Poem: "On the Path of Friendship"
Nov. 9th, 2021 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the April 20, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from janetmiles and fuzzyred. It also fills the "WILD CARD: TWO-SPIRIT" square in my 4-4-21 "Aspects" card for the Genderplay Bingo fest, and the "Unexpected Love" square in my 6-1-20 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the Daughters of the Apocalypse series. It is the last in a set of three, after "The Little Shadow Across the Grass" and "Don't Let the Grass Grow."
"On the Path of Friendship"
[Fall, 2 A.E. / Come Together]
When the travelers returned,
the whole Blackfeet Reservation
bustled with excitement.
Nadie Bird Feathers
stood at the head of
the welcoming crowd.
The group was bigger
than the one that had left;
surely that was a good sign.
They had at least a dozen people
and plenty of extra horses, some
of them loaded with baggage --
hopefully including trade stock.
A teenaged girl stepped forward.
"I'm Becky Back Walker, granddaughter
of Alfred Flying Eagle, leading elder
of the Kainai Nation," she said. "He
can no longer travel easily, so he sends
me as his representative. He hopes
that more of his Blackfeet kin will
visit us in the times to come."
Nadie took the girl's hands and said,
"My name is Nadie Bird Feathers. We
welcome you as the representative of
the Kainai Nation. We too hope for
more visiting with our northern relations."
Jenna Never Forget held up the hand of
a very handsome and muscular young man.
"This is my husband, Reg Fetchalot,"
she said. "He went horsecatching
for Canadian Forest Horses after
the End and has built up a herd of
several dozen -- these are samples."
She waved at the colorful cluster.
"Impressive," Nadie said, looking
at the stallion, who was a varnish roan
with dark and light spots on blood bay,
leaving him almost pink in places.
He was guarding a herd of five mares:
three black ones two of whom had
appaloosa snowcaps, a solid blood bay,
and a blue varnish roan appaloosa,
all shaggy and tough-looking.
"Reg is moving in with me and
another girl, but my sisters and I
only have the little house in town,"
Jenna said. "We ask the tribe for
the use of a farmhouse, a barn,
and enough land to support
a pretty big herd of horses."
"How about Trotting Ridge?"
Nadie said. "It has several cabins
and a barn, so you could bring in
more folks to tend the horses.
The Kinleys never made it back
from Grand Falls, so the tribe
has declared the farm available."
"That sounds good," Jenna said,
and Reg nodded in agreement.
"We're getting a whole farm?"
Nina squealed, hugging Jenna.
Milla piled in right behind her.
"Looks that way," Jenna said.
"Reg, these are my sisters,
Milla and Nina. Milla, don't
worry, there will be plenty
of other things for you to do
besides help with the horses."
"My little brother doesn't like
horses either," Reg said easily.
"Jonny's a dog person all the way."
The Kenai group moved aside,
and an older woman stepped up.
"I'm Angela Fast Buffalo Horse,
leader of the Piikani Nation," she said.
"I know you made the first approach
to the Kainai, but I'm the elder best at
traveling, so I came to lead negotiations."
"That will do very well," said Nadie.
"Welcome to the Blackfeet Nation."
"This is my assistant, Josephine Wilcox,"
Angela said, waving at a plump young woman.
"She used to do museum work and now
helps me with tribal organization."
"It is good to carry on the past,"
said Nadie. "Several of
our young people are
interested in that too."
"We heard that you have
many bison, so we've brought
our tipi builder, Rick Big Lodge Pole,"
Angela said, turning to a young man
who was ignoring her in favor of staring
at Alex Almost a Woman. "Rick ...
Rick!" She elbowed him in the ribs.
"Oh, uh, sorry," he said, jerking
to attention. "I uh, I do leatherworking
and woodworking, if you have materials."
"We still have thousands of beef cattle
and nobody to buy them," said Nadie.
"You're more than welcome to the hides."
Meanwhile Alex was egging him on
with flirtatious glances and wiggling hips.
Rick lost the thread of conversation again,
then fumbled to catch up. "Yeah, uh,
yeah, I can work with cowhides too.
They're good for summer tipis."
Nadie turned to Alex. "Are
you interested in this fellow?"
Alex hid half his face behind
his feather fan and giggled.
Rick promptly slid off of
the tall red appaloosa
he was riding and handed
over the reins to Nadie.
"My best horse, in token of
my interest," he said formally.
"This is Rose Petal Wind.
She's a Canadian Appaloosa."
"We are pleased to entertain
your interest," said Nadie.
"Well, I'm glad we could make
some progress," Angela said dryly.
Nadie looked at her fluttering child
and his eager new suitor, then
shook her head. There would be
no other negotiations from them today.
"Someone fetch a blanket so these two
can get to know each other," she said.
Becky grabbed a blanket from
her bedroll and offered it to them.
As Alex took it, Nadie said,
"Stay where we can see you,"
making both courters blush.
However, they bundled up
and began to whisper.
Fortunately there was
another delegation left
to take up the slack.
A beautiful black woman
came to the front of the group.
"My name is Salina Blackbird,"
she said. "I am the representative
of Siksika leader Carlin Buffalo Run.
