by Mike Blakely
“When they fled, the Metal Men left many horses behind. Some of my people traded some of these horses to the Yutas, and some to other nations. Other horses ran away and went wild like their elk ancestors.”
Shaggy Hump spoke, pausing after each sentence to let his son translate: “The first horse the spirits gave to my people came on the day my son was born.” He gestured with pride toward Horseback. “It made a sacred circle around his birth lodge. We were hungry that winter, and so we killed First Horse and ate it. We did not know then that the horse was as good to ride as it was to eat. Since First Horse came to bring medicine to my son, the Noomah people have become richer.”
“It is true,” Horseback added. “We will ride to greatness on the backs of many ponies. The spirits have told me in visions and dreams that I must seek the hairy-faces that you call Metal Men and get horses. Tell me more about the Metal Men, Speaks Twice. Tell me what happened after your people and your allies drove the Metal Men away in the big war.”
Speaks Twice began making signs to match his words, and his movements were like those of a good dance. “The Metal Men stayed away twelve winters. When they returned they brought many weapons, many soldiers, and many families with women and children. There were too many of them. I was a child when they came back, thirteen winters ago. The Metal Men attacked my village and took me and my mother captive. They took many women and children captive. They would not give us back to our families until the village surrendered to them. The village surrendered, but the Metal Men made some of us work for them, like slaves. Some of us did not want to live there with the Metal Men, so we fled to the plains where we made our new village called Tachichichi. The Metal Men have come to Tachichichi in the past, but they do not stay. They come to bring us back to the old villages in the south. When they come, some of our people go with them, to make them happy. But they will only return, one by one to Tachichichi. In this way, we avoid war with the Metal Men.”
Horseback had been translating all of the talk in the Yuta tongue so his brothers would understand. Now Echo-of-the-Wolf spoke, and urged Horseback to translate his words:
“Your people should make war on the Metal Men again. Take their horses. Make slaves of their women and children. Kill the warriors who stand and fight, and drive the rest away to the south. You have said that this was done before.”
“The Metal Men number too many,” Speaks Twice explained. “Some of our people have gone south with the white medicine men who wear the black robes. They saw a single village far to the south that held more white people than all the people of all the other nations of all the earth. They number like the blades of grass on the plains. No nation of warriors can melt all the snows of winter.”
Many buffalo chips and sticks of wood were added to the fire as Horseback learned what he could about the white men, asking next how far away the country of the Metal Men lay.
“Ten sleeps,” Speaks Twice said, and he began to fashion a map of dirt and ashes raked out of the fire.
As Speaks Twice and his friends conferred on the making of the map, Shaggy Hump leaned closer to his son and spoke very low. “They do not know how to travel as we do. We will reach the place of the hairy faces in five sleeps if these Tiwas take ten.”
The map took shape on the ground, the Tiwa warriors arguing about the twists and bends in the rivers, the contours of certain mountain ranges, and the distances between villages. When it was finally finished, the map gave Horseback a thunderbird’s view of the whole Tiwa world.
Speaks Twice had mapped the plains by brushing the dirt smooth with a bunch of buffalo grass. These plains swept far away to the east and evaporated into the unknown country of other strange nations. Far out on the northeastern plains of the map, Speaks Twice pointed out a village of the Raccoon-Eyed People.
“They call this village Quivira,” he said.
“That is the place I went to trade many winters ago,” Shaggy Hump added.
Indicating a vast sweep of plains surrounding Quivira, Speaks Twice said, “This is the country of our enemies, the Wolf People. Sometimes they come far across the plains to the west to make war with us.”
The plains on the map were marred only by the courses of streams carved with a pointed stick. Speaks Twice drilled a small dot to mark the place where the Tiwas and Noomahs now held council, and Horseback could see that the stream along which this camp stood was a mere tributary compared to the larger rivers on the map. This camp was near the northern edges of the map, giving Horseback the impression that this was about as far north as the Tiwa ever ventured.
