Ki'ti's Story, 75,000 BC

by Bonnye Matthews

  “What is the meaning of all this, Tongip?”

  He smiled, “I thought it would mean we’d join,” he said.

  “You want to join with me?” she asked timidly, totally unsure of herself.

  “To have a wife such as you, beautiful, copulating with such intensity, spending time as we have—who could ask for more? Don’t you realize that I love you?”

  “I didn’t think anyone would ever love me,” she said while tears fell from her eyes to his chest.

  “Why not, Aryna, you are lovely.”

  “I’ve always been told that I was nothing. That I was ugly. That I was lazy. All bad things. Nobody ever looked at me. I have been treated well by the People, but still nobody ever told me I was lovely.”

  “Look at your people. The Minguat, they were called?”

  She nodded.

  “They argued all the time and didn’t make people feel good or work for the benefit of all. They were probably so self centered they never saw what your feelings were. Toward the end, they were at war and thinking of survival. My Dear One, I care about your feelings. I want to see that you have good feelings for the rest of your life.”

  “I just feel so unworthy.”

  “I wish I could wash away your feelings of unworthiness. All I can tell you is that you have been caused to believe a lie. You are as worthy as anyone ever born. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”

  He pulled her up and shook out her tunic and helped her into it. He surrounded her with his arms and held her tight to his chest. Her head came to his shoulder, unlike Ki’ti’s whose head came to the mid-chest level of Untuk. Aryna’s belly called to her. She had the same watery feeling that Ki’ti had experienced. She too wondered whether this was love. She would find Ki’ti and talk to her.

  The two walked up the path back to the cave. Midway, he stopped her. He kissed her passionately.

  He said, “Will you join me?”

  She looked at him unsure, but she replied, “Yes.”

  “Will you talk to Wamumur or should I?”

  “I think you should,” she said, not at all sure that this was a good idea but it seemed better than anything she had considered.

  They reached the cave and he found Wamumur right away. He suggested they would really have to hurry to prepare a cave and it had to be at least three caves from the other couple. Totamu told Aryna to sweep their chosen cave and Tongip to prepare the hearth. She told them to gather their sleeping things and carry them down to their cave after it was prepared. This had to be done before the evening meal. They got busy fast. Aryna had no time to think. She just did what she thought was best for her to do.

  The evening meal was called and afterward Wamumur pronounced Aryna and Tongip joined. They left the cave as soon as they could after dancing and headed for their cave which was not quite as far down the rock walk as Ki’ti and Untuk’s. Tongip lit the fire quickly and came to her. He was extremely gentle and seduced her with great care. The two spent the rest of the night learning each other and how to please the other. Aryna felt awakened from a deep sleep. She was finally coming of age. Her body had been there for a while, but her emotions had been tangled and twisted to the point that only someone like Tongip would have been able to help her make them straight.

  At the end of fourteen days, Wamumur and Emaea talked of Ki’ti’s stay in their cave. Surely by now was her time of bleeding. They would not need to be in their cave then. But little did they know that the Mol did not perceive a need to refrain from copulating when a female bled. They simply went to wash afterward. They had used the lower part of the stream for bathing but that hadn’t slowed them down. Wamumur and Emaea didn’t know whether to speak to the young people or leave it alone. So, they decided that Ki’ti was joined and this was not an area they needed to speak to them about. They did feel it odd that the two did not return to the cave.

  Totamu felt that Wamumur and Emaea should tell the young people to return, but they told Totamu that it was none of their business. The young people would return when they returned. All knew that when first joined, couples would do and try things they wouldn’t do in the main cave. The cave had a controlling atmosphere. For someone like Ki’ti, Wamumur reasoned the exploration and trial phase might require longer.

  Little would Wamumur have guessed that his daughter was kneeling at that moment lowering herself onto the erect member of her husband while her large naked breasts swung a bit—to her husband’s delight. In his entire life, Wamumur had never conceived of doing such a thing and he would have found it scandalous. Emaea would have been shocked. They might, too, have interfered. Totamu might have considered banishing the young people, though she didn’t have that power. It was definitely something that wouldn’t take place in the home cave, though some of the People would have to admit to participating in the practice in the woods or fields or anywhere they could be alone, to do what might draw attention in communal cave. What would have really horrified Wamumur and Emaea was Untuk’s taking her from the back as dogs do. Ki’ti didn’t like it at all, so it only happened a few times.

  Aryna was participating in the same things. The Mol were not repressed at all when it came to sexual activity. Aryna, unlike Ki’ti, had no knowledge at all. The Others expected females to comply with whatever a male wanted. Women were subservient. She took it for granted that all of the activity involving copulating was normal and should evoke pleasure for the man. She was hesitant to voice her feelings about any of it for fear of not being approved. Finally, Tongip had to open the gates of communication by telling her that he was certain she had some likes and dislikes, and he wanted to know what they were. She was so shocked at his question that she answered directly and truthfully. He listened. He wanted to please her, not just himself. That brought a new dimension to their lovemaking and caused their time in the cave to increase substantially. Aryna could not believe the turn her life was taking. She hoped that Ki’ti’s was equally as good.

