Aivena lit three torches near the fire pit. “The torches will be seen by our people across the valley.” She explained. “It is a signal to prepare for feast day tomorrow.”
I looked across the valley toward our Cliff Village. One by one three torches were lit over there, glowing brightly through the night. They answered us.
The men threw a lot of wood on the fire. We all gathered around it for warmth and to listen to Bone Woman as she told the stories passed down from our ancestors.
“Hear one and all, the story of creation!” Bone Woman exclaimed. She started to hum and gently rock back and forth. “Hear the words of ancient days, that wisdom which comes to us now.”
“In the beginning… the world was barren, and the majestic bird with its wide wings descended to the barren earth, sent by the gods. Now a golden leaf fell from the limb of the sacred tree of life. The leaf was carried by the winds higher and higher, until it reached the apex of the sky. The leaf began to fall back towards the earth, and Earth Mother embraced it. The golden leaf changed into the majestic golden eagle, and the golden eagle took flight on the wings of creation, soaring above the sacred mountain. Earth Mother was glad. From the mountain flowed great waters and from the great waters came all growing things, grass, flowers, trees, forests. Earth Mother was pleased, and she awakened in a new dawn.”
Chapter Fifteen
Day of the Feast
I woke up on the day of the feast to the smell of ham and eggs cooking. Bone Woman maintained a hen house not too far away, so eggs were plentiful, especially when cooked with ham.
When breakfast was over, all the men went down to the valley to hunt and fish. Oci and Voca went too, but they never returned. Amara and I went to gather herbs, roots and greens down on the forest floor. Aleya and Amenta went with us to help.
We returned by midday with our baskets brimming with leafy vegetables, carrots and radishes for salads, and mint leaves and roots for tea.
The men returned with the meat; two cows, a pig, chickens, and fish. The fire was made ready to roast the meat on spits. Soon the roasting meats gave off a pleasant aroma.
The men brought a wood table and benches outside and we put all the food out in large earthenware bowls. There were bowls brimming with salad, skewered chicken, pork, beef and fish. Some families from the cliff village brought cheese and bread.
Word of our arrival had spread across the valley to the cliff village. Nesa arrived with her sister and mother, along with others from my village. Nesa sent a messenger back to my father informing him that I was with Bone Woman and safe. I missed my family very much.
“Do you have information about Mar?” I asked Nesa.
“Yes, Mar and Ti (Nesa’s husband) are on patrol at the river, flushing out any remaining resistance.”
I was relieved to learn that Mar had made it through the worst of the fighting. Nine of our best warriors did not. Over fifty Umbunti were killed.
Nesa, Amara, Amenta, Aleya and I organized some games for the children. We played hide and seek, tag and relay games. There was not a lot of open areas to play these kind of games, and we had to deal with trees and boulders in our field of play, but this made it more of a challenge.
A high-pitched shriek suddenly made our ears hurt. Bone Woman stood at the cliff’s edge, sounding out the signal for the beginning of the celebration feast. Her scream echoed from the valley floor in bursts of sharp piercing sounds. The scream was so powerful that all creatures great and small froze in their tracks.
We also froze in our tracks and watched Bone Woman. Her face appeared to turn white as she prolonged her scream. Suddenly it felt like the mountain shook. The children looked frightened. Then there was silence. The majestic birds with the wide wings circled above.
Bone Woman turned and faced us. “The spirit of the mountain moves and is restless, as are the souls of our ancestors,” she proclaimed loudly. “Behold, the wings of creation on high, and Sesta…goddess of sky! Be one with the Earth Mother. We give thanks to Sesta and Earth Mother for our well-being and continuance in the wings of creation. To Mena, moon goddess; child of Sesta, we give thanks and our reverence always. Light our path and impart to us your wisdom.”
Bone Woman continued her supplications. “Earth Mother, as we partake in this great feast of celebration, we give our thanks for our victory over our enemies, we give our praise that you have protected your children and guided us. We mourn our fallen warriors, may their souls find peace, comfort, and continuance upon the wings of creation. To Mena, moon goddess; child of Sesta, we give thanks and our reverence always. Light our path and impart to us your wisdom.”
Bone Woman fell silent. We all waited quietly, staring at her face. She looked up at the sky at the majestic birds circling overhead. “We now celebrate our victory. We also celebrate the River Peoples here today, and their release from enslavement. We celebrate the bravery of Saline and Amara in this great victory! We are free from affliction, free from our enemies…now we shall rebuild our lives and begin again. All praise be to Earth Mother!”
Bone Woman nodded, then raised her hands and proclaimed: “Now let the feast begin!”
Everyone gathered around the table. Amenta and Aleya served the children as the adults filled their wood bowls with the skewered meats and salads. We sat on the benches and ate our feast.
It was nice to have the River Village people mingle with my tribe. We chatted and shared common experiences and humorous stories. Our bond with the River Village was strong, we spoke the same language and shared many customs. We both worshipped the Earth Mother and sky goddess. Our primary difference was that we worshipped Mena, moon goddess, and they worshipped Ohlone, the river goddess.
