Eureka

Chapter Two

Everyone was cramped into a tiny room, all the hunters and gatherers came here before they climbed a rickety latter that led above ground. One by one every one climbed up the ladder.

Tsonee took my hand and squeezed it, "be careful." he said simply. He wasn't very tall, only a couple inches taller than I myself am, with a long braid down his back. He doesn't speak a lot, and if he does it's never in public. I don't mind too much, it gives me more time to think, I wouldn't want a husband who talks and talks.

I nod to him and squeeze his hand back.

I take hold of the rungs and start to climb. When I reach the surface I squint. It is much brighter up here than it is in the caves, that for certain. Oh, but it's worth it! The fresh air, and all the sounds! Even if it's hard sometimes to see the true beauty of Alaska when the Whitedeath clouds the trees that are right in front of you, and sky is always hidden away by the blessed fog, there will always be the creek. The lush, clean creek our people are named after.

We can stalk caraboo in the tree line, net fish in the creek, and gather roots and berries. Tsonee likes to say that we have the most important job, but to be honest all the jobs in Eureka are as important as the last, even if some of the healers are smug.

So you might think that my job is just gathering, it's more complicated than that. There is a head gatherer, and hunter alike, and they each get a list of what they have to bring in. our head is Tena, she's around fifty and is strong and tall. I wonder where she is now. Usually she says what we need to do before we reach the surface, but today she didn't.

There she is. "Alright, listen up." Tena said quietly. We don't have much time, the sun is hot today and the fog will start to thin soon. I need one group to get wood. The stock is running low rapidly and the hunters are supposed to bring in a herd of caribou that will need to get smoked." she continues. "I need the second group to gather the healing herbs and roots."

She split us up into groups, making specific selections depending on our abilities. This is what she did every time, but i was however surprised when she walked up to me and said, "Ddhel i want you to lead the second group." i was very shocked by this. I never expected Tena to ever pick me to lead. She hates me. (well that overreacting, but she acts like i do everything wrong.) Yoyekoyh says i'm wrong, and that i'm overthinking it, and maybe i am after all.

I don't know what to say so I just smile, nod and walk away, with a hot pride in my chest. I gathered the people in my group and lead them to what we call the herb hotspot.

Leading a group isn't hard, just nerve racking. YOU are responsible if someone gets hurt, YOU are to be blamed if a fight breaks out, and YOU get the consequence if someone in your group is seen. But all the anxiety doesn't matter. I've always wanted this. Now it might just be leading a small group but that also means that your head trusts, and thinks worthy of you, and when your head either dies, or becomes an Elder there is a chance that you will be chosen. If the head dies, before she or he can say who will be next, the Counsel chooses.

Once we get there we all know what to do. We collect barks and roots for Decoction, a herbal tea common within our people, the herbs to make Oil for the skin, Snuff. Many things the Healers would use to cleanse people.

Every once and awhile I would check up on everyone to make sure they were all right. This wasn't so bad I thought, as I continue to harvest the bark of a Betula tree. You don't eat the bark, but what you scrape from it, called salicin. It has a bitter taste, but it takes away pain so most people bear through it.

I looked up again and saw one of the new gatherers picking Cornus berries in large amounts and quickly walked over. The bright red berries will not kill you, but make you sick, which is something our people can not offered. 

I told the girl this, she is only about sixteen, and she apologised for wasting the fruit of the earth, and asked me what she could do. This was difficult. I never thought that I would have to deal with something as simply hard as this.

It's our belief never to waste, and if you take to give back to the earth. That's why whenever we go out we give an offering, like juniper, or some strands of hair. That's it! "We can use the berries as our offering." I say startling her with my abruptness.

We continue, and after a while I can feel the Whitedeath is starting to lift and we need to get out of here. We meet up with the rest of the gatherers and the hunters, and we prepare to give the offering for the things we have taken from this land.

I walk to Tena and explain. "One of my gatherers did not know of what she was picking, and gathered the berries of the cornus tree. Her actions were of a foolish heart, and I take responsibility for her actions, in this. But I believe not in the gathering of wasteful things. I would like your permission to use these berries as the offering to the land today." I say in a rush, hopeful for forgiveness of my Head.

Tena thought about what I said and when answered addressed the whole of the group.

"This day we will use cornus berries as our offering." she explained further. "Come take them, here," gesturing to the berries I held in a basket. "Let us give thanks for what the Creator has sent us. To bring back to our people."

And an Elder came and took the berries from me and started the prayer. She sang in our languages which is what we have been speaking this entire story. The language is called lower Tanana. And is spoken by many of the people in Alaska. But it varies from lower, middle, and upper Tanana.

When the prayer was over we all helped in carrying what we have to bring in. The hunters have two elk, a deer and five rabbits. The first group of gatherers have stacks and stacks of wood, and my own group has baskets of herbs, and healing plants. Whoever is left to carry nothing will help with someone else's lod, or open the doors, and to make sure there is nothing in the way.

We were barely in when my brother Liga ran up, startling me so i almost dropped the bundle of juniper i was carrying, and announced "Khwn'a is having her baby and her and mother want you there, as soon as you can." he said worry in his voice. I handed the basket to him and dashed off to my sister's cave.