We have some more involved proposals,
so I'll wait until the others have spoken.
Also with me is Margot No More, who
hopes to move in with Jenna Never Forget
and her family, if you grant your approval."
Nadie gave Margot an appraising look.
The girl seemed about Jenna's age,
with pretty chestnut braids and
dark blue eyes. She also wore
the same red-handed face paint,
making Nadie wonder who she lost.
"I have no objections," Nadie said.
"The Trotting Ridge horse farm is
big enough for them to live together
or separately, as they see fit."
"Thank you," said Margot.
"We haven't actually decided
everything yet, because Jenna
and Reg met first and I've just
come in more recently, but we're
all hopeful. Maybe you could
stand in as grandmother for us?"
"I would be honored," Nadie said.
"We'll arrange time to meet later."
More young people were forming
plural marriages with men in
short supply, and they were
sensibly turning to their elders
for advice in making it work.
It had worked just fine for
their ancestors, but this was
a new age with new challenges.
Margot went over to join Jenna
and meet her younger sisters.
"All right, let's start with a list
of what each of our nations
wants and offers," said Nadie.
"The Blackfeet Nation wants
a market for our extra beef cattle,
hogs, and commercial chickens;
draft horses to replace farm engines;
and some spare hands for farming."
Everyone looked delighted with
that list, and Angela replied,
"Excellent, what about offers?"
"We have that excess livestock,
one Icelandic stallion standing at stud,
and Blackfeet Community College
is almost the only one left in
the region," Nadie said.
Becky looked hesitant but
hopeful as she took her turn.
"The Kainai Nation suffered
heavy damage, so we need food,
clothes, and other basic supplies,"
she said. "Help rebuilding would be
good, and extra workers for industries.
We're hoping for a herd of bison and
seed stock for grain. Red Crow College
was totally destroyed, so we want
to transfer its surviving students."
Aranck Comes at Night moved
to the front of the crowd and said,
"I can spare some seed stock,
especially alfalfa, along with
alfalfa leafcutting bees to boost
seed production. I'll teach anyone
who wants to learn about beekeeping."
Becky waved her hand. "Oh, me,
I'd love to learn about the bees!"
she said. "I can take them home
and teach other people about them."
"Agreed," said Aranck. "We have
room for you to stay at our farm."
"What can the Kainai Nation
offer in return?" Nadie prompted.
"We have a good timber industry,
including draft horses and training
in sustainable logging. We have
wind power, grassland restoration,
and education in both," Becky said.
"Several farms raise Percheron horses --
oh, I forgot about our most important gift!"
She disappeared into the herd of horses
and came back with a gawky black yearling.
"This is Dark Moon, he's a Percheron colt,"
Becky said. "We also have mares to trade."
"I'll take a team of two mares," Aranck said.
"I don't know how long the farm equipment
will last, and I want to learn horsework
before the engines actually give out."
"We brought a few mares, but we have
plenty more at home," Becky said. "We
also brought one of our logging horses
for demonstrations, and Paul Bunyan is
standing at stud if anyone has hot mares."
That stallion was the stoutest horse that
Nadie had ever seen, bay with a snowcap.
Gerald Evans waved a hand. "I have
a bigass quarter horse; Sweet Coffee
didn't catch this spring," he replied.
"We could set up double paddocks for
standing stallions and unbred mares,"
Jenna suggested. "Then when a mare
shows interest, put the two together."
"Good idea," said Nadie. "Pick a team and
make that happen. Since we're doing gifts --"
She lifted a hand and Stephanie Kline Evans
came forward with a handsome Icelandic colt.
Heads-or-Tails was mostly white, named
for his brown face and breechclout. He was
a yearling and already showing five gaits.
"Oh, he's beautiful!" Becky said.
"My people will love him so much."
Angela stepped up and said,
"The Piikani Nation wants
a herd of bison and a market
for our cashmere wool and yarn.
We would also like more people
and more land to put them on."
"We have more than enough bison
to share," said Nadie. "They should
roam free again, as they once did."
"Agreed," said Angela. "We have
Canadian Cashmere goats good for
wool and meat, and a few Clydesdales
from our herd. We have a timber industry.
There's a gunsmith with a weapon shop
turning out great gravel guns. We also
have many highly trained folks including
doctors, college teachers, scientists,
and lawyers to trade around."
"Our La Mancha dairy goats are
doing fine, but we had to eat most of
the Boer meat goats because they
couldn't stay warm in unheated barns,"
said Nadie. "Ask the goat farmers later,
they might want to try your Cashmeres."
"If you have any Boers left to trade, I can
take a few home with me," said Angela.
"Our breeders might like them, and
the Cashies will keep them warm."
"Good idea," said Nadie. "I'm sure
people will want gravel guns, and we
can always use more medical training."
"I can help sort out trained people with
places that want them," Josephine said.
"Yes, please," said Nadie. "That should
match up their skills and our needs."
Salina went next. "The Siksika Nation
has a somewhat different situation,"
she said. "We've had many refugees
from nearby cities. We're low on food,
clothes, and other essentials. Some of
us want a place to stay for a year or few
while the white people finish dying off."
"We can do that," Nadie said promptly.
