Manak-na's Story, 75,000 BC

by Bonnye Matthews

  Everyone nodded.

  “The giants died from a terrible disease which made sores all over their bodies. It must have been very painful. I don’t want anyone here to develop that sickness. You must clean yourself, if you go up there.”

  Flinee leaned toward Maylue. “Are you going up there?”

  Maylue thought a moment and replied, “No. It isn’t worth it to me.”

  “Me either,” Flinee said.

  Manak-na said, “Whoever wants to go up come over here.”

  Yomuk rose and went to his uncle. Gumokut and Lolmeg went to the gathering place followed by Cam, Elet, and Tiki.

  Manak-na asked Kai-na to oversee the viewing. Untuk touched Ki’ti’s shoulder. “Come to the creek with me. You must get clean. You, too, Tongip-na.” They followed him quietly, bathed thoroughly, and returned to sit by the fire, while Manak-na went to help oversee the viewing. The three by the fire were speechless. What could they say after what they had seen and experienced?

  Ki’ti sat on a log by the fire with Tiriku at her side. She was troubled. This place was a potential danger to anyone who might pass it and have curiosity to enter. She felt that there should be some means of warning people, but she could not imagine how.

  Maylue came over and sat beside her and asked, “Ki’ti, this has been quite a day for you. Are you cold?”

  Ki’ti hadn’t considered how she felt. She was a little chilly. “Yes, I am, Maylue.”

  Maylue went to her own backpack and pulled out a leather piece to which fur was attached. It was a blanket she normally would have put under Lolmeg and herself for sleeping. Maylue put it around Ki’ti with the fur touching Ki’ti’s skin. Maylue, being formerly Mol, was much taller than Ki’ti and the blanket covered Ki’ti well. Ki’ti smiled at Maylue. Ki’ti’s placing her hand on Maylue’s arm and looking into her eyes expressed her gratitude for Maylue’s kindness. Ki’ti was extremely tired. She pulled the covering around herself and held it tightly. Tiriku came to her and sat by her feet.

  Untuk sat beside her on the log. He put his arm around her and she leaned her head on his chest. For some reason that she failed to understand, she wanted desperately to cry but held off tears and sat there dry eyed.

  “What it is Ki’ti?” Untuk asked.

  She looked deeply into his eyes. She was quiet and then said, “Yesterday, I got so angry and impatient that I taught directly. That is not the way of the People!” She did a feeble palm strike. “I wanted to be certain that everyone got the message clearly and I was so angered, I just let my words fly. I even used the word Others instead of Minguat. Then, today, by a careless step, I was swept away by the creek waters. I thought I would die. Just now, I saw the giants and learned their sad story. I also learned that giants are real, not just a story. It ripped my belly with pain to realize what happened to the giants. And, now, I know we must find a way to warn People to stay away from here, but I cannot think how. I am just so very tired and cold.”

  Untuk realized that her composure outside did not match the feelings that were roiling inside, and he ached for her. She took everything deeply to her belly when she experienced things that others did not even know existed. But he’d have her no other way. He lifted her to a standing position and pulled the covering so that it covered her completely. Then he sat on the ground and pulled her to his lap. He wrapped her as he’d wrapped little children when they were cold. Untuk took a moment to unbraid Ki’ti’s hair, so it would dry quicker. He noticed Tiriku standing there looking at him. He picked up the little dog, dry now, and put him inside the cover with Ki’ti. That’ll also help to warm her, he thought. Tiriku looked at him as if he were smiling. Untuk watched him curl up to rest against Ki’ti’s belly. Untuk could feel Ki’ti relax into sleep. Untuk was not cold. He was filled with thoughts from the creek rescue to the sounds of the man who seemed to talk from the dead. The man spoke but Untuk was unsure whether he heard the words with his ears or his mind web. He realized he experienced a tiny piece of what Ki’ti’s life was all about in hearing those words from the dead man. What it must be like to live in the world in which Ki’ti lived. He considered the difficulty when young—how hard it must have been to know what was real and what was of another time. He’d prefer the one he lived in. Of that he was certain. The short experience gave him even greater respect for the little woman who was his wife. He looked at her sleeping face. He wondered, Do we ever really know another?

