Chapter Nine
Hawk climbed to the top of the sacks of flour and watched the bus disappear in the dust as it started down the other side of the hill. He stood taller than Tekumsila and smiled with childish delight as he peered over the top of Tekumsila’s head. He was eager to hear the story’s father would tell when he returned home for the evening meal. "Hawk, come down from there," Slow Woman scolded. When she could no longer see the bus that carried her husband and the other’s away Slow Woman turned her attention to the huge pile of food left by the captain and his men.
Tekumsila had put Hawk down when the child had become fidgety and he too was surprised to see Hawk standing atop the huge pile of food. "Come down right now," Slow Woman said once more. "I’ll get him," Sweet Water said with exasperation. She climbed up the lumpy sacks and pulled Hawk down to her. Holding him in her lap Sweet Water scooted to the bottom where Slow Woman stood with her hands on her hips. A corner of the flour sack came loose and Hawk stuck his finger into the white powder. He decided it was not very good and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his buckskin shirt. One by one the women standing in the group began dragging the bags away to their homes. Hawk was very disappointed as he watched the tall stack of bags disappear one at a time as he had been planning on climbing to the top again as soon as Sweet Water wasn’t looking.
Hawk followed Tekumsila each time he returned to the stack of food and watched as the old man carried sacks of cornmeal, powdered eggs, and powdered milk back to their home. Each time they returned the pile was much smaller and Hawk was a little more disappointed. When the last of the food had been carried away from the huge pile in the road Tekumsila turned to Hawk and said, "Come with me little warrior, we will help Slow Woman put away this mountain of food." Hawk took Tekumsila’s hand. He did not follow in the direction of his home, but turned toward the road instead. With his free hand Hawk pointed to the hill the bus had disappeared over, "father," he said. Tekumsila squatted down next to Hawk, "he will come back little warrior, but not today." Hawk looked doubtfully at Tekumsila and tears welled up in his eyes as he stared up at the old man. Hawk had happily helped to carry the food, thinking his father would be proud when he returned this evening. But the sun was already going down and father still had not returned. This had never happened before. Father was always home before the sun went to bed. Hawk did not move, he stood staring at the hill, hopeful that father would come over the top any moment. Hawk felt cheated. He had not realized when he was helping Tekumsila carry the food that it had actually been traded for his father. Tekumsila picked the child up and carried him into the shack.
"Ho, look at all this wonderful food," Tekumsila said with merriment. Hawk brushed away the tears with his arm and turned to look at the big stacks of food neatly piled in the corner, then quickly looked away. He did not want to see these items that had been traded for his strong father.
Slow Woman worked feverishly creating a meal out of the bags and boxes of food. It took all of her effort to prevent tears from her own eyes sliding down her cheeks. She did not want the children to see that she wept. She must show them strength and be a good example for them. "Come Sweet Water, help prepare this wonderful meal," Slow Woman said with feigned excitement. "Your father has made sure we all have enough food to eat while he is gone, we will want to grow strong so we can be ready when he returns home."
Sweet Water got slowly to her feet. She missed her father also. She could not remember when he had not been at the fire for the evening meal. The home seemed unnaturally quiet to her, even though there was plenty of noise. She approached the plank board that served as mother’s table, stood on her tip toes to peer over the top and wrinkled up her nose. "What is that?" she asked. Slow Woman looked at the bulgur she had poured out onto the table, "I am not sure little one. There are many things here that I do not know what to do with. We will have to experiment with each one to see what is good for us." Sweet Water nodded her head and stared down at the small pile of bulgur. "What would you think we should do with this white man’s food?" Slow Woman asked her daughter. Sweet Water lifted her hand and took a pinch of the grainy substance in her fingers. She stuck it in her mouth and promptly spit it out. Slow Woman laughed at the funny face her daughter made. "We should put it in the boiling pot," Sweet Water said. "Maybe that will help the taste." "Well then, that is just what we will do!" Slow Woman declared. She scooped up the pile of bulgur and poured it into the pot hanging over the open fire.
Slow Woman searched through the bags of food and found flour and lard. "Aho, the spirits have been very good to us. With these we can make fry bread," she exclaimed! "What is fry bread?" Sweet Water asked. Slow Woman looked down at her daughter in surprise, "why fry bread has been a part of our meals since I was a little girl," she explained. Sweet Water stared at her mother, "how come we have never had it before?" she asked. Slow Woman simply looked at the child as if she were daft, then realized that neither of her children had ever had fry bread. There had never been enough food before, let alone the ingredients she needed to make such a thing! With her realization, Slow Woman became saddened for the many things that her children had never experienced. Her heart was heavy, but she put the smile on her face and explained to Sweet Water that they had never had all of the ingredients before. "Come," said Slow Woman, "Tonight, I will teach my daughter to make fry bread." Sweet Water smiled broadly and walked around the table to stand next to her mother.
Over the next month Slow Woman spent hours in the little kitchen corner of her shack. She taught her daughter to make many things with the white man’s food. Hawk loved it when his mother would pick him up and sit him on the plank board next to her busy hands. From this vantage point he was able to sample sugar cakes, corn bread, cookies, and every other magical delight that his mother created. He had begun to put on weight and Sweet Water pinched his cheeks telling him he was becoming a chubby little warrior.
Slow Woman soon began singing while she created their meals and the little shack was filled with the sound of her beautiful voice most of the day. Soon Sweet Water learned the words and Hawk delighted in hearing the flowing tempo as his mother and sister combined their words to ancient songs that gave thanks to creator.
Tekumsila sat in his corner watching over this loving family. He closed his eyes and listened to the combined voice of the woman and child. His heart soared when they sang of the buffalo and his mind wandered to the days of his youth. He was sure he could feel the wind blowing through
his thick black hair as he rode his war pony through the plains. He could see the buffalo nation numbering in the thousands grazing on the grasses of the prairie and heard the sound of creator in everything around him. He tasted the boldness of meat that had been cooked for days over an
open fire, and heard the scrape, scrape, sounds of a sharp stone as his own mother cleaned a buffalo hide to prepare it for tanning. His heart was full, his belly was well fed, and he thanked creator for the blessing of this family in his late years.
