Wind Whisperer Read online

We made it back to the village without further incident. Joy still sat under the Douglas fir tree working on her baskets. Lead Woman pounded cedar bark to make it soft before cutting it into strips for weaving. An elderly woman, whom I’d come to call Grandma, weaved slender strips that had been soaking in water for flexibility. It looked like she was making a hat. They all glanced up when we approached with our two baskets, worn out and disheveled.

  I put on a fake smile. “Hi. We’re back.”

  Joy sized us up in one glance and jumped to her feet. Her mother wasn’t too far behind in the thought processes. Both wore concerned expressions. “Han-nah. Whatever happened? You three look like you…like you…”

  “Like we’ve seen a ghost?” I chuckled ruefully. “Well, actually, we sort of have. It was the strangest thing.” My voice rose with excitement. “We saw what you guys call Sasquatch…I think… It had a big, hairy, really ugly, ape-face and just stared at us through the underbrush. We were so scared. I was tempted to throw something at it or do something, but I didn’t know what to do, and the girls were freaking out, and I was so amazed to see what we call Bigfoot actually existed that, well, I just stood there.” I stopped to take in a deep breath.

  Joy, her mother, and Grandma gasped in unison. Then Lead Woman did a thing I found strange. She closed her eyes for moment, inhaled slowly, exhaled just as slowly, motioned for Little Feather and Blanket Girl to follow her, and disappeared into the house. The old woman followed them silently—her eyes glued to the ground. I looked at Joy in consternation. She dropped her eyes and I knew, with a sinking feeling, that what I’d just so blithely blabbered was something one didn’t talk about.

  “Joy,” I moaned. “What did I say or do that was so bad? Lead Woman and Grandma looked fit to be tied.”

  Joy sighed. “Han-nah…it is just…it is…we do not speak so disrespectfully about the Hairy Man of the Woods. The shaman and some of the elders believe him to be…oh, I do not know how to explain it to you…”

  “Please try,” I begged. “I’ve got to understand your ways if I’m going to be stuck here my whole life.”

  “Yes, that is true.” She eyed me uncertainly. “I am hoping father will give you to me for a wedding present. I am hoping that you and I will be friends forever. I do want you to understand and…and learn to like my people…and if you should marry Gray Otter, well…I want you to be happy.”

  That made me feel ashamed. I did like Joy and her people and didn’t want to hurt them for anything. “I’m sorry if I made it sound mean. I do like your people, Joy. I really do. You just have to help me. Remember, this is still awfully strange for me. I-I’m not used to your ways…and stuff…”

  She smiled faintly. “Yes, I know…I am sorry.”

  “So, explain this Sasquatch thing for me. Please. What did I say that was so offensive?”

  “Come, sit down next to me.” Joy folded her legs under her gracefully and sat on the cedar mat. She patted the ground next to her. As soon as I was comfortable she licked her lips and tried to clarify the mystery. “You see…as I was saying…the shaman and elders believe Sasquatch to have one foot in the animal world and one foot in the man world. He has been given a special power and we are to respect him. He is not spirit, but flesh and blood, with needs and desires like our own. We do not bother him and he does not disturb us. He is our equal. Because he knows what animals know and knows what men know—well, he is considered special.”

  I digested this bit of information quietly. There was so much I still had to learn about the beliefs of these people. So much. I nodded. “Okay…I guess I shouldn’t have said I wanted to throw something at it-him. I-I’m sorry if I was rude.”

  “I understand what you meant,” Joy hastened to assure me. “I would have been very frightened had I been the one to see him. They usually keep hidden deep within the forest. When I said we respect the Hairy Man—Sasquatch—I did not mean that we are friends. We are not. My people are very much aware of his presence, but we do not want to meet, face-to-face. You understand this?”

  “Yeah, I guess. I hope Lead Woman will forgive me.”

  Joy patted my hand. “Do not worry. She knows I will explain it to you and that you will listen. She likes you very much, Han-nah. Do not worry.” She waved a hand over the baskets that lay finished beside her. “See what I have done while you were playing hide-and-seek with Sasquatch?”