  Gumokut, Lolmeg, Cam, Elet, and Yomuk had all been up to the cave and seen the giants. Tiki just wasn’t able to reach the hand grips. She was afraid of the crack in the wall and using her back and feet to get up there. Tongip-na agreed to climb back up and pull her up by the rope. Finally, the feat had been accomplished and all went to the creek to clean themselves of anything that could cause them to become sick. Rarely had there ever been such silence in a group of the People. Tongip-na washed Manak-na’s rope and hung it over bushes to dry.

  Flinee, Maylue, and Tiki began to start the night meal. Soon Wisdom would be sucking the color from the land and they needed to set up camp and eat to fill their bellies. Untuk was still seated with Ki’ti on his lap. Manak-na stopped by.

  “Don’t get up, Untuk. Ki’ti needs rest and she will get it with your holding her.”

  Untuk looked at Manak-na with concern. “She is deeply troubled about something Manak-na.”

  “I should think she’d be troubled by more than one thing right now,” Manak-na replied.

  “Yes. One thing stands out, though. She is convinced we need to establish something that warns others to avoid this place. I’ve thought and thought and cannot come up with anything. Ki’ti is certain that whatever sickened the giants could sicken others who might go into the caves. That’s why she wanted everyone to bathe thoroughly.”

  “After we eat we will have a men’s council. We will discuss ways to warn others. Please, Untuk, just stay where you are and let her sleep.”

  “You have my word,” Untuk said with a smile. How grateful he was that Manak-na wanted what was best for Ki’ti.

  Men brought firewood into the camp for the night and scouted around the area. Yomuk, Elet, and Tiki found dandelion greens with roots and some lake greens that would make a good addition to the evening meal. They brought them back to the group after stopping at the creek to wash the dirt off. The People did not know whether to set up camp in the large cave or outside, so they decided to wait until Ki’ti was awakened for the evening meal before they began the routine appropriate for the cave or for outside. They did gather evergreen boughs of fragrant spruce, and some sticks for lean-tos just in case. But they did not sweep the cave for spiders and other unwanted living things or check again the surrounding area thoroughly for snakes or where lean-tos might best be built.

  Ki’ti finally roused just before she was to be called. She had warmed up and wondered how long she’d been sleeping.

  “Just a while,” Untuk reassured her. “The People want to know whether to prepare camp inside the cave or outside,” he said, since it was nearing the time Wisdom would suck the color from the land.

  “Outside would be best. I do not know what lies in the cave except great sadness,” she responded. “Whatever caused the sores could be inside.”

  Hunters began to put the lean-tos together with supplies they’d gathered while Ki’ti slept.

  Ki’ti smelled the food about to be served and was ravenously hungry. As the evening meal was served, Ki’ti began to worry about a way to mark the place as something to avoid.

  “What’s bothering you?” Untuk asked.

  “The sign to avoid this place,” she told him.

  “We have that as an item to discuss at the men’s council tonight.”

  Ki’ti handed Maylue’s cover to Untuk and asked him to return it to her. She went to the place she’d emptied her backpack earlier so it and the contents could dry. She picked up her comb to detangle and braid her hair. Then, she joined the group for the evening meal.

 
; Ki’ti relaxed. She realized that she didn’t need to solve the problem of a sign. There were many good mind webs in this little group. She ate in peace.

  When the food was cleared, and the men’s council began, Manak-na caught Ki’ti’s eye and she nodded to him.

  Manak-na stood. “I ask Untuk to come here,” he said.

  Untuk went to Manak-na, unsure what he’d be asked to do.

  Manak-na smiled at Ki’ti. He put his hands on Untuk’s shoulders. “From this day forth, your name is Untuk-na.” Untuk-na turned to face Ki’ti with a question, noticed she was surprised, and then immediately lowered his head as low as he could get it. He had thought he’d never be given the title of a superior hunter because it was his job to guard Ki’ti. Today, however, he’d put his life in jeopardy to save hers. He realized why he had been given the name, and he was humbled. He returned quietly to his seat.

