Montana Summer Ch. 16

Ryan listened intently to Walter and to the six men who followed. Each one said much the same thing to Ryan. They extolled the virtues of the Hunkayapi and what would be expected of him. A short break followed. He stretched his legs and looked around. "I wonder where everyone went."

"To prepare for the feast," Charlie answered.

Even though the sun was shining brightly, there was little warmth to it, and the temperature was well below freezing. The men who had been half-naked during the ceremony wrapped themselves in blankets, or had a coat to keep the early November wind at bay.

The sound of Nathan singing interrupted the conversation. Charlie pointed to the thipis. "Time to go in."

The song the shaman sang translated to, "Mysterious People come: They come this way: Mysterious people come, They come from the west."

The song alluded to the Buffalo People, a supernatural people who took the form of a buffalo. Legend told that these people lived beneath the world of the Lakota.

As the people took their places, Nathan continued to sing and fill his ceremonial pipe. His helper sprinkled more sweet-grass on the spirit fire and incensed the lodge. "The spirit of the pipe goes to the Mysterious Brothers, and they will carry it to the Buffalo God, who will be pleased with the spirit of the sweet-grass."

After smoking and emptying his pipe, Nathan motioned to the two men he had selected to be the bearers of the Hunka wands to stand and begin waving them.

"These horse tails are sacred. Our grandfathers made them, and the tonwan of the Sun is in the eagle feathers, and the spirit of the Sky is in the hair. When one is made a Hunka, these horsetails are waved over him. The tonwan in them will do good for him. It will cause him to remember his comrades. It will shield him from the sight of the Winged One so that he shall not be heyoka. Okaga gave the horses and is pleased this day. I will wave these horse tails over you."

Once again, Nathan refilled his pipe and relit it. With the mouthpiece extended outwards, he paused at each of the four cardinal points of the compass, bowed towards the ground, and finally lifted the pipe high into the air towards the sky.

Nathan then walked to the door of the lodge and extended the mouthpiece of the pipe towards the sun. "Mihunka, we have offered smoke to your messengers and to the West Wind, whose thipis is where you are going. They will tell you that we are bringing you a younger son this day."

The Lakota shaman returned to his place in front of the altar, took the two horsehair wands from his assistants, and began to wave them over Ryan and Charlie. He began to sing as he waved the wands. The drummers began to beat their hide drums and sing with Nathan.

"My grandson, these Mihunka are painted red to please the powerful one, the Sun. You have been told how the Hunkayapi should live. If you do as they have told you, then the women will sing your praises. The Hunkayapi will be your brothers, your robes will be good, and your moccasins like new. You will know what gift to make to the Rock when you see it painted with red stripes. Tanka Wakan will provide you with eagle feathers. The Buffalo will make your woman strong, and she will bear you many children. The Sun will protect you and keep your woman and your children safe. If you listen to the Buffalo, he will help you in the hunt and see that you have plenty of meat and robes and the Wolf will fear you. I sought a vision for this ceremony and the Great Bear came to me. He showed me a white man astride a white buffalo. His face was painted with blue and red stripes. He showed me a man who had no Lakota mother or father, but the spirit of the Lakota was strong within this man. The Great Bear showed me this man will bring strength back to our people and he will bring the buffalo back."

Nathan reached inside his robe and brought out a small pouch. "Grandson, I have made you a charm. It is the charm of the Great Bear, he told me how to make it. If you listen to the shamans, then Okaga will stay with you. If you laugh at the shamans, Waziya will stay with you."

After placing the charm around Ryan's neck Nathan took the horsehair wands and spoke to Ryan. "I will now wave the horse tails over you."

He sang as he waved the wands over Ryan with the drummers keeping time. He made his way around the lodge, waving the horsetails over everyone.

With the drummers still playing, he handed the horsetail wands back to the bearers and picked up two rattles. Both were decorated with the colors of the Sun and the Earth, and had eagle plumes dangling from the handles. "These rattles are sacred, the colors of the earth and the sun are on them. The Gods can hear their sounds and are pleased."

As he had done with the horsehair wands, Nathan shook the rattles over each of the men in the lodge. After sitting down at his place of honor in front of the altar, Nathan filled his pipe once again and lit it with a coal from the spirit fire. He got down on his hands and knees and blew smoke into the nostril cavities of the buffalo skull.