"The Blackfeet Reservation has plenty
of space, though housing may get tight."
"We brought a tipi builder," Angela said,
waving at the couple huddled in their blanket.
"There are lots of cows and trees, so we
can make that work out," Nadie agreed.
"The Piikani can take some Siksika too."
"My people will be happy to hear that,"
said Salina. "We would also like
to discuss contingency plans for
moving Old Sun College if needed."
"Blackfeet Community College has
room to expand, especially if we
pick up where Red Crow College
left off," Nadie said. "That's
doable. What can you offer?"
"We can spare a few of
our Belgian draft horses,"
Salina said. "We also have
a variety of healing herbs --"
"I want some!" Alex said,
popping out of the blanket.
"I have a medicinal garden.
We can figure out what each
has that the other doesn't."
"I have lists, and we brought
some seeds," Salina said.
"Right now, we can offer
extra workers. Later on, we
have the most northerly of
the Blackfeet settlements for
when climate change makes
the south less hospitable."
"That's a long-range plan,"
Nadie said thoughtfully.
"We should make plans for
seven generations, as best
we can in a changing world,"
Salina said. "Our needs match,
they'll just take time to play out."
"Well, you've got a point," Nadie said.
"Some of your people want to move,
and everyone else wants more people.
We should be able to shuffle around
so that everybody gets what they want."
"We can spread out our ridiculous glut
of leftover commercial livestock,"
said Machk Brain Man. "We don't
need so much, and everyone else
got hit a lot harder than we did."
"Yes, we can suit the remaining gifts
to people's needs, and beyond
that, there's trade," Nadie agreed.
"You also have plenty of bison.
Both my people and Angela's want
herds," Becky said. "The Kainai
were making plans to get some
before the End Times came."
"We can make that happen,"
said Nadie. "Before, we had
a little over two thousand bison.
They dropped so many twins that
now it's well over seven thousand."
"We have a doctor who definitely
wants to move," Angela said.
"We'll trade her for a herd."
"Oh, excellent!" Nadie said.
"The Kainai have wind power,"
Becky said. "Not much is left of
Canada's power stations -- they were
key targets in the bombing -- I don't
know what it's like here. I think you all
should send people to us to learn about
wind power, if you want any electricity."
"We have generators, but we've saved
those for emergencies," Nadie said. "I
agree that the rest of us should send
people who want to learn wind power.
Will it work without fancy equipment?"
"You can build a wooden windmill
to pump water without electricity,
which is always useful," Becky said.
"Electricity does need fancier parts,
but we'll still have those for a while."
"Then I'll pass the word," Nadie said.
"We need to establish draft herds here,
and everyone else is ahead of us
on that," Aranck said. "So trade
for heavy horses is a priority."
"We're all into sustainable logging,
is why," said Becky. "But we could
really use fresh breeding stock, and
Canada's transportation is shot."
"There were other draft horses
in America, not a lot, but we might
find some," Jenna said. "Travel is
risky here, but not impossible."
Stephanie and Gerald looked
at each other, shuffling in place.
"We don't want to go this time,"
Stephanie said. "I'm pregnant,
and Gerald won't leave me now."
"I'll go," Reg said at once. "You'll
just have to show me maps of
the area to help figure out where
I might find some heavy horses."
"Yeah, we have those," Gerald said.
"Come to think of it, if you folks find
any more drafts from Canada that
don't match your breeds, we'll take
those off your hands and see what
we can do with crossbreeding."
"That would fit with restoration,"
Becky said. "We're working on
replanting grasslands, and everyone
with bison would benefit from that. Plus
we need to rebuild a lot. Horses graze
too, and can do all kinds of heavy labor."
"Ask if Jack and Jasper That Was Fast
would be willing to travel north as
long as they can stick together,"
said Wilma Red Hands. "They're
carpenters; the Kainai probably
need them more than we do here."
"Yes, I'll ask them," Nadie agreed.
"Let us take over the timber training,"
Angela suggested. "If we can cut wood
to train people and horses on Kainai land,
that's less distance to haul all the logs
to repair some of the damage there."
Becky checked her notes. "Yes,
that's within what I can agree to."
"I'm willing to make a visit north
if necessary for finer details,"
Nadie said. "This first trip was
mainly to discover interest."
"A visit to the Siksika Nation
should wait until later, but would
be good in a few years," said Salina.
"The area around the cities is still
dangerous, but that nonsense can't
last much longer -- the food will run out,
and the rest of the greenhorns will die."
"You're welcome to stay with us until
it settles down," Nadie said. "The Piikani
are looking for more people too."
Angela looked at Becky. "Let's
start the reunification by reconnecting
the Piikani and Kainai territories."
"I'll have to ask my grandfather
to make sure, but you can probably
have the land between, because
your reserve is smaller," said Becky.
"The Kainai Nation holds a timber limit
just across the old border from us,"
said Nadie. "We could link up
our territories through that too."
"That should work," said Becky.
"It's like connecting the dots."
"There's strength in numbers.
What about the Tsuut'ina?"
Nadie said. "They were allies."
"We can't reach them," Salina said,
looking haunted. "They're right outside
Calgary, so they probably got hit bad.
We don't even know if they're alive.
