They decided to find a place to camp and retreated back to a good beach they’d passed earlier. They pulled the boat up and dumped the creature on the sand. It landed on its belly. Wapa quickly started a fire. He was eager for something other than jerky. Urch sliced the animal down its back and peeled the skin from the side toward the belly, revealing dark almost purple meat. He cut off a hunk and handed it to Wapa.
While Urch worked on the creature, Wapa started a fire and pulled up two logs for them to sit on to cook and eat the meat.
When Urch brought the meat over, neither could wait. They each took a hunk of meat, cut it in smaller pieces, and skewered it onto a peeled tree limb which they held over the fire. As it cooked they salivated from the smell.
“By the hairs on the chin of Father Sky,” Wapa laughed juice running through his beard to land ungracefully on his knee, “This is good. This is better than good!”
“It is good!” Urch agreed. “Wapa, you need to remember that even though you’ve heard people speak of the gods that way, it’s not wise.”
“I’m sorry, Urch. I’ll control it. I was just astounded that something so ugly could taste so good.”
“Are you starting to think what I’m thinking?”
“You mean this might be a better place to have our new home?”
“Yes. This land is full of food, and then, there’s this strange river seal!”
Later, Urch rolled the creature on its side and continued to butcher. The meat on the underside was different in color. Urch wondered whether it tasted different because of the color. He would discover the answer to that the next morning.
In the morning, Urch tried the light meat. It didn’t taste any different to him than the other meat. Both were amazingly good.
He and Wapa stayed in the location until they’d made jerky of most of the meat and eaten their fill. They did decide to go back to the place above the chert supply on the big river, for winter was coming. They felt they were well provisioned, and that location was exceptional.
As they rowed back, they chatted about the best and worst features of both places. It was significantly warmer in the land of the strange seal-like creature. The environment was more pleasant and more comfortable for temperature by the big river. For once they had found a place they considered too hot. Both knew they could make hunting trips to the far south land to harpoon this odd river seal that tasted so good.
While discussing the virtues of the southern land, Urch began to itch unmercifully.
“I’m going crazy with this itching,” he told Wapa. “It’s been going on for a while now. I want to know what is on me! Will you look to see what you can find?”
Wapa looked at the back of Urch’s leg. “Looks like lots of raw places, little sores. Wait, there’s an extremely tiny red bug. There’s another. Let me take it off. Don’t claw at that place, the skin’s all broken, Urch. You could cause it to make pus if you’re not careful.”
“You have anything for itching?” He asked.
“Let me see what’s in this bag my father prepared for me.” Wapa returned with the bag. Before he opened it, he said, “Wait, I remember. Let’s gather some clay from down here by the river. I’ll put some of that on the broken skin and tie a leather strip around it until it dries. It’ll draw out the itch. Leave it on until the clay dries. Let me put some on and then I’ll tie a strip of leather over it until it dries.” During the return trip, Urch would need numbers of applications of clay. He took care of it himself, since he’d learned what to do. Wrapping the leather strip around his upper leg and tying it around his waist was simple.
Back at the big river camp, Wapa and Urch built a stronger storage place for their meat. They chose taller trees and leaned them together to make as much room inside as possible. They constructed a horizontal rack on which to lay the meat so it would have air circulating. Both were almost fanatical about keeping rain out, so they did everything they could possibly think to keep the storage area rain free.
“Hoah,” someone called.
Urch and Wapa quickly turned around and saw six men standing behind them. They wore the same style braids as the two other men they had met earlier. Urch reflected that for only two men, they had become lax in watching out for others, since there’d been only the two former visitors. Urch was undone at their lack of wisdom.
Urch put his hand on his chest, “Urch.”
Wapa introduced himself.
Each of the others did likewise: Micuit, Tolpurk, Wemetering, Cannta, Utteal, Glatehut. Urch and Wapa were overwhelmed with the names, remembering none of them.
