The Beothuk Saga Read online

  Many times Anin descended the river of two waterfalls to hunt and fish in the Bay of Exploits. One sun he went alone in his tapatook to the island of birds that was at the mouth of the bay, and he did not return. The entire nation went in search of him, but neither he nor his tapatook was ever found, neither were any of his hunting or fishing tools. There was no sign of what had happened to him. His four wives have kept his memory alive. There are also the stories of his voyage around the land, which have been kept by us. It has now been three times the number of fingers on my two hands since he disappeared. And still his family awaits his return.

  His son Buh-Bosha-Yesh had been raised with the knowledge that eventually he would replace his father as head of the Beothuk Nation, and with Anin’s departure it was he who became chief of the six clans that live on this island. There is no bay, no headland, no rivermouth that is not closely watched by the guardians of the island’s nation. Powerful, yet peaceful, is the Beothuk Nation. Harmony reigns at all times.

  The families grew large, and since the warriors had no wars to fight, the number of males came to match the number of females. It is now rare for a man to have four or five wives, and so the customs of the people have changed in some ways. The Ashwans returned to the island from time to time, but they were always repelled by the nation’s guardians, thanks to their watchfulness.

  This is how the peace and happiness of simple living have endured, so that the Living Memory of the people did not die.

  Every night until their own death, the four wives of Anin stood on the shore and searched the horizon, hoping for his return.

  II

  THE INVADERS

  The Red Men’s island, approximately five hundred season-cycles later

  30

  The sun had not yet risen over the northeast coast of the island of the Beothuk. At the horizon, a thin band of light announcing the appearance of Kuis the Sun was taking on a red hue, a sign that when he came he would bring hot and humid weather.

  The old man sat on a flat rock overlooking the sea and contemplated the approaching light, giving thanks to Kobshuneesamut the Creator for adding another beautiful day to the season of abundance. He would make use of this fine weather to speak to the young people of the clan about pathways. He was the clan’s Living Memory, charged with keeping the past alive; he had been instructed to do this by his ancestor Anin, the first Beothuk to travel around the whole land now occupied by the Beothuk Nation. The old man would tell the Addaboutik children how their courageous ancestor had overcome many unknown dangers in order to teach his people to preserve their land and be nourished by it, as they had been doing for longer than even he could remember. When he passed on to his eager young students the knowledge acquired by Anin during his voyage of initiation, he would also be reminding them that all knowledge begins with the experience of the elders, whose most important task is that of remembering. He thanked Kobshuneesamut once again, this time for putting into his head such thoughts that he might pass on to his people.

  Today he would tell them about the hero Anin’s second wife, the woman who came from the land of the Bouguishamesh-Vikings, where the cold also comes from. She was the first woman to sit on the national council. She had pale skin and hair the colour of dried grass, and she taught the people that the cold was called north, the wind was west, the rising sun was east, and warmth came from the south. He would explain to them the mixing of blood that gave the Beothuk their great strength, and of the gift of metal, which they received from their enemies. Then he would explain why it was necessary to protect the island of the Red Men from strangers if they wanted to continue living in peace. For longer than his memory, whenever a strange ship stopped to take on fresh water, the Beothuk had benefited from its arrival without allowing any of its passengers to stay on the island and compete with them for the land. He would have to explain why they must accept only those new people who wished to live among the Beothuk, and to become part of the Beothuk Nation, so that they might learn from them. And why, on this the longest sun of the season-cycle, they must give thanks to the Creator for having preserved them from invaders.

  “The young people think we must tolerate all strangers, so that we will learn from them more quickly about the world we do not know. But every time strangers have come they have killed, tortured, and stolen from us, and they have shown no respect for the Beothuk people.” That is what the Living Memory of the Appawet Clan would tell the young people at this feast, on the longest sun of the season-cycle.

  He would also explain to them how he came to be called the Living Memory, how a long time ago when a young girl became lost in the forest and the villagers wished to know what it was that had made her go off by herself, away from her people, it was he who had remembered that when the girl was very little she had been fascinated by the dragonflies that flew in the marsh. He reminded them how she had spent whole days watching the dragonflies without growing tired. She had especially liked to watch them coupling in the air as they flew, remaining together in their fashion for long periods of time. The searchers went to the marsh and found the girl sleeping at the foot of a huge birch tree. She had indeed gone there to see the dragonflies. It was then that the village had decided that one with such a long memory should be of service to the people, and since that day he had been the Living Memory. He had been given no choice in the matter; when the people decide who you are, you are obliged to be that person. A talent must be placed at the service of those who recognize it.

