Chapter 31
Recruiting the Taino, Calusa and Ani’ Yun’-wiya 12 K
(Hispaniola, Cuba, FL, AL, MS, TN, NC 1380)
The trip inland took us along a narrow path through hills covered with a dense tropical wood. The trees were largely mahogany and oak, and some of them were truly huge. We seemed to be wending our way through a mountain range from all the climbing, but the tall trees made it impossible to see anything except for a lot of colorful birds and quite a few flowers. We crossed a good-sized river and again seemed to be climbing into mountains. We camped among this second group of hills the first night and were treated to a remarkable variety of animal sounds all night long. Apparently there were no bears, wild cats, or even wolves on the island to concern us. There was, however, a significant array of insects, and I was glad I had the hamaca on which to sleep instead of the bare ground. The next day, we came to a spot cleared by a landslide, and I could see that we were approaching a huge bay. It seemed that the northwestern tip of the island was a peninsula. I found out later when we finally mapped it that there was an even longer peninsula at the southwestern tip, but from this point what looked like the southwestern tip, but proved to be a large island, seemed to be about the same size as the northwestern tip.
We arrived at the cacique’s town near midday. It was along a stream that led to a river that emptied into the bay, a short boat trip away. The town was not unlike the first one although it did seem to be larger and had three of the ball playing fields. The largest was lined with monolithic stones that must have been difficult to set up; the smaller ones were lined with smaller stone markers. There were players practicing on the smaller fields as we came into the town. We were ushered to the cacique without ceremony since we were “mere” merchants, and he got first choice. He turned out to be a man of average height and heavy build. He wore a feather cloak and headdress, gold ear ornaments, and a necklace of various semiprecious stones (jasper, carnelian, amethyst, jade, and amber among others). He was pleased with the copper and traded gold and feathers for it. He invited us to join him for an evening meal and assigned us a hut for the night.
We finished trading and looked around a bit before the evening meal. In the center of the town near the chief’s house, there was a carved wooden chair trimmed with gold. Behind it was a large monolithic slab with curious petroglyphs. The glyphs seemed to be faces rather than designs. At the evening meal, we were joined by the cacique’s “court” a group of leaders who had specific responsibilities. All were heavily adorned with feathers, gold, beads, and gemstones. Each was introduced to us in turn. The stew featured fish this time, and we were served in large shells. The flat bread was in a large decorated basket on four legs. The basket also had a large decorated lid. After eating, the women brought in some large jars, but the chief asked if there was any business to attend to before they were passed out.
A few of his retainers brought up some minor things. When all had spoken, I brought up the subject of joining us and perhaps arranging a meeting with the other caciques on the island to also invite them to join us. He listened politely, but said that there was peace already on the island, and he didn’t think they needed us to keep it, since they were all allied by marriage. I suggested that we could help by destroying the cannibals that the Lucayo feared. He replied that they only attacked the small islands far to the east, not his island. I asked if they had any problems with the other islands, and he said that they didn’t, but if they did, they would settle them with a ball game. I suggested that at least he should send along an observer, who could report back on us and perhaps being more familiar with their needs could best tell how we could be of help. He said that he could hardly ask one of his people to leave these beautiful lands for the harsh mainland. Getting desperate, I recounted part of the vision of the Pansfalaya shamans, the part where joining us would save them from the great evil that would be coming from the east. That got his attention, and he asked the retainers for their comments. Most of them were quite vague, but one said that perhaps his younger son, Aracibo, could go with us and report back. The young man was not yet married and could be spared. Besides, he was a bit adventurous and had visited some of the nearby islands already.
The young man was called for immediately. He approached very respectfully and stood silently before the cacique. The latter told him that his father thought he might be willing to go on an important mission. He said that he would be greatly honored to do so. The cacique then explained that it was to go to the mainland with the pale stranger and stay with his tribe for a year carefully observing everything and then reporting back as to whether any advantage would come from an alliance with them. Aracibo thanked him for having such faith in him and asked to be excused so he could get ready to go. When he left, the cacique congratulated Aracibo’s father for having such a brave son. He hadn’t thought the young man would be willing to go. That settled, the jars were passed around. They proved to contain a very weak alcoholic beverage, like a beer. I found it unpleasant, but not nearly as much as I did when I found out how it was made. It seems that the women thoroughly chew up pieces of their flat bread and spit the mass into the jars, which are then “aged” a few days. Fortunately, I didn’t have much that night, or I might have never recovered when I found out about it. The others drank large amounts of the stuff and started talking or singing loudly, and some began to dance wildly to the music of drums and rattles. It was finally ended, and we retired for the night.