  Relieved that the subject was closed, I admired her handiwork. Talk changed to plans for the upcoming potlatch/wedding ceremony. I was half in awe and half-envious of Joy’s eager anticipation for the big day. She seemed so happy and in love with He-Sees-Far. I decided to postpone telling her about my dream. I only hoped that the little girls kept quiet, too. Too much humble pie wasn’t good for anyone.

  THIRTEEN – THE WEDDING

  The next morning the sun broke through the heavy morning mist like the first Easter morning. Golden-white sunrays poked through, Heaven leaking to the Earth. I mentioned this to Joy as we padded down to the beach, each carrying a clam basket. Her brow furrowed, and I knew she didn’t understand a thing I was saying. I tried to tell her more about my faith, and she was actually grasping some of it, when He-Sees-Far rounded the point at the far end of the shore. Joy immediately emitted a tiny squeak and lowered her eyes.

  The young man approached us confidently, looking at me intently as though I were still a mystery to him. He grunted something unintelligible to me and then directed his gaze to his fiancée. “You are looking well, She-Who-Sings-to-Whales. I see you are up bright and early, embracing the dawn.”

  Eyes still glued to the wet sand, Joy murmured, “Yes, we are digging for clams and gathering mussels. The wedding is only two days from now and preparations are endless.”

  “Your father promises a potlatch like no other. He will undoubtedly give away many fine things.”

  “Oh, yes. And I am hoping Han-nah will be one of my gifts.”

  At mention of my name, he glanced over at me and nodded once. It wasn’t that he was being rude to me because he wasn’t. It was just that I was not important to him, and he had far better things to do. I knew my place. I didn’t like it, but I understood it. I was a slave—nothing more and nothing less. The only thing making me special was my blond hair and blue eyes and the mysterious language “gift” I’d been given.

  Joy and He-Sees-Far spoke quietly for a few minutes and then he left us. No kissing and hugging like couples in love where I came from. I found it hard to keep up with all their traditions and values, but I gave it my best.

  In high spirits we resumed our stroll along the wide, sandy beach. As we passed the large sentinel rocks, the beach changed drastically. A billion rocks and pebbles covered the sand. Worn to unbelievable smoothness—as though polished in some gigantic rock polisher—they glistened and invited rock hounds to help themselves.

  There were coal-black oblong stones, jade-green stones, yellow and red ones. The colors were beautiful—deep and vibrant—and I wished I could have a bracelet made out of these geological wonders. Every few feet, I bent to pick one up, examine it, caress it, savor its perfection with all my senses. After doing this a dozen times, Joy chuckled. “What are you doing, Han-nah?”

  “Oh, nothing, really…it’s just that all these rocks are so beautiful. I wish my dad could buy property on the ocean near here.”

  “Buy? You mean own for one’s self?”

  “Well, yeah…you know, have a piece of property that just belongs to you. No one else. All yours. Private property.”

  She mulled this over for a moment and then frowned. “Han-nah…how can you buy the ocean…how can you own the trees or the sky or the sand on the shore?”

  “Well…you-you just buy it, that’s how. You know, with money. You know how you value those tooth-shaped shells and-and the spruce-root hats that those big whaler-guys flaunt. Money. To buy stuff.”

  She shook her head. “No, Han-nah…nobody can own a part of the earth. The earth is sacred to my people. We are
a part of the earth and she is a part of us. You know that the earth and her animals are not considered lower than man, but equal. We are united. They are our mentors, our teachers, our elder brothers and sisters. The mountains, the rocks, the trees, the waters—all belong to the same family as man.”

  “Yeah, I know, but…”

  “The wind is the same as the breath I have in me. The land and air are sacred. They cannot be owned. We treat them with the same respect we give to any brother.”

  “Joy, that’s really beautiful, but in my religion, man is superior to nature. We are supposed to respect it, too, of course, and take care of it, but we’re not equal. People have souls but trees and rocks don’t.”

  Joy shook her head sadly as though I were to be pitied. “That is not true, Han-nah. Why, we even thank the cedar tree when we take what we need from it. Listen to these words: ‘Look at me, friend. I come to ask you for your dress, since there is nothing you cannot give me. There is nothing you cannot be used for. I come to beg you for this and to thank you, long-life maker.’ We even apologize to the whale and seal, the salmon and clam.”

