Uncus and the Great Fish

Uncus sat near the door of the hogan and watched the shadows grow longer as the sun sailed into the west. It seemed like a long, long time had past before the twilight finally covered the village. Uncus got up and looked at his sister and his mother. His mother smiled and motioned to him to go outside. Uncus took a deep breath, stepped through the door and stood in front of the deerskin awning.

He looked throughout the village and saw four other boys standing outside their hogans. They were boys that Uncus knew to be close to his own age and all were dressed in long breeches. Off in the distance, toward the Great Rocks, Uncus could hear the beating of drums as they broke the silence of the forest. They rumbled low and rhythmically in a constant tone. He glanced in that direction and caught a glimpse of torches moving toward the village.

The torch light brightened the darkness with a warm yellow-orange glow. In that glow, Uncus could see five men walking in single file. The torches were carried by the first and last man of the column. As they approached, Uncus could see them more clearly. They all wore long breeches and moccasins and each was wearing a head-dress. The head-dresses were made from the head and skins of real animals. Uncus identified the animal heads as the procession drew nearer.

There was the head of a bear, followed by a deer, a fox, an elk and a wolf. Then he noticed the faces of the men disguised as animals. They all had paint upon their faces. The paint followed the contour of their cheekbones from the ears, down the jaw, to meet at the point of the chin. Their eyelids were also painted and when the men blinked, there was a brief flash of color. All the men had the same symbol painted upon their bare chests. The symbol consisted of a large yellow circle with three squiggly white lines radiating downward from it toward the stomach. There, two wavy lines of blue paint ran horizontally beneath the other drawings.

By now, the group of animal men were right in front of Uncus and they stopped. The man wearing the bearskin, who seemed to be the leader of the group, lifted his arm and pointed at Uncus. Immediately, the fox-headed man stepped up to Uncus and grabbed him by the shoulders. With the open palm of his right hand, the man tapped Uncus on the shoulder three times. Before he knew what was happening, Uncus found that his hands had been tied behind his back.

Through all this, Uncus remained silent and unafraid. He was placed in line between the third and fourth men and the column began moving toward another hogan where another boy waited in silence. Meanwhile, the drums at the Great Rocks continued to fill the early evening air and their thunder. Uncus watched as each boy in turn was tapped, tied and placed behind him in line.

Once the collection of Indian boys was complete, the bear-man led the procession through the village by torch light. Leaving the village, the group made its' way to the shoreline of the Great Lake. Uncus could feel the crunch of pebbles beneath his moccasins as they neared the water's edge. At the beach, two large canoes rocked gently upon the evening swells of the Great Lake. The Indian boys were seated in the centers of the canoes and the men took their places. The large canoes pushed out into the dark waters with torches lighting the bow and stern. They glided swiftly over the deep waters, turning westward in the direction of the Great Rocks and the ever beating drums.

Uncus noticed how the wet paddle blades glistened in the light of the bow torch as they were dipped in and out of the blackish waters beneath the canoe. He looked skyward and saw a full silver moon hanging just above the Great Rocks which lay ahead. The moon glow cascaded down the rocks and danced across the waters upon which the two canoes smoothly sailed. Atop the Great Rocks, silhouetted by the moon, sat the three men who had kept up the rhythm of the drums. Each stroke of the paddles cut into the water in perfect harmony with the drum beats. Stronger and louder the drums sounded until the noise almost deafened the ears. As the canoe bottoms ground to a halt upon the graveled beach, the drum beats abruptly ceased. In the absence of the drum beats, Uncus felt the silence wash over his ears like the waves upon the shore.

The Indian boys were led from the canoes and into a cave at the base of the Great Rocks. Just as they entered, Uncus heard the long and clear call of an owl. Deep within the cave, the passageway opened into a huge cavern in which a fire burned brightly. On the near side of the cavern, six men sat cross-legged on the ground, facing the fire. Across from them sat three very aged men, the oldest men of the tribe. Behind these elders, a mural of symbols stretched across the granite wall of the cavern. Uncus thought that the mural must have been there for many, many seasons because the paint was faded and yellowed. He could not understand the mural, but he did recognize the central symbol. It was the one worn on the chests of the men who had escorted them to this place. The boys, with their hands still tied, were positioned in spaces between the six seated men. The animal-headed guides stood behind them and crossed their arms upon their chests.

