The fire crackled as Sarah and Elizabeth huddled in a warm blanket on the ground that was covered with pine cones and needles, they were sitting in front of the fire that Grandfather had made. It was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and apart from Christmas, their favorite day; it was the day of story telling and they were seated in front of the best storyteller they knew.
There were other people around, Carol, Lorraine, and Agnes, with their husbands, t-zt
Multi and his wife Madeline, numerous relatives, and Grandfather. This was a family tradition, a gathering, a feast of sorts. They were gathered at the Owl's Nest. The location was perfect for the celebration: the Bear River roared into one end of the pond and made it's way around the granite boulders that were strewn about, just tossed there by some unseen force. The river trickled out the other end of the pond into a narrow rapid that was covered by ash and pine trees, whose branches reached for the heavens as a child would for his mother. Everybody felt comfortable here, it was as if they were at home. The smoke from the fire moved through the trees, shrubs, and blackberry bushes that were on the opposite bank, like a snake moving in the grass. The sky was clear except for the full moon, the stars and the white
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smoke that had escaped. The smell of burning wood and sweetgrass filled the air, the hoots of a night owl, and the sound of trickling water only added to the excitement that the two cousins were feeling. This was one of those moments that turn into memories. It was going to be a good night.
The piercing boom-boom of the drum, which echoed in the forest signaled the beginning of an evening to remember. "En-nay-say-domin-ayeeee" were the first words that escaped grandfather's worn and creased face; it was the Honor song, one which he had sung many times before to honor the spirits that had left the living, to acknowledge them, to invite them to be with these people; their children. The drum beating intensified', ost of the people around the fire sang: goose bumps appeared on both Sarah's and Elizabeth's arms, and they looked at each other with wonder. The Honor song complete and everyone seated, grandfather began in a tired, but powerful voice, "Let me tell you the tale of Kupliel and Kitpou, the tale of two brothers, two brothers that got lost. They were your age Sarah, Elizabeth." After clearing his throat and lighting his pipe he began to recite the tale which his father had told him and which his father's father had told, this tale was many, many seasons old.
Kitpou and Kupliel came to be on the moon of the waking leaves. Their mother had been blessed with twins, and the entire camp celebrated what was truly a wondrous happening. Their father Tuma hunted for a week and had a feast in honor of his new sons. To be blessed with a son was honorable, but two, that was a sign of good things to come. The brothers were healthy, round, with black hair covering their heads. Their mother nursed them and brought them along everywhere she went, but it was when she tanned moose skins that she enjoyed having her sons with her. The process of tanning involved lots of work. First, she had to scrape all the fat off the hide, then, the moose's brain had to be worked into a paste that was spread over the hide to soften it. The boys enjoyed splitting open the skull: it felt, to them, as if they had accomplished a kill themselves. Dunika would look at the boys and see two men, not children. She somehow knew they were going to be on their own much earlier than she would have liked.
Ten winters came and went, and Kupliel and Kitpou were beginning to learn the skills of survival, they were getting stronger, bigger, faster. They would join their father on hunts, not going too far, but hunts none the less. Once, on one of their regular hunts, Kitpou and Kupliel got separated from their father and wandered far away from their usual hunting grounds. The brothers were lost. They weren't scared, they knew their father would fmd them. Their father had done this purposely, so that they might have a life lesson in thipçrience. Tuma watched his sons build a lean-to, make a fire and hunt a rabbit for their meal; he was proud of his sons. They spent that night in the woods, with the ever watchful eye of their father just a stone's throw away. It was time they learn to live alone, to experience Mother Earth, for he was not going to be around forever, in the flesh. Tuma decided that on their second night he would leave them on their own. He returned to the camp and told Dunika that their sons were well on the path of being men. On the third night of their being "lost" Dunika asked Tuma if this lesson hadn't been long enough. They discussed it and decided that Tuma would get them the next morning
Tuma arrived at the campsite the next morning to find the boys gone. He noticed that their hunt had been successful, there were rabbit bones neatly put aside, along with fish bones; these were not thrown in the fire, so as not to offend the spirit of the rabbit and the fish by burning their bones. There was some cooked flesh and a portion of fish set neatly aside in a spirit plate. He had taught them well, they respected Mother Earth. Now all he had to do was find them, or let them find themselves back to the camp.