  It was my turn to chew on this for a minute. Then I cleared my throat and asked her a loaded question. “Why is it you can’t own a part of the earth or a tree or stuff like that, but you can own another person? You confuse me when you say man and nature are equal but then take slaves.”

  Joy didn’t answer, and for a minute I thought I’d really offended her. But she surprised me. “You have given me something to think about, Han-nah. Thank you.” With that, she continued walking down the beach. I followed, wordlessly.

  We hadn’t gone too far when the sounds of giggles and chattering voices caught our attention. Turning, we weren’t surprised to see half the village children running beside our footprints. I had thought we’d managed to evade them, but nothing doing. Over a dozen happy smiles came our way. Joy sighed. “Here come our shadows. They adore you, Han-nah.”

  “That’s okay…they can do the digging,” I laughed. And I was right. The children loved to get down on hands and knees and muck around in the wet sand. We dug up a lot of clams that morning. I hoped this meant a good dinner tonight. I was ravenous.

  * * * *

  The morning of Joy’s wedding dawned with the promise of sunshine and good weather. The potlatch was to begin later that afternoon and would last until the next day. Joy’s mother and members of her extended family hustled about making last-minute preparations. I helped the best I could, while Joy gathered together her many gifts received over the past few weeks.

  I was putting the finishing touches to a bentwood box, one of the many gifts for that evening, when the oldest of Joy’s brothers came running toward us. Clearly excited, he hopped from one foot to the other as he barked out his news. “Mother. Mother. Did you hear? Someone took Raven Wing’s new blanket. Right off the rack. In plain sight.”

  Lead Woman pursed her lips. “I do not like this news, Canoe Rider. What does your father say…and the elders?”

  “They are discussing it now, Mother. Father says we must be more alert. The young men are searching the woods for raiders from another tribe. Do you think They-Who-Dwell-in-the-North are hiding in our forest, Mother?”

  About ten years old, Canoe Rider tried to be a man, but I could tell he was scared inside. Lead Woman handled it well and just played the thing down, yet reminded him that he and his little brothers must not wander away from the village. The little boy accepted what she said and left—looking relieved but still excited.

  I turned to Joy. “What do you make of this? I mean, a few days ago some salmon was missing and…well, could it be a war party?” I wanted to add “or Jonah”, but didn’t.

  “It could be anything. I hope my wedding will not be ruined. I cannot bear to think about it.”

  I had nothing to say that would make her worries go away as I was a little apprehensive, myself. I’d been with these people long enough to have heard the stories about tribes from the north swooping down—paddling fiercely and silently in their war canoes—and attacking. Joy’s people seemed fairly peace loving. Because food was plentiful, they didn’t need to move camp like the Plains Indians, who always searched for new grazing lands. These people usually had no problem finding enough to eat or erecting shelters as fine as the big, wood planked houses. But, even so, they were fighters when the need arose.

  I kept my fears to myself. I did everything they told me to do, even when the job repulsed me, like gutting fish. Lead Woman and the rest of the women had done phenomenal work in preparing for the festivities. Guests were coming from neighboring villages and had already begun arriving in their canoes or on foot. All afternoon Chief gave welcoming speeches as he waited on the embankment over-looking the beach for his friends and neighbors to arrive. He wore new clothes and the coveted cedar hat, and looked like the proud father.

  When the time arrived for Joy to dress, I was a nervous wreck. My hands shook so badly that I couldn’t help her tie her new cape around her shoulders. She laughed at me and joked that it should be me that was getting married. I made a brave attempt at light-heartedness but failed.

  Joy, like always, noticed my distress. “Han-nah, what is making you so unhappy? Are you not happy for me this night?”

  I wiped my nose on a salal leaf and grinned feebly. “Of course I’m happy for you. It’s…it’s just…oh, Joy, I’m so afraid. What’s going to happen to me? What if your father doesn’t give me to you for a wedding present?”

  A burst of commotion at the house entrance prevented Joy from answering. Her mother and female relatives signaled for her to come. Time for the ceremony to begin. With a heavy heart, I followed as they made their way to the house where the party would take place. A brand-new structure, it shone yellow-white in the growing twilight. The pungent smell of freshly cut cedar scented the air. Newly painted totem figures on the façade proclaimed the family’s clan. It was beautiful.