  Finally, the day arrived that Aryna and Tongip returned to the home cave. The People were delighted. The couple set up their sleeping place and were part of the People. Still, Ki’ti and Untuk had not returned. It was a total enigma. People were careful not to discuss it, but it was in their minds. Aryna and Tongip understood but they were not about to enlighten the People.

  Emaea found Ki’ti and took her aside. She asked her directly why they had not returned to the home cave. Ki’ti told her truthfully that they were enjoying each other tremendously and that they had not reached a point of wanting to do only what was approved for the communal cave. She told Emaea truthfully that the two had considered remaining in their cave for the season of the cold days. She told Emaea that the two were so amazingly suited to each other for copulating that it was enormous joy for them and sometimes they would even let it out loud. They knew the People in the main cave would not approve.

  Emaea sat back on her heels. She was Wise One to her former group. She knew things. She had anticipated that there would come a time when the other caves would become used for a variety of reasons. She hadn’t anticipated that her daughter might be the first. She would talk to Wamumur.

  Ki’ti did not feel wrong about their length of time in their small cave. She inwardly wanted to have the rest of her life with Untuk in their cave. She loved the freedom. Untuk, however, was beginning to feel the pressure to return to the home cave. He had already learned that the times for more ardent lovemaking took place away from the home cave in stolen moments. He was unsure what to do. He loved his wife and he loved the People. He knew that Ki’ti had great responsibility to the People. He thought some of that responsibility might mean an end to their personal cave. The same day Emaea had talked to Ki’ti, Untuk did the same thing. To his amazement, Ki’ti wept.

  “I’m sorry, my husband. I have been selfish and self centered. I could stay in that cave of ours for the rest of my days and be totally happy.”

  “I understand, but your responsibility is to the People as we
ll as to me. You are ignoring your People.”

  “That means we have to slip off?”

  “That’s exactly what it means.”

  “How do we do that in the season of cold days?” she asked.

  “I’d have to say carefully,” he replied.

  “Can you find out where others go?”

  “I will try. I will also try to find a place I can fix for us that is away from the main cave life but not a far distance, so we can walk there in the season of cold days.”

  “Then I suppose we must return. Not tonight, my husband. Not tonight.”

  “Then tomorrow morning we carry back our sleeping mats and covers, my wife. It is time.”

  They went to their sleeping cave and stayed there not sleeping all night. Ahriku slept on his bed by the fire.

  The next morning, Untuk met Mihalee. He was returning home. He was terribly homesick. He had hoped to find a wife, but there were no more single women available. So he would return and wait for his cousin to become woman. That did not please him but it would be no longer than a year. And he would remain at home, not far away having to speak a different language. These People had been very hospitable but he was well ready for home. The two talked briefly and then hugged. They would miss each other.

  Nanichak-na and Chamul-na agreed to accompany the young man to the hunting spot where they’d met him and the other two Mol. It was not far and they decided it was safer for travel through the forest for the young man to have company. Mihalee wished they would go to his family caves, but they didn’t want to travel that far. The men set off on a lovely day. When they eventually reached the place where the hunters had gathered, they were surprised to find other Mol there. Mihalee explained his absence and that Untuk and Tongip had found wives and had remained behind. He explained that he was returning home to wait for his cousin, Elma, to become woman. The men of the Mol laughed. Elma was woman. Mihalee’s sadness was replaced with excitement.

  The season of cold days came on. As her husband insisted, Ki’ti and he returned to the main cave. They were very repressed in their joining under the skins by night by the numbers of People surrounding them. Untuk learned of a number of places available for couples away from the main cave, and the signs used to indicate they were occupied, since fires would not be lit at any of them. He and Ki’ti would share these caves many times. It almost made up for the lack of their own private cave. Totamu, Wamumur, and Emaea never knew of the alternate caves. There was no need to enlighten them!

  Wamumur began to teach Untuk what he needed to know to husband his wife. It was far more an in depth training than most young men would have been given. It involved how to keep her impetuousness controlled and not break her spirit. There had to be balance. He called on Emaea and Manak for help.

  Untuk was a very serious and responsible young man. When he learned that Ki’ti made cracks for herself to hide in so she didn’t have to obey, he found the idea hilarious. It sounded so incongruous to anything he had ever entertained intellectually. He’d never dreamed of such an outlandish but clever idea. Manak assured him it was anything but hilarious. He urged the young man to secure promises from her that she would obey each demand unequivocally. It would save a lot of grief for both him and her. Wamumur assured the young man that if Ki’ti’s actions needed to be corrected and he failed, Wamumur would attend to it more severely. That absolutely got Untuk’s attention. The Wise One definitely had that power, even though Ki’ti was Untuk’s wife. He had control over her becoming Wise One. That control was total. Wamumur told Untuk that if he and his wife disagreed and she was becoming too assertive, he was to start calling her Little Girl. That, he assured him, would remind her of her responsibility. He had reluctant thoughts about having to call his wife, Little Girl, but he promised Wamumur that if it became necessary, he would. Wamumur talked about the humility that lay as the foundation for success of the People and the way that pride was destructive. He informed the young man that his wife’s worst fault was pride. He said she expressed it in ways that didn’t look like pride—like finding cracks to hide in to avoid obeying. He tried to teach his new son as much as possible all at once. Finally, Wamumur realized it might have to come through time and experience with Ki’ti.

