Badger Mask
Baring the flat face of a chief's family, a straight line could be drawn from the tip of Somkin's nose to the top of his head. His profile looked disfigured to the Kaw-Seth, but in the eyes of the Selawik was a great honor. He had shoulder-length black hair and only a slight beard and mustache. Still dressed for fishing, he led the quest party down the beach beneath a line of villagers who gathered on the bank above to watch the newcomers.
Soon the quest party climbed the ten rung ladder up to a split cedar platform in front of Badger House for a formal welcome by the elders. The platform was built on posts and stood over the beach. A face of a giant badger painted in three colors filled the entire front of the house. Women hurried in and out of the main doorway set in the center of the badger's mouth. It was a very impressive house.
The Kaw-Seth guests sat down in a semi-circle on the polished wood platform that looked out over Klauck Harbor shimmering blue and green in the sun. As Spe-eth explained the purpose of their quest to the young men and older women of the house crowding around them, the Kaw-Seth braves tried to ignore the deep, haunting sound of what must have been a very large raven calling from the darkness of the cedar forest behind the house. The brightness of the sun reflecting from the water hurt their eyes and made the ancient trees appear like doorposts framing an unknown world of blackness beyond.
The villagers noted that the visitors were finely painted with markings as successful bear hunters. While ordinary brown dog-hair blankets draped down their backs, Spe-eth wore the heirloom weasel hat, Tokwish and Hayoqwis had on their owl head crests and the sons of Spe-eth wore stylish conical spruce-root rain hats with whale hunter designs. Each had jewelry appropriate for their status. Their blood-red body paint, along with Tokwish's bear-claw necklace and facial scar, made the whole group look fierce and noble.
Everyone also observed that the Kaw-Seth were big men, taller and heavier than most. Was it true that a tribe of braves that looked like warriors lived without slaves? Did they really consider themselves slaves of the Eternal One? They must have special powers that make them into different kind of beings, concluded the old women. Some wondered if these strangers were actually supernatural owls disguised as men.
A flatheaded woman with a fist sized shell ring in her lower lip and wearing a horned headband approached them smiling with a bowl of water. They learned that she was Ska-mo-na, the wife of Tseycum and mother of Somkin.
"I welcome you Men of the Owl clan with a drink of Raven's spring water. Drink, please. You must be thirsty. Our Chief and Shaman are about to come for a more proper greeting."
Besides making sure that guests were properly welcomed, often by offering bed-mates from her own group of slave women, Ska-mo-na kept careful account of all trades that took place in the Selawik villages. Knowledge of trade accounts for each house made her almost as influential as her husband Chief Tseycum, who usually received her approval for any decision. Her sway effected even members of the Raven Society.
The Kaw-seth men sat down with their male hosts on the cedar deck and drank from the wooden bowl carved in the likeness of a raven. Somkin lit a deer bone pipe packed with savory tobacco to share with the quest party, explaining that his father, grandfather and one of the high shamans dressed and painted themselves for the formal greeting. Tokwish had never tasted such delightful tobacco. Each man drew deep breaths of the soothing smoke from the pipe and passed it on. A cloud of sweet smelling smoke hovered above the circle of hosts and guests. Slaves brought up the storage boxes from Half Moon – filled with gifts and goods for trading or wager -- and stacked them in a corner of the platform lit warm by the afternoon sun.
Shutting his eyes with delight while inhaling a puff of sweet smoke, Tokwish thought that the visit was beginning very well. He was pleased with all of the attention the people displayed in welcoming back the long absent Spe-eth.
But, Hayoqwis was most concerned about the hunt and would leave the next morning if he could. He hardly notice the admiring glances of a group of young women weavers watching from the shaded side of the house. Most important now was obtaining directions to the white bear grounds as soon as possible before one of the spirits opposed to the Kaw-Seth might cause them delay. The gambling bone games would advance the quest, he thought, as long as their plans fell into place.
Continued
Soon the quest party climbed the ten rung ladder up to a split cedar platform in front of Badger House for a formal welcome by the elders. The platform was built on posts and stood over the beach. A face of a giant badger painted in three colors filled the entire front of the house. Women hurried in and out of the main doorway set in the center of the badger's mouth. It was a very impressive house.
The Kaw-Seth guests sat down in a semi-circle on the polished wood platform that looked out over Klauck Harbor shimmering blue and green in the sun. As Spe-eth explained the purpose of their quest to the young men and older women of the house crowding around them, the Kaw-Seth braves tried to ignore the deep, haunting sound of what must have been a very large raven calling from the darkness of the cedar forest behind the house. The brightness of the sun reflecting from the water hurt their eyes and made the ancient trees appear like doorposts framing an unknown world of blackness beyond.
The villagers noted that the visitors were finely painted with markings as successful bear hunters. While ordinary brown dog-hair blankets draped down their backs, Spe-eth wore the heirloom weasel hat, Tokwish and Hayoqwis had on their owl head crests and the sons of Spe-eth wore stylish conical spruce-root rain hats with whale hunter designs. Each had jewelry appropriate for their status. Their blood-red body paint, along with Tokwish's bear-claw necklace and facial scar, made the whole group look fierce and noble.
Everyone also observed that the Kaw-Seth were big men, taller and heavier than most. Was it true that a tribe of braves that looked like warriors lived without slaves? Did they really consider themselves slaves of the Eternal One? They must have special powers that make them into different kind of beings, concluded the old women. Some wondered if these strangers were actually supernatural owls disguised as men.
A flatheaded woman with a fist sized shell ring in her lower lip and wearing a horned headband approached them smiling with a bowl of water. They learned that she was Ska-mo-na, the wife of Tseycum and mother of Somkin.
"I welcome you Men of the Owl clan with a drink of Raven's spring water. Drink, please. You must be thirsty. Our Chief and Shaman are about to come for a more proper greeting."
Besides making sure that guests were properly welcomed, often by offering bed-mates from her own group of slave women, Ska-mo-na kept careful account of all trades that took place in the Selawik villages. Knowledge of trade accounts for each house made her almost as influential as her husband Chief Tseycum, who usually received her approval for any decision. Her sway effected even members of the Raven Society.
The Kaw-seth men sat down with their male hosts on the cedar deck and drank from the wooden bowl carved in the likeness of a raven. Somkin lit a deer bone pipe packed with savory tobacco to share with the quest party, explaining that his father, grandfather and one of the high shamans dressed and painted themselves for the formal greeting. Tokwish had never tasted such delightful tobacco. Each man drew deep breaths of the soothing smoke from the pipe and passed it on. A cloud of sweet smelling smoke hovered above the circle of hosts and guests. Slaves brought up the storage boxes from Half Moon – filled with gifts and goods for trading or wager -- and stacked them in a corner of the platform lit warm by the afternoon sun.
Shutting his eyes with delight while inhaling a puff of sweet smoke, Tokwish thought that the visit was beginning very well. He was pleased with all of the attention the people displayed in welcoming back the long absent Spe-eth.
But, Hayoqwis was most concerned about the hunt and would leave the next morning if he could. He hardly notice the admiring glances of a group of young women weavers watching from the shaded side of the house. Most important now was obtaining directions to the white bear grounds as soon as possible before one of the spirits opposed to the Kaw-Seth might cause them delay. The gambling bone games would advance the quest, he thought, as long as their plans fell into place.
Continued
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