  People packed the high-ceilinged room. At one end of the house Chief and his most prestigious guests sat like royalty, on a platform. Women and children sat in the back but with a clear view of the central area. Everybody seemed in high spirits and excited for the party to begin. A tangible excitement in the air promised a party I’d not soon forget.

  The large room darkened as the sun sank into the ocean, leaving a reddish stain on the horizon. Small cedar-wood fires lit the room, sending sparks up into the shadows like stars in a velvety night sky. Men sat on the floor, wearing fine blankets and capes, and holding the round, flat drums popular with these people. On a signal from the host, they began beating the drums and the crowd hushed expectantly. Masked dancers—one of them GrayOtter—appeared and circled the central fire. The time had arrived.

  After several story-dances, the Raven speaker stood to give his speech. He told anecdotes about his host; related funny stories that included many of the people present, and generally acted like what we’d call a master of ceremonies.

  Then Chief stood up and announced the reason for the potlatch: the marriage of his eldest daughter, She-Who-Sings-to-Whales, to He-Sees-Far, the esteemed carver of wood. The honored couple stood on a blanket laid out on the ground. Then, the blanket was taken up and draped around the couple’s shoulders, symbolizing that they were now one.

  There followed loud laughter and shouts and more drumming. Then the food came out, a banquet of smoked salmon, fresh seal, dried smelt and herring. A concoction made from the eggs laid by thousands of seabirds joined the fish. There were clams and mussels, wild berries made into a dozen different delicacies, and sweet cakes made from hemlock bark. The guests ate until they were so stuffed, they couldn’t move.

  Gifts came next. High-ranking people received fine blankets and handsome bentwood boxes, among the most marvelous examples of these people’s skill and artistry. Made from a single piece of cedar, cut with deep grooves, the artisan steamed the section until the wood became pliable, then bent it into a wonderful four-sided box. The best artis
ts added intricate designs and the finished product was breathtaking.

  So many things were given out. Lovely baskets woven with elaborate scenes depicting whaling and fishing; intricate but useful items carved from wood and mountain goat horn; and beautiful cedar bark jewelry. When every last gift had been given, the people became quiet. I could tell that they were anticipating something, but I didn’t know what.

  Joy and her husband were brought out again, each bearing some of the gifts given to them by their own families. People reacted appropriately, and I could tell that Chief was about busting his buttons, he was so proud. He raised a hand and the room hushed expectantly. He instructed me to come forward.

  With exaggerated gestures, Chief made the clarion announcement that I—She-Who-Speaks-Many-Tongues, the girl with sunlight in her hair and with the sky in her eyes—now belonged to his daughter and new son-in-law. Apparently, I was considered a most extravagant gift. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I gazed out into the crowd. Old and young alike stared at me like a specimen in a zoo. My heart beat so fast I knew they could see it.

  More dancing followed. Drums kept beat with intricate steps, while rattles measured time. I couldn’t help moving to the contagious rhythm. It made you want to dance. Late—or, rather, early the next morning—the music kept the place alive—throbbing like a living, beating heart. I was giddy with all that happened. Every nerve in my body electrified, and I felt almost capable of taking flight, exhilarating, and at the same time, enervating. I couldn’t wait to lie down on my pallet.

  A new chapter began in my Alice-in-Wonderland existence, and I wasn’t quite ready for it. It had been one thing to live with Joy and her family in the big house. Living with her and her new husband and strangers in their new house would be a lot different. I didn’t know if I would like this new arrangement.

  Still pensive over the abrupt change in my life here in this Otherworld, I let my mind wander to a half-dream state. The party went on all around me, but exhaustion tuned it out. Drum beats and voices and sounds of every kind were nothing but a cacophony inside my head. I needed to escape—if only mentally—so when the scene shattered into a million pieces by loud, angry voices, I jerked to attention and strained to see what had caused the disturbingly loud ruckus. The music had ceased—like a switch had been thrown—and the partygoers grew as silent as if a knife had just severed their tongues from their mouths.