Manak-na's Story, 75,000 BC

by Bonnye Matthews

  “Kai-na,” he asked, “What does this measure?”

  “It measures the size of a giant skull and jaw we found. The giant had red hair,” Kai-na replied.

  Silence covered the camp with a great heaviness. Only the very young failed to realize that meant giants were real, and that they were two to three times larger than adult People. Manak-na and Kai-na returned to their places.

  Manak-na continued, “We considered that the People who used to be Mol should come to this place. We also considered that Ki’ti should also see it.” Manak-na nodded to Ki’ti.

  Tongip-na made eye contact with Ki’ti. She nodded to him.

  Tongip-na looked at Kai-na and then Manak-na. He asked, “Do you think the skull belonged to one of my relatives from long, long, long ago? Maybe one of the path builders?”

  Tongip-na nodded to Kai-na, who replied, “The skull was only one of many. We hardly explored the area before turning around to have you come to see this for yourselves.” Kai-na nodded to Tongip-na.

  Beyond the circle of the men’s council, Yomuk was listening. He was ready to go, his interest so intense. What a grand adventure! he thought.

  Tongip-na nodded to Ki’ti.

  “What is your thought about this?” Ki’ti asked, nodding back to Tongip-na.

  “I definitely want to see this. I’d think most formerly Mol would like to go, too. The bodies could be Mol giants. We’ve only heard about giants, never seen one. Ki’ti, if you joined with us could you possibly gain information for us from what you see there?”

  Ki’ti shrugged.

  Manak-na almost moaned. He knew Tongip-na was probably right, but Manak-na knew it could be dangerous for Ki’ti to get involved in another time. They would have to guard her. Manak-na looked up—right into the eyes of Untuk. They both acknowledged that they’d have to be on guard. Ki’ti saw the exchange. How she missed Wamumur and Emaea. Her heart ached. Thanks to Wamumur she knew with confidence how to protect herself from those in other times—even from giants.

  Tongip-na nodded to Ki’ti, who said, “Those Mol who wish to go to this place with Tongip-na, Manak-na, and Kai-na, be ready when Wisdom has returned color to the land. I will go. The rest of you will remain at this camp until we return.”

  The council ended and Yomuk was on his feet making his way to Untuk.

  “Father,” he said, “I must go tomorrow.”

  Untuk had not planned for that. He expected Yomuk to help look after Elemaea.

  “Father,” he continued, “I am half Mol. Those could be my people.” Yomuk’s sincerity was palpable.

  Untuk thought briefly. “You may go,” he said. Untuk wondered how Ki’ti would feel about his decision.

  It was dark and with travel for some the next day, the group dispersed and sleep came quickly. Gripchon-na and Ermol-na stood guard for the first part of the night until the tail on the large snare in the sky pointed eastward. Then Mootmu-na and Arkan-na would take over until Wisdom restored light to the land. Gripchon-na watched as the big snare rotated around the star in the north that never moved. The device that gave them direction and their watch periods at night, a true gift from Wisdom, never ceased to awe Gripchon-na. He lowered his head and thanked Wisdom for the big and little snares in the night sky. The night was huge with bright stars everywhere with a quarter moon rising. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

  Wisdom restored color to the land. Arkan-na took two medium sized rocks and hit them together three times. It wakened all the People. There was much hurrying and fixing of food to take and to eat before the travel. A few dogs were used and the men carried backpacks. Yomuk got his backpack and Ki’ti noticed. She went to her son and asked what he was doing.

  “Mother, I am going. I asked Father. He agreed. I am part Mol. These giants are my ancestors, and I am old enough not to be a burden on this travel.” Ki’ti was shocked at his presentation. He was a son to approve.

  “I want to go too!” Elemaea shouted from Minagle’s arms wiggling to free herself.

  “You may be mature for your age, but you are not old enough. Keep your facts straight, Yomuk. Very well. Fill your backpack with dried meat. We do not know how long this will take.” Ki’ti walked over to Minagle and looked sternly at Elemaea. “You shouted out, and that was not good. How can anyone approve you when you constantly act impulsively? You are no longer a little child. Stop acting like one. I have told you that you will remain here. That is the end of it. Behave yourself well or when I return you will have regrets. Do you understand?”

