A Pirate's Life for Mei

Liamuiga, Little Huntress

Liamuiga

They had left two of the males behind for some reason and pushed on without them, leaving the road and going inland, where they hurried through fields and bush.

Lia did her best to put on a stoic facade as she strode beside the foreigners this dark night. But inside, she was trembling with nerves.

She'd never done anything this crazy before!

Though she had to admit, it was not the first time she'd done something wild. But this? Leaving her tribe?

The tribe had a culture of gender difference: some things were for women, and others were for men. To be fair, it worked out well most of the time. Most people seemed naturally inclined to a particular division of labour and found fulfillment in their roles. But there were exceptions.

Like Aricae, whose giant ears gave him his name, the chubby man who couldn't keep his fingers out of the pot and who loved to cook, always craving new ingredients and recipes. No matter how often the other warriors mocked him and the women tried to banish him from their cookfire, he always found a way to create and come up with something new that nobody had ever tasted before.

Another exception was old Fou-fou, named for a chatty bird, the wisest woman in the tribe. As an elder, she often had more and better to say than the men when they gathered the male-only council. That was why her father and some others had often taken Fou-fou aside before tribal discussions for her input. Even if she hadn't often publicly made her opinions, they were always sought after privately. She'd commanded much more respect than most other tribe members, regardless of gender.

Lia had been born to a sweet little mother, named Cacao after the ripe brown pods of the cacao plant, and an overly indulgent father, Hadali, who had been named after the sun. Ever since Lia had been a child old enough to stand on two legs and begun learning female tasks, she'd begged her parents to also be allowed to join in so-called male pursuits, too, for she was athletic and active and thrived on adventure.

She loved her sisters and fellow tribeswomen, enjoyed sitting about the fire and talking of many things and had fun coming up with pretty new fashions. She could cook, though she was no genius at it. But whenever she could, she'd also pursued things considered unfeminine.

Lia had climbed the fire mountain many times, not just to the hot water pools but to the very top where she could dance on the peak. She'd swum with dolphins and hugged them in the harbour. She'd even swum with sharks out in the reefs, fending them off with her spear as she fished and dived for pretty shells. She'd journeyed to other islands, though she'd never been permitted on a raid, only on peaceful expeditions to fish or gather fruits or other materials.

Her mother had always been more conservative and preferred that Liamuiga excel at the same things that she did, such as hair braiding and making dyes. Her mother was known for her skilled cloth making.

Her father hadn't always given in to Lia's desires, of course, especially when other males were about and listening. But he had always had difficulty telling her no in private when the other warriors hadn't been around to insist that she return to woman's work.

Lia's father had taught her how to prepare and handle curare and how to use a blowgun. She had become an excellent hunter of birds, of which she was very proud. Her father had confided that she was a better shot than many of the male hunters, a fact that she resentfully kept secret while longing to show off. She'd grown up with more than a few bullying boys that she would have liked to put in their place with her superior shooting skills.

Lia's heart both warmed and ached as she thought of these people. So many were gone.

Fou-fou, the wise elder, had died fighting, trying to save the foreign woman that Lia so admired: Mei. Lia would dearly miss Fou-fou's stern council and comforting wrinkled hands.