Chapter Sixteen

Tekumsila dipped his hand into the gourd and poured the water from his cupped hand over the hot stones. Steam filled the inside of the willow made lodge and Hawk felt it penetrating every cell of his body. It was good to sit in the lodge once again, father had always told him the lodge was made in the shape of the turtle shell because it represented the earth mother. Hawk loved crawling inside the cool dark interior as if he were a turtle himself. It had taken Hawk much talking to convince Tekumsila to allow him to participate in the lodge. He had finally made his point when he said that it made no difference to the white men whether he participated or not, the real point was that the white men wanted to know if his people were doing ceremonies at all. Then with great respect, he reminded Tekumsila that he had not spoken about their secret ways to anyone even though he was not allowed to attend. Hawk then added, "keeping me from going with you, only keeps me from the ways of our people, it does not make it any safer." Tekumsila had thought hard about Hawk’s words. The boy was right, even if he was not participating in the ceremonies, he still had knowledge that they were being held. The danger of saying something to the whites was equally great whether Hawk was participating in them or knowing about them. After much thought Tekumsila had finally agreed. Considering the events of this morning with the young white girls, Tekumsila and the other elders agreed that Hawk should come into the lodge and speak to creator.

Sweat poured off Hawk’s thin arms and he peered at the glowing stones in the center of the small lodge. Tekumsila picked up his drum and sang the sacred songs to invite the spirits to come and hear their words. Hawk had stared at the stones many times during his short life and always felt the tingle of excitement as he waited for the presence of the spirits to enter the ceremonial lodge. He loved the smell of the cedar on the stones as they smoldered, the richness of the damp earth, and the variety of other herbs and roots Tekumsila periodically placed on the hot stones. Hawk thought about the words Tekumsila had spoken before they had entered the lodge, he knew Tekumsila had been trying to protect him by keeping him away from the ceremonies and he was very grateful that Tekumsila had finally understood his desperate need to be a part of this life. He had hated the time away from the ceremonies and spirit. It had been difficult to convince Tekumsila that he understood the white man had forbidden all ceremonies and the penalty was terrible if anyone was caught. As he stared at the red glow of the stones Hawk found the anger inside him still burned in his soul and he could not understand why his people could take chances with some things, but not with others. He could not reconcile in his mind why it was alright to defy the whites and take the chance of being caught in a ceremony, yet none of his people would dare to defy the whites and look them in the eye, or say the truth to them when one of them would stand and say lies about his people. Hawk sat in the darkness of the lodge and struggled with his thoughts. These things made no sense to his mind. He watched as the familiar brilliant white sparks of light flitted around the interior of the dark lodge. The spirits have come he thought. Tekumsila’s voice continued with more songs. Hawk felt the wave of steam sweep over his body as Tekumsila poured more water on the stones. The spirits flitted from one person to another and Hawk saw many surround Tekumsila’s shadowy form. "He is coming," a small voice whispered into Hawk’s ear. The realization of hearing the voice startled Hawk and he quickly looked in each direction. The interior of the lodge was dark he could see nothing except dim shadowy forms the light from the glowing stones reflected off of. "What?" Hawk whispered back. "He is coming." "Who is coming?" Hawk asked. Tekumsila’s voice grew louder and the voices of the other men in the lodge brought a powerful harmony to Tekumsila’s voice. Hawk stared at the stones in the pit. The glow was almost gone from them and the voice whispered into his ear again, "He is coming home, tomorrow you will leave this place, it will be many years before you and the others return to us, do not forget who you are."

The stars shone brightly in the night sky as Hawk and the others crawled out of the lodge. Steam rolled off of their skin as the cool night air swirled around them. Hawk took in great gulps of the sweet air and turned his head toward Tekumsila. "He is coming!" "Who is coming, little one?" Tekumsila asked. I do not know, only that he is coming and tomorrow we will leave this place," Hawk said with a little fear in his voice. Tekumsila looked long at Hawk. "Then we must hurry to the feast to end our ceremony and prepare," Tekumsila said with a seriousness Hawk had not heard before.

As Hawk followed Tekumsila and the others to his mother’s shack he could smell the rich aroma of the roasted meat mingled with the savory smells of herbs, fresh bread, and pies. The growling in his stomach and the tempting aromas made them all pick up their pace along the dark trail.

Inside Hawk’s eyes lit up at the site of the delicious platters of food. He patiently waited for Tekumsila to offer thanks to the spirits and his mouth watered in anticipation of the freshly baked bread, roasted pork, sweet potatoes, and blackberry pie.