The trail to the Hedomamo was as John had described it. It wove gradually up the valley wall until it surmounted it at a low spot. From there, it was a pleasant seven-mile walk to the Hedomamo village. Even though the walk was comfortable along the maintained path, they had to pay attention to make sure they didn’t tread on a dangerous animal or brush against a prickly plant. By the end of the day, the group had covered the distance but, as they had done when visiting the Nihilamamo, they stopped and camped half a mile outside the Hedomamo village.
“We’ll stay here for the night so we can arrive refreshed tomorrow morning. It’ll be a full day,” John explained.
The next morning, bright sunshine radiated through the large leaves Rick had tied above his zippered hammock. They’d slept late, he thought, yet there was no sense of urgency when they awoke.
“Take your time, Rick. The Hedomamo are late risers,” John told him.
The Euromamo didn’t bother to fix a large breakfast, relying on a few bites of dried food to tide them over.
“There will be plenty of food at the meeting,” John assured him.
Rick had some dried figs and nuts, which were tasty.
“A reminder, Rick. Since we are near the village, don’t gather fruit near the path because it may be part of a villager’s swidden plantings,” John explained. “We want to be good guests.”
The Euromamo changed into unusually bright apparel, encompassing every color of the rainbow and in jarring color combinations. Some Euromamo wore European-style hats like their forebears had worn during their trek up the La Cuerda. John explained that, when they arrived in the valley, the hats had so fascinated the Hedomamo that, when the originals wore out, the Euromamo made more from local materials and wore them when they visited. The Euromamos’ appearance was quite festive. John gave Rick a blue bandana for his neck to brighten his khaki outfit. One of the Euromamo, Rick couldn’t help but notice, took off all his clothes and stashed them in his backpack. Rick had never seen any Euromamo totally naked before, not even in the Euromamo bath houses because they had private toilets and showers. In any regard, John saw that Rick had noticed him.
“He was born and raised among the Hedomamo, then married into the Euromamo, so he’s returning to the traditions of his native group. Naked or not, he’s an important member of our party because he’ll translate when the leaders of the two groups are talking and as otherwise needed.”
The interpreter started his walk toward the Hedomamo village, followed by the six Euromamo carrying the bags of food over their shoulders. The rest of the Euromamo followed closely behind. As they walked through the village, Rick noticed that there were only eight huts in the entire settlement but each was about fifty feet long, significantly larger than the usual Euromamo shelters.
“Large huts,” said Rick, inviting a comment from John.
“Many Hedomamo live in each hut,” John responded.
“So each kin group has its own large hut and lives together under the same roof?” guessed Rick.
“Many under the same roof are kinsmen, but not everyone. The Hedomamo aren’t particular about such matters. Everyone lives where they want to—and with whomever they want to.”
“I see. What about their marriage rules?”
“Their rules are quite liberal…and frequently violated.” Then John added with a smile, “There are no blue discs in their village.”
Some of the huts, Rick noticed, could use some maintenance.
“The Hedomamo haven’t awakened yet,” John observed. “We’ll wait here until they’re ready for us.”
The nude translator knew exactly where to go in the village so he walked ahead of the other Euromamo, toward the largest hut. Before entering, he said a few words to a young man rolling out of a hammock outside the door. They hugged one another, with no apparent concern for the proximity of their genitalia, and he and the young man disappeared into the hut. The rest of the Euromamo visitors waited patiently in place.
“Their Chief will probably come out in a minute...unless he’s otherwise occupied. We always respect the privacy of the Hedomamo before entering their huts even if they don’t place much importance on it themselves. You never know what’s going on inside.”
In about five minutes, a large man sauntered out of the hut. He was completely nude except for a bright red rope belt stretched around his ample waist. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision, and then squinted as he recognized the Euromamo Leader. He smiled broadly as he strode toward the Leader with his arms outstretched, his equipment swinging in front of him. The Leader extended her arms similarly and the two hugged one another. The translator stepped up close to assist with the conversation. The Leader immediately gestured to the gifts of food that the Euromamo had brought.