We tried sending a messenger there
last year, but he never came back."
"Eden Valley might have survived.
They're Stoney People, and off in
the middle of nowhere," Angela said.
"Didn't they have solar power?"
Becky said, tilting her head.
"I think I heard something
about that," Angela said.
"We could try to reach them.
There's little risk in that direction."
"We'll get so big!" Becky said.
"Well, I wanted to rebuild
the Blackfeet Confederacy,"
said Nadie. "This is good start."
"I'm hearing a lot of interest
in trading horses and possibly
other livestock," said Angela.
"It sounds like everyone
wants to trade supplies and
other things too," Nadie said.
"And people," Becky added. "You've
picked up a couple from the guests, but
did you notice that two of yours didn't
come back? Inez Rivera fell in love with
a Kainai man, and Clarence Talking Cross
has taken up with a Piikani woman."
"Thank you for telling me," said Nadie.
"I'll pass the word to their friends and
relatives, but this will be hard on them."
It had been a risky trip, but well,
this had always been a possibility;
most of the travelers were young and
unpartnered, some actively looking.
"We need to plan a powwow,"
said Machk. "I can handle most
of the college negotiations, but
some other folks will have to help
plan for a big intertribal event."
Angela winced. "Can we afford
something like that?" she said.
"The Kainai are still losing people
to 'trade goods' smuggled in
from the ruins of Lethbridge."
"Everything needs to be
sun-cured," Alex explained.
"We found out about that
from some of our refugees.
Put things in the sun and wind.
They break down the bad stuff."
"I would like to hear more
about that," Angela said.
"Of course," said Alex. "I and
our other medicine people are
working on ceremonies to help
people remember what to do."
"We can work that into plans
for the powwow," Machk said.
"Use it to teach coping methods
for the new hazards we face."
"All right, that part is a good idea,"
Angela admitted. "Where would
we even have it, though? We're
spread out pretty far now."
"We'll host," said Nadie. "We
have the most space and resources;
we took no direct damage in the End.
Our powwow grounds are too far south,
but we can build new ones for this event,
closer to the north edge of our land."
"That's not too far from us," Becky said.
"We can help. Let us provide the materials
for this -- our timberland is right across
the border from your territory, so we
wouldn't have far to haul the logs."
Wilma squeezed through
the crowd. "My father and I
can pitch in. He used to do
event planning, Before."
"I can help from our side,"
said Josephine. "I'm good
at all kinds of organization."
"Abraham Come Back is
a radioman," said Nadie.
"He can coordinate without
needing to run back and forth."
"All very useful," Salina said,
and checked her list. "We
can provide an architect
and an engineer for this."
"We could use the building as
some hands-on learning for
college students," said Machk.
"Not everything needs to happen
in a classroom, especially now."
"Very well," said Angela. "Then
let this be the first step in reuniting
the Blackfeet Confederacy."
"Don’t let the grass grow
on the path of friendship,"
Becky said, smiling.
Alex gave them all
a cheerful wave, then
disappeared back into
his courting blanket.
"Yes," said Nadie.
"This is a good plan."
The four nations shook on it.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, location, and content notes appear separately.
janetmiles and fuzzyred. It also fills the "WILD CARD: TWO-SPIRIT" square in my 4-4-21 "Aspects" card for the Genderplay Bingo fest, and the "Unexpected Love" square in my 6-1-20 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the Daughters of the Apocalypse series. It is the last in a set of three, after "The Little Shadow Across the Grass" and "Don't Let the Grass Grow.""On the Path of Friendship"
[Fall, 2 A.E. / Come Together]
When the travelers returned,
the whole Blackfeet Reservation
bustled with excitement.
Nadie Bird Feathers
stood at the head of
the welcoming crowd.
The group was bigger
than the one that had left;
surely that was a good sign.
They had at least a dozen people
and plenty of extra horses, some
of them loaded with baggage --
hopefully including trade stock.
A teenaged girl stepped forward.
"I'm Becky Back Walker, granddaughter
of Alfred Flying Eagle, leading elder
of the Kainai Nation," she said. "He
can no longer travel easily, so he sends
me as his representative. He hopes
that more of his Blackfeet kin will
visit us in the times to come."
Nadie took the girl's hands and said,
"My name is Nadie Bird Feathers. We
welcome you as the representative of
the Kainai Nation. We too hope for
more visiting with our northern relations."
Jenna Never Forget held up the hand of
a very handsome and muscular young man.
"This is my husband, Reg Fetchalot,"
she said. "He went horsecatching
for Canadian Forest Horses after
the End and has built up a herd of
several dozen -- these are samples."
She waved at the colorful cluster.
"Impressive," Nadie said, looking
at the stallion, who was a varnish roan
with dark and light spots on blood bay,
leaving him almost pink in places.
He was guarding a herd of five mares:
three black ones two of whom had
appaloosa snowcaps, a solid blood bay,
and a blue varnish roan appaloosa,
all shaggy and tough-looking.
"Reg is moving in with me and
another girl, but my sisters and I
only have the little house in town,"
Jenna said. "We ask the tribe for
the use of a farmhouse, a barn,
and enough land to support
a pretty big herd of horses."
