ki’ti did not realize that never again would she be able to go anywhere without hunter escort lest some wild beast or person snatch her. Her life was making an enormous change. She would never again know privacy, though to the little group of People, privacy wasn’t really a major issue, but she was not permitted even to go to the privy alone since it was outside the cave. For her, it might be easier at this age than when she became woman, but it would not be easy—ever.

  She left Wamumur and went to her sleeping mat. She was very tired and now she had full realization that the last few days had been a test of her, Wamumur hadn’t wanted to listen to season-of-cold-days stories at the end of the season of warm nights. But she should have known that Wamumur did not waste his time days on end with a child for no reason. She just hadn’t questioned. She ran her fingers through the fur on her sleeping mat. She stretched out and hugged Ahriku to her belly. What would her life be? Her mind raced into sleep.

  Blanagah returned from the privy and sat on her sleeping mat. She noticed that Olintak and Slamika were moving under their skins and she knew what that motion meant. Good for Olintak, she thought, and then returned to the ache in her own belly. She pulled the skin over her and tried to block all thought and sound.

  It was not long before the entire cave was asleep except for the lone guard at the entrance.

  When Wisdom returned color to the land, the hunters were up quickly, eager to get on with the meat preparation. The women served the morning meal as swiftly as possible. There was a feeling that this would be a good day. The women hurried to get to the skin preparation. There were some lovely aurochs skins.

  Manak virtually inhaled his food and then came and kneeled before Totamu. “Izumo,” he said, “Would you cut off my hair like you did for the Wise One?”

  “If you wish,” she said. “You will have to get the tools from Wamumur.”

  Manak rocked his feet back to standing and went to Wamumur who was at the cave entrance. He asked if he could take the tools to Izumo who would cut off all his hair as she had his. He agreed and told Manak where the tools were. Manak was bald and his little facial hair was gone quickly. He then raced to the Cave Sumbrel to get his assignment for the day without taking time for a bath. He noticed that he felt wonderful to be shaved, but the air on his naked head felt a little strange, but at least nothi
ng was moving or biting.

  When Totamu finished with Manak, Ekuktu asked for the same head and face shave. Totamu agreed to do it. She had gone earlier to return the tools to Wamumur and he suggested she keep them for a while since it was likely she’d need them again. He was right.

  The young girls gathered and began to put on their booted garments for their stick gathering. Ki’ti joined them and when Wamumur saw her with the girls putting on a booted garment, he strode over and picked her up by the straps on the booted garment, holding her out from him as if she were a bug.

  “What are you doing, Little Girl?” he asked roughly. “Did last night mean nothing to you?”

  She wished he’d put her down. She felt utterly foolish dangling there and the dog didn’t know whether to bark forcefully or tuck tail and run, so he watched and shivered.

  “You are to become Wise One. You do not go off with a few girls. You are to start learning. Now, take off the garment.” He put her down and turned and moved to his favorite area of the cave.

  Ki’ti lowered her head and shed tears. Minagle put her arm around her sister. She whispered, “Your responsibility is more important than ours, my Sister. Go and do well.”

  Ki’ti removed the garment and went to kneel before Wamumur.

  “I will try to do better, Wise One,” she said.

  “Let’s get something straight. Until I die, you will be by my side all day every day unless I tell you differently. You will learn what it is to be Wise One. That is your mission. You have no choice in this and your pride will prick at you for some time to come. The sooner you get control over it, better yet kill it, the sooner you will be happy.”

  “Wise One, I really don’t want to be a Wise One. I am not fit.”

  Wamumur grabbed her by the back of her tunic and tossed her across his legs and swatted her very hard on the bottom as if she were an infant. “You have no choice. I do not want to hear those thoughts again ever. Things are what they are. How dare you call yourself unfit when Wisdom gave you the stories? You blaspheme Wisdom! You cannot change this. If I must treat you like you’re an infant, I will. Wisdom chose you. I didn’t. Do you think I would fight Wisdom? Never!” He paused. He had lied. He recently fought Wisdom on the trek. Fortunately, he thought, no one knew. “Now, start getting used to how things will be. You cannot change this. To fight it, you have to fight me and the People. Worse, you’d have to fight Wisdom. You will lose. Make this easier on yourself. Obey.” He picked her up and put her to his side. Ki’ti’s head was as low as she could get it. She knew then and there that she had better quickly control her mouth and learn to curb or kill her own pride. But how, remained to be clear.