  Slowly the village was awakening. The young people were splashing about in the sea, while the older clan members contented themselves with bathing more quietly in the river. The women were restoring the fires from last night and putting out food for those who were hungry. It was going to be a good feast, a feast-for-everyone, filled with happiness. Many visitors would come in from neighbouring clans to await the return of Anin, who disappeared into the sea more than five hundred season-cycles ago. Since that time, Anin’s family had never accepted that their hero-ancestor was dead, and so they awaited his return from the sea as once they had awaited his return from his voyage of initiation around the Beothuk land. The old man knew that no mortal man could ever live so long. But perhaps Anin was not a mortal man? Perhaps he would return again, as he had returned the first time, on this the longest sun of the season-cycle?

  The old man was still sitting on the rock when a young man called out that a sail had entered the bay. The elder told the young man to hurry to alert the guardians, and the youth ran at full speed towards the river, carrying the news with him. Before long a group of twenty men were on the shore, standing beside their tapatooks, ready to set out if the need arose. As they waited, armed with fishing spears and bows and arrows, they were joined by another twenty, as well as by many women and girls who formed a second line of defence behind the guardians.

  This was the plan of defence that had been practised for hundreds of season-cycles. It had protected the nation many times before. The plan was to make the invaders understand that this was Beothuk land, and that if they wanted to take something from it they would have to negotiate for it first.

  The chief of the Appawet Clan arrived on the shore, accompanied by his two wives. He was called A-Enamin the Bone because he was so tall and thin. He had lived for thirty season-cycles, and his wives had borne him five children, giving him five reasons to believe that he would continue to live after his death. He would speak on behalf of the clan of Appawet the Seal, after consulting with the clan elder, Asha-Bu-Ut the Blood.

  There followed a long wait, because the boat was too large and too heavy to come close to the shore of the Beothuk. Nevertheless, its crew members dropped many sounding lines to see how close the ship could come. Finally, the strangers lowered a smaller boat into the water, with six men rowing and two others standing up in it, one in the bow and the other in the stern. This boat was much smaller than the first, but still it was five times bigger than the Beothuk’s largest tapatooks.

 
; When the English boat touched bottom, the six rowers jumped into the water and dragged the boat onto the shore. Then two of the rowers crossed their arms and joined their hands together, to form a sling in which the first standing man, the one in the bow of the boat, could sit. The sailors carried this man higher up on the shore, so that when they put him down he did not get his feet wet. The second standing man remained in the boat, surrounded by four rowers, who stood ready to push the boat back into the water if the need arose. The two standing men were obviously dressed for some ceremony, whereas the clothing of the other men, the rowers, was quite different.

  A-Enamin raised his hand in salutation to the newcomers. The other man did the same. A-Enamin smiled at all the strange men and introduced his elder, Asha-Bu-Ut, by pronouncing his name. The stranger said something that no one understood, but which they supposed was his own name. Then he turned and, indicating the man standing in the boat, said “Kapitan Jon Kabot.” All the children laughed at these strange words. Their laughter lightened the atmosphere. By mimicking the act of filling barrels, Kapitan Jon Kabot’s representative indicated that his men wanted to take on fresh water. The Beothuk understood what he wanted, since he made the same gesture that all strangers made when they wanted water. A-Enamin indicated that the Beothuk were willing to exchange their water for tools.

  One of the Beothuk guardians went up to the stranger and showed him an axe with a large head. Another brought out a handful of fish hooks. A third, a harpoon. A fourth took out his metal knife. Then the man who was still in the boat had his rowers carry him to shore and, smiling, he held out his hand towards A-Enamin and to Asha-Bu-Ut. The two Beothuk men smiled back, and held out their hands towards this Kapitan Jon Kabot. The kapitan seized their hands and shook them up and down vigorously, a thing that made the Addaboutik people roar with laughter. It was the way these foreigners had of signalling friendship with one another, but it never failed to make the Beothuk onlookers laugh.

  The Beothuk chief indicated to the strangers that they were welcome, and made signs inviting the kapitan to join the feast-for-everyone. The kapitan turned to his six rowers and gave them an order, using their guttural language that the Red Men could not understand. The sailors immediately pushed their boat back into the water and rowed to the big boat, while the two stranger-chiefs followed the Beothuk towards the mamateeks. The guardians divided into two groups. The first group and all the women accompanied the visitors to the mamateeks, while the second remained on the shore in case the newcomers proved treacherous.

  For nearly half the day the visitors were entertained by the Red-Ochre people. They were escorted to the feasting area, where several young people were already singing and dancing. And throughout the day members of neighbouring clans continued to arrive, and the feast-for-everyone on the longest sun of the season-cycle was well underway.

  All this time, sailors from the larger ship had been coming ashore in three small boats with many barrels, which they filled with fresh water from the river and rolled down the beach to be stacked in the boats. Three of these men now joined the kapitan and his lieutenant, carrying iron tools, as had been agreed. There were three axe heads, three harpoons, one hundred fish hooks, twelve knives, and one bolt of red cloth, which the women quickly unrolled and admired. The exchange permitted both peoples to obtain what they needed in friendship and understanding.