“We brought you some corn, yams, and sweet beets for you to enjoy and distribute in your village as you see fit. We also brought some food from plants we recently discovered,” said the Leader. “We hope you like them.”
The Chief smiled broadly as he accepted the bags.
“Most of the food will be fermented and turned into alcohol,” whispered John.
“You’re very generous, my friend,” replied the Hedomamo Chief. “You always bring us good food for our bellies,” he said stroking his midsection. “Some of us were supposed to prepare things for you to eat and drink while you are here but I haven’t checked whether it’s ready.”
“We always enjoy eating with you,” replied the Leader graciously. “You love food more than any group we know.”
As they were talking, sleepy Hedomamo straggled out of the large huts and gathered around the visitors. The Chief distributed some of the food in the bags to the closest males. He told another male to put the rest of the food in the chest by his hammock for safe-keeping. Rick suspected that he would either keep it for himself or parcel it out later to those he favored. After greetings between the leaders, the two groups struck up conversations. Rick overheard enough to figure out that some of them were affinal relatives, that is, people connected by marriage. Others seemed to be friends of long standing. In either case, the conversations took place face-to-face, at closer range than conversations among Euromamo back in the village. The Hedomamo obviously didn’t share the Euromamo sense of personal space. As they talked, they were breathing the same air as their guests, and it wasn’t just the faces that were close; it was their entire bodies with their sexual attachments. As the Hedomamo talked, their hands freely touched their Euromamo guests. Some Euromamo seemed embarrassed about the contact but most went along with it. It was the most uninhibited social contact that Rick had yet seen.
“They have active hands,” said John softly.
Rick had no idea how to handle the situation if a Hedomamo approached him. He didn’t have to wait long to figure that out as a man and woman soon approached him closely and began to smile and converse…and touch. Rick looked at John and saw that he was experiencing similar overtures. John shrugged his shoulders, which didn’t provide Rick guidance. Nearby, a Hedomamo man moved behind the Leader and started to examine the clasp of her elasticized brassiere through the back of her blouse. Either the blouse or his lack of knowledge about how the clasp unhooked saved her but Rick wondered how far this over-the-top friendliness would go.
After a few minutes, the Leader and the Chief walked toward the center of the village where there were padded benches positioned around a heavy cushioned table with steps at one end. The cushion on the table and the pillow at the head of the table had tassels at their corners. On the sides of the table, table legs, and the steps were nice carvings of grapes and mushrooms, as well as abstract phalluses and vaginas. It was the most ornate object Rick had seen in the Hedomamo village.
Just outside the circle of benches was a fireplace with a cooking rack at which seven or eight Hedomamo women—nude, of course—were tending cooking pots, preparing the main meal for everyone. At tables a short distance away, other women were fixing beverages, treats, and vegetables. R
ick sneaked a look at the exposed breasts of the women and chided himself for doing so although, among the Hedomamo, it apparently didn’t matter.
The Hedomamo Chief invited the Leader to sit on the bench nearest the table. Others occupied remaining benches in the circle. They began chatting about what had been going on in each group since their last meeting. Nothing very substantive, it seemed. The Chief talked at close range and placed his hand on the thigh of the Leader, who did not pull back and maintained her conviviality. One of the Hedomamo women brought them a tray heaped with treats, which both leaders sampled freely. Before the woman left, the Chief reached out and gently fondled the server’s breast, prompting a warm smile from her. She leaned closer to him and the Chief kissed her nipple. She giggled coquettishly and then turned to the Leader. As she had done with the Chief, she bent toward the Leader, still smiling, and placed her breasts very close to the Leader’s face. The Leader reached up and cupped her breast, which the Hedomamo woman jiggled in her hand before she moved on to serve others.
