Tiopa Ki Lakota

by D. Jordan Redhawk

  Glancing sidelong at Hca, Kathleen spoke. "Is summer camp big?"

  The young woman nodded though she did not look up from her task. "Ohan

  . Our people have seven council fires and we are but a small camp of one of them." Excited eyes glanced up at Kathleen. "There will be feasting and dancing and games! There will be a Sun Dance and ceremonies! It will be fun, Ketlin!"

  The blonde smiled at Hca's enthusiasm. "Many handsome koskalaka?" she asked.

  "Ohan! Many of those!" The dark woman gave a delighted laugh and glanced over at the council fire. "Many of those," she repeated.

  "He likes you."

  Hca's eyes widened. "I did not think you noticed." She shyly looked back to her task.

  Laughing, Kathleen stopped her hands with her own. "Who could not? He is always at Wanbli's fire, his eyes all big and round and...." She waved impatiently and spoke a few words in her own language.

  "I do not understand, Ketlin," Hca said with vague sadness. "But you have learned our words well."

  "Wait." The blonde rose and pulled a stick from the fire. She drew a picture on the ground. "What is that?"

  Hca frowned at the crude drawing. "An animal. But I do not know what kind."

  "It has a white belly and a white tail." Kathleen tapped her foot in slight irritation. "I know! Our cuwignaka are made of its skin!" She held up a fistful of the leather dress.

  "Oh! A nigesanla

  !" Hca thought back over the conversation.

  "Is that what it is called?" the blonde asked. "Nigesanla." As she committed the new word to memory, Hca's sudden laughter interrupted her.

  "You are saying that Nupa looks like nigesanla when he looks at me!?" The dark woman rolled on the ground, hooting, and her friend could only join her.

  The two women giggled happily, garnering strange looks from others passing nearby.

  Nupa glanced over at the pair as they laughed musically. Nudging his friend with a shoulder he pointed his chin at them and asked, "What do you think they are laughing about, tanksi

  ?"

  The dark woman peered past him, her mouth curling at the joy she saw in Kathleen. She is so beautiful. "You, tiblo

  ."

  "Me!?" The warrior stiffened and looked back and forth between his friend and the women. "Why do you say me?"

  Anpo scooped up a twig, its end glowing red, and lit her pipe. "Look at my cuwe

  . She turns red when she looks at you and laughs the harder." She puffed the tobacco, bringing the smoke up and over her head with her free hand.

  Studying the women with pursed lips, Nupa saw Hca do just that. He debated with himself for a moment before relaxing into a grin and accepting the pipe offered him. "She likes me." He repeated his friend's actions.

  They quietly sat with the elders and listened to them speak of things, of hunting, of wars past, of times when they were young koskalaka

  .

  "What is it like to have your own woman?" Nupa finally asked.

  Anpo shrugged, her gaze flickering to the blonde as it always did. "It is... different." She puffed on the pipe as she reflected. "I feel lighter and heavier now. I am happy yet have more responsibility in my life. I have to look to the future and make decisions with someone else in my heart."

  Her best friend nodded. "I have missed your presence with the herd at night."

  "And I have missed yours, tiblo."

  A long silence ensued, the voices of the elders lulling the pair. Eventually, Nupa spoke again. "It is strange that you would have a woman before me. I had always thought I would be the first to be joined." His dark eyes were serious. "It is strange that you would have a woman at all."

  "I know. I find it strange, as well," Anpo agreed. "But you and I know that no man would have me." She tapped the ashes into the fire. "And I know that I would have no man." The dark woman shrugged and bundled up her pipe to put away. "It is best this way."

  Nupa watched his friend place the pipe into a pouch.

  Kathleen awoke first. She lay in the comforting warmth of their sleeping robes, the gentle thumping of Anpo's heart filling her ear. Why did it never feel like this with Adam? the blonde mused. She splayed her hand out over the dark skin, seeing the contrast even in this murky interior.

  Memories of her short marriage filled her mind. Mornings of making breakfast for a husband who was kind, if not loving. Days of doing chores and speaking out loud to herself because there was no one else to talk to. Nights of intimacies that, while not forced, weren't exactly invited. Kathleen couldn't recall a single time she'd awakened with Stevens as she did with this young woman. Anpo's... comfortable. Sweet. Safe, definitely safe.

