Alberta:The Tribes

Alberta: The Tribes

by

Charles O. Goulet

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Charles O. Goulet

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Alberta: The Tribes

Chapter One—A New Vision

Keebo wiped the blade of his obsidian stone knife on the skirt of his buffalo hide tunic, as he surveyed the camp that he and his family set up the day before on the shore of a small quiet lake with many islands. His mother, Cayko, in her efficient way, had already established a routine as his father, Rapeen, tended the small campfire while Keebo’s twelve-year-old sister, Donel, roasted a haunch of venison for the evening meal.

Only yesterday, he and his father drove off a marauding band of young men who were intent on kidnapping young girls like his sisters to serve as slaves and use to fulfill their burgeoning sexual desires. These bands were becoming more common and more threatening. He heard that other families were less fortunate with some of their young women disappearing without a trace.

Papa, we have to do something! He turned to his father who squatted beside the fire that he was feeding with pieces of dry aspen deadfall.

His father, Rapeen, turned his eyes toward his son in inquiry.

We have to protect ourselves better.

Rapeen respected his son’s ideas and views although he didn’t always agree with them. What do you mean?

Papa, I’ve been thinking.

Rapeen smiled. Keebo was always thinking, always pondering, and always contemplating new ways of acting to improve their life. What have you been thinking?

Yesterday, that gang of thugs almost succeeded in overcoming us. We were lucky that they are such cowards.

Rapeen nodded his head in agreement. Yes, it’s good that you are a warrior. If they had succeeded we would all probably be dead.

All except Donel and Zulom, and they might as well have been dead.

Rapeen nodded again. He had heard how these bands of marauders treated their young female captives, and it was not pleasant. They were slaves and treated less than animals: raped, tortured, forced into abject servitude, compelled to submit to indescribable acts to satisfy the animal instincts of these goons and to suffer miserably. Yet, when they were challenged as Keebo and he had done, they slunk away like supine cowards to find less threatening prey. "What do you think we should do?

Keebo rubbed the knife blade to sharpen its already keen edge against one of the stones that encircled the campfire. He always kept his knife whetted and ready. He glanced up from his task. We should ask other families to join us…to become part of our camp…to live with us.

Rapeen dropped another piece of wood onto the fire. What do you mean? To become part of our family?

Keebo nodded. We would be a larger group. We could help each other…to hunt, to protect, to share our food, our work, our play…our…

Our women? Rapeen laughed. He knew that many leaders of families had more than one mate. Some thought it added to their power and prestige if they were able to support more than one mate and the many children that were produced. Rapeen had often thought that he would like to have another mate to help Cayko, to satisfy his urges, to produce more children. However, Cayko always resisted his strategy.

Keebo smiled. Perhaps it would it would easier to find new mates. Keebo was a man with a man’s urges. He was now seventeen summers old, a man, ready to sire his own children, support and establish his own family. Often, he dreamed of his own woman and his own camp, yet he was unable to find a mate because contact with females was infrequent and rare, as most families tended to be independent and self-sufficient. Papa, don’t you think it would be better if several families united?

Rapeen shook his head slowly. He had never thought of that before. He didn’t know why, but he wasn’t comfortable with idea. He saw some merit, but he also saw some flaws. Dissension, conflicts, jealousies, distrust, and outright altercations could and would develop. As well, some men would be more responsible than others would, and they would be expected to provide for the lame, the sick and the old. Son, do you really think that is a good idea?

Keebo frowned. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t suggest it. We would be more hunters, more warriors, more toolmakers. We would be stronger, more efficient, and so more capable of looking after our women and children.

Cayko joined the group around the fire and poked at the flames until they rose higher. What is this that you are talking about?

Keebo thinks we should ask other families to join us at this campsite.

Cayko squatted beside Donel and poked at the venison haunch. Then she stood up and surveyed the neat and tidy campsite that she had set up. Where would we put them?

The small clearing along the lakeshore contained two small buffalo hide covered shelters, one on each side of the stone-encircled fire pit. There is no room for another family, she stated emphatically.

Keebo laughed. But Mama, we can easily make room. We can cut down a few of those small trees. He pointed to his left were a small stand of second growth aspens and two clumps of willows stood.

Keebo, I don’t want another family with us. I like it the way it is. Cayko looked to Rapeen for support.

Rapeen nodded in agreement. Although he could see some flaws in Keebo’s plan, the thought of other women about pleased him and sent visions of what might be through his mind. Maybe he might even acquire another mate. He smiled. Maybe we should think about it.

There is nothing to think about. It is not a good idea!

Mama, please think about it. Keebo stood up and slipped his knife into the buffalo hide sheath at his waist. If several women were helping, you could divide the work between you. Each one could do the work that she is best at. One could prepare the meat; another could prepare the hide; still another could make the clothes. It would be much easier for every one.

Cayko shook her head. Keebo, it would never work. We would be in each other’s way. We would always be quarreling over which job should be done by which woman. No! It will not work. And the men would have the same problem.

The campsite along the shore of the lake with many islands was perfect for the summer, Keebo pondered as he gazed across to the south shore. The lake abounded in fish while deer and moose browsed the nearby meadows and copses of willow and dogwood. Yesterday they had captured a fawn, and today he and his father were building a weir in which to catch the pike and walleye that ranged the clear water of the pristine lake.

He brushed the sweat from his brow as he added another armful of batons that he had stripped from the nearby clumps of willow, dogwood, and aspen saplings to a growing pile. His father was planting the sticks to make a fence that would lead any fish toward the sapling cage in the shallower water. Keebo had helped his father construct many such fish traps. Although they were effective, they required a great deal of work to build and to maintain.