Amara sat between Nesa and me. “What are your plans, Amara, now that we have defeated the Umbunti?” Nesa asked.
“We will go and join with our people at the long houses for now,” Amara replied.
“What about the River Village? Are you going back?”
Amara appeared to be in deep thought for a moment. “Yes, as soon as it is secured, we will rebuild our village.”
Nesa looked pleased. “I am happy to hear that Amara. Our lives would never be the same without your great village and the trade links you have established between us and faraway lands.”
Amara smiled. “It will take a while to reestablish the river trade. Hopefully before the cold season comes,” she said.
“In the cold season father and I will make our baskets,” I added. “Nesa, you can help us.”
“Yes,” Nesa said. “We will have many baskets to trade at the River Village by next spring.”
I smiled and nodded my head. Nesa was our most talented basket weaver. We relied on the river trade to distribute our baskets. The rebuilding of the river village and the reestablishment of trade was important to everyone.
Bone Woman came from her house holding her bag of divining bones. She spread an animal hide on the ground, shook the bag of bones above her head, and threw them across the hide. “Behold, the sacred reading of the bones!” She proclaimed in a booming voice.
She examined the bones carefully and started to hum. All eyes were on her, everyone hoping for a good sign. “I see and I know, I see what is and what will be.”
Aivena continued to hum and examine the assorted bones. We anxiously awaited her pronouncement. She clasped her hands together and started to sway back and forth, her eyes shut, chanting.
“My children!” She cried. “Listen to the message of our ancestors, they speak to us through the sacred bones, now I speak their message.”
She paused, opening her eyes. “We must be strong in the days which lay ahead. This strength lies within our being and binds us together as one in the spirit. There are many threats to our well-being, threats to our way of life. We must be strong and hold our ground against all such threats. We have overcome all this great affliction, and we have triumphed over our enemies. The spirits of our ancestors are pleased.”
“But I
am troubled. My children…our days may be numbered. When we cease to exist, will all memory of us be gone? As winds move across the lands, they offer us many promises for a new tomorrow. So, this is a warning. We must be diligent to maintain our way of life. All will be a struggle for survival; yet we shall grow and expand and become even greater as the winds change direction. My words come to you through the ages, lifted on the wings of the power of creation. All praise Earth Mother, one with my soul. The spirits of our ancestors have spoken.”
There was silence, A sudden burst of wind rustled the leaves on the trees, and I could hear the magnificent birds of prey shriek as they circled above.
We continued our feast. It went on all afternoon into the evening. There was also much wine brought up by members of my tribe.
Talk was plentiful. Amara and I told the gathering about our rescue of the captives, and all the dangers we encountered along the way. There was also much talk about the Umbunti; the battles and victories. I am sure that there were some exaggerations, especially after the strong wine, but for the most part the many accounts really happened. Many of the stories were full of excitement and drama.
After dark, the women of my tribe performed the moon dance, followed by a victory dance. Amara and other women of her tribe joined in on the victory dance. The girls also danced. Bone Woman looked pleased with our performances.
The celebration ended, and we went to bed late. We slept until sunrise. There was plenty of food left from the celebration feast for our breakfast, along with some fried eggs.
Amara gathered her people and was ready to depart. I persuaded her to come to the cliffs to reunite with her people who were sheltered there during the invasion.
I embraced Bone Woman, promising to return soon. Amara and many others also embraced her as we left for the cliff village.
Chapter Sixteen
Rebuilding
We arrived at the cliff trail by early afternoon. Up the trail we went, to the high precipice towering above the tree tops. I looked across the lowlands towards Bone Woman’s house. It was tiny from this distance, now far away.
Many days had gone by since I was home. As we walked into the cliff shelter everyone ran towards us in a flurry of excitement. My dog Dallie ran to me, almost knocking me down. I greeted everyone by name, and there were many hugs and kisses. Amara’s people also came together in a flurry of excitement. I felt happy to be with my people again and to be back home.
“Saline!” I turned and there was Father, holding Taer. He smiled and we embraced. Taer came to me and I held him close to my bosom. I saw tears in Father’s eyes.
“Father, you and Taer are looking good!”
“We are much better now that you are home, Saline. I have been terribly worried about you. We did not know what had happened to you until we got Keno’s message of warning that you sent.”
“Yes, I was with Amara’s people after she rescued me from the Umbunti camp. Then we went to rescue the captives…”
“We know about your amazing rescue, Saline. We got this information from our messengers. Nesa also sent a message last night telling us that you were safe with Bone Woman.”
“Yes, I knew that she sent out a message. I am glad she did.”
Father told me what had happened during my absence. My warning had arrived just in time, and our warriors were ready when the Umbunti launched their surprise attack on our village.
Moon woman called everyone together for a great celebration. There was feasting the rest of the day, and dancing by night around the large fire pit at the cave entrance. Life was good again and we had a new hope for the days ahead.
In the morning Amara and her people left to return to the long houses. Mar had not yet returned. He was leading another assault against the Umbunti beyond the northern borders of our territory in an attempt to put an end to their threat. I wished that he were home and the fighting would be over.
