As we topped the plateau, the bustling life of an Indian village came into view. The whole scene was as if it was taken directly out of one of the many nickel books I’d read in the past. There were a few women, with their babies supported in their cradle boards, grinding corn by rolling it over their matates. Another women and a young girl was scraping a hide. I couldn’t exactly tell which kind of animal it was from, but probably a large deer. A few young girls were carrying buckets of water while others carried handfuls of wood. An elderly woman sat on a tree log weaving a grass mat, her face as wrinkled as wet sheep skin. Far on the other side of the encampment, several men and young boys were carrying carved-out canoes down the hillside. Apparently, there was a river near by and they were heading for it.
All the women and children stopped their activities and came over to greet Anamosa with hugs and kisses to her forehead. Then they turned their attention to Luke and me. I could tell they didn’t know what to think of us by the confused and concerned looks on their faces. But Anamosa said something to them in her foreign language and all their faces immediately turned merry and we were welcomed with kisses to our foreheads.
Several of the women led Luke and I to a teepee and motioned for us to go in. I gathered this was where we were to stay. We pulled the canvas flap back and walked inside, hunching over a little because of the low ceiling height. This was my first time inside a teepee and I found it surprisingly roomy. It was empty except for a few blankets folded on one side and a circle of large rock in the center used to corral a small fire for cold nights.
Anamosa followed us inside.
“I tell my people, you family. They treat you like family. They expect you to act like family. Family has chores to do before night falls. Come and help.”
“Of course. We’ll be happy to." Luke said.
“Oh, one more thing,” Anamosa said before she walked outside. “I tell them you two married.”
“What?” I exclaimed. Although the very thought thrilled me.
“Believe me, it easier this way. Lot less explaining.”
I spent the remaining afternoon gathering wood and water with three young Indian girls. Anamosa was helping prepare the evening feast while Luke spent the afternoon with several Indian men as they taught him how to shoot a bow and arrow. I soon came to the realization most chores in an Indian village were done by the women. The men were the providers and protectors and had to spend their time perfecting both duties.
After the chores were finished and the day’s light had faded, everyone gathered around a big round raging fire pit encircled with logs for sitting that were placed a safe distance away from the heat of the fire. We sat as some of the elderly women, including Anamosa, passed out food for everyone. We had venison, corn on the cob, and sweet potatoes; all as good as I’d ever ate. Afterwards, the women left the men sitting around the fire to pass around a smoking pipe. I found Anamosa sitting on the grass, behind her teepee, enjoying her own smoke and watching a full moon fighting to shine its light through a cloudy night sky. I sat down next to her.
“I didn’t know you smoked?”
“I seldom do. It help me calm my stomach.”
“What, was it something you ate? Does Indian cooking not agree with you?” I snickered.
“My heart is heavy for Koi.”
“Your brother? Why?”
“He man of peace. He also very spiritual. The Great Spirit give him gift of reading dreams…his dream or someone else dream. It no matter, he can read them.”
“Like Joseph, in the Bible, when he interpreted the Pharaoh’s dreams.”
“I never read Bible, but I hear preacher in church tell story of Joseph many times. It always make me think of Koi. He could read dreams when only small boy.”
“So, why are you sad?”
“A Navajo chief from across river come see Koi many times and many times Koi read his dreams. For this, chief give Koi and our village protection from hostile tribes. Navajo chief very powerful, many men in his village. Nobody bother us for they fear him, what he might do to them.”
“That sounds like a good arrangement. Your people get to live in peace and all Koi has to do is interpret dreams.”
“It make my people weak. We no can protect our self without help. Sometimes, I feel shame for my brother. A spiritual man is no warrior. My people need warrior.”
“So something happened between your brother and this Navajo chief?”
“Navajo chief has young daughter. Koi has young son. Each time Navajo chief come to village and have dreams read, he bring young daughter. It not long before she and Koi’s son fall in love, but Navajo chief only want daughter fall in love with warrior. He forbade union of young couple.”
“Three day ago, young daughter run away from her village and come here to be with Koi’s son. Koi’s son beg Koi let her stay. Koi agree. When Navajo chief find his daughter with Koi’s son, he grow angry. He call Koi thief. He tell daughter he no longer her father. Then he tell Koi he must pay for stealing from him. He take Koi’s wife, Leotie. He say Koi can have her back when he bring him twenty horses.”