The next morning, we were again treated to the wailing before sunrise followed by the celebration after sunrise. No one could ever say these people take the rising of the sun for granted. Aracibo presented himself to us after we ate our morning meal. He had all he would take with him tied up in his hamaca. We set off on our return trip back to our boats right away. Two days later, we were setting out to sea again. The Tekesta had every intention of visiting the western island called Cuba, since it would be the easiest way to return. We would have to fight the offshore current for a while, since it flowed between the islands, but once we cleared the channel, it would speed us westward along the northern shore of the island. For a change, the wind was also favorable, and we easily made it to a village near the eastern tip of Cuba well before dark. The village was smaller than the others, but we were well received and cheerfully fed and put up for the night. The next day, we set out again and arrived late in the day at a larger town. The ruler here was a cacique, and he also traded gold and feathers for copper and entertained us that evening much as Hatuey had.
At the appropriate time, I made my recruitment speech and received the same polite disinterest until I pointed out that Hatuey had agreed to send an observer. Aracibo proudly confirmed this, so the cacique felt he also should send along an observer. Carefully ascertaining Aracibo’s rank, he and his retainers settled on one of the latter’s younger sons, Armaketo, to be their observer. He was dully brought in and eagerly accepted the assignment. That dealt with, the jars of beer were served up. We set out again the next morning and continued trading our way along the north coast until we reached the point where we would turn north. I had tried to map the coast, but a long reef kept us well offshore for much of the eastern end of the island. Still, since they were so friendly, I was sure I could send some mappers to the islands with the returning observers the next summer. There were a lot of islands of varying sizes all along the north coast of Cuba. It was once we had passed a particularly long narrow one that we put in to shore for the last time.
By now, both Smoking Mirror and I were getting fairly comfortable with the Taino tongue, and Aracibo and Armaketo were beginning to learn Mongol. I asked them about the other large islands. They said that to the south of the eastern end of Cuba there was an island called Xaymaca. It was a beautiful island with mountains and trees and a lot of flowing water (rivers perhaps?). To the east of Aiti was Boriquen. It also was a beautiful island with mountains, trees, and water. There were nine caciques on Boriquen, and all of the chieftaincies were older and more revered than those on Aiti. There was a great ceremonial center on Boriquen also, but neither of them had seen it. In fact, Armaketo had not even been to the central part of Cuba, let alone nearby Aiti. Aracibo had been as far as eastern Aiti, eastern Cuba and to Xaymaca, but not Boriquen. Neither had visited the islands of the Lucayo or the mainland. Actually, except for merchants and people like Smoking Mirror, most of the people in the land, much like the Hanjen, didn’t wander very far from home.
When we left Cuba the next morning, we went a little west of north and spent the night on the northernmost of a group of tiny islets. The next morning, we paddled north until we hit the current, then cut our way slowly westward across it while it propelled us northward. Before dark we arrived at the Tekesta village on the large barrier island. The next morning, word was sent to Cuchiyaga that I had returned, and runners were sent to gather up my scattered escort. A few days later, my escort had begun trickling in, and Chekika arrived to take me to his brother. He invited the two Taino to come along with us. Chekika spoke the Taino language rather well, and I was sorry he hadn’t come with us. He would have made a much better interpreter than the sullen Tekesta. Chekika was amused that I was now using the hamaca to sleep on at night, but the two Taino lads understood completely and were very glad they had brought theirs with them. He had no idea what his brother had decided about joining us, but he could tell me that he had consulted with several of the town chiefs as well as the shamans.