The eldest man of the tribe gazed up at the five boys and looked each one of them in the eyes. Uncus felt a great reverence when the elder starred at him. There seemed to be knowledge and wisdom somewhere behind those tired grey eyes. The eyes of the elder closed slowly and he nodded his head once. At this signal, the boys were turned with their backs to the fire to face their escorts.

The man wearing the bear headdress went to the corner of the cavern and returned with five wooden bowls and handed them out to the other escorts. Each escort then dipped two of his fingers into the paint filled bowls and began decorating the chest of the young boys. Uncus felt the warm fingers of his escort drawing upon his chest with the chilly liquid paint. He looked up at the face of the man in the glow of the fire light. Beneath the headdress of the fox and the painted face, Uncus recognized his father.

Uncus was surprised, but he did not speak nor move because he remembered the words that his father had spoken. When the escorts were done, each boy had the symbol of the yellow circle with white and blue lines painted on his chest. They were turned around again to face the elders across the fire, their hands were still tied behind their backs.

Uncus stood tall and watched the elders across the fire, the only sound was that of the crackling flames consuming the hickory logs. There was a long silence in which no one moved and no one spoke. The eldest of the tribe finally waved his hand and nodded once again. With this, the men cut the rawhide strips which bound the hands of the boys and gestured for them to sit upon the floor of the cavern. Uncus sat with his hands resting upon his knees in the cross-legged style of the men. His wrists throbbed as the blood recirculated into his hands, but he did not bother to rub them. The elder of the tribe broke the long silence and began to speak.

"Young men of our tribe", he began, "we, the elders and the council gathered here, are to begin your training for manhood. The first thing you are to learn is the symbol that you now bear upon your chests. This is the sign of the Great Spirit."

The elder pointed a bony finger at the wall mural and continued, "The yellow circle is the sun that shines in all the seasons and gives us the warmth of summer. The white lines falling from the sun are the silent tears of the Great Spirit, frozen in the form of the snow which covers the ground in winter. The blue lines are the rivers of the forests which are formed by the tears of the Great Spirit as they melt in the spring and flow down to become part of the Great Lake."

As the elder resumed his speech, his eyes feel upon each of the boys in turn. "This is the symbol of life for our tribe, we find food in the lakes, the rivers and the forests. We benefit from the heat of the sun and the blanketing snows protect us from the bitter northern winds of winter. But, it was not always so."

The elder looked upward, as if to look back to the past, and spoke further. "There was a time when our tribe did not know the Great Spirit, it was a time of sadness. The ancient members of our tribe wandered for many winters in the forests to the south. It was a time when no one was happy, there were few who lived very long, the deer and the elk were scarce and the wolves were strong in number. The people fought among themselves and their hearts were heavy with sorrow."

The elder paused and raised a wooden bowl to his lips and drank slowly to freshen his voice. He put the bowl back in its' place and rested his hands upon his knees.

"On a winter's day long ago," he continued in a low voice, "a young man of our tribe, known as Ketnowa, was alone on the edge of a large snow field surrounded by a birch forest. He was fishing through a hole which he had chiseled in the ice of the river that ran through the field. As he sat there, it began to snow and he cursed the weather. Later, through the gently falling snow flakes, a winter hawk glided across the snow field and perched on a low branch of the birch tree nearest to Ketnowa. The hawk folded its' wings and began to preen its' feathers. The bird was majestic in size and its' plumage glistened whiter than the snow. Dashes of brown were splashed upon the hawk's chest and accented the tips of his wings. Ketnowa was impressed by the beauty of the hawk and watched it closely."

The elder paused to allow the young boys to reflect on his story before going on, "Amazingly, the winter hawk spoke to Ketnowa. It was the voice of the Great Spirit using the hawk as a messenger. At first, Ketnowa was frightened, but he listened carefully to the words of the Great Spirit. The voice spoke softly and told him how to end the misery of the tribe. The Great Spirit told Ketnowa to be a leader of the people, to get them to work together and to help them find respect for each other and for the land in which they lived. Ketnowa was instructed to gather the people and lead them on a journey northward. Swiftly, the winter hawk left him and soared high into the clouds and disappeared into the northern sky. Ketnowa returned to our tribe with the story of the winter hawk and prepared them for the journey."

Again the elder refreshed himself with his water bowl and then shifted his old legs to a more comfortable position before resuming his tale, "The journey to the north was difficult and tiring for the people of our tribe. There was much complaining at first, but, as they traveled they learned to live and work together better. The journey ended in the spring when Ketnowa led the tribe into the meadow between the Great Rocks and the rolling hills. Here the tribe settled and began building the village of Ishpeming."