Cannta pointed to the spear tips and signed he wanted Urch and Wapa to join them in their boat to go upstream.
Urch signed his unwillingness. Utteal raised his spear. Cannta gave Utteal a stern look, and Utteal rested his spear back on its end.
Urch stood his ground. He indicated he’d teach them there, but not go with them. Wapa copied Urch’s stances, and stood with his forearms parallel to the ground, across his chest, feet at a wider than normal stance, stern face.
Urch was observing every move. It seemed to him they didn’t have authority from whoever sent them to bring them back by force, or they’d have done it. They seemed confused as to what to do. He signed for them to go home.
Cannta, the one who appeared to be in charge, was clearly not prepared for Urch’s dismissal. He conferred with Micuit. They shook their spears at Urch and Wapa, but they returned to their dugout, boarded, and began to row upstream.
Urch felt the confrontation would likely bring more of the same. There was something about their spears that the men wanted to know. Urch decided it was past time for them to set up a night watch.
“How’d you know to do what you did?” Wapa asked.
“I didn’t, Wapa. I didn’t want to go with them. I don’t like the idea of anyone arriving here and telling us what to do. It appeared to me they were sent by someone who hadn’t given them permission to use force or injure us. After I pushed back, they didn’t keep pursuing. I guessed my assumption was right, and I just pressed it with more strength. I am certain, however, this isn’t the end of it. I think they’ll return. They want something. I think it’s to learn how to make our spears. We need to be tough with these men, not show fear, but not be unreasonable either. It’ll be a careful progress we need to make. I will eventually make it clear that we have more people coming. If we are to bring our people here, they need to respect us.”
“All that was passing through your thinking place while they were here?”
“Yes, and another fact. We need to start a night watch.”
“I agree. I’ll take it first tonight.”
“Very well.”
That night and many that followed were uneventful, but the men felt better for doing it. A moon later, almost at the winter solstice, three men came back from upstream in a smaller dugout. Three men—all had been there once before.
Cannta, Micuit, and Wemetering approached them, no spears in their hands, with a much more pleasant attitude.
Urch walked over to them. Wapa quickly backed him up.
“What is it?” he asked Cannta, convinced the man had no idea what he said.
“We start bad last time. We want better,” he said.
Urch’s mouth literally opened with no words coming forth.
“I learn your words Vaima at village there,” he said pointing to the north
“I hear my words from your mouth,” Urch said humbled somehow that the man would want to communicate badly enough to do what he’d done.
“Vaima your friend our friend. You no have bad man here. We want you visit Hoomuhu. Our land. Our chief wants. We friend like friend Vaima.”
“Make picture where Hoomuhu is.” Urch showed him how to draw in sand with the end of his spear and drew big waves and said, “Sea.” He drew the river with the curves as they were. Urch said, “River,” tracing the river and handed the spear to Cannta.
Cannta took it, while bo
th men accompanying him looked on in wonder. They had no idea what was taking place. For a long time Cannta stared at the drawing Urch made.
Cannta drew haltingly the continuation of the river. At one place, he pushed the end of the spear shaft into the sand. “This Hoomuhu,” he said.
“You have done well, Cannta.” Urch said. “How long to reach Hoomuhu?”
“Not whole day.”
“We come before new leaves open.”
Clearly, Cannta hoped to hear a better answer, but he received an answer, and he would report that answer. The three men bowed slightly at the waist. The two men returned the gesture. Cannta, Micuit, and Wemetering left.
Wapa was again trying to understand.
“Why did you make the time for us to come so long from now?” he asked.
“I want them to know that we are doing what’s best for us, not jumping to serve their desires. But I want them to know we want to be friends. Make sense now?”
“Yes,” he said with some doubt.
“I plan for us to go there long before the buds open, Wapa, but I want to reserve the right to carry it that long.”
“I see,” he said and did.
“Cannta’s chief will probably understand what I do.”
“You think he will?”