We finally arrived at Cuchiyaga’s village and were taken right to him. He welcomed us all and passed around the weed. He asked the Taino if they had been sent as observers and reassured them that they would be treated well by us. Turning to me, he spoke at length and eloquently about his people. The niche they exploited made them a very close-knit and interdependent people. It also made them very different from their northern neighbors. Differences had bred hostility and caused much bad feeling over the years. This in turn made the Calusa what they were today, a proud, self-sufficient race of warriors, ready to look anyone in the eye as equals. I had come to them as an equal, offering them a partnership among equals. My people had treated his brother with kindness and respect. openly showing him all there was to see of our tribe. There was some resistance among the village chiefs and the shamans to us, but he had decided to confederate with us. And he would be happy to share with us the secrets of swamp warfare.
I thanked him for his decision and assured him it was the best one for both his people and mine, as both would greatly benefit from the alliance. I promised we would set up an Ordu at the northern end of the swamp, so we could learn the swamps while his people learned to use horses and to use our weapons and tools. I further invited him to send more observers to our Eagle Ordu or to come himself if he wished. He replied that he would be a poor leader if he left his people, but he would visit the new Ordu once it was set up and help with the training. He recommended that we set it up in winter, for it was the driest season with the most pleasant weather for northern people. The swamp warfare training would be best commenced in the rainy season, for that was when it was most difficult and most effective. I thanked him for his advice and told him I would send a message to Kaidu containing all his suggestions and urging that the Ordu be set up this coming winter. He was pleased and asked Chekika if he would like to stay with me. He replied that he would if I would accept him. I quickly assured him that I would he honored since he would be most helpful. I envisioned him taking up great responsibility one day and further cementing our alliance with the Calusa.
We started back right away, and by the time we reached the Tekesta, my entire escort had reassembled. They had bagged a fair amount of game and fish, and the Tekesta were quite grateful for our generosity with it. I sent out riders with dispatches for Kaidu and Donduk, telling them briefly of the islands and the alliance with the Calusa and strongly urging that Donduk come here for the winter and set up a new Ordu, instead of returning to the Eagle Ordu. I promised to find an appropriate site on my way back to the Pigeon Ordu. Meanwhile, I passed on the news about the Calusa to the Tekesta. They were surprised, but reluctantly agreed to also confederate. As we moved north, the Hobe, Wacata, Ais and Surreche also joined.
We turned inland to look for a site for the new Ordu. It had to be near the swamps but not in them. There had to be suitable land for crops and grazing nearby. Chekika was very familiar with the swamp fringe area and was able to take me to several potential places. The non-Calusa in the area were either in scattered small villagers or our allies, but I made certain all were in accord with any site I might select. We finally settled on a bit of high ground near the center of the peninsula. It was about forty-five li northwest of the huge lake that dominated the southern swamp, and there was a large lake just north of the site. The soil was fair, at least good enough for grazing, but there was better soil near at hand. It looked like a perfect site, and Chekika assured me that this high ground was never flooded, even during the great storms that the Taino called hurakan. From his description, the hurakan sounded like a typhoon. I had heard about them, from my grandfather, especially the one that destroyed Kubilai’s invasion fleet off Yapon uls. They never reached Khanbalikh while I was there, however, so I wasn’t personally familiar with them. It seemed they struck between the summer and winter solstices, and could totally destroy a small island or do serious damage to the larger ones as well as the shore of the mainland. It seemed they could strike anywhere along the eastern and southern coast, but usually just hit the peninsula and the southern coast. It was nothing to worry about, Chekika assured me, because they always knew when one was coming in plenty of time to get away. I was sure they did.
I left part of my escort to get the Ordu site ready and continued northward. I told the groups who had confederated with us that the Calusa had also joined and they were all very glad to hear it. They seemed to hold them in great respect and didn’t want them as enemies. It was late summer by the time I reached the Pigeon Ordu. Donduk greeted me warmly and gave me a pile of dispatches. He thanked me for suggesting he spend the winter setting up a new Ordu. Kaidu had agreed to my suggestions, especially since Donduk had included his own hearty endorsement when he sent on my dispatch. He had been growing weary of wintering in the icy Eagle Ordu, then summering in the hot, humid Pigeon Ordu. He was ready to stay in the warmer areas all year round. I told him we would miss his wisdom in the council meetings, but he said he would send lengthy reports, and he and I could always talk things over when I was nearby.