Trays filled with various treats were brought around for everyone to enjoy. Rick tried the samples freely and thought they were delicious. As was his custom, he’d wait until tomorrow to ask John what the ingredients were—after he’d digested them. Next, women began bringing out beverages for the group. John had mentioned to Rick during the hike to the village that the Hedomamo were certain to serve alcoholic beverages to them throughout the visit. They’d refined their brewing skills following the arrival of the Euromamo by incorporating European beverage-making techniques, and had become every bit as good, if not better, than their teachers. Rick took a pottery cup of brew and was about to take a drink, but he noticed that no one was drinking yet so he simply held his cup, using the opportunity to look inside. It had a little foam on the top and looked murky, almost opaque. John had assured him of its quality so he looked forward to trying it.
When everyone had been served beverages, the Chief arose to speak with the translator beside him. The Chief began by welcoming the Euromamo to his village and said he had good memories of the fun they had during their last visit to the Euromamo village. The Chief then raised a toast to his guests, wishing them good health and expressing his hope for fun today. Everyone lifted their cups and partook of the brew. Rick thought the beverage was delightfully strong in taste with an alcohol punch. In a few moments, women came forward with pitchers containing more brew to refill any cups that needed it. When the women returned to the fireplace, they filled their own glasses and drank as freely as the men. The Leader then rose and toasted the Chief in gracious terms.
As the groups continued to imbibe over the next thirty minutes, they became increasingly uninhibited. The Hedomamo women kindly offered to let men and women of both groups feel their breasts and buttocks as they served nourishments and mingled by simply asking those they served whether they wanted to have fun with their hands. For them, the groping seemed to be a simple giving and receiving of pleasure. Their total lack of shame was winsome, a demeanor that took away the taint of licentiousness. Perhaps not unexpectedly, breasts and buttocks were soon not the only body parts that got groped. Hedomamo men also offered their bodies for groping and received some response among the Euromamo, mostly women but a few men as well.
“The purpose of these visits is to exchange information with surrounding groups, isn’t it?” Rick asked John.
“Yes, that’s why we do it,” replied John pleasantly.
“Does that happen later when things have calmed down?” asked Rick.
“With the Hedomamo, things do not calm down except when they sleep from exhaustion or from being blotto after their festivities,” explained John. “Not much information gets exchanged during our visits but we try to whenever we have an opportunity.”
The Chief stood and signaled to the women, who brought out trays with pieces of light tan food on it.
John whispered to Rick, “These are hallucinogenic mushrooms. It’s going to get pretty wild from here on.”
“I’ve heard of them but I’ve never seen them before,” said Rick. “Do they grow them?”
“Some, but mostly they get them from the Mexamamo.”
“Another neighboring group, I assume?”
“Yes. We’ll meet with them later in the year.”
“Are the mushrooms OK to eat?”
“We don’t fully understand the health risks of taking them so I recommend that you decline…courteously, of course.”
The Leader graciously declined the mushrooms and thanked the Chief for his generosity. The Chief nodded and took several mushrooms for his own consumption. Rick had heard about the effects of these mushrooms but had never seen anyone take them. He tried to observe as carefully as he could through the buzz from the brew. The Hedomamo men and women ate mushrooms freely. The Euromamo who took any, took only one or two.
“We allow each other special latitude during our visits with the Hedomamo so they will regard us as courteous guests. Additionally, truth be told, throwing off our usual inhibitions lets us experience more than we would otherwise.”
As the mushrooms began to take effect, voices became louder, gestures more exaggerated and smiles broader. Some of the partakers’ gazes reflected a hazy euphoria. The Hedomamo Chief rose to invite the Euromamo to remove their clothes. Through the translator, he kidded the Euromamo that their clothes were somewhat standoffish, a barrier to full communication between the groups.
“Are you ashamed of your bodies? Do you think the Hedomamo will be shocked at your nakedness?” he taunted gently. “The Hedomamo, I assure you, are more likely to be shocked that you remain clothed.”
