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As Angie turned 12 years old, at least she was fairly certain that the month of February had come and gone, she had become fairly sufficient at learning the Shoshone language. She also realized that Halona had given her an Indian name. Sometimes Halona would call her Tsomah Sadzi, but most of the time, she would just call her Tsomah. Angie asked Halona what the name “Tsomah” meant, as she knew by now that all Shoshone names have a meaning to them. Halona just said, “It is your name, do not bother me with nonsense.”
The next day when Angie went to the river, she saw her friend Kimana playing with her baby brother. She asked Kimana what the name Tsomah Sadzi meant. Kimana laughed a little and then asked, “Where did you hear this name?”
“Halona calls me that name,” Angie answered.
“Tsomah means ‘yellow hair’ and Sadzi means ‘with disposition’.
“I do not like it,” Angie frowned, “I don’t like it at all. She should call me by my real name… Angie Owens.”
Enyeto was nearby fishing and overheard them. “I like your Shoshone name,” he smiled, “She has given you a good name. From now on I will call you Tsomah.”
“My hair is not yellow, it is blonde. And my name is Angie!” she insisted, “Angie Owens! I will not answer to any other name!”
“Tsomah! Tsomah! Tsomah!” Enyeto taunted Angie.
“Come.” Kimana picked up her brother and took Angie’s arm leading her away from the river, “Walks as a Bear does not know his place.”
“Walks as a Bear?” Angie asked, confused, as the girls walked beside the water.
“That is his name. Enyeto means ‘Walks as a Bear’.”
“What does your name mean?” Angie asked Kimana.
“Butterfly,” Kimana answered. “Just Butterfly?” Angie questioned.
“Yes,” Kimana smiled.
“What does Leotie mean?” Angie’s curiosity grew.
“Flower of the Prairie,” Kimana answered.
“And Chocheta?” Angie continued.
“Welcome Stranger,” Kimana replied.
Angie thought for a moment and said, “And Halona… what does Halona mean?”
“Of Happy Fortune,” Kimana said quietly.
“Of Happy Fortune?!” Angie was surprised, “she does not seem happy to me.”
“Once she was happy,” Kimana explained, “I have been told that when she was young, she was very pretty and she married one of the handsomest braves in our village. His name was Motega, which means ‘New Arrow’. They were not given children, but she was still happy as they were very much in love. Her husband became an elder in the village and was a very important man. His position made her proud and she found her worth in this man and for many years she felt important among our people. About two years ago, a wagon train came through our land. Motega went with many other braves to trade goods with the wagon train. After they returned, some men became very ill. Motega was one of them and died two days later. Halona lost everything, her husband, her standing in the village, and her joy. She blames the white man for her husband’s death, for bringing their illness to our people.”
“That is why she does not like me,” Angie realized, “I can understand her coldness now.”
“The elders decided to give you to her to replace her husband,” Kimana went on to explain, “to ease her loneliness.”
“I can not replace her husband,” Angie remarked, “I could never mean to her what her husband was to her.”
“You will ease her pain, you will see. The elders know what is best.”
“God knows what is best,” Angie said staring out at the river, “My mother used to say that. God will turn all bad things into something good if we trust Him.”
Kimana looked curiously at Angie, and then asked, “What does Angie Owens mean?”
“Mean?” Angie looked surprised, “That is just my name.”
“My name is Kimana, and it means ‘Butterfly’,” Kimana insisted, “What does your name mean?”
Angie thought for a moment and then blurted out, “It means Princess of Columbia.”
“What does the word ‘Princess’ mean?” Kimana asked her.
“Chieftain’s daughter,” Angie was pleased with her interpretation.
“Are you really a Chieftain’s daughter?” Kimana’s eyes grew large.
“Yes, from the Island of Columbia,” Angie’s bragging became exaggerated, “My father was the most important man in our town.”
Soon the news spread throughout the camp that Angie was a chieftain’s daughter from a white man’s village a long distance away and Angie was not brave enough to correct them. The lie seemed to give her some respect, even though it didn’t seem to faze Halona.
Several days later, Kimana and Leotie had joined Angie at the riverside to do their daily washing. They were laughing and telling secrets as all girls do.
Suddenly, Enyeto and Siwili ran toward them, smearing mud in Angie’s face and hair, and then ran off laughing to each other.
As the girls helped Angie wash her hair and face, Angie asked them, “Why do they hate me so much? I have done nothing mean to them.”
“I think they are afraid,” Kimana answered.
“Afraid of what?” Angie responded surprised.
“Of different people. Of the changes coming to our land,” Kimana explained, “Every Shoshone talks about it in the secret of their camps.”
“But we do not want to hurt anyone,” Angie objected.
“Fear always causes men to hurt each other,” Kimana responded.
Angie’s old rebellious nature was beginning to get the best of her. She turned to Kimana and Leotie and said, “I need your help.”
“What are you going to do?” Leotie asked her, seeing that Angie’s was cooking up some scheme in her mind.
“Enyeto and Siwili need to stop being mean to me,” Angie told them, “I will show them what it feels like to be treated badly.”
“I do not think that is wise,” Kimana told her.
“Will you help me?” Angie asked Kimana.
Kimana hesitated a few moments, and then nodded her head.
The girls then spent the next hour planning out the details of Angie’s revenge.
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The Blanket of Blessings Page 26