The dispatches told of Padraig’s return to the Antelope Ordu and promised I’d have maps of much of the western coastline waiting for me. Juchi’s trek had led him to the Hopitu-shinumu again, and he found them still unwilling to ally with us, but most willing to trade. He had visited among them and their southern neighbors, the T’han-u-ge for much of the summer before moving on to their western neighbors, the Shi’wona. These people lived in large towns made of bricklike mud. They were farmers and hunters and generally peaceful. He had also found a few more isolated bands of Dine along the way, and as their relatives had done, they joined us outright. He would report back more later. It looked like he was having quite an adventure. I wondered if he enjoyed getting back to exploring. I still had to go to the fall meeting of the Ani’-Yun’-wiya, so I couldn’t tarry, but I told Donduk about the new Ordu site, and he made ready to leave for it with a cadre of instructors. The Pigeon Ordu would be commanded by an Ocheti shakowin, Mato Anahtaka, who had been Donduk’s second in command for two years. The new Ordu would be called the Alligator Ordu.
I headed north to the West Tsoyaha River and then east along it to the Wildcat Ordu. Jebei was most relieved to see me, since Kaidu had told him he would have to go to the general meeting of the Ani’ Yun’-wiya if I didn’t arrive in time. He was aghast at the prospect. Most Mongols have no time or patience for meetings, especially when no one was in charge who could just bark the meeting to a close when it had gone on long enough. I couldn’t say that I was looking forward to it either, but hopefully this would be my last one. Utasite had come to the Ordu to lead me to the meeting. I asked him if things looked any better for a decision this year. He said that at least there were more in favor of joining, since all of the observers had returned filled with enthusiasm for the alliance. He had tried to convince his father to at least ally his town with us if the others wouldn’t, but Ostenako wanted to give consensus one more chance.
We gathered up Ostenako on the way to Kituhwa as well as quite a few others. I had only brought Smoking Mirror with me, and let the rest of my entourage stay at the Wildcat Ordu. As before, the town was crowded with chiefs and elders and quite a few others. We were a day early and stayed with Ostenako’s group in the town house. The next day, we formed at the same place, and the chief of Kituhwa, Ushesees, made a few opening remarks, explaining to the assembly why we were gathered, and passing on that the observers who had visited with the Mongols had all been well treated and returned filled with praise for their hosts. I was called on to make a few remarks. This time I briefly outlined the choices for alliance with us and told them which groups had joined us and which had sent observers since the last time we had met.
One of the chiefs wanted to know which groups had refused to join us. I enumerated them, the Southeastern towns, the Natchez, the Kadohadacho, and the Hopitu-shinumu. They only knew the first of these and admired their cultural advances, but little else. Another chief wanted to know why they had refused our overture. I explained that the first three groups had very stratified societies, and in our alliance, the ruling class would lose much of its power over the rest of the tribe. Since they had to make the decision to join us, it was no surprise that they refused. The last group lived in a barren, mountainous region far to the west. Their isolation had made them leery of strangers. As they would get to know us better through the trade links we had established just this year, perhaps they would join us. I found out later that Smoking Mirror was not pleased that I had lumped his people in with the others. He told me that it was his brother’s excessive religious zeal and our apparent lack of it that made him want no part of us, not the Kadohadacho society, which he insisted was not nearly as stratified as that of the Natchez. I apologized profusely, although I didn’t think I was off the mark, but his friendship meant too much to me to risk it splitting hairs.
Another chief wanted to know if any tribe had left us after joining us, or, worse yet, had ceased to exist. I told him that none had tried to end our alliance, only one of those conquered had revolted, and their own people had warned us about the revolt in time to thwart it. No tribe had ceased to exist, even among those who had joined us outright. They continued most of their customs, and in some cases the Mongols adopted them as well. Anticipating the next question, I added that all tribes retained their languages, but most also learned Mongol, especially if they wanted to learn our writing system. There followed a few questions about writing. They had heard of the marks that give speech and were impressed that we could convey all of our words with the marks, not just some of them as they did with their pictographs. Their observers had keen eyes, and I spent quite a while explaining Mongol and other tribal customs and practices that they had noticed. In fact, as the day wore on, I felt I was teaching a course on all that I had seen in the new world and half of what I had seen in the old.