Since his father had decided to build this fish trap, Keebo knew that this camp would be their home for several moons, perhaps for the remainder of the summer. As well as an ample supply of fish and other animals, the woods pullulated with berries of all sorts—strawberries, raspberries, blueberries—both low and high bush types, and chokecherries. His mother and younger brothers and sisters gathered some every day for immediate use and to dry and package for later use.

His inspiration to enlarge the group by adding other families seemed sensible to him. He could see how the women could share the many chores that needed to be done, and he could see how many hands would make light work of building the fish weirs, collecting fire wood, building tools and weapons, and moving camp when it was necessary.

His father, Rapeen, and his mother, Cayko, didn’t seem too interested. Maybe they didn’t completely understand what he had in mind.

He watched as his father pushed another stick into the bottom of the lake. Already he could see the vee that would lead the fish to the small enclosure closer to shore.

That’s enough, Keebo. Come and help me here. Bring some of those sticks.

Keebo nodded and stooped to gather an armful of stakes. Papa, why are you so stubborn? If we had several men, this weir would be built in no time. He muttered but he joined his father to plant the stakes.

As his father took the cluster of saplings, he nodded toward those that he had already planted. Check those, and if any are loose. Pound them in. He gestured toward the large stone hammer that lay on the bank.

Keebo retrieved the hammer, checked its haft to see that the bindings were still tight and slowly waded back to the fence they were building.

He checked each stake carefully and pounded them firmly into the bottom of the lake. Papa, have you been thinking about my plan?

His father looked up, mystified. What plan?

Keebo shook his head. Papa, my plan to get several families together.

Oh, that! I thought you had forgotten about that. Your mother is not for it…and I’m not sure if I’m for it…and then which families do you have in mind?

His father bent forward and pushed another stake beside the one previous. His action seemed to indicate that he no longer wanted to discuss it.

Papa, it’s a good plan!

I’m sure it is, but your mother is against it…and I don’t think it will work either. Let’s get on with this work.

Papa, why don’t you think it’s a good idea?

There will be too many problems, too many jealousies, too many frictions.

But don’t you think the benefits would outweigh the difficulties?

Rapeen straightened up, water dripping from his muscular tawny arms. I don’t want to talk about it while we have this job to do.

But, Papa, if we were several men, this job would be finished by now.

And then we would fight over the fish caught!

Not if we agree on some rules beforehand.

Look, son, if we build this trap ourselves, we will have all the fish. No need to share. And we’ll be happy. Your mother will be happy. I’ll be happy! I just don’t see the advantage.

So you wouldn’t want to try it?

No, now no more talk. Let’s get to work.

Keebo munched the last of the large pike that Donel, his sister, and Cayko, his mother, had roasted over the large bed of coals. He had to admit that it tasted good, and the catch of fish in the weir had been more than they expected in the short time that had elapsed since its completion.

Both his father and he were tired from building the trap, which had taken most of the day. The more he thought of his plan to get several families to unite in a common effort to get food, to share work and hunting, the more he felt that it would be a benefit to all.

His parents weren’t interested; his siblings didn’t care or understand what he had in mind. He didn’t want to pursue the idea without some encouragement.

Donel leaned over the fire pit discarding some fish bones and cleaning the site of any pieces of food that would encourage scavengers such as skunks, coyotes, wolves and bears. Already the magpies and jays—both blue and gray—were helping her.

Donel, do you like to work?

His sister straightened up and looked at him quizzically. What do you mean?

Would you like other girls to help you?

Zulom is too young. Zulom was the youngest girl in the family who would soon be three summers old.

I don’t mean Zulom. I mean a girl your age.

But there is no girl my age.

If there were, would you like that?

Donel cocked her head and surveyed her brother as if he had lost his mind. But there is no one!

Papa, is there another family nearby? Keebo crouched beside his father as they scrutinized the small meadow that lay before them. Sign of bison was all about, but none were apparent at the moment.

His father grinned. Looking for a woman?

Keebo wasn’t thinking of that, but he grinned in return. For two days now, he had been pondering how he could implement of his plan of enlarging the family group. If he could find another family and convince its leader of his plan, maybe it might happen.

Son, Acktun and his family have set up camp toward the rising sun at a place where the waters from this lake empty into a large river. It is several days travel. He grinned again. Acktun has an attractive daughter. Is that who you have in mind?

Keebo nodded. Is she a good woman?

Rapeen shrugged his shoulders. I don’t know. It’s been many moons since I last visited with Acktun. But I think she is ready to mate…and maybe Acktun is looking for a man for her.

Is Acktun a good hunter?

Rapeen nodded. He’s very good. His family is large and well supplied.

Keebo’s shoulders dropped. If Acktun were such a good hunter and supplier, he probably would not be interested in joining with another family. He probably would be of the same mind as Keebo’s father. Keebo shrugged. If he didn’t try to find out, he would never know.

Papa, I’d like to visit Acktun’s camp.

Acktun will want a good price for his daughter. Rapeen winked slyly.

How do I find Acktun’s camp?

Five days later, Keebo noticed a plume of smoke ascending through grove of trees along the banks of a large, wide river that flowed toward the rising sun. He grinned to himself as he deliberately made his way toward the camp.

He was sure it was Acktun’s camp, but it could also be that of a band of marauders. Cautiously, he followed the steep bank of the small river that led to the flat where it joined the waters of the large, wide river that flowed strongly toward the rising sun. As