The Acorn-Planter | Page 8

darkness?settles down and hides the hillside.)_
ACT II
_(A hundred years have passed, when the?hillside and the Nishinam in their?temporary camp are revealed. The spring?is flowing, and Women are filling gourds?with water. Red Cloud and DewWoman?stand apart from their people.)_
{Shaman}?_(Pointing.)_?There is a sign.?The spring lives.?The water flows from the spring?And all is well with the Nishinam.
{People}?There is a sign.?The spring lives.?The water flows from the spring.
{War Chief}?_(Boastingly.)_?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?All is well with the Nishinam.?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?It is I who have made all well with the Nishinam.?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
I led our young men against the Napa.?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?We left no man living of the camp.?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
{Shaman}?Great is our War Chief!?Good is war!?No more will the Napa hunt our meat.?No more will the Napa pick our berries.?No more will the Napa catch our fish.
{People}?No more will the Napa hunt our meat.?No more will the Napa pick our berries.?No more will the Napa catch our fish.
{War Chief}?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?The War Chiefs before me made all well with?the Nishinam.?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?The War Chief of long ago slew the Sun Man.?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?The Sun Man said his brothers would come after.?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?The Sun Man lied.
{People}?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?The Sun Man lied.?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?The Sun Man lied.
{Shaman}?_(Derisively.)_?Red Cloud is sick. He lives in dreams. Ever?he dreams of the wonders of the Sun Man.
{Red Cloud}?The Sun Man was strong. The Sun Man was?a life-maker. The Sun Man planted acorns,?and cut quickly with a knife not of bone nor?stone, and of grasses and hides made cunning?cloth that is better than all grasses and hides.?--Old Man, where is the cunning cloth that is?better than all grasses and hides?
{Old Man}?_(Fumbling in his skin pouch for the doth.)_?In the many moons aforetime,?Hundred moons and many hundred,?When the old man was the young man,?When the young man was the youngling,?Dragging branches for the campfire,?Stealing suet from the bear-meat,?Cause of trouble to his mother,?Came the Sun Man in the night-time.?I alone of all the Nishinam?Live to-day to tell the story;?I alone of all the Nishinam?Saw the Sun Man come among us,?Heard the Sun Man and his Sun Men?Sing their death-song here among us?Ere they died beneath our arrows,?War Chief's arrows sharp and feathered--
{War Chief}?_(Interrupting braggartly.)_?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
{Old Man}?_(Producing cloth.)_?And the Sun Man and his Sun Men?Wore nor hair nor hide nor birdskin.?Cloth they wore from beaten grasses?Woven like our willow baskets,?Willow-woven acorn baskets?Women make in acorn season.
_(Old Man hands piece of cloth to Red?Cloud.)_
{Red Cloud}?_(Admiring cloth.)_?The Sun Man was an acorn-planter, and we?killed the Sun Man. We were not kind. We?made a blood-debt. Blood-debts are not good.
{Shaman}?The Sun Man lied. His brothers did not come?after. There is no blood-debt when there is no?one to make us pay.
{Red Cloud}?He who plants acorns reaps food, and food is?life. He who sows war reaps war, and war is death.
{People}?_(Encouraged by Shaman and War Chief?to drown out Red Cloud's voice.)_?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?The Sun Man is dead!?Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!?The Sun Man and his Sun Men are dead!
{Red Cloud}?_(Shaking his head.)_?His brothers of the Sun are coming after.?I have reports.
_(Red Cloud beckons one after another of?the young hunters to speak)_
{First Hunter}?To the south, not far, I wandered and lived?with the Petaluma. With my eyes I did not?see, but it was told me by those whose eyes had?seen, that still to the south, not far, were many?Sun Men--war chiefs who carry the thunder in?their hands; cloth-makers and weavers of cloth?like to that in Red Cloud's hand; acorn-planters?who plant all manner of strange seeds that ripen?to rich harvests of food that is good. And there?had been trouble. The Petaluma had killed?Sun Men, and many Petaluma had the Sun Men?killed.
{Second Hunter}?To the east, not far, I wandered and lived with?the Solano. With my own eyes I did not see,?but it was told me by those whose eyes had seen,?that still to the east, not far, and just beyond the?lands of the Tule tribes, were many Sun Men--?war chiefs and cloth-makers and acorn-planters.?And there had been trouble. The Solano had?killed Sun Men, and many Solano had the Sun Men killed.
{Third Hunter}?To the north, and far, I wandered and lived?with the Klamath. With my own eyes I did?not see, but it was told me by those whose eyes?had seen, that still to the north, and far, were?many Sun Men--war chiefs and cloth-makers?and acorn-planters. And there had been trouble.?The Klamath had killed Sun Men, and many?Klamath had the Sun Men killed.
{Fourth Hunter}?To the west, not far, three days gone I?wandered, where, from the mountain, I looked?down upon the great sea. With my own eyes?I saw. It was like a great bird that swam upon?the water. It had great wings like to our great?trees here. And on its back I saw men, many?men, and they were Sun Men. With my own?eyes I saw.
{Red Cloud}?We shall be kind to the Sun Men when they?come among us.
{War Chief}?_(Dancing stiff-legged.)_?Hoh!