  Beneath her, the young warrior stretched and sighed, on the verge of wakefulness herself. The white woman used the movement to snuggle closer without disturbing Anpo's rest. She inhaled deeply of the woman's scent. I just can't seem ta get enough of her! she marveled.

  Today was the big day. Today the ti ikceya would be finished. Today Kathleen would lead Anpo into her lodge and officially join with her. From what she could gather from Hca, the blonde was essentially offering marriage to her warrior. Married. Ta a woman. Kathleen burrowed further into the warmth of Anpo's body. Aye, lass, now there's a quandary for ye. If ye ever make it home, how're ye gonna explain a wife?

  But one thing was certain - Kathleen was far happier with the prospect of marrying her young warrior woman than when she'd married her husband. Is this what I've been headin' for all my life? Is this what I've been feelin' was missin'?

  Further thought was halted on the subject as the long arm wrapped around her shoulders tightened and a voice spoke her name. With a smile, the white woman peered up into the dark brown eyes of her warrior.

  "Ketlin. Did you sleep well?"

  "Ohan

  , Anpo. I did. And you?"

  The dark woman grinned in return. "Very well, winuhca." She yawned and stretched before wrapping her arms around her woman and holding her close.

  Kathleen squirmed a bit in discomfort. My bosom is tender. Must be near my monthly time. She resolved to quiz her friend on how the native women took care of the problem as soon as possible.

  Once breakfast had been eaten, Wanbli and Anpo wandered off together with the idea of bringing in some fish from the river. They took provisions for the day and their spears. As soon as they had disappeared, the women began their preparations in earnest.

  Kathleen found herself again in the shapeless dress she'd arrived in, her own beautiful one taken by Hca Wanahca to be cleaned. The older woman began a stew while the blonde ground a bone awl against a rock. Waniyetu Gi would occasionally stop her work to inspect the awl until it was sharp enough to pierce a piece of hide.

  "Very good, Ketlin," the older woman smiled, setting the awl aside. "You work hard. You will take very good care of Anpo and honor me."

  "Thank you." The blonde colored a bit at the compliment.

  "Now, you and I will prepare your ti

  ikceya

  for tonight." She took Kathleen by the hand and helped her up. Gathering together some things, she handed them to the blonde saying, "These will become yours now."

  Dark blue eyes blinked at the older woman. "Th.... Thank you, uncisi

  ! You are so good to me!" Kathleen swallowed a lump developing in her throat.

  A hand gently rested against a pale cheek. "You make my cunksi smile like the sun she is named after. I cannot do enough to show you my thanks."

  What did I ever do ta deserve this!? And then the tender moment was gone and Gi was once again businesslike.

  "Come, Ketlin. You and I will prepare your lodge for your joining."

  Kathleen was led off, her arms full of robes, her heart happy.

  Anpo hefted a leather satchel full of fish, pulling the strap over her head and across her broad shoulders. Her father carried another bag, this filled with the remainder of their leftover meal, and led the way back towards camp. The river had been teeming with trout and the pair
had speared many.

  "Ate?"

  "Hau, cunksi."

  "How long have you and ina been joined?"

  There was a pause as Wanbli Zi considered the question. "We were joined a winter before our first child was born."

  "I am sixteen winters. That would mean that you were joined..." and a dark brown furrowed in consideration. "You were joined twenty-three winters ago!"

  The older man's face broke into a craggy smile at the incredulous tone of his youngest. "Hau, Anpo. That seems to be right."

  The pair walked in silence for a while.

  "Ate?"

  "Hau, cunksi

  ."

  "Did you ever hurt ina

  ? With your words or actions?"

  "Hau

  , Anpo. It is impossible not to. It is like trying to hold back the water in the river with only your hands." Wanbli looked to his daughter, seeing her serious profile. "All people get hurt in life, cunksi. It is what makes us strong, teaches us to overcome our weaknesses. Do not let it worry you so."

  Again there was silence.

  "Did ina ever hurt you, ate?"