  Yomuk had lowered his head in respect and hurried to fill his backpack as full as he could. His backpack was not as large as the men’s backpacks, so he went to his uncle Frakja-na and asked whether he might use his backpack for dried meat for the trip. Frakja-na was a little surprised that Yomuk would be taking the trip, but he handed him the backpack with a smile. Yomuk transferred the meat and went to add more until the backpack was completely filled. Frakja-na watched the young man leave to make the meat transfer and to place bedrolls on the backpack. He chuckled as he mused; He’s got the same desire to explore that his uncle Manak-na has.

  All the travelers had grouped together. Above the quiet chatter, Manak-na asked, “Who has not eaten yet?”

  In his haste Yomuk realized he’d forgotten, so he said, “I have not eaten yet.”

  Cam, Tongip-na and Aryna’s oldest son, said, “Nor I.”

  Ki’ti said in a small voice, “Nor I.” She wondered how she could have forgotten that rule of travel. She hurried to take the bowl Likichi handed her. She stood to eat, something she almost never did. The cooked grains were warm, and the food filled her with a feeling that the day would be profitable for the People.

  Finally, those who needed to eat were filled and all the travelers gathered. Manak-na took inventory of the travelers. There were former Mol: Tongip-na and Untuk, Gumokut and his wife Flinee, Lolmeg and his wife Maylue. There were half Mol: Tongip-na and Aryna’s older children, two boys, Cam and Elet, and Tiki, the girl. And, of course, Yomuk. Then, there were Kai-na, Ki’ti, and himself none of whom had Mol ancestry. There were thirteen People. Since Cam was sixteen and Elet was fifteen, Manak-na considered there were seven hunters. That did not count Yomuk who was practiced but not tried in hunting or Untuk whose primary job was to guard Ki’ti. Manak-na was satisfied that they had enough hunters for protection. He noticed that the dogs were ready and that Ki’ti was handling the dogs with help from Tiki. Tiriku, Ki’ti’s personal dog, was also burdened with a small pack. Manak-na lined up the travelers the way he wanted them to walk. He and Kai-na would lead; Ki’ti and Untuk would be next, followed by Cam and Elet; next Tiki and the dogs were placed centrally to keep things moving; then Tongip-na and Yomuk; following them were Flinee and Maylue; and at the end were Gumokut and Lolmeg, because both had great ability to keep track of what was before and behind them.

  Manak-na whistled Start and the line began to move. It was soon that they found the pace that all could keep. It was quicker than when they had travelled with the entire group. They crossed the flat land easily, surprised by the wildlife they saw. By high sun, they had reached the creek.

  The creek was deep in some places. The dogs had to be carried across with their burdens. Ki’ti picked up Tiriku, crying out as she lost her footing on a slippery rock, landing with a splash in the swiftly moving current. She and the dog were instantly carried away at a rapid rate. With her backpack she had difficulty righting herself. She held fiercely to Tiriku. In a blink of an eye Untuk was out of his backpack and sprinting down the creek bank trying to get ahead of her. Everyone else looked in horror at their Wise One being swept away. Manak-na ran down the opposite creek bank ready to help if he could. He could not keep pace with Untuk. Untuk entered the water where it was fairly deep and the creek was just coming up on a section of the rapids, swimming as fast as he could. Ki’ti was bouncing around rocks. Finally in a great burst of speed Untuk grabbed her backpack and got his footing. He pulled Ki’ti still gripp
ing a terrified Tiriku through the water over to the shore opposite where she had entered. Ki’ti was tired and cold but not injured except from some bruising around her shoulders. She still held onto Tiriku and his backpack. For a moment Ki’ti did not want to turn loose of Tiriku, but she did put him down on the ground where he shook and shook to get the water off his fur. He looked at Ki’ti with eyes that seemed bigger than normal. Untuk removed Tiriku’s lopsided backpack and Tiriku shook more water from his fur. Ki’ti was a bit confused, as she walked with Untuk and Manak-na back to the others whose relief was obvious on their faces. On the way Tiriku kept butting his nose into the back of Ki’ti’s leg. It was a way he had of asking for her attention. Ki’ti hardly noticed. When they reached the group, she appeared to have regained her composure. Manak-na was greatly relieved. When she had entered the rapids, Manak-na had not been at all certain that Untuk could save her. From that moment, hunters accompanied the rest of the People who were crossing the creek.