  Manak-na looked at Ki’ti. She nodded again.

  “Ki’ti had made it clear that this place is one that requires a warning to others to stay away. We need to come to some agreement on a way to make it appear that bad spirits or something terrible is here and to avoid it for their safety. Think for a bit and speak when you have an idea.”

  Kai-na said, “We had the caches on the way from the ashfall cave to our last cave, what about a cache? The creek is full of rocks.”

  Tongip-na said, “If you put up a cache, others may take it apart to see what’s inside.”

  “What if you took some of these long flat rocks and made them serve as arms and then put a rock on top that looked like a head with an upside down smile carved in the rock?” Lolmeg offered.

  Everyone visualized it.

  Kai-na looked at Manak-na who nodded to him. Kai-na said, “I like that idea but think that we should make a number of them to block off the caves in an arc. Each could have its arms almost touch the other’s. That would make it clear that people should stay away.”

  All approved the idea. Gumokut was a great rock carver, so that function belonged to him. The youngsters could gather rocks and the older People, who knew how to build a cache so it would stand, would build. They’d build one first and if that was approved, the rest would be built that way.

  Wisdom had sucked all the color from the land and the stars were twinkling as the men’s council ended. The People were well ready for sleep. Manak-na and Kai-na would take first watch and Gumokut and Lolmeg would take the second.

  Just before falling asleep in the lean-to, Untuk-na asked Ki’ti, “What did you see of the corpse that spoke?”

  She murmured, “I saw him fully fleshed with painful, weeping sores. He stank. Tears flowed from his red eyes. I’ve never seen anything so gruesome. I hope never to see anyone so sick.”

  Untuk-na put his arm around her. In their lean-to they snuggled together gratefully after an incredibly stressful day. They were soothed by the scent from spruce branches under the sleeping skins. Ki’ti savored the scent of Untuk-na’s skin, nuzzling his chest. How she enjoyed the feeling of safety he gave her! He gently kissed her cheek, awakening his desire that no way could he fulfill this night. Ki’ti slept.

  When Wisdom returned color to the land, the People were up, ate quickly, and the young people went to the creek to gather rocks. They brought the rocks to a place Manak-na had specified for them to pile them for the construction. A hunter stood by to guard those who waded into the creek for rocks. They did not want anyone else to be swept away by the current. Gumokut was busy making the upside down smiles on the faces of the dome shaped rocks. When they found one with a dome shape and a flattened bottom, they took it to Gumokut, because it was the ideal shape for making the cache barrier heads. The older men began to construct the base of the single cache that would eventually appear to be a stone guard with arms outstretched and a head with a frowning mouth.

  By the time for the middle-of-the-day meal, everyone was surprised to realize they’d been at work so long. They had thoroughly enjoyed what they were doing. The first warning cache had been finished, and it clearly communicated a warning. They all agreed that the construction was effective, so the second and third were being constructed on either side of the one that had been built. Ki’ti was delighted. Tiriku stayed right at her heels, occasionally poking her heels with his nose.

  It took two days to complete the warning arc, but all agreed that if they came upon it, they’d stay away. It looked a little like a group of men holding their arms out to prevent entry. The upside down smiles were frightening along with the mean spirited eyes that Gumokut had carved. The People slept outside under the stars again and the next day traveled back to the camp.

  When the group arrived back at camp at high sun, they noticed that everything was astir and the fires were out. Dogs were being loaded with packs or drags. Manak-na saw Nanichak-na and asked what caused the commotion.

  Nanichak-na was obviously concerned. “Minagle took Elemaea and Sofa for a long walk. From an overlook at the top of this mountain, they saw a group of Minguat who were practicing fighting. There were no women. We are convinced that it is time to leave this place.”