All along the western extremes of the map, ranges of mountains rose abruptly from the plains, forming an undulating wall of steep slopes that stretched many sleeps north and south. A large river ran from the heart of the mountains, flowing south, then turning east to divide the plains.
“This is the River of Arrowheads,” Speaks Twice claimed. He made a mark with his finger along its southern bank, far out onto the plains. “Here is our village of Tachichichi.”
Well west of the village, a pair of mountain peaks stood apart from the other ranges, as if they had drifted slightly out onto the plains. Their contours and proximity to each other made them resemble the ample bosom of some young woman.
“These two mountains are called the Breasts of Mother Earth,” Speaks Twice explained. “The straightest trail to the Metal Men passes to the south of them, through the country of the Yutas.”
The Tiwa mapmaker’s finger moved south from the Breasts of Mother Earth, crossing the first range of mountains at a pass, and coming to the banks of a very large river. This river flowed southward through a canyon gouged deep with a stick. On a level plain between the canyon and the west slopes of the mountains, he indicated a village situated on a small tributary.
“This is the village of my birth,” Speaks Twice said. “It is called Taos. It is now the northernmost dwelling of Metal Men.” He pointed to another village, farther south along the same big river. “This village is called Picuris. Taos and Picuris are the two old villages of the Tiwa nation.”
Now Speaks Twice indicated a group of villages farther south along the great river, some on the west bank, some on the east. “These are the villages of our allies, the Tewas. South of them, the Metal Men have a very large village they call Santa Fe. Here live the soldiers with thick leather shirts, the medicine men with black robes, and many families. They make things of metal, and grow corn and beans and squash. Many of our allies work for them like slaves. Their lodges are large, and filled with things to sit on and sleep on and eat on, all made of wood carved in strange designs with metal tools. They keep many animals. Chickens, goats, and sheep; but not like the wild ones you know. Their animals are weak and ugly and slow.”
“And horses?” Horseback inquired.
“Yes. Many, many horses of all colors.”
“That is where I must search.”
While Horseback studied the map, Speaks Twice conferred with his fellow hunters in the language of the Tiwas. Finally, he spoke to Horseback in the Yuta tongue:
“I will ride with you if you wish. I know the trail to Taos like a river knows her own course. Then, if you want to see many Metal Men and their women and children and horses, I will take you to Santa Fe. But you must go in peace, as you have come here.”
“I go in peace. You will ride with my party if you wish. You will guide us, while I lead.”
Speaks Twice held his right hand, palm down, in front of the left side of his chest. Sweeping the hand away, level with his heart, he smiled. The sign meant good. “First we will take our meat back to Tachichichi for our women to dry for the coming winter. Then, I will guide your party of searchers to the country of many horses before the snows begin to fill the mountain passes.”
“Will there be Na-vohnuh at Tachichichi?” Shaggy Hump asked.
“Na-vohnuh?” Speaks Twice answered, a quizzical look on his face.
“Our ancient enemies. Those you call Inday.”
Speaks Twice paused before answering. “My village is a place of truce among all nations. If the Inday camp there when we arrive, they will honor the truce. Will you?”
The Noomah searchers looked at Horseback, who found himself lacking in wisdom. Even his own father looked to him, for this was his journey, the quest for his vision. What was he to say about this matter of the Na-vohnuh? His father had told him many times of the puhakuts who had prophesied the return of the wars with the Na-vohnuh. These enemies had brought so many unspeakable horrors upon the True Humans in ancient times that they could never escape vengeance. The thought of observing a truce with them was cowardly.
He looked toward the sun, hoping for wisdom from his guardian spirit. He stood and listened long, until his eyes were blinded by the glare. Then he heard something in his heart that filled him with courage.
“From the center of Tachichichi,” he said, the defiance plain in his tone, “as far as my arrow flies in any direction, we will honor your truce with all nations. Beyond the place where my arrow falls, our enemies must beg the mercy of our spirit-protectors.”