  "Hau, cunksi. As I said, it is the way of life."

  Dark eyes regarded him with concern and curiosity. "Then why have you not given her away? Why have you kept her? Why has she stayed with you?"

  "Because my mahasanni ki

  and I care for each other, cunksi. And we are stronger together than we are apart."

  Anpo sighed and nodded.

  Wanbli settled a hand on his child's shoulder, walking closely beside her. "Be still in your heart, cunksi. Do not worry the vision so. It will not change and will only make you crazy with grief and fear." He nodded in front of them. "Look. We are almost to camp. You and I will bring our catch to our women and we will eat well this night!"

  The young warrior forced herself to smile, picking up her step to keep up with Wanbli's.

  "Anpo will be very surprised, Ketlin," Hca said as she finished braiding the long yellow hair.

  "Why?" the blonde turned to one side as directed so the other half of her hair could be taken care of.

  Waniyetu Gi, who had finished the last stitching on a pair of leggings, spoke up. "Because you were a gift and not a traditional maiden, Ketlin."

  Kathleen was confused. "Someone like me would not join with a warrior?"

  "Usually not until she learned our words." Gi looked up from her task, a twinkle in her eye. "But you have learned fast, Ketlin. And you have a dowry I have given you. And the most important thing you have done is make my youngest child happy."

  Blushing slightly, the blonde looked down to her fidgeting hands in her lap. "I have done nothing, Gi. I do not deserve your dowry."

  "Do not presume to tell me what to do with what is mine, Ketlin," the older woman chided, albeit in a gentle tone . "I know what is right." Looking to her oldest daughter, she said, "Go outside and tell me when Anpo and your ate return."

  With a grin and a quick squeeze of the white woman's shoulders, Hca left the ti ikceya. The older woman settled down behind Kathleen and finished working on her hair.

  "Slaves and winyan who are not of our people must learn our words, learn to please the wicasa

  they belong to. But Anpo is no wicasa though she is a great hunter and warrior." As the braiding was finally twisted into place, Gi used a strand of sinew to tie it off. "If a woman who is a slave pleases her wicasa, learns our words and gives her wicasa a child, she will truly become Lakota and will be the wicasa's winuhca

  ."

  Kathleen's eyebrows raised as she recognized the name her warrior had called her. Winuhca. Wife? But something else came to mind and she blurted it out before she could stop. "But, I cannot have children, Gi!"

  The elder woman leaned forward to peer over Kathleen's shoulder, a small smile on her lips. "It does not matter, Ketlin. You make my cunksi

  happy and that is important. You have honored me and her ate by your attention to Anpo and I will have you joined with my cunksi."

  And what mum says, goes, Kath! The blonde fought back a nervous giggle. She's goin' ta make an honest woman outta me and her daughter!

  "They are here! They are here!" Hca exclaimed, ducking into the ti

  ikceya

  .

  "Be calm, cunksi!" Waniyetu Gi ordered, though there was a sparkle in her eye. She turned back to the blonde woman and readjusted her braids for the sixth time. "Are you ready, Ketlin?"

  Swallowing on a suddenly dry mouth, Kathleen nodded. "I am ready, uncisi."

  "Good," was the crisp reply. Turning away, the older woman shooed her daughter back out the tiopa of the lodge. "We will await you outside, wiwoha

  ." And then she stepped out herself.

  Kathleen found herself alone in the ti ikceya. "Well, here goes nothin', Kath," she murmured. She twitched her belt to a better position and paced in front of the door.

  As the two warriors approached Waniyetu Gi's lodge, Anpo noticed a flurry of activity as her cuwe and ina stepped out. Dark eyes narrowed in suspicion at Hca Wanahca's ill-hidden excitement. "Ate?"

  Her father, who had also noticed the commotion, shrugged in resignation. "Do not try to understand them, cunksi. They are winyan

  and do not make sense."

  Anpo considered this with growing concern. "I am winyan, ate. Do I not make sense?"

  Wanbli Zi grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. "You are a warrior, cunksi

  , born and bred. You make very good sense."

  As they arrived at her mother's lodge, the young warrior decided to drop the subject, though her mind worried it a moment longer. But why do I make sense to ate if I am winyan? Pulling the satchel from across her shoulders, she held it out to her mother. "Ina! We have many fish for you."