Nathan handed the pipe to Ryan. "You smoke with the wakanka of the buffalo. You are his brother, he will see that you have meat and robes." Ryan drew on the pipe and blew smoke into the buffalo skull.

The shaman removed the skull from the altar. "We will smoke to the Rock." He took the pipe back from Ryan and blew smoke over the rock. Again, he handed the pipe to Ryan, who puffed on the pipe and blew smoked over the rock.

"We have smoked to the Rock. He will be your friend. He will make you strong and see that you don't tire easily."

Taking the pipe back, Nathan pointed to the altar. "We will now smoke to our grandmother." After he blew smoke over the altar, he handed the pipe once again to Ryan. Once more, Ryan followed Nathan's example and blew smoke over the earthen altar.

"We have smoked to our mother, Earth. She will provide all good things to us." Nathan picked up the ear of corn. A shaft extended from the end and Mallard feathers hung from the shaft. Nathan thrust the shaft into the earthen altar. "Our Grandmother gave us this corn. She sent it with the buffalo women because she was pleased with the Lakota. This ear of corn is sacred. If we give it back to her, she will give us much more in return. She teaches the Hunkayapi to give to the hungry."

Nathan sang again and the drummers kept time on their drums. The bearers of the horsetail wands waved in time with the singing and the drums. When the song was over, Nathan pulled the corn from the altar and put the buffalo skull back in its original place.

"I have consecrated these paints and I have prepared them in the proper way." Nathan pulled a paint pouch from inside his robes.

The assistant took the paint from Nathan and painted a red stripe on the buffalo skull from the right eye cavity and across the cheek. He then painted a black stripe next to the red stripe. This stripe signified the Buffalo was the head of the camp for this ceremony. Even though yellow was the color of the Earth, a red stripe was added to the rock, and sweet-grass put on the spirit fire to incense the lodge.

Nathan motioned Ryan to stand. He handed him a strip of meat from the rack and a knife. Ryan set about cutting the meat into small portions and handing it to everyone in the lodge. Nathan handed Ryan the second piece of meat and nodded to him. Again, Ryan sliced off a small portion for everyone. As he sat back down, he put the last piece of meat in his mouth.

"I am hungry, I have no meat." Nathan looked at Ryan. "A Hunka will give his food, even what is in his mouth, to his hungry Hunka brother."

Ryan reached in his mouth and handed the piece of meat to Nathan.

"My feet are sore, my moccasins are worn out." Nathan paused and pointed at Ryan's new moccasins. "A Hunka will give his Hunka brother the moccasins from his feet, even if it leaves him barefoot."

Ryan removed his moccasins and presented them to Nathan.

"I am without a coat, and I feel the cold." Nathan pointed to Ryan's coat. "A Hunka will give his brother the coat off of his back, even if it leaves him cold."

Ryan removed his coat and handed to the shaman.

After accepting Ryan's coat, he pointed at Ryan's leggings. "My leggings are in poor shape. A Hunka will give his leggings to his brother, even if it leaves him naked."

A blush formed on Ryan's cheeks as he removed his buckskin leggings and handed them over to Nathan. He stood naked before Nathan and the Hunkayapi.

Nathan rose and addressed the gathered Hunkayapi. "This young man has proven himself worthy to be Hunka. He has given me the food from his mouth, he has given me his moccasins, coat, and leggings." The shaman turned and pointed at Ryan. "He has given all he had to give. I will paint a red stripe on his face and on the face of his Hunkaya so that all will remember this day."

The helpers raised the buffalo robes and hid Ryan and Charlie from view. Nathan painted a red stripe on Ryan's right cheek from his forehead to his chin, and added another red stripe to Charlie's cheek. He then bound two of their arms together and two of their legs together.

The shaman carefully produced one last pouch from beneath his robe. He opened it up and pulled out the contents, which were neatly wrapped in red paper. "Part of my vision was to select the right talisman for you." He unwrapped the paper, and took out a large single bear claw strung on a piece of rawhide. "I saw Mato in my vision and he instructed me to give this to you. I had no bear claws when I sought my vision. When I awoke this was in my hand. I believe Mato has given his own claw to you. Wear it always and it will give you wisdom and strength." Nathan placed the talisman around Ryan's neck.

