The Otherworlders Academy - An Original Teen Fantasy

Ep. 3.8 (R) - So, What's in This Again?

Sitting on a bluff, facing Sirius--also known as the Dog Star and the brightest star in the sky--is a tall, domed tent made of bent willow reeds and a heavy canvas cover, decorated with ancient symbols and pictographs. With a curved opening just big enough for a grown man to crawl through, there's only one way in, or out, of the tent. This is the sweat lodge where the evening's ceremony is to take place.

Patrick is the first to enter.

He crawls in and moves clockwise, around the fire pit, followed by Aidan, and Farid. They take their seats on huge logs, stripped of their bark and set up as benches in front of a pit filled with to the brim with hot stones.

Also in the tent are Chief Qa'watil, Minuk, and the three male dinner guests from the night before. The heat in the tent is stifling and everyone looks at each other, silently and awkwardly, as they wait for the shaman, Anatu Windwalker, to arrive. After a few moments, he finally does.

With a sense of relief, Chief Qa'watil stands, bending over slightly because he's about four inches taller than the tent.

"Ah, Shaman Windwalker," he says warmly. "We are so blessed to have you with us." He gives the shaman a reverent bow.

"And I am blessed to be with you," Shaman Windwalker replies, turning and bowing his head gracefully a few times, essentially addressing the entire group.

"Aho, Mitakuye Oyasin," he says as he makes his way to the back of the tent to take his seat in a large, low-slung chair made of sturdy redwood and festooned with many, many pillows. Shaman Windwalker, while short, is a bit on the heavy side, and no one wants their shaman to be uncomfortable, especially during a ceremony as important as this.

The men of the Kikatuwa tribe repeat the greeting, which means "We are all related; We are all one."

"Aho, Mitakuye Oyasin," they say in unison.

With that, Shaman Windwalker--happily ensconced in the guest of honor seat in between the Chief and Minuk--sits cross-legged and begins to prepare for the ceremony.

He pulls a mortar and pestle out of the large leather pouch he's wearing. It's big, almost as big as a messenger bag. He also retrieves a large wooden bowl and sets it down in front of him as well.

With his surprisingly beefy hands, he gently sprinkles various herbs into the mortar and with a precise, steady rhythm, crushes them together so, in the end, it looks like herbal tea. Then, he adds a few drops of several different oils.

He pours everything into a ceramic urn with four tall legs and sets it over the fire. While his elixir brews, Shaman Windwalker pulls out a fragment of deer hide, about the size of a table mat, and lays it before him.

At first, the brew emits a fragrant scent, but then once it comes to a full boil, the shaman tosses in a few secret ingredients that none of the boys manage to see clearly, but Aidan swears looked like beetles and spiders.

Then, the shaman closes his eyes, bows his head, and begins to chant a prayer. The men of the tribe join him. Farid and Aidan, bewildered, look to Patrick who tucks his chin down and closes his eyes, indicating that they should do the same.

And they do, but Aidan's curiosity gets the better of him and he can't help but pop an eye open a couple of times to peek at the proceedings.

As the pace of the chant increases, Shaman Windwalker sways back and forth as if in a trance, then after a few minutes, his eyes pop open as if he's been shocked back into reality. He reaches for a ladle and splashes water over the heated stones. The water sizzles as it evaporates instantly, and waves of heat and steam overwhelm the space. The boys' eyes water and sweat drips in rivulets down their faces.