As expected, one day was hardly long enough. I had to answer questions most of the second day as well. Then the comments began. For the next three days, one after the other, chiefs, elders, women, warriors rose up to give their views. Occasionally, there would be a question for me, but mostly they just gave their views. It looked like all the towns near the Wildcat Ordu were in favor of joining us. The towns near the eastern frontier were at least partially in favor of joining as were those on the western frontier. The towns to the north seemed the least inclined to join. Near the end of the fifth day, I got up and passed on my observation of the apparent division among them. I then asked if the northern towns had sent any observers to the Ordu. They had to admit that almost all the observers had been from the southern, eastern, and western border areas and the rest from the center. I then suggested that perhaps if the northern groups sent observers this year, all would be settled, and they could confederate as a group.
This caused quite a bit of discussion among the groups, and finally one of the northern chiefs rose up and agreed that I had made a good point. Every village and town must send a trusted observer so they would be able to make an intelligent decision on the matter. Other northern chiefs rose up and echoed the man’s view. Then Ostenako rose up and said that as a people he felt they had not treated my people fairly. They had had two years to send observers and make a decision regarding the alliance. He would not blame the Mongols for thinking that the Ani’ Yun’-wiya were toying with them. He did not want to lose the advantages of alliance because a few towns had been too self-involved to do as they should have.
These remarks brought on quite a bit of grumbling from the northern group, so before things had a chance to deteriorate, I got up again and said that the Mongols had been patient with the Ani’ Yun’-wiya and would continue to be because we thought highly of them and felt it was a small sacrifice to make if it might result in them joining us. No group would make a better addition to our ranks, and if they needed another year of observation to make their final decision, we would wait another year. That mollified things somewhat, and Ushesees rose up quickly and suggested that if all were agreed, we would adjourn until next year with the understanding that any town that had not yet done so would send an observer to our nearby Ordu and a final decision would be made at the next meeting. There was no disagreement, and the meeting was adjourned. Ushesees later thanked me for my soothing words and admonished Ostenako for his harsh words. The latter replied that his people were ready to join us now and greatly resented the delay caused by the northern intransigence. Ushesees reminded him that they had always been the slowest to change, and taking three years to make such a change was not really excessive.
I thanked Ostenako for taking our part and urged him to be patient. Since he had already said he wanted to join us, there was no reason he couldn’t go ahead and send his young men for training. This cheered him up considerably, and he assured me that his town would join us next fall with or without the rest of the tribe. I asked Ushesees about his town’s feelings since I had not heard him express any opinion on joining. He said that as host for the meeting, it would have been bad manners to take sides in the discussion. Besides, his was the principle and first town of the people; therefore, he would abide by the decision of the people. If most joined, Kituhwa would join with them, if most did not, neither would Kituhwa.
On the way back, I asked Ostenako where his people had come from originally. He said that they had drifted down along the mountains from the north over several generations. Before that, they had come from the west. I told him what I had found in my travels westward. Except for the eastern plains, the land was harsh, dry, and mountainous. It could hardly have supported all the different people who claim to have come from there. He just said that all their traditions put them in the far west originally, and that was all he knew about it. I mentioned that his language seemed similar to that of the Mingue far to the north. Did he know if they were related? He couldn’t say since tradition was silent on the matter, but the intransigent northern towns would likely be able to tell me more, should they ever agree to join. They had changed less over the years than the southern towns had and may have retained the old stories more accurately.