"How about Trotting Ridge?"
Nadie said. "It has several cabins
and a barn, so you could bring in
more folks to tend the horses.
The Kinleys never made it back
from Grand Falls, so the tribe
has declared the farm available."
"That sounds good," Jenna said,
and Reg nodded in agreement.
"We're getting a whole farm?"
Nina squealed, hugging Jenna.
Milla piled in right behind her.
"Looks that way," Jenna said.
"Reg, these are my sisters,
Milla and Nina. Milla, don't
worry, there will be plenty
of other things for you to do
besides help with the horses."
"My little brother doesn't like
horses either," Reg said easily.
"Jonny's a dog person all the way."
The Kenai group moved aside,
and an older woman stepped up.
"I'm Angela Fast Buffalo Horse,
leader of the Piikani Nation," she said.
"I know you made the first approach
to the Kainai, but I'm the elder best at
traveling, so I came to lead negotiations."
"That will do very well," said Nadie.
"Welcome to the Blackfeet Nation."
"This is my assistant, Josephine Wilcox,"
Angela said, waving at a plump young woman.
"She used to do museum work and now
helps me with tribal organization."
"It is good to carry on the past,"
said Nadie. "Several of
our young people are
interested in that too."
"We heard that you have
many bison, so we've brought
our tipi builder, Rick Big Lodge Pole,"
Angela said, turning to a young man
who was ignoring her in favor of staring
at Alex Almost a Woman. "Rick ...
Rick!" She elbowed him in the ribs.
"Oh, uh, sorry," he said, jerking
to attention. "I uh, I do leatherworking
and woodworking, if you have materials."
"We still have thousands of beef cattle
and nobody to buy them," said Nadie.
"You're more than welcome to the hides."
Meanwhile Alex was egging him on
with flirtatious glances and wiggling hips.
Rick lost the thread of conversation again,
then fumbled to catch up. "Yeah, uh,
yeah, I can work with cowhides too.
They're good for summer tipis."
Nadie turned to Alex. "Are
you interested in this fellow?"
Alex hid half his face behind
his feather fan and giggled.
Rick promptly slid off of
the tall red appaloosa
he was riding and handed
over the reins to Nadie.
"My best horse, in token of
my interest," he said formally.
"This is Rose Petal Wind.
She's a Canadian Appaloosa."
"We are pleased to entertain
your interest," said Nadie.
"Well, I'm glad we could make
some progress," Angela said dryly.
Nadie looked at her fluttering child
and his eager new suitor, then
shook her head. There would be
no other negotiations from them today.
"Someone fetch a blanket so these two
can get to know each other," she said.
Becky grabbed a blanket from
her bedroll and offered it to them.
As Alex took it, Nadie said,
"Stay where we can see you,"
making both courters blush.
However, they bundled up
and began to whisper.
Fortunately there was
another delegation left
to take up the slack.
A beautiful black woman
came to the front of the group.
"My name is Salina Blackbird,"
she said. "I am the representative
of Siksika leader Carlin Buffalo Run.
We have some more involved proposals,
so I'll wait until the others have spoken.
Also with me is Margot No More, who
hopes to move in with Jenna Never Forget
and her family, if you grant your approval."
Nadie gave Margot an appraising look.
The girl seemed about Jenna's age,
with pretty chestnut braids and
dark blue eyes. She also wore
the same red-handed face paint,
making Nadie wonder who she lost.
"I have no objections," Nadie said.
"The Trotting Ridge horse farm is
big enough for them to live together
or separately, as they see fit."
"Thank you," said Margot.
"We haven't actually decided
everything yet, because Jenna
and Reg met first and I've just
come in more recently, but we're
all hopeful. Maybe you could
stand in as grandmother for us?"
"I would be honored," Nadie said.
"We'll arrange time to meet later."
More young people were forming
plural marriages with men in
short supply, and they were
sensibly turning to their elders
for advice in making it work.
It had worked just fine for
their ancestors, but this was
a new age with new challenges.
Margot went over to join Jenna
and meet her younger sisters.
"All right, let's start with a list
of what each of our nations
wants and offers," said Nadie.
"The Blackfeet Nation wants
a market for our extra beef cattle,
hogs, and commercial chickens;
draft horses to replace farm engines;
and some spare hands for farming."
Everyone looked delighted with
that list, and Angela replied,
"Excellent, what about offers?"
"We have that excess livestock,
one Icelandic stallion standing at stud,
and Blackfeet Community College
is almost the only one left in
the region," Nadie said.
Becky looked hesitant but
hopeful as she took her turn.
"The Kainai Nation suffered
heavy damage, so we need food,
clothes, and other basic supplies,"
she said. "Help rebuilding would be
good, and extra workers for industries.
We're hoping for a herd of bison and
seed stock for grain. Red Crow College
was totally destroyed, so we want
to transfer its surviving students."
Aranck Comes at Night moved
to the front of the crowd and said,
"I can spare some seed stock,
especially alfalfa, along with
alfalfa leafcutting bees to boost
seed production. I'll teach anyone
who wants to learn about beekeeping."
Becky waved her hand. "Oh, me,
I'd love to learn about the bees!"
she said. "I can take them home
and teach other people about them."