  The elder woman accepted the catch. "You have done well, cunksi." Without a second glance at it, she set the leather bag on the ground near her normal work area. "Now sit and rest."

  Wanbli Zi smiled a greeting at his woman and his oldest child, sitting in his place at the head of the fire. He pulled a pipe out as the younger warrior followed suit.

  Looking around, Anpo asked, "Where is Ketlin?"

  With an infectious grin, Hca leaped up from her seat tending the fire. "I will get her!" she exclaimed with a giggle.

  Her younger sister's brow flashed into a frown of puzzlement. Dark eyes flickered to the man and his recent statement regarding winyan assailed her memory. Anpo's face cleared. They make no sense.

  Anpo attempted to distract herself from her cuwe's

  's strange behavior by glancing about the camp. Nearby, the ti

  ikceya

  that had been given to Kathleen stood tall, appearing to be completed. We will live there, soon.

  Motion to one side grabbed her attention. Nupa was standing near his mother's lodge, arms crossed over his chest. Anpo almost rose to wave her friend over until she noticed the smug grin on his handsome face. What is so interesting? she wondered. Suspicions fully aroused, the warrior scanned the remainder of the camp, finding whole families loitering outside their lodges and the council fire. All were avidly ignoring Wanbli Zi's fire.

  Kathleen paced back and forth in front of the ti ikceya entrance, nervously plucking at her cuwignaka

  . The leather covering was pushed aside and Hca's head popped in.

  "It is time, Ketlin," the young woman said, a wide smile of excitement on her face. She reached out a hand.

  A flutter of nerves hit the blonde, her stomach twisting in an unpleasant way. Quit bein' silly, lass! 'Tis just a formality! Nodding and putting on a pleasant face, Kathleen took her friend's hand and allowed herself to be led out the opening.

  Anpo turned to her father, preparing to ask his opinion on the oddness of the camp, when Kathleen stepped from her ina's ti

  ikceya

  . The warrior's face went slack from shock.

  The yellow cuwignaka had been cleaned with paint freshly applied to the designs. A dark brown leather p
ouch hung from the white woman's waist, an antler knife handle protruding from it. Leggings wrapped her calves and new moccasins were on her feet, the tops of which were painted white with the sun design in red.

  Just like mine, Anpo marveled, her eyes drawn back upwards.

  The long, blonde hair had been thoroughly combed and oiled with animal fat. Two long braids hung down her back. Around Kathleen's neck was a necklace of elk teeth and porcupine quills.

  Her mind blank from the shock, the warrior could only stare at the pale woman's approach.

  Kathleen's dark blue eyes took in her friend's nod of encouragement, stifling her fear. She smiled in acknowledgement and turned her attentions to her warrior. With a grace that belied her shrieking nerves, the blonde stepped forward until she was standing before Anpo.

  The dark woman peered up at her, eyes bright with unspoken emotion.

  The realization that Anpo was as scared as she bolstered the blonde's courage, though her stomach remained upset. The corners of her mouth curled up and she held out her hand.

  Reaching up, Anpo felt a tingle move up her arm at the contact of their palms. And then she was being pulled to her feet and led away from her ate's fire. She is joining with me! her mind blithered.

  Kathleen's ti ikceya was as yet unadorned. The fire in front was burning merrily, a haunch of meat roasting over it. The blonde led her warrior past it and into the lodge.

  Inside, another fire burned, though it was low and just enough to give light. Again, Anpo was led past, this time brought to the place that was across from the tiopa

  . Here, Kathleen knelt, pulling the dark woman down to sit.

  Anpo watched carefully as her woman removed the moccasins she was wearing. They were still damp from the river and Kathleen set them near the fire to dry. Another pair of moccasins were beside them and the woman pulled them closer.

  Putting the new footwear on Anpo's feet, Kathleen looked up and into deep brown. "We are joined, winuhca."

  The warrior swallowed the lump in her throat. She reached behind Kathleen and pulled the yellow braids to hang forward and down the woman's chest - an indication of her new status. "We are joined, winuhca