Algonquian Words
Cattapeak: spring
Cohattayough: summer
Kwiocosuk: shaman, priest
Mamanatowick: ruler of several villages
Montoac: a mysterious, immediate, and pervasive power beyond and greater than that of humans
Nepinough: earring of the corn season
Popanow: winter
Taquitock: the harvest and the falling of the leaves season
Wassador: copper
Weroance: chief of a village
Weroansqua: female chief of a village or dominant wife of the
village’s weroance
Windigo: cannibal monster (plural: Windigoag)
Characters Mentioned
* historically identified person
Allawa (Pea) – 15, Granganimeo’s daughter and Hurit’s step-daughter
Alsoomse (Independent) – 17, protagonist
Anakausen (Worker) – 21, paddler of Alsoomse’s canoe to Croatoan
* Andacon (Evergreens) – 25, Wingina’s war chief
Hurit (Beautiful) – 25, weroansqua. Granganimeo’s second wife
Keme (Thunder) – 25, warrior and friend of Wanchese
Kitchi (Brave) – Alsoomse and Wanchese’s dead brother, 11 at ime of death, 1580
Machk (Bear) – 17, Nuna’s brother, friend of Wanchese
Makkapitew (He Has Large Teeth) – 22, paddler of Alsoomse’s canoe to Croatoan
* Menatonon – 55, mamanatowick of Choanoac
Nootau (Fire) – 20, Sooleawa’s son and Alsoomse and Wanchese’s cousin
Nuna (Land) – 16, Alsoomse’ friend across the lane
Nuttah (My Heart) – 17, flirtatious enemy of Alsoomse
* Okisko – 29, Weapemeoc’s Weroance
* Osacan- 26, elite member of Wingina’s council
* Piemacum (He Who Churns Up the Water) – 25 Pomeiooc’s weroance
Rakiock (Cypress Tree) – 25, Menatonon’s war chief
Samoset (He Walks Too Much) – 19, womanizer, friend of Askook
* Skiko – 13, Menatonon’s son
Sokanon (Rain) – 18, Sooleawa’s daughter and Alsoomse and Wanchese’s cousin
Sokw ((Sour) – 16, enemy of Alsoomse
* Taraquine – 19, warrior and friend of Wanchese
Tihkoosue (Short) – 13, Granganimeo’s son and Hurit’s step-son
Wabin (East Wind) – 13, friend of Skiko of Choanoac
Commentary
This is a transition chapter. Alsoomse and Wanchese are about to experience character-altering events that will make them more exemplary human beings. What those events are and how the two young Algonquians change are revealed in the thirty remaining chapters of the novel.
Chapter 10
The two canoes continued in tandem, forty yards apart, close to the skinny marshland and endless dunes that warded off the Great Waters. Alsoomse sat in the second canoe behind her cousin Sokanon. The sour-faced Sokw, friend of Hurit’s step-daughter Allawa, sat in front of Sokanon. In front of the three girls labored three men, two of them married: the muscular Anakausen and the jovial Makkapitew. Lean-bodied Taraquine, not quite Wanchese’s age, drew most of the three girls’ attention.
It pleased Alsoomse to watch the ripple of upper arm, shoulder, and back muscles working nearly in concert. She had hoped that at Croatoan -- Kiwasa being uncharacteristically generous -- she might attract a vigorous, virile male like Nuna’s brother, Machk.
Machk was in Hurit’s canoe, the lead canoe, along with obnoxious Samoset, who was two turning-of-the-leaves older than Alsoomse, and Keme, who had a wife and child and a thunderous temper. Seated behind Machk was Allawa, who was but 15, and flirtatious Nuttah, who was close to Alsoomse’s age. Machk, accustomed to female enticement, would likely not be affected – Alsoomse thought -- by either girl’s attempt of beguilement.
Realistically viewed, she knew that her chances of attracting a desirable Croatoan male were poor. Yet she was grateful. Leaving Roanoke, she was escaping her daily tedium. She would be seeing new places, new people. Who could say where that might lead?!
She knew very well where this adventure would lead! Do not fool yourself, she chastised. Better for her not to think about men, her prospects, her competition, marriage! She imagined fleetingly Wanchese making love to a sleek, smooth Choanoac girl and the following morning not giving the girl a word or glance! Wanchese was too old not to have a wife! What was wrong with him -- excluding the other things she scolded him about?!
She needed distractions.