"Agreed," said Aranck. "We have
room for you to stay at our farm."
"What can the Kainai Nation
offer in return?" Nadie prompted.
"We have a good timber industry,
including draft horses and training
in sustainable logging. We have
wind power, grassland restoration,
and education in both," Becky said.
"Several farms raise Percheron horses --
oh, I forgot about our most important gift!"
She disappeared into the herd of horses
and came back with a gawky black yearling.
"This is Dark Moon, he's a Percheron colt,"
Becky said. "We also have mares to trade."
"I'll take a team of two mares," Aranck said.
"I don't know how long the farm equipment
will last, and I want to learn horsework
before the engines actually give out."
"We brought a few mares, but we have
plenty more at home," Becky said. "We
also brought one of our logging horses
for demonstrations, and Paul Bunyan is
standing at stud if anyone has hot mares."
That stallion was the stoutest horse that
Nadie had ever seen, bay with a snowcap.
Gerald Evans waved a hand. "I have
a bigass quarter horse; Sweet Coffee
didn't catch this spring," he replied.
"We could set up double paddocks for
standing stallions and unbred mares,"
Jenna suggested. "Then when a mare
shows interest, put the two together."
"Good idea," said Nadie. "Pick a team and
make that happen. Since we're doing gifts --"
She lifted a hand and Stephanie Kline Evans
came forward with a handsome Icelandic colt.
Heads-or-Tails was mostly white, named
for his brown face and breechclout. He was
a yearling and already showing five gaits.
"Oh, he's beautiful!" Becky said.
"My people will love him so much."
Angela stepped up and said,
"The Piikani Nation wants
a herd of bison and a market
for our cashmere wool and yarn.
We would also like more people
and more land to put them on."
"We have more than enough bison
to share," said Nadie. "They should
roam free again, as they once did."
"Agreed," said Angela. "We have
Canadian Cashmere goats good for
wool and meat, and a few Clydesdales
from our herd. We have a timber industry.
There's a gunsmith with a weapon shop
turning out great gravel guns. We also
have many highly trained folks including
doctors, college teachers, scientists,
and lawyers to trade around."
"Our La Mancha dairy goats are
doing fine, but we had to eat most of
the Boer meat goats because they
couldn't stay warm in unheated barns,"
said Nadie. "Ask the goat farmers later,
they might want to try your Cashmeres."
"If you have any Boers left to trade, I can
take a few home with me," said Angela.
"Our breeders might like them, and
the Cashies will keep them warm."
"Good idea," said Nadie. "I'm sure
people will want gravel guns, and we
can always use more medical training."
"I can help sort out trained people with
places that want them," Josephine said.
"Yes, please," said Nadie. "That should
match up their skills and our needs."
Salina went next. "The Siksika Nation
has a somewhat different situation,"
she said. "We've had many refugees
from nearby cities. We're low on food,
clothes, and other essentials. Some of
us want a place to stay for a year or few
while the white people finish dying off."
"We can do that," Nadie said promptly.
"The Blackfeet Reservation has plenty
of space, though housing may get tight."
"We brought a tipi builder," Angela said,
waving at the couple huddled in their blanket.
"There are lots of cows and trees, so we
can make that work out," Nadie agreed.
"The Piikani can take some Siksika too."
"My people will be happy to hear that,"
said Salina. "We would also like
to discuss contingency plans for
moving Old Sun College if needed."
"Blackfeet Community College has
room to expand, especially if we
pick up where Red Crow College
left off," Nadie said. "That's
doable. What can you offer?"
"We can spare a few of
our Belgian draft horses,"
Salina said. "We also have
a variety of healing herbs --"
"I want some!" Alex said,
popping out of the blanket.
"I have a medicinal garden.
We can figure out what each
has that the other doesn't."
"I have lists, and we brought
some seeds," Salina said.
"Right now, we can offer
extra workers. Later on, we
have the most northerly of
the Blackfeet settlements for
when climate change makes
the south less hospitable."
"That's a long-range plan,"
Nadie said thoughtfully.
"We should make plans for
seven generations, as best
we can in a changing world,"
Salina said. "Our needs match,
they'll just take time to play out."
"Well, you've got a point," Nadie said.
"Some of your people want to move,
and everyone else wants more people.
We should be able to shuffle around
so that everybody gets what they want."
"We can spread out our ridiculous glut
of leftover commercial livestock,"
said Machk Brain Man. "We don't
need so much, and everyone else
got hit a lot harder than we did."
"Yes, we can suit the remaining gifts
to people's needs, and beyond
that, there's trade," Nadie agreed.
"You also have plenty of bison.
Both my people and Angela's want
herds," Becky said. "The Kainai
were making plans to get some
before the End Times came."
"We can make that happen,"
said Nadie. "Before, we had
a little over two thousand bison.
They dropped so many twins that
now it's well over seven thousand."
"We have a doctor who definitely
wants to move," Angela said.
"We'll trade her for a herd."
"Oh, excellent!" Nadie said.
"The Kainai have wind power,"
Becky said. "Not much is left of
Canada's power stations -- they were
key targets in the bombing -- I don't
know what it's like here. I think you all
should send people to us to learn about
wind power, if you want any electricity."