“Yes, for some reason I cannot explain, and I think he will understand and respect us.”
Wapa had always thought Urch was worthy of respect, but today and recently his respect for this man had risen much higher. Urch was unaware of the way the younger man felt. He knew Wapa was only twenty-two years of age while he was now forty-five. Age, somehow, had ceased to be anything of importance to Urch since he passed his twenties.
“I think you are a wise man,” Wapa said.
Urch looked at him sideways. “Wait, Wapa, return to that thought when we return from the Hoomuhu.” He laughed.
Wapa looked at him, realized what he’d said, and joined the laughter.
Urch felt the need for greens, so he went for a trek through the wooded area to see what he could find. Most of the greens he sought lay in the sun, just outside the treed area. He gathered many, carrying them back carefully and took them to the river to let the water wash off anything he might not wish to eat. Urch had found some tubers and dug them up. He held them between his hands and cleaned off the dirt.
While Urch gathered the greens, Wapa took the boat and went up a nearby stream. He pulled the boat up and tied it to a tree. Wapa carried a bag. He went to the edges of the stream and began to feel around with his fingers in the leafy debris. One at a time, he pulled large humpbacked crayfish from the water and slipped them into the bag. When he had enough, he took the bag to the boat, put the boat in the stream, and returned to the camp. They would eat well that night.
Urch had made a fire, and he laid a few large leafed greens on a log. He knew where Wapa had gone since the boat was missing and also knew they’d eat well that night. Sure enough, Wapa arrived back, bag in hand.
“How many’d you find?” Urch asked, eager to eat.
“Forty to fifty,” Wapa replied, knowing this was one of Urch’s favorite foods from this area.
“Ah, I can’t wait!”
“Want a raw one?” Wapa teased.
“I’ll wait,” Urch said.
Wapa took the crayfish from the bag one at a time and laid it on the leaf to pull off anything that wasn’t part of the animal. He placed the cleaned ones into a different bag.
“Forty-eight,” he called to Urch as he put the last one in the new bag.
“You have the stones ready?” Urch called back.
“Yes! Ready to go,” Wapa said in a raised voice returning from the river with water in the bag. He hooked the bag on a piece of their home where a limb had broken off a tree trunk. He took tongs and put a rock in the bag which instantly set the water to boil. He added another rock. Then, another.
Finally, Wapa said the words for which Urch waited, “It’s ready!”
The two men carried their bowls filled with greens to the bag and filled their bowls with crayfish. They carried their bowls to the river’s edge and sat. Both began to eat, holding the carapaces and separating them from the tails. They sucked the tails from the shells. All pieces that were not consumed were tossed to the river. Occasionally they’d take a piece of the greens to eat, savoring the crawfish juice that the greens retained.
A moon passed when early one morning Urch said, “I think it time to visit the Hoomuhu.”
“I wondered when that time would come,” Wapa replied.
“It’s here,” Urch told him.
They gathered their spears, water bags, and backpacks with sleeping skins. They entered the boat and began to row.
A while after high sun, a village appeared on the right. The village was placed to see well whether anyone came upriver. By the time they reached the village, people were gathered to welcome them. It was a very exciting time for the village.
Cannta came to greet them with a large smile.
Urch noted that he was a different man in his own village. Urch had a fleeting moment of thought that for some reason he may have intimidated the young man.
Cannta led Urch and Wapa to Chief Backtament. They were seated and Cannta prepared to translate.
The chief said, “I welcome you to our home. We would be friends. We can teach you about our land. You can teach us to make large spear points.”
Cannta translated.
“Thank you, Chief,” Urch said. “There is much we would learn of this land. We are pleased to teach you large spear point making.”
Cannta translated.
“I invite you to stay for the rest of this cold season with us. Learn our languages. When the new leaves spring from their buds, you will return to your place and we will be friends. We do not hold you against your will. To learn a language you must live with the language. We offer you a good place to stay and food to eat. You can learn our food here. Also plants to eat and to heal. We hope that you bring young men and women who want to find people as wives or husbands.”
