People of the Weeping Eye(165)
Trader shot a curious glance at Old White, who just shrugged, apparently baffled. Was this man really the high chief? His hairpiece would have indicated that, but for the moment, he was fawning over Swimmer, rubbing his ears, making cooing sounds, and acting more like a boy with his first puppy than a chief greeting auspicious visitors.
The high chief was laughing, almost rolling around as Swimmer bounced and licked playfully at his hands. The dog’s tail lashed the air in absolute joy.
“My dog is called Swimmer, Great Chief. I rescued him from a raft of driftwood far up the Father Water.”
“Swimmer!” the chief cried in delight. “Welcome to my palace, Swimmer. New Moon? Bring Swimmer some of that deer meat.”
The pregnant woman did her best to hide an indulgent smile and vanished into the children’s room.
The chief chuckled, gave Swimmer one last pat on the head, and climbed to his feet. “Welcome. I am Born-of-Sun, the yu bah’le, high chief of the western Tsoyaha.”
“I am Old White, known as the Seeker.” Old White bowed graciously. “My companion is Trader, of whom you have no doubt heard.”
“Great Chief,” Trader acknowledged, touching his forehead respectfully.
Born-of-Sun walked over, taking each of their hands in turn, meeting their eyes with a thoughtful appraisal. To Trader, he added, “I am glad Kala Hi’ki decided you were a friend. It would have been hard on Swimmer to have endured your suffering on the square.”
He is more worried about the dog than me? “I’m sure it would have been.”
Old White was grinning, amusement in his expression.
“The carving”—Born-of-Sun returned his attention to the intricate relief hanging above the chunkey stones—“is one of our most important symbols. Do you know the story? What this represents?”
“The sky. The yellow disk in the center is the sun, of course. I don’t understand the three copper triangles spinning on top of it.”
Born-of-Sun stared happily at the image. “In the beginning, after Sock-chew, Father Crawfish, brought mud up from the waters to create the land, and Yaw-tee, Father Vulture, flattened it with his great wings …” He paused. “You saw the Guardians out front?”
“Crawfish and Vulture,” Old White agreed. “Yes.”
“After the world was formed, the skies were dark. All creatures lived in perpetual night. They all called out, asking for light. Yo’ah, the star, told them, ‘I will make light.’ And he did, but his light was very dim. The next to try was Shar-pah, whom you know as the moon. He, too, rose into the sky and shone as brilliantly as he could, but then he grew dimmer and dimmer. He had to rest. Then Shar-pah put all of his effort into it, and glowed brightly again, only to dim.
“Tso, our Mother Sun, finally said, ‘I made you all. I can do this.’ So she went way off to the east, gathered herself, and rose into the sky. All the earth bathed in her light.” He pointed to the three legs of the spiral. “That is what you see in the center. Tso’s bright light filling the sky. The reason there are three legs to her spiral is to honor the efforts of Tso, Yo’ah, and Shar-pah. The three great lights of the sky. The stars and moon are present in the next ring. You see Shar-pah in his six phases. One for each full moon from solstice to solstice. And around him, the white dots on the black background are all the Yo’ah, the stars.”
“And the clouds?” Trader pointed to the scalloped edge.
“They are the last of the Sky Beings. Clouds are always born at the edge of the sky and move across it. This is the place from which we come. We are Tso’s children, born of a drop of her menstrual blood that fell from on high. We carry part of the sky in our bodies and souls.”
“And you like dogs,” Old White noted.
Born-of-Sun chuckled at that. “I like dogs, Seeker, because they are honest. They will not trick you with cunning speeches, or promise peace one moment, only to attack you the next. If you treat a dog with kindness and respect, he will not murder your people the moment you turn your back.” He paused. “My dog, my companion and best friend for years, has recently sent his souls to the sky. I have a softness and envy for those who still have their faithful friends with them.” He stared longingly at Swimmer.
Trader nodded thoughtfully, remembering when Swimmer had been his only friend.
Born-of-Sun evidently read his expression, for he said, “That you bring him with you tells me more about your character than even Kala Hi’ki’s report.”
New Moon had emerged and placed a wooden platter on the floor. The vessel sported two rattlesnakes carved in relief around the edges. Swimmer attacked the pile of meat, wolfing it down.