Kitpou and Kupliel had left at first light to make their way back to their people's camp. They had traveled quite a distance when they came upon a small pond. Both of the brothers decided to take a swim. They jumped into the water. It was cool, refreshing, fresh. Kitpou dove from a tree, that had fallen across the river, into the abyss below. Upon surfacing he noticed Kupliel standing naked looking at a man. This man was unlike any man Kitpou had seen before: he was noticeably taller than any man he knewftis body was covered with cloth, he wore something on his head, not like anything he had seen before, his skin was of a light nearly pink color, but the most unusual thing he noticed was that he had hair on his face like a dog; long strands came out of his chin and touched his chest. Was this an evil spirit? He swam across the pond to his brother. Kupliel turned around quickly to see his mirror image emerging from the water. The man spoke to Kupliel with signs. Both brothers had been taught to offer a gift when encountering a stranger and this is what Kupliel was trying to do, he was offering the man a braid of sweetgrass but the man would not take it, he only pointed to their belongings and made signs.
"Mon nom est Jean, qui etes vous? Vos parents, ou sont-t-ils?" The man was making sounds; this must be Chenoo, a giant-sized wizard; a cannibal giant. Kitpou thought, B000in had spoken of these at a story telling, they speak strange tongues, come in canoes the size of a camp and bring bad luck. Kitpou grabbed Kupliel and reminded him of B000in's tale; both brothers took off like the deer, naked, leaving all their worldly belongings behind, running through the forest, trying to escape from this Chenoo. After they had run for what seemed like an hour they stopped to check and see if they were being pursued, they were not, they had escaped.
Tuma and Dunika were now getting concerned. Their sons had been gone an entire moon. It wasn't that unusual for ten year olds at that time to go out and prove that they were men. Tuma had gathered all the men and a search party had been foinied,' they looked everywhere, turned every stone, checked every path for any sign of the missing boys, but to no avail. Tuma turned to the only person he knew that might be able to help, B000in, the wizard.
Bootiin was a small man, delicate, with coal black eyes, black hair and a braid that came down to his waist. He was dressed in beaver skin, decorated with a rainbow of porcupine quills, and wore a string of bear teeth around his neck that fell onto his dark leather like skin next to his medicine bag. He was only consulted in matters concerning illness or foretellings. He had never hunted, never taken a woman, never built a wigwam or a canoe. He was BooOin. The tribe saw to his well being. They needed him he was the connection between "the now" and "the then."
B000in knew that the boys were far overdue, but the people had to ask him first before he could give help; he could not offer it. Tuma entered B000in's wigwam and sat crossed legged across from him, fire between them, the smoke ro"selto the flap above them escaping into the night. Tuma had only been in this wigwam once before, when he was a young lad. His father had brought him there to chase the evil spirit that was making him ill. Bootiin never changed, he didn't age, he always looked the same. B000in lit the the sweetgrass and smudged himself, and so did Tuma. Booein's black eyes raised to meet those of Tuma. He could see the look of despair, the look of terror, the helplessness of this man. Tuma asked for his help, "I've lost my sons." BooOin stared at him for a while and told him that no one ever loses their family , they are in a man's heart. Tuma thanked him for the wisdom and asked him for guidance. B000in, stared at him for a long while. No words were exchanged. He reached for his medicine bag and sprinkled what seemed like dust on the fire. Little sparks flew; Tuma was afraid.
Kitpou and Kupliel had regained their possessions after dark that evening They had gone back to the pond and reclaimed their belongings. They had seen where the man was camping, there were others, ten perhaps, all with the same characteristics. And beyond the river's edge they saw a giant canoe. These men spoke a strange tongue, had strange things. Their curiosity kept them there for a while, then they decided to retreat to their camp. Falling asleep was hard for both of them this night. They tossed and turned until dawn. Kupliel was intrigued by these men) but Kitpou was somewhat scared of them. Both decided to try to get back home, but which way was home? They knew that they had been away for a long time, but neither one of them knew the proper direction to return to camp. An awful thought crossed Kitpou's mind; what if these men had been to their camp?
Could they have killed everyone? Was that the reason no one had come for them? Kitpou shared these thoughts with his twin and they decided to keep going, inland, to a safer haven. They traveled for three days and three nights when they came upon a lake which had crystal clear water. Here the fish were plentiful, and game abounded. They decided to call this lake Kedgemakoogee and stayed there for a while.