Now the elder stood up and walked back and forth in front of the five young boys. He looked each of them in the eye as he spoke, "This was very long ago and, since that time, our tribe has not known hunger or conflict. All misery has passed for we are now the People of the Great Spirit. All men and women are friends among the people, and all work together so that everyone is happy. Your first task of manhood shall be to become aware of the Great Spirit. He is everywhere; in the sky above; in all the waters that form the great lake; in every tree of the southern forests. I charge each of you young men to look for the beauty in all things and to live in harmony with all things. Until we meet again, SO-TA-SEN-SOW-A!"

With this bid of farewell, the elder placed a clenched fist over his heart, then flattened his hand, palm down, as he drew an arc away from his chest. He was answered by the council with the same word and gesture. Uncus and the other boys were urged to their feet and led out of the cavern and up a rocky trail to the top of the Great Rocks. The man who wore the bearskin head dress told them to follow the trail through the pine trees back to the village. They were told that they were to walk alone, spread out in single file, and were reminded not to speak to anyone until they awoke in the morning. When it was his turn to leave, Uncus walked down the trail slowly and looked up into the sky. The moon had dipped below the horizon and now only the bright stars sparkled in their millions in the darkness. In the night and in the stars Uncus could feel the presence of the Great Spirit and he was glad. Even now, three summers later, Uncus remembered that night most of all.

His memories were interrupted when Uncus felt the fishing line slip between his thumb and forefinger. It was the tug of a fish testing the bait. The line jumped twice again as the fish tried to swallow the cricket with the sharp hook hidden inside. Uncus waited until the next strike came on the line and then jerked his hand backward to set the hook. It worked and the fish began to struggle against him. Uncus stood up and took part of the line in his right hand. The fish was in deep water and Uncus had to fight him to the surface. With his right hand, Uncus pulled the line until he had enough slack to wrap around the wrist of his left hand. By repeating this action, Uncus brought the fish closer to the surface. Finally, the fish broke water and Uncus could see that it was a good sized bass. He wrapped more line around his wrist and pulled again. The bass jumped, wriggling in the air, trying to lose the hook that punctured its' jaw. It fell back with a splash and tried to swim for deeper waters.

Uncus knew that it would not be long before the bass would tire and he could bring the fish out of the water. He let the fish swim back and forth so that it would tire more quickly, but he would not let it go deeper. Suddenly, in the deeper water below the bass, Uncus saw a large, dark moving shadow. That shadowy form swam swiftly into the sunlit waters near the surface and Uncus could hardly believe his eyes. It was an enormous great northern pike, the largest he had ever seen. The captive bass had no chance at all to escape. The pike opened its' mouth and swallowed the bass whole. The fishing line snapped tight as the great fish breached and then turned to swim back into deeper waters.

Uncus was angered because the great pike had stolen his catch and he wrestled with the great pike, hoping that he could land it. He tried to hold his ground, but could not. The great pike started to drag him toward the edge of the Great Rocks. Uncus found that he could not let go of the fishing line because it was wrapped around his left hand. Frightened, Uncus reached for his knife so he could cut the line. Just then, the great fish yanked Uncus off his feet and into the waters of the Great Lake. Uncus felt the shock of the cold water as he crashed down through the waves. Down into the twilight waters Uncus trailed behind the great fish. He looked forward along the line at the great pike as it swam onward. He could see the long, sleek, gray-green body of the great fish and he caught a glimpse of the sunlight sparkling off the jagged, sharp teeth that jutted out through the lips of the fish's closed mouth. The air in Uncus' lungs was growing stale and he yearned to breath once again. Without air, Uncus could not last long underwater. Finally, he passed out and his body fell limp on the line being pulled by the great pike.

It was the harsh reality of choking that let Uncus know that he was still alive. He was lying in the sand, face down and wet. His lungs ached as he took deep breaths and coughed out the water that had been strangling him. When he was able, Uncus sat up and looked around. He was sitting on a deserted beach that stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. There was sand in his hair and mouth and on most of his body. The fishing line, what was left of it, was still wrapped around his left wrist. He was breathing normally now and his mind was beginning to clear. Uncus gazed out across the waters of the Great Lake and began to think. He was alone and lost. He worried about his family and about his family worrying about him. Which way was the way back to Ishpeming and what did he have to help him get there? He had his knife, his moccasins, his long deerskin breeches and a length of fishing line. Uncus thought a bit longer, then he realized that he had one more thing, something even greater than the rest, he had the Great Spirit to guide him.