Before Speaks Twice could reply, or make the translations to his kinsmen, Horseback turned quickly toward his mount. His followers went with him.
25
Never had Speaks Twice seen such riding. As his Tiwa hunting party plodded slowly southward to Tachichichi, Horseback and the Noomah riders seemed to swarm everywhere on their mounts, riding to every distant ridge to look beyond, then returning to the single file of footmen, dogs, and ponies comprising the hunting party.
The Tiwa hunters traveled afoot, saving their horses for the work of pulling the pole-drags that carried their meat, hides, and hunting lodges. Their few horses could not pull all the meat and hides, so many dogs had been harnessed to small pole-drags to carry the remainder of the kill.
As he walked along beside one of the pole-drags, Speaks Twice saw Horseback coming toward him at a lope.
“How tall does the grass grow at Tachichichi?” Horseback asked, coming to a jolting halt on his mount.
Speaks Twice held his hand against the ribs of the pony pulling his lodge, measuring the height of the grass around his village as near as he remembered.
Horseback made the sign meaning good. “My mount will be hungry.” He patted the pony on the neck, making a loud slapping sound. Then he jammed his knees under the coils of rope that surrounded the barrel of his mare and dashed away again, galloping toward two of his warrior friends on a distant rise.
These Snake People who called themselves Noomah made Speaks Twice uneasy. Circling all the time like bees, it was impossible to keep them all accounted for. And the riding! Speaks Twice had seen many warriors ride. The Wolf People were frightening when they appeared on horseback, but they did not swarm like these Snake People. The Inday rode without fear of speed or danger, yet seemed out of place mounted, compared to Horseback and his searchers. The Yutas were fine riders, accustomed to plunging down impossible slopes in their mountain country, but never with the ease and abandon of the Noomah riders Speaks Twice had seen today leaping gullies and bounding down washed-out dirt banks.
The Metal Men possessed great riding skills, even though they encumbered their mounts with saddles and bridles made heavy with iron and silver. In the village the Metal Men called Santa Fe, Speaks Twice had once seen these riders play a game with a rooster buried up to its neck in the dirt. The object of the game was to gallop by the rooster, lean from the saddle, grab the rooster by the head, and pull it from the dirt. One of the riders had accomplished this feat at full speed. Until today, this was the finest riding Speaks Twice had ever seen.
When Horseback rode, he seemed like a part of the mount he straddled. The other Snake People rode almost as well. Standing on foot, these strange warriors looked awkward, short and bandy-legged. But on the backs of horses, they became as wild and powerful and agile as elk.
As he lamented his own lack of speed, Speaks Twice suddenly realized that the Noomah riders were nowhere in sight. He looked all around, but saw none of them. Surmounting a grassy rise, he heard the rumble of hooves, and beheld the riders chasing a lone buffalo cow they had scared out of some draw, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she ran.
Speaks Twice could not imagine what the warriors intended with this cow so badly spooked, unless they just enjoyed chasing her. Then, as he watched in wonder, he saw Horseback reach for an arrow from the quiver on his back. The rider’s bow was strung. Somehow, he made his mount close in on the crazed cow without holding his reins. He drew the bow, and the arrow sped true.
The rider named Whip moved in for a second shot, and the cow began to stumble. Now the fierce-looking warrior called Echo-of-the-Wolf closed with his lance, using the weight of his horse to drive the flint blade deep into the vitals of the buffalo. The cow fell, and Speaks Twice realized that his whole Tiwa party had stopped to watch the spectacle—even the dogs and ponies with their pole-drags.
These people were wild. They made him nervous, yet he admired them. They were not Snake People at all. They were Horse People. He was glad he had befriended them, yet he was concerned about what might happen once they reached Tachichichi. Speaks Twice knew that some Inday people would likely be camping there. He prayed that the truce would hold. He did not wish to make enemies of a nation of people who could shoot arrows from the backs of galloping horses.