“Twenty horses! This village doesn’t have twenty horses! Where's he going to get twenty horses?”
“Don’t know. We have little money to buy horses and Koi will not steal horses. He only pray to Great Spirit to bring Leotie back.”
“Can’t Koi just exchange the Navajo chief’s daughter for his wife?”
“No, Navajo chief’s daughter part of our tribe, now. She belongs to us. She carries Koi’s grand-child.”
“What will happen if Koi can’t come up with twenty horses to give to the chief? What will happen to Leotie?”
“She will belong to Navajo chief.”
“How can he do that? It’s against the law!”
“We no live by same laws as white men. Our laws not the same.”
“How can Koi not do anything? He has to do something to get her back. She's his wife. Or is being an Indian’s wife different than being a white man’s wife?”
“He care deeply for Leotie, but he swore oath to Great Spirit to be man of peace and faith. He believe Great Spirit will return her because he had dream they together again.”
“A dream! He’s going to do nothing because he believes in a dream?”
“Koi’s dreams are powerful. They always right, whether they good or bad, they come to be.”
Anamosa sighed deeply. I noticed her mood became darker with her last statement, as if she knew of impending gloom.
“What’s wrong, Anamosa?”
“Koi tell me of dream he have many times now. In dream, he see our people, all our people, Choctaw, Navajo, Cherokee, Blackfoot… all of us marching in one line away from our land. We are being driven away by white men. Many my people cry. So many tears, rivers overflow their banks. This time of sorrow approaches soon.”
“Anamosa, I just can’t believe anyone would allow such things like that to happen. This is your land. You can’t be driven off it.”
“I hope you right and Koi wrong.”
Just then, Luke startled me as he appeared from around the teepee. He was stumbling a bit and seemed a little confused. He was talking louder than he needed to be for such a quiet night and his face was plastered with a silly smile.
“There you are, my little Lizzy. I walked around this whole village looking for you. I can’t seem to find our teepee. They all look the same.”
“Are you all right?”
“I feel great!” Luke giggled. “I can’t feel my skin and my head feels like it’s floating, but I feel great…very happy! I never smoked before.”
“You baby,” Anamosa teased. “I smoke many times…feel nothing.”
I stood up and put my arms around Luke to support him.
“I’ll show you to our teepee. It’s right over here.”
I led him to our teepee just a few feet away and tucked him in for the night. I then lay beside him and imagined we were married. Just that simple thought made my heart ra
ce and my face display a smile I couldn’t wipe away.
“What are you smiling about?” Luke whispered.
“Nothing,” I said, too embarrassed to tell him of my thoughts.
“It’s great being here with you,” Luke said, staring up at the small opening at the top of the teepee where smoke from a fire could escape. There was no smoke this night for it was far too warm outside to need heat from a fire. “It kind of feels like we’re married.”
“I was just thinking the same thing!”
Luke rolled over to face me and ran his hand down the length of my arm with a sly grin on his face.
“We could pretend we are married.”
“Why, Luke! You should be ashamed of yourself for having such thoughts! I will be married to a man first before I lie down with him. I will assume that smoke has your head clouded and that’s why you’re talking so boldly.”
“I was just kidding you,” Luke chuckled as he turned over on his back. “I know you too well to try anything like that.”
“You know me?”
“Of course I do! You’re kind yet let no one push you around, you’re compassionate yet have a fiery soul, you’re strong-minded yet allow others to take control when need be, and you have a heart full of love yet guard it closely. And you once had faith but now you’re lost in the darkness, searching for answers that aren’t there.”
“Do you have faith?”
“Oh yes, Lizzy. I have faith I will discover who I am. I have faith in the goodness of humanity. I have faith that everything will work out just fine and I have faith in you, Lizzy Cooper. And one d-d-a-a-y-y…w-w-e-e…”
The intoxicating effects of the smoke Luke had shared in the circle of men were taking its toll on him as he succumbed to sleep. I kissed him on his forehead, rolled over on my back and whispered,” Does your faith know where I can get twenty horses?”
Chapter 13