"We have generators, but we've saved
those for emergencies," Nadie said. "I
agree that the rest of us should send
people who want to learn wind power.
Will it work without fancy equipment?"
"You can build a wooden windmill
to pump water without electricity,
which is always useful," Becky said.
"Electricity does need fancier parts,
but we'll still have those for a while."
"Then I'll pass the word," Nadie said.
"We need to establish draft herds here,
and everyone else is ahead of us
on that," Aranck said. "So trade
for heavy horses is a priority."
"We're all into sustainable logging,
is why," said Becky. "But we could
really use fresh breeding stock, and
Canada's transportation is shot."
"There were other draft horses
in America, not a lot, but we might
find some," Jenna said. "Travel is
risky here, but not impossible."
Stephanie and Gerald looked
at each other, shuffling in place.
"We don't want to go this time,"
Stephanie said. "I'm pregnant,
and Gerald won't leave me now."
"I'll go," Reg said at once. "You'll
just have to show me maps of
the area to help figure out where
I might find some heavy horses."
"Yeah, we have those," Gerald said.
"Come to think of it, if you folks find
any more drafts from Canada that
don't match your breeds, we'll take
those off your hands and see what
we can do with crossbreeding."
"That would fit with restoration,"
Becky said. "We're working on
replanting grasslands, and everyone
with bison would benefit from that. Plus
we need to rebuild a lot. Horses graze
too, and can do all kinds of heavy labor."
"Ask if Jack and Jasper That Was Fast
would be willing to travel north as
long as they can stick together,"
said Wilma Red Hands. "They're
carpenters; the Kainai probably
need them more than we do here."
"Yes, I'll ask them," Nadie agreed.
"Let us take over the timber training,"
Angela suggested. "If we can cut wood
to train people and horses on Kainai land,
that's less distance to haul all the logs
to repair some of the damage there."
Becky checked her notes. "Yes,
that's within what I can agree to."
"I'm willing to make a visit north
if necessary for finer details,"
Nadie said. "This first trip was
mainly to discover interest."
"A visit to the Siksika Nation
should wait until later, but would
be good in a few years," said Salina.
"The area around the cities is still
dangerous, but that nonsense can't
last much longer -- the food will run out,
and the rest of the greenhorns will die."
"You're welcome to stay with us until
it settles down," Nadie said. "The Piikani
are looking for more people too."
Angela looked at Becky. "Let's
start the reunification by reconnecting
the Piikani and Kainai territories."
"I'll have to ask my grandfather
to make sure, but you can probably
have the land between, because
your reserve is smaller," said Becky.
"The Kainai Nation holds a timber limit
just across the old border from us,"
said Nadie. "We could link up
our territories through that too."
"That should work," said Becky.
"It's like connecting the dots."
"There's strength in numbers.
What about the Tsuut'ina?"
Nadie said. "They were allies."
"We can't reach them," Salina said,
looking haunted. "They're right outside
Calgary, so they probably got hit bad.
We don't even know if they're alive.
We tried sending a messenger there
last year, but he never came back."
"Eden Valley might have survived.
They're Stoney People, and off in
the middle of nowhere," Angela said.
"Didn't they have solar power?"
Becky said, tilting her head.
"I think I heard something
about that," Angela said.
"We could try to reach them.
There's little risk in that direction."
"We'll get so big!" Becky said.
"Well, I wanted to rebuild
the Blackfeet Confederacy,"
said Nadie. "This is good start."
"I'm hearing a lot of interest
in trading horses and possibly
other livestock," said Angela.
"It sounds like everyone
wants to trade supplies and
other things too," Nadie said.
"And people," Becky added. "You've
picked up a couple from the guests, but
did you notice that two of yours didn't
come back? Inez Rivera fell in love with
a Kainai man, and Clarence Talking Cross
has taken up with a Piikani woman."
"Thank you for telling me," said Nadie.
"I'll pass the word to their friends and
relatives, but this will be hard on them."
It had been a risky trip, but well,
this had always been a possibility;
most of the travelers were young and
unpartnered, some actively looking.
"We need to plan a powwow,"
said Machk. "I can handle most
of the college negotiations, but
some other folks will have to help
plan for a big intertribal event."
Angela winced. "Can we afford
something like that?" she said.
"The Kainai are still losing people
to 'trade goods' smuggled in
from the ruins of Lethbridge."
"Everything needs to be
sun-cured," Alex explained.
"We found out about that
from some of our refugees.
Put things in the sun and wind.
They break down the bad stuff."
"I would like to hear more
about that," Angela said.
"Of course," said Alex. "I and
our other medicine people are
working on ceremonies to help
people remember what to do."
"We can work that into plans
for the powwow," Machk said.
"Use it to teach coping methods
for the new hazards we face."
"All right, that part is a good idea,"
Angela admitted. "Where would
we even have it, though? We're
spread out pretty far now."
"We'll host," said Nadie. "We
have the most space and resources;
we took no direct damage in the End.
Our powwow grounds are too far south,
but we can build new ones for this event,
closer to the north edge of our land."
"That's not too far from us," Becky said.