About a quarter of the Euromamo took off their clothes, eliciting smiles from the Hedomamo. Others took off a piece of clothing as a good faith gesture. Even the Leader stripped down to her underwear. The latitude the Euromamo allowed themselves during these trips apparently included, for some of them, shedding clothes.
Hedomamo musicians came out with instruments and began to play. One gave a beat on skin-covered drums, while another hit bamboo pieces of different lengths, producing different pitches. Others played whistles made from bamboo. The final type of instrument was a stick secured to a long string and pulled to different tensions like a tub base. It was great festive music with a driving rhythm that pleased the crowd. The Chief invited the Leader to join him for a dance, which she accepted. The members of both groups raised their hands in approval as the two leaders sauntered around the table. The Chief’s hands were low on the Leader’s back but remained above her waist. Then the others began to dance, mostly men with women but some same sex dancers and group dancers as well. Apparently, their main goal was to have a good time. Rick kept himself free from most of the groping and close physical contact, but not all of it.
The Hedomamo Chief rose once again and said, “Euromamo guests, we have some entertainment for you that I’m sure you will find titillating.”
He motioned to a handsome couple standing just outside the outer concentric ring of benches. They strode up beside him with a confident, sensual walk.
“This couple will give you some visual pleasure, and they will surely have pleasure themselves.”
The couple embraced and then, holding hands, walked up the steps at the end of the padded table and lay down. Some of the audience drew nearer and held their partners closer to them. All were smiling. Over the next fifteen minutes, the man caressed the woman’s legs, back, and buttocks. His hands gently and lovingly fondled her breasts, and then one of them slid between her legs, which she parted slightly for him. She circled her hand around his member and gently played with it, bringing him to full erection. Many in the audience groped one another as they watched. Rick’s breathing became deeper as he felt himself press against the front of his briefs. The woman, now totally aroused, looked at her partner with longing, and gently pulled him on top of her. Once he was inside her, they had passionate intercourse in front of the group. Rick had never seen another couple eng
aged in sex in person and found it quite exciting, he had to admit. It was like live pornography except there was nothing sordid or guilty about it. To the Hedomamo, it was just pleasure.
Following the sex show, the Leader mentioned to the Chief, “I and the other Euromamo have certainly enjoyed the entertainment this beautiful couple has provided, but it would be good for the two of us to discuss some matters involving our groups. As you know, we have some hunting issues, right-of-transit issues, and there are always updates and issues involving our mutual neighbors. We also have some medical information that we can pass along.”
The Chief, whose attention was mostly on who was groping whom on the benches, responded, “I’d like to hear any new information you might have about birth control. As you know, we’ve been interested in that for many years, ever since you introduced us to the benefits of your potions. It allows our women to engage in sexual intercourse freely without risk of pregnancy. Apprehension about unwanted pregnancies was one of the last constraints on our sexual fun.”
In the midst of the loud festivities, the Leader’s brief answer regarding birth control was difficult to hear. She informed him that there had been no significant developments in birth control during the past year, but she had some useful information about treatment of menopausal flashes. The Chief began responding but was distracted by two comely women who invited him to give his hands pleasure by caressing their bodies. They pulled the Chief up, one on each arm. As he danced off slowly with them, they snuggled their bodies into full contact with him.
“Surely, we can discuss this at our next meeting, Leader, as, you can see, I am currently occupied,” he added with a broad smile. “Certainly, my hands are occupied, and fully so,” he said, dropping his hands to cup a buttock of each of his companions.
The Leader smiled and nodded genially. She knew it was time to give up trying to have any substantive discussion with the Hedomamo Chief. She treated herself to another drink to dull her disappointment and declined another offer of a hallucinogenic mushroom. Out of courtesy to her hosts, she stayed for another few minutes before telling those around her that she was going to head back to their village. About half of the Euromamo gathered to go with her, but the rest stayed behind to party some more. They’d spend the evening in the Hedomamo village and would make it back to the village the next day or the day after that. Rick left with the Leader.
The Blue Disc Page 24