  The People called an immediate men’s council. They decided they must leave as soon as they could pack. The People were heading north. The Minguat were located to the southeast in a small valley. They hurried to pack and to start moving. Ki’ti began to lead them but instead of following the path, she went just to the east of it. Tongip-na and Lolmeg were concerned to be leaving the path. They tried to argue with Ki’ti, whose calm assurance that she was going where they needed to go, irritated the men. She told them how to find the path that Manak-na and Kai-na had not been able to locate. They had great confidence in the path built by the Mol. The two men would find and follow it to meet up with the People later. Only Tongip-na and Lolmeg continued on the path. As the group left, Tongip-na and Lolmeg carefully swept the camp area to clear it of evidence of their campsite. At the end of the group of trekkers, Nanichak-na, Hahami-na, Mootmu-na, and Ermol-na used branches to try to obliterate their tracks.

  The People trekked as quickly and quietly as they possibly could. They did not stop for the evening meal until they had rounded a conical mountain and found a rock overhang that was suitable for a concealed camp. It was dark. That night they had no fire and ate only uncooked jerky for their evening meal. Normally Tongip-na and Ermi-na watched the night sky for fires. Since Tongip-na was gone on the path, Lamul-na volunteered to accompany Ermi-na to climb the mountain to search for fires. In the dark they climbed with difficulty, but from the top there was no evidence of fire anywhere. Since Tongip-na and Lolmeg had taken only dried meat with them, the men did not expect to see evidence of fire in the direction of due north from their last campsite. They waited a long time. Again, there was no evidence of fires anywhere.

  The People ate and quickly slept. The watch called them just before Wisdom returned color to the land. They rose, packed, took some aurochs jerky, and began trekking while they ate. They moved again as rapidly as possible. Amey’s foot was much better, but she walked with it wrapped and supported by strips of soft leather. When little ones tired, they were carried. For five days they continued on, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Minguat warriors as possible.

  Luko, Tongip-na and Aryna’s, six-year-old son, was tired, hot, and irritated with the hurried trek. He dropped to the ground and began to shriek. Amey went to him as quickly as she could. She pinched his nose and held his jaws and lips tight together. He finally stopped struggling. When he opened his eyes, she told him that it would be better that he die than for the People to have to fight warriors who were training to fight. She told him his behavior was disapproved. She told him to behave in the manner of the People or suffer what he had just experienced—though he might die in the process. Fear straightened Luko’s behavior.

  They only ate cold trek meals to avoid the risk of being observed. As they left their overnight stops, they carefully concealed evidence of their passing. Finally they
saw what appeared to be the path. Ki’ti assured them that they were back on the path. She had been following the light provided by Kimseaka, which no one else seemed able to see. Off to the side was a small cave. The People climbed the slope to the cave and waited while hunters inspected it. Nanichak-na whistled the all clear sound and the People gathered their things and entered the cave, where women set to sweeping it immediately. Wisdom had not yet sucked the color from the land.

  Manak-na heard the dogs shifting and growling low in their throats. He went to the entrance to the cave and warned the dogs to be silent. In the distance he could barely see two dots moving toward them. He could not determine whether the dots were Tongip-na and Lolmeg or whether the People were being followed by the Minguat. He called to Ermi-na to see if he could determine who was moving in their direction. He cautioned the People in the cave to be silent and for hunters to be prepared if the need arose.

  Ermi-na strained to see clearly whether the two were Tongip-na and Lolmeg.

  “I cannot tell yet. They are both dragging something. If it’s branches, then it’s probably our two. But it could be some Minguat going in the same direction we are. I’ll stay here until I can tell who they are.”

  Manak-na went inside and pulled his spear out and placed it near the entrance to the cave. He returned to Ermi-na. “Anything yet?” he asked.

  “I think they’re ours. They are wearing those leather strips, not tunics. Will you ask Minagle whether the Minguat she saw wore tunics?”

  Manak-na found Minagle in the cave and asked her.

  “They wore tunics, Manak-na. They had cut the bottoms of the tunics into little strips so when they moved the strips moved actively. They had planks that were about as wide as a person. They’d hold the planks up to defend themselves.”

  Manak-na thanked her and returned to Ermi-na. He shared the information from Minagle. Both men watched as the dots clearly became people.