Not long after passing the swampy end of Roanoke Island they had been entertained by three brown pelicans, swooping one after another over one of the deeper holes of the inner expansive waters. Fish. Menhaden. Lots of them. Where could they be? the pelicans had to have been thinking -- their heads not held back on their shoulders, their bills not resting on their folded necks as in normal flight. The lead pelican had dropped suddenly, each wing twice bent, white belly exposed, legs folded, long bill far advanced. The splash. The disappearance of tail feathers. Nothing, except expanding circles of water. The second pelican had then dropped. Its circles had quickly overridden the smoothing circles of the first. The third pelican had winged upward, glided, waited. The first pelican had then emerged, fish swallowed, water leaking out of its throat pouch. Seconds later the second pelican had surfaced. More release of water. Wings beating vigorously, they had ascended. Heads back, flying toward Croatoan, they had too quickly disappeared.
Wanchese would have enjoyed the spectacle. She was certain he had seen similar spectacles -- bird lover that he was -- imaging himself taking flight over flashing water! He knew all their names. He had probably taught Tihkoosue most of them.
It occurred to her that Wanchese’s mentoring of Tihkoosue might explain why Hurit had tolerated her!
She owed her brother consideration.
2
As the two canoes from Roanoke Island headed south toward Croatoan, a large canoe carrying seven men and a boy advanced up the narrowing Chowan River toward Ramushouuoq, the village situated on a high bank that overlooked the Meherrin River a mile from where it joined the Chowan. Ramushouuoq was Menatonon’s most northerly village, a frontier settlement vulnerable to Iroquois tribes -- the Nottoway, the Meherrin, and the Tuscarora, all of whom Wingina’s people called Mandoag. Vicious warriors they were, but they traded. Economic exchange with the neighboring Choanoac, the most powerful Algonquian federation of the Carolina floodplain, was considered essential. Ramushouuoq’s existence, on the fringe of Mandoag territory, was, for the most part, tolerated.
Menatonon had authorized Andacon to attempt to acquire at Ramushouuoq what Wingina needed most: heavy stone to be made into hammering and chopping tools, quartz to be chiseled into cutting utensils, and puccoon roots for the making of red dye. The Pomeiooc expedition to Choanoac three weeks earlier had depleted substantially Menatonon’s supply of stone, quartz, and puccoon -- trade items in previous years that he had reserved for Wingina’s uncle and then Wingina.
Nearing the Meherrin River, Wanchese recalled the argument that Menatonon and his youngest son, Skiko, had had before the canoe’s departure.
“I want to see my friend Wabin!” Skiko had insisted. He had attached himself, not surprisingly, to Osacan, whose enjoyment of boys had resulted in many two generation friendships, including his friendship with Wanchese. “I want to show Wabin what Osacan taught me!” During the evening’s entertainment Osacan had demonstrated how he could aim an arrow between his legs, send it off, and hit his target.
Exhibiting lively hands, active feet, the boy had captivated every adult. Even Andacon had been coaxed to smile. Kitchi had not had that gift. Kitchi’s spells of willfulness and moods of temper had alternated with periods of generosity and spontaneous merriment. Seeing Skiko and Osacan happy together, Wanchese had felt renewed pain.
Standing beside Nootau, Wanchese had looked down the slope of the hill toward the Choanoac canoe while Skiko and Menatonon had quarreled. He, Nootau, Andacon, and Osacan had removed most of their trading goods from their own canoe before the full sun had risen. All the while Skiko had jabbered. Nootau had told Wanchese while they had worked that he wished to stay in the village, not go to Ramushouuoq. Wanchese had seen the girl seated across the eating circle watching Nootau, had then observed Nootau watching her before he, Nootau, Osacan, and Andacon had descended the hill. She was attractive, young, maybe a cattapeuk younger than Alsoomse.
He had looked for but not seen Waboose.
“I will permit you to go,” Menatonon had capitulated, “if you promise to obey Rakiock’s commands.”
Skiko had hopped twice, had smiled broadly.
“Stay next to me at all times!” Rakiock, yet frowning, had declared.
“I will take my bow and arrows!” Skiko had exclaimed, again hopping. “I will show Wabin what Osacan taught me!”
Using two burnished canes, Menatonon moved short distances painfully. Skiko was a human butterfly. Wanchese had marveled at the stark contrast.