  One day when it was cold and the People had gathered inside to do various work, Ki’ti pressed Untuk to take time to visit one of the special caves. He told her that was impractical at the time. She continued to press. Finally, perturbed, he took her wrist and pulled her from the cave without season-of-cold-days clothing. He took her to the food cave which was nearby, leaned down, and swatted her on the rump once hard.

  “What has gotten into you, my husband?” she asked with tears falling from her eyes.

  “You asked a question. I answered you. You must obey, my wife.”

  “Or?” Ki’ti said with her hands on her hips.

  “Or you will have a lot more than I just gave you. Look at me! Don’t you remember what you learned when you disobeyed as a child? How much worse to disobey your husband? Don’t do that to me. If I fail to discipline you, your father will discipline you worse than I would have.” He had her by the shoulders, his hands strong, fingers pressing hard into her skin. “I do this for you, for us, and for the People. You must obey. I can force you, but you should do it for love of me, of us, and of the People.”

  She wept, completely chastised. “Forgive me, my husband,” she whispered.

  He wrapped his arms about her and forgave her. Then, abruptly, he took her by the wrist and they returned to the cave. “You have stories to work on,” he said and let her go. She lowered her head to him. Wamumur saw the whole episode and had noted her headstrong behavior. He knew. When he saw Untuk return with her and saw the difference in her attitude, he exchanged a look of approval with Untuk. Untuk was taking on well the additional responsibility that came with Ki’ti.

  Chapter 9

  “I was just lucky. Minagle was available and she is partly one of us. You couldn’t really know that she wasn’t one of us. Nothing weird about her head and she is slender of body,” Ghanya said, leaning against the rock wall while standing below the rock path by the big tree.

  “What would you have done if you’d had to join with one of them?” Sum asked.

  “I wouldn’t have chosen to join with anyone,” Ghanya boasted. “I’d have waited until I found one of us. You and Keptu arrived with Aryna. That added more of us Minguat.”

  “Yes, well she chose a Mol.”

  “She might not have. She knows we are superior!” Ghanya said.

  “You might have reason to reevaluate your estimation of the Minguat if you’d been through the war we just had. I don’t think we are so superior.” Sum wondered how his cousin could believe such silly ideas about superiority, after having experienced war for no apparent reason where almost the entire group of Minguat on both sides had lost their lives.

  “What are you talking about? We’re smarter than they are. They probably couldn’t defend themselves if our people made war on them. They’re soft. They’d just run.”

  “If we hadn’t run, we’d be dead,” Sum said flatly. Ghanya’s arrogance was irritating Sum. “Both groups of Minguat are almost totally gone from this earth. That is not smart! You lived with them for years and you’re alive and well. I don’t get your point, Ghanya. I think you have overrated the Minguat. We aren’t smarter than they are. You should be able to see how fortunate you are. As for smart, I’m not so young that I don’t remember that girl who told the stories. You think we have memories like that?”

  “But that’s what they depend on. Memories. We think forward. We figure out things.”

  “You’re puffing like Baambas, Ghanya. I saw what we do. We kill each other. Is that smart? I guess my wife still agrees with you. She thinks we are superior because for generations uncountable we’ve told ourselves we are superior. You don’t become something just because you tell yourself you are. I think we are fools to do that. And thinking forward? Who
saw to it that we had food through that season of cold days during the ashfall?”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way,” Ghanya said. “You should have seen them when we took a dead body to the cave in the hills. The Wise Ones and Ki’ti were acting like they were with people who weren’t there. Totally lost their ways in their mind webs. Monkeys to me—just monkeys!”

  “Does Minagle know how you feel?” Sum asked.

  “I doubt it. Why would I share that with her? She’s just a woman.”

  Wamumur had heard enough. He had been standing on the rock wall leaning against the big tree, branches of which shaded the rock path. He heard every word. He used the silent hunter’s walk and went to find Guy-na. He waved to Guy-na and asked him to find Arkan-na and meet him at the end of the rock walk. The three came together and Arkan-na asked, “Wise One, what is the nature of this meeting?”

  “I just overheard a conversation that chilled me to the bone. Ghanya was speaking to Sum about the superiority of the Others over the People. Until now, I didn’t know how he felt. I had some thoughts, but nothing I could put my finger on. I am appalled and I am not sure what to do.”

  “What makes you think he thinks we think we are superior?” Guy-na asked.

  “He said that you have been taught that for generations and generations. He views us as soft, incapable of defending ourselves against Others. He finds our People unattractive. Frankly, feeling as he does, I don’t know why he is still among us.” Wamumur was obviously troubled by the incident—more than they at first assumed.

  “We live here by the grace of the People,” Arkan-na said. “I was raised to think we were superior. When we were confined with the People during the cold season of the ashfall, I saw the lie we had been given to believe. I saw a People who were taught to reason and not to think more of themselves than they should. It was a huge enlightenment. That is why we are here. Your way is the better way. Look at what happened to my people who left. Three are alive!”