I got back to the Wildcat Ordu, picked up my retinue, and started back west. We moved rather quickly along the yam system and arrived back at the Eagle Ordu in late fall. I settled the observers, looked in on Paula and the children, and reported to Kaidu. As usual he presented me with maps and dispatches and told me look it all over before the winter council meeting in two weeks. I looked over Juchi’s dispatches and maps first. He had traveled up the Red River to a lake near its source and then turned north for some distance to what turned out to be the Kadohadacho River. He found another band of the ubiquitous Dine at this point. He followed the Kadohadacho upstream through increasingly dry, rugged country. He left the river when it turned sharply north and followed a trail to a south-flowing river where he found one of the T’han-u-ge towns, called P’e-a-ku’. He named the river for the town since it was quite a large town. They were more polite than friendly, but were happy to trade. With guides he was led west to another south-flowing river and another T’han-u-ge town. He went north along the river (which he named Thanuge) until the next and last town when he was guided west again to a shallow, west-flowing river, which was so dotted with ruins of abandoned towns that he named it the Ruin River. He followed it to the Hopitu River, and all along it, he found a very large band of the Dine. Farther down the Hopitu River, he found the Hopitu-shinumu. He spent the rest of the summer getting the various rivers in the area mapped and the remaining inhabited towns marked. From what he was able to gather, there had been far more people in the area at one time, but the weather turned colder and drier and almost all left, moving south, while first the Hopitu-shinumu and then the Dine filtered in from the north. His mappers reported finding many more abandoned towns, some quite large. He would slowly continue down the Hopitu River as long as the weather permitted and send his next dispatch in the spring. I wondered what he would find.
Turning to Padraig’s dispatches and maps, his mappers had gone some distance north and south along the coast. In the north, they had found it necessary to take to boats because the coast was so rugged. Mountains seemed to spring right out of the sea, forming deep-sea canyons. The coast seemed to run a little west of north and was dotted with innumerable islands. The natives all along the coast exploited the sea. To the south the coast was not as wild. The tribes along the coast were generally not given to agriculture, but the climate was pleasant and certainly wet enough for crops, at least as far as they had gone. They seemed to have gone as far south as the Owl Ordu, if the scale was right. I wondered how far they would be able to get before running into problems. Juchi planned to go as far as the coast if he could, and perhaps he would meet Padraig’s mappers.
At the council meeting, Kaidu went over everything that had transpired in the west and said that all seemed to be in order there. He expected Padraig to come down in the spring to report in person. Juchi might be back by next fall or, if delayed, not until the next year. The mappers had done a remarkable job of filling in the blanks on the map in the east and in the near west, but now that we were getting the shorelines in the west, it would be good to fill in the western blanks as well. He felt the landscape would make it more difficult, so all mappers should be well provisioned and escorted, and stay near water sources. We had no need to map any deserts they might encounter, except, as you would map a lake. He asked me to discuss the events in the east.
I went over what had happened during my journey and enumerated all the groups that had confederated with us. I explained that the Lucayo had joined us, but until we had a base on one of the larger islands, we wouldn’t be able to do much to help them against their enemies, except train them. Should we manage to win over the Taino, I thought we should train an Ordu to operate at sea in the large boats of the Taino. Then we could make short work of the marauders, or, better yet, recruit them. As it stood now, we had allies all along the eastern coast and almost all along the southern coast. The few tribes on the peninsula not already allied had sent observers and would likely join by next year. Of course, most of the Southeast Cities had not even sent an observer, but the coastal groups had joined along with the peninsula tribes. The tribes between the Ani’ Yun’-wiya and the Sound Tribes (the Iyehyeh and Cheroenhaka) had sent observers, but no final decision had yet been made. I then explained what had occurred at the latest general meeting of the Ani’-Yun’-wiya. I said that I was fairly sure they would confederate the next year and that would likely cause their hesitant neighbors to join also. The bulk of the Southeastern towns would never join us, however.
Givevneu reported that his apprentice was progressing quite well, and he would soon take over much of the work in the Ordu. Still, the health of the people was good; no ke’let had found us yet. In fact, flocks and people were expanding so quickly that he was concerned that they should spread out a bit more since ke’let were always attracted to large groups. Kaidu suggested that since the largest group of us was an Ordu, it shouldn’t be a problem. The cities of the Hanjen would surely be far more inviting to them than a mere Ordu. Perhaps, Givevneu allowed, but he wasn’t so sure, since they had found the original Ordu before we left the old land.
Kaidu thought that the time had come to consolidate. He would not send me anywhere next year, unless I wanted to visit the infamous fall meeting of the Ani’ Yun’-wiya again. Otherwise, he wanted me to supervise the efforts of the mappers from here and be on hand should he need me for any special assignment. I thanked him for the break. Much as I had enjoyed all the adventure, I was growing weary of all the separation from Paula and the childr