After two priests, chanting prayers to Kiwasa, had spread tobacco leaves upon the river’s waters, a Choanoac warrior had pushed the canoe into the languid current. Paddles lifted, three Choanoac braves, Rakiock, Skiko, Andacon, Osacan, and Wanchese had begun their journey up the river.
3
Hurit’s and Alsoomse’s canoes now approached the little islands where cordgrass enclosed dark, sunlit pools. A flock of ring-billed gulls had been following them, hoping to scavenge bits of food dropped into the water. Three bold gulls had hovered close enough for Alsoomse to observe their markings: black ring near the tip of yellow bill, gray back, white head, white neck, white under part, wingtips black with white spots. Alsoomse liked best how their winged shadows flickered on the rippling water.
Esthetically pleased, Alsoomse focused on the purpose of Hurit’s trip: help Woanagusso, Croatoan’s weroansqua, withstand Pomeiooc intimidation. Alsoomse had overheard conversations between Wanchese and his closest friends about Piemacum’s intentions. Why did individual men and tribes of men fight? Pride, obviously. Ambition. The need to dominate, she thought. Between individuals belittlement. Wrongs committed requiring vengeance. She wondered what the women in Pomeiooc thought about Piemacum’s aggressiveness. Did they believe that she and the women of Roanoke and Dasemunkepeuc were their enemy? Was every village woman obligated to hate her leader’s enemies?
Piemacum had left Wingina two courses of action: capitulate, fight.
In one of the marsh pools Alsoomse spied a flash of white. Black bill, black eyes, white back. Curved, graceful white neck. A female tundra swan preening herself!
Where was her life-long mate? It was uncommon to see a solitary swan. Dead? “He will return to you,” she whispered, knowing that swans had few predators, knowing that swans lived a calm existence. Unlike Croatoan’s Woanagusso. Who had become weroansqua upon the death of her last surviving brother. Who might not be willful enough to withstand Piemacum’s resolve.
4
All the way up the river, swamp vegetation defined the right bank. Here is where the river flooded during periods of substantial rain. It was difficult to determine where solid land started. Wanchese saw swamp tupelo and, less conspicuously, bald cypress, and, occasionally, sweet gum and red maple. Spanish moss dangled from the farthest removed cypress. He saw several squirrels active on the limbs, feeding on seeds embedded in the scales of brownish-purple cones. A cone dropped into the reddish water, startling a squirrel perched on the tree’s knees. Watching, Skiko laughed.
Out of nowhere yellow-rumped warblers flew to the low branches of four tupelo where dark purple, pale-dotted fruit waited. Two more flitted over exposed water, seeking insects. Black bills; white chins; white bellies; grey, black, and white-streaked feathers; a large splotch of yellow at the base of tail feathers. Wanchese enjoyed their presence. Tyew-tyew-tyew-tyew, tew-tew-tew.
Farther north, swamp land broadened along the left bank. A low ridge line had bordered it much of the way. Now it seemed the river, narrowing but still sluggish, was defined on both sides by tupelo and cypress. They came, then, to the mouth of the Meherrin, half the size of the Chowan, which continued arrow-straight north north-west. The Meherrin entered from the left at a forty degree angle.
“Expect to feel some current, some resistance,” Rakiock said.
“We are almost there!” Skiko shouted.
“Easy!” Osacan exclaimed. “The windigoag will hear you!”
Skiko twisted his body, read Osacan’s face, recognized his new friend’s purpose. “Windigoag are only in stories.”
They turned into the river’s easy flow.
Wanchese could see ahead an arrowhead-shaped elevation pointed at the river’s right bank. Different trees – sweetbay, Carolina ash, longleaf pine, poison sumac -- covered much of the rise.
“Wabin!” Skiko shouted.
Nobody at the vegetation-removed landing was there to receive them. As the bow of the canoe made contact, Skiko, holding tightly his bow with his right hand and his quiver of arrows with his left, leaped out. Two shallow splashes and, suddenly, he was five feet up the bare path before Rakiock, his eyes directed momentarily at a submerged log close to canoe’s left side, yelled: “Stop!”
Skiko did not.
He disappeared beyond sweetbay and ash.
Every brave rapidly disembarked, Wanchese barking his right shin on the canoe’s top left edge. Rakiock led the pursuit; Osacan followed; after him hurried the three Choanoac braves, Andacon, and Wanchese. They heard a yelp, then a cry of fright.
Arrows descended. Several struck leaves and two or three branches. One pierced Rakiock’s left thigh.
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