Both brothers had the skills to survive, and they would need them for the upcoming winter. They hunted, fished, and sometimes played waites, their favorite game, and they made lean-tots against rocks, where they carved in stone their story. "Many, many years later white men would discover these markings," grandfather added as he packed more tobacco in his pipe.
B000in looked at Tuma and told him that that evening he would search for the boys. He would transform himself into an owl, and search the woods for the missing boys. Night came and as promised, B000in transformed himself into an owl before the eyes of Tuma. Tuma had never before seen anything like this standing in front of him was a man, the fire crackled, and with each crack, B000in's form changed, slightly at first and then it was as if a haze had covered B000in, feathers started to appear, his arms became wings and his legs became clawed feet. Before Tuma knew it, B000in had become an owl, and with four flaps of his wings disappeared into the night. He circled the area that the boys had been in, but found nothing. He had to return before daybreak, for his power was only good for one night. He must rest. Upon arriving, both Tuma and Dunika accepted the fate that BooOin had told them, "They are living, but I do not know where, for I did not meet their spirits."
The moon of the falling leaves came, as did the moon of the waking leaves, the never-ending cycle repeated itself time over time and the boys grew into men, strong men, honorable men. The two had encountered many people in their years of travel, but never their own people. Perhaps Kitpou was right, the strange men must have killed everyone. They felt sorrow, emptiness, when encountering the different people who had never heard of the brothers' people. They journeyed along rivers and valleys that no other man's feet had touched.
One night Kitpou had a dream, B000in came to him, told him that the path home was near. "Follow the eagle, he will take you to the path which leads to your people." Upon waking Kitpou told Kupliel of this foretelling and as the dream promised an eagle appeared. The brothers followed the eagle for many days, offering him food and tobacco so that he might continue to guide them. Every morning the eagle would soar above them and take them on their journey. One morning, the eagle did not appear. The brothers must have been close to their people, for the eagle was not in sight. That day they rested.
That night they slept soundly. At the crack of dawn, Kupliel felt he and his brother were being watched. His suspicion proved right when Noogumee, an old woman, bent with the ravages of time, stood at the end of the forest. Kupliel recognized her as his grandmother who had gone to the spirit world when he was little. Kupliel woke Kitpou to tell him of their grandmother. They both jumped to their feet as she motioned for them to come. They followed her without saying a word; they walked for hours, until they came to a clearing, one with a pond. The black flies hovered over the water in a mass, a deer lifted it's head to see what was coming, and dashed away. They remembered. It was the pond where they had seen the strange man. Noogumee disappeared into a crevice in the granite that surrounded them.
The brothers stood and watched as one by one the people from their childhood appeared, and stood in the water, waist deep. It was strange; they hadn't aged, not a minute. Then suddenly an owl landed in front of them. They stared in awe as the owl transformed himself into a man, it was B000in. B000in explained to the brothers that the white men had come in big canoes, and tried to kill their people, they had taken the life of their father and many more. The people had turned to him for his guidance. He couldn't see any solution. He foresaw that the people were all going to be killed by these men in giant canoes. Instead of fighting with the strangers, he had gathered all the people in the pond, and had a few stand at the river's mouth. Then he turned them to granite. Those at the mouth of the river had been placed there by B000in so that they might pierce the skin of these giant canoes, and they did. They have pierced the skin of many giant canoes since that time, and have taken with them the lives of many Chenoots. They are guarding our land. The brothers looked beyond BooOin and now all they saw were granite boulders of every size. That is all.
Sarah squealed out "But what happened to the brothers?"/ They are watching us, watching our every move," said grandfather as he emptied the ashes from his pipe into the fire, "Those two big granite boulders behind me look very much alike don't they?" grandfather said. Wide-eyed and excited, Sarah and Elizabeth both screamed "They do!"
atookwakun - a-too-k.way'-kun wonder tale
B000in - boo-oh'-in an Indian wizard
Chenoo - She-noo' a giant-sized wizard; a cannibal giant
Dunika - Dun-ick-a name
Kedgemakoogee - Ked-gee-ma-kod-gee a lake
Kitpou - Kit'-poo name meaning eagle
Kupliel - Kup-W-1 name
Noogumee - Noo-ga-mee grandmother, a term of respect for any elderly female.
Tuma - T'-ma name
The preceding appendix was taken from Glooscap and His Magic, written by Kay Hill, published by McClelland and Stewart Limited, 25 Hollinger Road, Toronto, Ontario, 1963.