Cannta translated sentence by sentence.
Urch listened. He understood the great offer the chief made. He turned to Wapa and said quietly, “I’m inclined to accept.”
“I agree,” Wapa said.
“Your offer is a very kind one, Chief,” Urch said, “We accept. You have much to teach us and we, too, have things to teach. We have left much jerky at our home and are concerned about it.”
Cannta translated.
The chief said, “I’ll send two of my trusted men. They’ll transport your jerky in skins to this place. We will put it in the place we have put aside for you. No one here will touch it or eat of it. Whenever you wish to leave, you are free to leave and to take the food and all your things with you.”
Cannta translated.
“Cannta, how do you say, ‘thank you,’ in your language?”
Cannta told him.
Urch thanked the chief in his language.
There was no need for translation.
The chief told Cannta to show Urch and Wapa to their home in Hoomuhu.
Urch looked about as Cannta led them to their temporary residence. The village was amazingly well kept. Where some places had pieces of food lying about on the ground until either the dogs or ants took care of it, the grounds at Hoomuhu were clean. There was nothing to injure the foot of a careless walker. In some places it was clear that plants had been purposely placed to grow in certain locations along with others of their kind. Some of those plants had leaves used in seasoning, Urch realized. People were not lazy, but they did not run about in the village area. They greeted each other when they met going from one place to another. It was remarkable, for Urch had seen this way of being nowhere else in his life.
Wapa was also seeing the same things and finding them remarkable, but even to him more remarkable was the young woman who looked at him with a shy smile. Her long black hair shone blue in the sun. Her pale colored ey
es were striking. He had to control himself not to become lost in her as he walked behind Urch.
They reached a structure like the others made of a frame of wood bent to form an upside down U shape. The structure was covered with bundles of marsh grasses tied tightly to form the bundle and tied again to cross pieces of trees that made up the sides of the structure. Inside there were sleeping places attached to the sides of the structure. There were soft hairless skins folded on the sleeping places atop a fur that was somewhat matted. Urch bent over to touch the furred skin.
“Giant sloth,” Cannta said, “They are four man-lengths tall in Hoomuhu lands. North of Hoomuhu they are about half that size. They eat plants. You leave alone. The claws on one of them—aieeeeee!”
Urch was fascinated that he’d go black on the skin of an animal he’d never seen, an animal of four man-lengths. So was Wapa, who leaned over to touch the one on his sleeping place. Wapa’s thinking place was better focused since he could no longer see the girl who captivated him.
They put their things away. Cannta showed them how to use the ties to hold their spears upright beside their sleeping places so they could be seized by a single pull on one end of the tie.
Cannta led them back to the place where their boat was pulled up on the shore. He showed them a frame made of tree trunks where Urch and Wapa could turn their boat upside down to store it out of the water, dirt, or mud. They put the boat up and tied the seal head to a tree. They didn’t want to permit the boat to be carried off if there were a flood. Cannta thought that a strange thing, but he didn’t question them about it.
That night at the evening meal, Urch and Wapa were able to say a few words, for Cannta had been working with them all afternoon. Urch and Wapa were astonished at the array of food.
“All this—there,” Cannta waved his hand to the whole area surrounding the village. “Easy gather,” he said smiling.
There were crayfish, fish, other meats, greens, root vegetables, fruits of various colors, beans, squash, nuts, some small things that looked like seeds. The array was endless. For people with a limited diet for a long time, this was stupefying. The meats had been seasoned with various crushed leaves. The savor was amazing. It took a long time for Urch and Wapa to eat. They noticed that others went back for more after they finished what was in their bowls. Urch went back for more of what he thought was some kind of waterfowl. The flavoring made the meat taste delicious and unforgettable.
The SealEaters, 20,000 BC Page 31
