Journey to the Forgotten Island

Chapter 23 - Walls

Toma stood on the front edge of the large crowd as villagers continued to arrive and bustled for space. He stood with Idi, Ami and Dini, who had been summoned to witness the village meeting. In the centre, Chee and Xipilli stood, waiting for the people to settle and listen. Behind them towered the statue of Lord Yaotiacua. Toma peered up at the statue and saw how young the Lord's face looked. The statue looked no older than Toma – how had such a young man won the admiration and loyalty requiring such an impressive monument?

There was a loud wail that came from the crowd and suddenly all the villagers, dressed in their same course woollen clothes with the same bright patterns threaded into the dull grey and brown cloth, clicked their fingers and whistled until all was quiet.

Chee, dressed, like the villagers, in a woollen tunic with bright blue and pink zigzags along the triangular cloth culminating in bright tassels, began to speak. Her voice was deeper and more powerful than Toma had imagined based on her slim face. But he saw now that she had broad shoulders and strong, calloused hands. Chee spoke only for a moment but the villagers began tapping their chests with their right hands immediately.

'Chee is just introducing herself and making introductory remarks,' Idi whispered. 'As Xipilli will make his speech first, she is allowed to speak briefly beforehand.'

Toma had asked Idi to request a meeting with only Chee and Xipilli to commence negotiations. Xipilli had accepted but Chee had insisted that first they hold a village meeting. Idi had only managed to get an agreement that they would speak with Chee individually afterwards. It was clear, seeing how powerfully Chee spoke, that she was loved by her village.

Now Xipilli began to speak. Dressed in his long blue robes, he looked like a living version of the statue of Lord Yaotiacua above him. Though it seemed he had made an effort to look like his villagers – his robes had a similar pink zig-zagged pattern threaded through – he looked like he was of a different people when standing beside Chee. Xipilli's face was darker than Chee's olive tones. Where Chee's hair was short with tight curls – Xipilli's was long and wavy. His voice was not as deep or as powerful as hers. It was often husky and broke when he tried to project. Some people tapped their chests as he spoke, but many more clapped their hands together.

'What is he saying?' Toma asked.

'He is saying that the village should cooperate with us and follow our guidance. He says we have the strength that the village needs and that we will bring them good fortune and a return to glory,' Idi whispered.

'They seem to be taking it well – they are applauding.'

Idi shook his head, 'The clapping of hands is a sign of disagreement – like chasing away chickens or trying to drown out the sound of the speech. It is when they tap their hearts, a light fluttering sound, that they show their approval.'

Xipilli's speech ended with raucous applause. It was difficult for Toma to believe the village was expressing their dislike for his words. But as soon as Chee stepped forward and began to speak, the entire village became quiet and most of the people lightly tapped their hearts.

Toma recognised none of the native words that Chee and Xipilli used other than the word 'naxual', which was often said. Now, Toma heard Chee used the words 'ntsiag', 'neeq' and 'naxual' repeatedly and he asked Idi about their significance.

Idi chuckled, 'Ntsiag is the name of their village. Neeq is the name of its original inhabitants and Naxual is of course the name of the people who founded the kingdom. Lord Yaotiacua and Xipilli are both Naxual. Chee is Neeq.'

The villager's eyes widened as Chee spoke and throughout her speech they never ceased to tap their hearts. Xipilli looked down at his feet, failing to hide his obvious despair.