"We can help. Let us provide the materials
for this -- our timberland is right across
the border from your territory, so we
wouldn't have far to haul the logs."
Wilma squeezed through
the crowd. "My father and I
can pitch in. He used to do
event planning, Before."
"I can help from our side,"
said Josephine. "I'm good
at all kinds of organization."
"Abraham Come Back is
a radioman," said Nadie.
"He can coordinate without
needing to run back and forth."
"All very useful," Salina said,
and checked her list. "We
can provide an architect
and an engineer for this."
"We could use the building as
some hands-on learning for
college students," said Machk.
"Not everything needs to happen
in a classroom, especially now."
"Very well," said Angela. "Then
let this be the first step in reuniting
the Blackfeet Confederacy."
"Don’t let the grass grow
on the path of friendship,"
Becky said, smiling.
Alex gave them all
a cheerful wave, then
disappeared back into
his courting blanket.
"Yes," said Nadie.
"This is a good plan."
The four nations shook on it.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, location, and content notes appear separately.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-11 04:36 am (UTC)I'm imagining "my best horse" equates to a really nice car...which is a bit much (value-wise) for an opening gift in my culture.
I'm mostly wondering how specific cultural context works here.
Thoughts
Date: 2021-11-11 07:11 am (UTC)Wealth scale is a bit borked in this time and place. Most tribes used to be poor, but some have recently enriched themselves through horsecatching. The whole continent is mangled, former economy wiped out, and new ones have not yet solidified. This thread is actually following the development of a new economic system in Blackfeet territories. So folks are talking trade.
For comparison:
Horse Prices
Typical range of horse prices: $100 – $10,000
Wild mustang (unbroken): $100-$200
Average hobby horse: $3,000
Good show or trail horse: $5,000-$10,000
Expensive purebreed: $250,000
So horses tend to cost less than cars, low end to luxury, but they do cover a similar range. The cheapest used cars cost less than $1,000. The cheapest new cars run $15,000 to $20,000 and the average is close to $40,000. Most luxury cars cap out around $300,000.
>> and appropriate range of courting-gifts? <<
The bigger and better the gift, the more interest shown. If the intended recipient or their family is uninterested, they can decline, but a gift is usually offered after a show of interest. Horses were common courting gifts across the Plains tribes, and whichever family paid for a wedding (there could be either a dowry to the husband's family or a bride price to the wife's family depending on the tribe) it was usually a lot of horses. So that makes one horse a logical choice of courting gift.
The general value of horses depends on age, sex, training, and individual quality. On average:
* Any foal too young to break or work is worth less than a mature horse.
* A fine "stallion candidate" colt is worth considerably more.
* An elderly horse is worth less than one in its prime.
* A gelding is worth less than a mare.
* A well-trained breeding mare is the standard. Many horses are of this type.
* Horses are worth more than average if they have desirable markings or skills.
* A prime breeding stallion is worth the most. Not only can he be worked if well-trained, he can bring in stud fees.
>> I'm imagining "my best horse" equates to a really nice car...which is a bit much (value-wise) for an opening gift in my culture. <<
More like an everyday car or a high-end bicycle, but you have to consider that in the Aftermath, a horse is much more useful than a car. Tribal people have shown minimal tendency to cling to Before tech, and are transitioning as fast as possible to sustainable tech like horses.
>> I'm mostly wondering how specific cultural context works here. <<
Historically, the Plains tribes traded horses all the time for everything. Ceremonies, marriages, breeding purposes, gambling, you name it. The fact that everyone has brought horses for trade as well as work show that they want to get right back to this.
Traditionally, horses were used as courting gifts and marriage payments across Plains tribes. The value of the courting gift indicates the level of interest. Rick is bisexual and very interested in Alex, who is flirting like mad. Rick is a high-value mate because he is a man. Alex is a high-value mate because he is a two-spirit. Both of them wish to declare their interest in each other strongly enough to discourage anyone else from making overtures until after they have decided whether or not to pursue a relationship. This is a prudent move given that the various traveling parties consist mostly of young single people open to mate selection. In this context, "my best horse" is culturally appropriate, a high opening bid, and socially astute. Quite possibly someone(s) else is thinking, "Well, fuck, I missed my chance."
Note that there are a LOT of horses in play here. All the travelers have at least 2 trail horses per person for riding, because on a long trip you don't want to risk delays from tired or lame horses. Plus pack horses. There are horses for trade. In particular, people have brought stallions for trade or stud. In this context, exchanging gifts of high-quality "stallion candidate" colts has a higher value than usual because it speaks to the future. They're implying that they want long-term relationships, because it'll take a few years for the studlings to grow up, but their quality of offspring will start to come clear in 5 years or so.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2021-11-11 06:38 pm (UTC)https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PracticalCurrency
...and the gift is in the appropriate range given both the status of the courting pair /and/ their respective [and accesible] wealth.
The typical cultural script in play involves that specific sequence of steps, and the cultural expectations are close enough to avoid misunderstandings re: value/type of gift.
...I don't think I've ever owned a car that's more than $2,000, and I'm used to buying bikes for less than $100. A gift of ~$10,000 would definately seem extravagant compared to that.
reread
Date: 2023-04-18 01:57 pm (UTC)