The robes were lowered and Nathan addressed Ryan. "You are Hunka now." He pointed to Charlie. "You are bound to your Hunka as if he were yourself. What is yours is his, should he desire it. And what is his is yours, should you desire it. If he needs help, you are bound to assist him, just as he is bound to help you. His children are your children just as your children will be his children."

The ceremony was concluded. Ryan and Charlie walked from the lodge still bound and Ryan still naked. They headed to the back door of the community center and into a back room, which had been prepared earlier. They undid the rawhide ties and Ryan got dressed for the feast.

"Thank you for doing this for me, Charlie," Ryan stated in a quiet tone of voice. "I've felt a connection with you from the first day we met, and now we are as father and son, you are my Ate."

"I felt the same when we met. I knew there was something about you that was special. I am proud to have you for my son."

---

Charlie was pleased. It had been some time since there had been a feast of this magnitude. Virtually every member of the village attended the feast and the dance that followed.

"Nathan said Charlie's children were my children. Does this mean I'm your dad now?" Ryan joked with Walter.

"Only when I need gas money," Walter quipped back.

The community building was full of laughter and conversation as the meal was served. Bill stood with Charlie and looked on as the women filled plates with beef, beans, and ears of corn.

"Thanks for the beef, Bill. I appreciate what you've done to make this celebration a success."

"I'm glad to have been able to help." Bill winked at Charlie. "And I brought my guitar along. Maybe you know of a fiddle player who's itchin' to play?"

Charlie grinned. "I think I know where I can find one. I just hope his wife hasn't hidden his fiddle."

After the meal was over, the tables were folded up, and room was made for a dance floor. At first the drummers and singers played traditional Lakota songs, while the people danced in celebration. Later Bill, Charlie and several others got up on the makeshift stage and played until the wee hours of the morning.

Jessi snuggled next to Ryan in bed, touched his cheek, and felt the red paint. "What was it like?"

"It was like something that was meant to be." He found it hard to put into words the comforting feeling the ceremony had brought him. "A lot like being with you feels like."

It was dark. Ryan couldn't see the tears of happiness forming in Jessi's eyes.

---

Life returned to normal. The main topic of discussion with the lunchtime crowd at the café had changed to football. Not much mention was made about the gold. Undoubtedly, thoughts of the riches were still foremost in the minds of a few, but to date no one had tried their luck in the creek around Baxter's.

Winter had set in. The heavy late November and early December snows had isolated Baxter's from the rest of the world. The only way in now was by snow machine or snowshoes. Vigilant eyes watched the area for signs of human activity. New 'No Trespassing' signs, large and bright, hung from every second fence post.

The alley and the surrounding mountains looked like they were asleep, covered in a thick, white blanket of snow. The sun rose late, and set early. With the days so short, not a minute of daylight was wasted by people like Ryan and Bill.

---

The McFayden house was quiet now; it had been alive with the sound of laughter and music a bit earlier. It was Christmas Eve. Bill and Suzanne had invited all of their friends and neighbors to celebrate Christmas and the house had been near to bursting at the seams with people, all singing carols, and laughing.

"It's such a pretty night." Jessi stood at the corral with Ryan.

The night was cold, and crystal clear. The full moon shone down, its silvery glow shimmered over the snow. Every star in the heavens seemed to twinkle a bit brighter on this night.

Ryan nodded as he gazed over the quiet landscape. His hand fidgeted in his coat pocket. "It is beautiful. Each night here never seems to be the same. The stars seem so bright, and so close, almost like I could reach up and grab one."

Jessi smiled as Ryan reached up in the air. "Yes, they are bright tonight."

"I think I caught one!" Ryan brought his hand down and opened it for Jessi to see.

Jessi gasped when she looked in Ryan's hand. She looked up into Ryan's eyes and back down at his hand. "Oh, my God, Ryan! Is this..."

"Yes, it is." Ryan got down on his knee and took the ring from the palm of his hand. "Will you marry me, Jessi? I want you to be my wife."

Tears of happiness flowed from Jessi's eyes as she nodded. "Yes."

---

It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur. The scale is huge but not overpowering. The land is rich with grass and color, and the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. —John Steinbeck, 1902-1968, from Travels with Charley: In Search of America, 1961

I would like to thank l8bloom, and Selenakittyn for their editing. I appreciate all the work they have put into this chapter.

I would also like to thank you, the reader. Without your support, this story would never have happened. I hope you have enjoyed reading the story as much as I have writing it. It's been a remarkable journey.