  Before exploring the caves or any other activity, Untuk got a fire going and took Ki’ti’s new tunic and put it on a stake near the fire to dry. He covered her with soft leather that was made for sleeping. She sat near the fire to warm up, for she was shivering. The dogs were shown to their places and their burdens were removed. Tiriku would not leave Ki’ti’s side. Flinee and Maylue started food for the evening meal. They put some small new meat pieces into a pot of greens and the odor made everyone very hungry. Yomuk asked Tiki if she’d like to help him find firewood in case they needed it later. She eagerly agreed to help. No one was permitted to enter any cave until they were told they could. Their anticipation was hard to control. Working helped.

  When Ki’ti stopped shivering, she got up and felt her tunic, finding it still soaked. She asked Untuk if he’d cut a slit through the leather he’d wrapped around her. He agreed and she put her head through the opening. She took two small pieces of leather from her backpack. They were wet but useable. She emptied her backpack so the contents and the backpack could dry. She placed the contents on tree roots to keep the dirt from turning to mud on the things she carried in the backpack. She asked Untuk to cut two tiny holes on either side of the leather so she could tie the sides together. Finally, with the sides tied, she was ready to see what the giants had to tell. Her braids were still wet and when they touched her skin it chilled her. She ignored it.

  Meanwhile Untuk had removed his leather, which he wore threaded front and back through a leather strap tied around his waist. It kept him clean when he sat. He replaced it with a dry one that went from between his legs up through the leather strap and hung over in both front and back. It was standard dress for formerly Mol men until cold weather came. It was simply called leather. Untuk much preferred it to the tunic which the People wore.

  Ki’ti ate and decided to walk over toward the caves. She didn’t need permission. She walked into the largest cave that was at ground level. She noticed the huge tools that were lying on the ground. An overwhelming sense of sadness came to rest on her like the moisture in a thick swamp fog. As she went further into the cave, the sadness became more oppressive. She could see where the fire pits were. She could see the air vent at the top of the cave toward the back. Despite the sadness, she realized this huge cave had once been good for living. She wondered what they had to do to keep it warm. Their fire pits were definitely larger than the ones they made. Ki’ti looked back into the light and saw Manak-na who had just walked up to her. He wore a questioning look.

  “Brother, where are the giants’ caves?”

  Manak-na was startled. Not often did she call him Brother. He wondered why, but he pointed toward the caves that were elevated.

  Ki’ti carefully assessed the caves and their entrances. Although she was good at traveling, there seemed no way for her to reach the caves.

  Manak-na interrupted her thinking, “We decided we could get you up there by making a loop in a rope for you to sit on and pulling you up from below. It’s not going to work for you to climb. While sitting on the rope, you can walk up with your feet so that you aren’t dragged up the side.”

  Ki’ti thought about that for a moment. “Who will pull me up?” she asked.

  “Since Tongip-na has the strongest arms, we thought he was the best choice. He also can climb up there easier since he’s so tall.”

  “Let’s get started,” she said.

  Manak-na quietly went to find Tongip-na. He picked up his backpack and pulled out the rope he had put aside for this purpose. All gathered around the fire. Manak-na explained that they were going to take Ki’ti up into the giants’ cave so that she could see what happened. Then the Mol could go to see their ancestors. All would stay back by the fire and maintain quiet while Ki’ti went into the cave. She might need quiet. The People nodded. They wanted Ki’ti to be safe and would be very quiet to avoid distractions for her. They did move around a bit to find a good place from which to watch the activity unobstructed.

  The People watched as Tongip-na climbed up to the cave using the hand grips. He had difficulty reaching one of them so he decided to swing to the side and up to grab it. Kai-na hadn’t made hand grips all the way up. With the swing technique, Tongip-na was tall enough to manage the hand grips instead of wedging himself against the wall. He had the rope slung over his head and under his left arm. When he got to the top he started to pull off the rope but his curiosity got to him first. He began to look at the bodies of the giants.