Speaks Twice made sure Horseback rode beside him as they surmounted the last roll in the prairie before Tachichichi came into view. Before he reached the top of the rise, he began to watch Horseback’s face, knowing the Noomah searcher would spot the village before him from higher up on his mount.
The reins tightened as the young Noomah warrior’s eyes widened. “The dirt rises so high above the ground,” Horseback said. “Are the lodges in the dirt?”
Speaks Twice laughed. Coming over the rise on foot, he tried to look at the spectacle the way Horseback would. What if he had never seen a lodge made of anything but buffalo hide? This village of a hundred families might indeed make his own eyebrows rise. He laughed again, realizing that Horseback had no eyebrows, having plucked out all the hair from his face—even his eyelashes. This aversion to facial hair was going to make the hairy-faced Metal Men seem particularly grotesque to the Noomah riders.
Turning his attention toward the Tiwa village, Speaks Twice noticed that the River of Arrowheads was running lower since he and his party had left to hunt buffalo. This would make the crossing to Tachichichi an easy one. Beyond the river, he checked over the fields where the corn, beans, and squash had been harvested before the hunt. A few horses browsed through the fields, being tended by an old man and a couple of boys. Beyond the fields stood the walls of Tachichichi, rising straight up from the ground, like the face of a sheer bluff. The village consisted of twelve adobe structures, formed around a square. To his relief, Speaks Twice saw no Inday lodges erected near the village. This was the time of year when the Inday left their fields near the river and moved their lodges out onto the plains to hunt. Speaks Twice hoped he could guide the Noomah on their way south before any Inday warriors returned.
He glanced again at Horseback and tried to imagine what the stranger was thinking of this place. The other Noomah riders had stopped beside him, and they were all staring in silence at the sight of the Tiwa town.
“Where are the doors to the lodges?” Horseback asked.
“We climb up the ladders from the outside, then go down into the lodges through holes on top. That is why each level is smaller than the level under it, so there is room for the entrance holes.”
“They go in through the smoke hole,” Shaggy Hump said, and the Noomah searchers proved that they too could laugh at strangers with strange ways.
Just then, a woman emerged from one of the holes on the second level of the pueblo across the river. She walked a few steps and disappeared into another hole.
“I see now,” Horseback said. “It is like a village of prairie dogs.”<
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Speaks Twice chuckled, but did not translate for his fellow hunters, whom he thought might be offended. “When our enemies attack, we pull up the ladders around the lower level. We are safe inside. We have much food and water hidden there. You see many ladders around the village now. That is how I know all is well with my home place.”
“What has happened to the ground between the river and the lodges?” Horseback asked.
“That is where we grow the corn and beans,” Speaks Twice explained. “And the squash.”
“How do your people make the ground look like a herd of buffalo has crossed over it?”
“We use sticks.” Speaks Twice made a digging motion with his hands.
“In my country we use sticks to dig for yampa roots.”
“It is the same with us, only we dig to plant seeds, not to get roots. Then, we pull all the grass away from the plants we grow, so the grass will not grow over them and weaken them.”
Many smoke trails rose from the chimneys, making Speaks Twice anxious to get home and eat something other than buffalo meat. “We should ride across to the village now,” he said.
“Yes. We will need time to raise our lodge. I do not wish to sleep inside your village. It is strange to me. My lodge is round, like a sacred circle. Your village is not round.”
“It is straight,” Speaks Twice answered. “Straight is good.”
As Horseback started riding slowly down into the breaks of the big river, he took his bow from his quiver. Wrapping one leg around the bow, he bent the elm wood enough to get the loose end of the buffalo sinew bow string around the other tip of the bow.
“There are no Inday warriors at my village,” Speaks Twice said. “Why must you string your bow?”
“Your warriors will be ready for us. We must be ready for them, as well. We come in peace, but we are always ready to fight.”
“Why do you say my warriors will be ready for you, my friend?”
“I know that you sent a runner ahead from the hunting camp, where we met, to this village you call Tachichichi. Echo found the runner’s tracks away from our own trail.”