Life was getting back to normal again, except for Mar being gone. I cleaned the hut and prepared meals.
A few days later I decided to make some soup. I left Taer with father and went to the forest lowlands to gather some ingredients. I gathered some herbs and mushrooms and was about to return home when I decided to go visit the hut at the settlement, hoping to get it ready for when Mar returned. The settlement was still unoccupied.
The hut was not in good condition. The Umbunti had ransacked it. Everything was out of place, many items were missing, including our bedding, tools, food, my jewelry, even clothing was gone. I was angry.
I started to clean the hut. Suddenly I heard footsteps. I froze. There was someone outside the hut! I heard men’s laughter, then the door flap was opened. Two warriors were standing there…Tam-Rue and Bordith. I gasped and my heart pounded in my chest.
“Well, look here,” Bordith muttered. “It’s Saline, Tam-Rue. Remember our little moon priestess? Now she’s some kind of hero for freeing our prisoners. Did she not stab you in the arms, Tam-Rue? Her and that other girl, causing a lot of trouble. We will take revenge on her!”
Bordith let out a howling laugh. They came towards me and grabbed my arms. Bordith raised me off my feet. “Mar is not here to protect you now!”
He let out another howl of laughter. I kicked and struggled to get away. I raised my right leg and rammed my knee into his stomach. He winced in pain, losing his grip on me. I got away and ran out of the hut screaming. They chased me and caught me again, but I was able to slip away. I ran down the path screaming. Bordith and Tam-Rue caught me again, carrying me back towards the hut. I kicked and screamed as they carried me back into the settlement. My screams became as loud as Bone Woman’s screams, the sound carrying across the valley floor.
“We need to keep her quiet!” Tam-Rue yelled. “Put a gag in her mouth!”
They ripped the sleeve from my dress and stuffed it into my mouth, holding it in place with binding straps. Then they tied my hands behind my back.
“Nobody can hear your screams now, you scum!” Tam-Rue shouted in my ear. Bordith let out another boisterous laugh. He yanked my golden hair, pulling a handful of it out.
“Now what Saline?” Bordith shouted, slapping my face. “We are going to take you to Asurith, that’s what! He is waiting for you beyond the marshes. He is the leader of the Umbunti canp where you released the captives and poisoned the guards. You remember that, don’t you?”
Bordith slapped my face again. “You will be punished for your evil actions against the Umbunti. Now you will belong to Asurith…that is if you can still crawl to him after we’re through with you! Because you are going to crawl on your hands and knees all the way there!”
Bordith threw me onto the ground. “Get on your hands and knees, you dog! Crawl!”
He tied a leather strap around my neck and pulled it hard, choking me.
“Go!” He yelled, kicking me. “Crawl!”
Suddenly there was a loud growl from the woods. Bordith and Tam-Rue turned towards the sound. Dallie charged from the forest at the two men. They cowered and yelped in pain as Dallie ripped them apart, biting their legs and hands. They started to run towards the woods. Dallie bit their hind quarters as they fled and screamed in agony.
Dallie returned to me and whined, licking my ear. She patted my back with her paw.
I stood up. I heard footsteps coming toward me. It was Nesa. I was still shaken, but the sight of her was very encouraging. She came and took the gag out of my mouth and cut the binding straps from my wrists.
“Nesa!”
We embraced “I was attacked by Bordith and Tam-Rue.”
“I saw them, Saline. Dallie heard your screams and I saw her acting agitated. She ran out of the cave and I followed her when I also heard your screams. I tried to keep up, but Dallie is much faster than I. Dallie protected you. She tore those two evil men to pieces!”
Nesa and I petted Dallie. She whimpered and rolled over so we could pet her tummy.
“Dallie is the best dog!” Nesa exclaimed.
&n
bsp; I nodded. “Dallie saved me. She is very protective…”
“Nesa, I think that we had better go, it may not be safe here. Tam-Rue and Bordith are still out there and may return.”
Dallie led us back up to the cliffs. We felt safer with Dallie looking out for us.
Mar and Ti returned to the cliffs the following day. They had pushed the Umbunti away from the borders of our territory. The Umbunti were now weakened and disorganized. They withdrew to their homelands to the east.
Mar sent warriors to secure the settlement. When he learned how Dallie had rescued me from Bordith and Tam-Rue, he sent a search party to find them. They never did, but I was never harassed by either of them again.
Families moved back into the settlement. Mar and I returned to our hut with our son Taer and Dallie, our brave dog.
The settlement continued to grow. Better houses were built with the help of Amara’s people.
Amara’s village was rebuilt too, and the river trade was back to normal by the next harvest.
When the next harvest came, Father and I stood up on the cliff’s ledge, awaiting Bone Woman’s screams and chants. The harvest rite started anew.
For my people, I, Saline bear these fruits, to live, grow, and to be strong. I am Saline, daughter of the Earth Mother, born to Char-di of Cliff Clan of Adeluci tribe.
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