  “Wisdom protect us!” he cried out before he thought to say anything.

  Everyone below, including Ki’ti, was instantly alert. Manak-na remembered Kai-na’s similar shout when he saw the giants for the first time.

  When Tongip-na had composed himself, he began to lower the rope to Ki’ti. She sat on the circle of rope and waited for Tongip-na to pull her up. Tongip-na was looking to Manak-na for a signal. Manak-na nodded and Tongip-na began to pull the rope that would bring Ki’ti to the cave. He was surprised at how light she was. Manak-na showed her how to use her feet to keep from sliding along the cave wall. She did well.

  Tongip-na pulled her up to the last part of the edge and with a swing brought her inside. When her eyes adjusted, she felt overcome again with great sadness. Tongip-na coiled the rope and set it aside. Ki’ti walked among the bodies she could see. She looked at Tongip-na and asked for a torch. She had difficulty seeing the further back she went. Tongip-na went to the cave entrance and asked Manak-na for a torch. Manak-na got one and Untuk, who had watched the climb Tongip-na took, offered to take it up. Manak-na gave him a sling to put over his head and under his arm so he could carry the un-lit torch on his back. He gave him a small ember in its carrying case.

  Untuk climbed up the same hand grips that Tongip-na had used. He was a bit taller so the swing wasn’t necessary. He arrived in the cave prepared to be amazed. He could quickly see why Tongip-na had shouted out. He had never seen a giant. These giants, he thought, must be as big as Gar!

  With the torch, Ki’ti walked among the bodies. She noticed that many giants had six toes on their feet. Some had six fingers on their hands. She thought of Keemu, Olintak and Slamika-na’s son, with six toes. When she saw skin still attached, she studied it. On one corpse she noticed the skin was covered with awful looking sores. She continued to search and found more and more of these skin lesions everywhere. Then she became restive. She could feel the pull to another time. She prayed that Wisdom would protect her and remain close to her. She let the pull take her. Toward the back of the cave she could see a body moving. She noticed that where there had been no skin, skin was reappearing. She went toward the body. It leaned on an elbow seeming to look at her, and she heard words that she could not understand. She looked at Tongip-na and Untuk. Their faces were stricken with grief.

  “Did you hear the words and understand the language?” she asked them.

  “Yes.” Tongip-na replied, dumbfounded that he’d heard words from a dead man. He realized this must be common to the Wise One. He wondered ho
w he’d heard it. The mouth of the corpse hadn’t moved. He continued. “The dead man spoke the same language as the Mol. He was the last. He said all had gotten sick from sores that drooled and hurt badly. They sickened and died. He was the last. He wanted someone to know. The sores had taken his family.”

  “Did you see him as he was before he died or as a corpse?” she asked.

  Tongip-na answered, “As a corpse, of course. What do you mean?”

  She said, “Say these words three times in the language of the Mol, ‘We know your story. We will not forget. Now you can sleep.’”

  Tongip-na was confused, so Untuk said loud and slow in the Mol language, “We know your story. We will not forget. Now, you can sleep. We know your story. We will not forget. Now, you can sleep. We know your story. We will not forget. Now, you can sleep.” Untuk’s emphasis changed each time he said the words. He tried to be convincing, and he spoke with great feeling.

  Ki’ti watched as the man let himself lie back and change from a very sick man to the corpse he was in her time. Ki’ti was greatly alarmed. She asked to be lowered back to the ground and for the men to join her. Ki’ti tossed the torch to Lolmeg and he put it out before she was lowered to the ground. All gathered at the fire pit.

  Ki’ti began to speak. “I know you want to see the giants. I will not stop you, for it is your heritage. What I will say is this, ‘Go to satisfy your curiosity—do it quickly and return. Look at the bodies you can see from the entrance. Do not walk among them. Do not touch them. Then you must go to the creek and bathe every part of yourself carefully. Do not touch your mouth or your nose until you are totally clean. Clean under your nails and your hair. You must shake out your tunics or leathers very well and brush water against them for cleansing—not to get them wet. Be sure a hunter is there to keep you from drifting off in the current.’ Do you understand?”