  Everyone was enjoying the feast and their friendly feelings towards one another. The guardians relaxed their vigilance and joined in the festivities. When the sun fell behind the island, Kapitan Jon Kabot invited the Appawet Clan chief and one of his two wives, along with the elder, to board his larger ship. By signs, he indicated that he had more gifts for the chief. A-Enamin eagerly accepted the offer, not for the gifts but because he was curious to see what the larger ship looked like from the inside. Asha-Bu-Ut, however, absolutely refused to go, and attempted to dissuade the chief as well, but A-Enamin was convinced by Kapitan Jon Kabot’s friendliness that there was nothing to fear. The elder tried to persuade the chief at least to take some guardians with him, but even this A-Enamin refused to do, saying that taking guardians would be an insult to these dignitaries, who had spent the whole day among the Beothuk people without guardians of their own. The chief did, however, ask one of the young Beothuk hunters to go with him in the elder’s place. As soon as all three were seated in the small boat that took them to the ship, Asha-Bu-Ut spoke quietly to the Beothuk guardians, telling them that as soon as darkness came they must take their tapatooks out to keep a watch on the English ship as long as the chief and his party were on board.

  The kapitan’s three guests were welcomed on the larger ship and given salt pork to eat and rum and wine to drink. They did not eat the salt pork, and the rum made them feel sleepy, but the chief greatly enjoyed the wine, and asked for more. Suddenly a strong wind came up, and Kapitan Jon Kabot ordered that the ship’s anchor be raised silently and the mainsail hoisted without the usual shouted commands.

  When the guardians in the tapatooks that were hidden along the great ship’s flanks saw the anchor being raised and the great sails hoisted, they raised the alarm. A-Enamin’s wife heard them and began to cry out, demanding that she and the two others be put ashore. The chief and the hunter were in no condition to defend themselves, however, and they were easily overpowered, despite the fact that they were larger than any of the English sailors.

  Hearing the shouts of the guardians and of A-Enamin’s wife, the villagers hastily launched the rest of their tapatooks and attempted to stop the ship from leaving the bay. In no time they overtook the ship, and many tried to climb aboard, but the sailors had already put down large nets, like fishing nets, to prevent them. Not even when Kapitan Jon Kabot ordered cannons to be fired among the tapatooks did the Beothuk give up the chase. They followed the ship as far out to sea as they could, but it was no use. They had to admit that they had not been prepared for such a turn of events. Frustrated and desolate, they returned to the village, where the feast was terminated and the news that the Appawet Clan’s chief and two others had been carried off by the English caused great sadness within the Beothuk Nation.

  Sorrow and confusion continued to dwell with the Beothuk people. They had been deceived like children by the Bouguishamesh’s show of friendship. Asha-Bu-Ut blamed himself for not doing everything in his power to prevent the chief from accepting the English offer. He was even more distraught when he saw how A-Enamin’s second wife and their five children wept and pulled their hair in anguish at their loss. Three of the children had lost their mother. All of them had lost their father. The clan mourned the loss of their chief, and vowed never again to be deceived by the false smiles of foreigners. From that day to this, no Bouguishamesh has ever been welcome on the island of the Red Men. The Living Memory explained that in Beothuk legend, foreigners were always depicted as hypocrites and untrustworthy men. Strangers did not come to the island to establish true ties of friendship with the Beothuk. That was why he himself had refused the kapitan’s invitation to board his ship.

  Long were the lamentations following the disappearance of their beloved, if careless, chief, who had allowed himself to be so easily deceived by the foreigners. Messengers were sent to all the villages of the Beothuk Nation, carrying the unhappy news and warning all other clans to be on their guard against the traitorous people who came to the island on ships bearing the colours of the King of England.

  The Appawet Clan elected a new chief, one of the guardians, one who would be more prudent than his predecessor had been. From that day to this, the shores of the bays and the rocky cliffs at the mouths of the deep inland rivers have been kept under strict surveillance by the guardians of the nation. Whenever a foreign vessel was sighted, Beothuk warriors lined the shores and the riverbanks, and no foreigners were allowed to come ashore to replenish their water supplies. Their ships were followed until they were well out at sea, out of sight, and their crews were showered with storms of arrows, so that never again woul
d they consider casting their anchors near the island of the Red Men. The Beothuk had become the enemies of all foreigners. Never again would they be fooled by the hidden intentions of those who came from far away. The Red Men had lost their innocence.

  The young people did not remember this lesson, and so the Living Memories of each clan were charged with reminding them of this sorrowful incident, as well as telling them of all the dangers experienced by their ancestor Anin during his voyage around the land of the Beothuk.

  This longest sun of the season of abundance would remain in the minds and the memories of the bearers of the Beothuk tradition. Asha-Bu-Ut was sorry that he was not able to pass on what he knew in time to save the three Beothuk who were stolen from among his people. He was saddened, but took comfort from the knowledge that this lesson would be remembered for a long time: “The entire nation must now be aware how dishonest and treacherous strangers are. All Beothuk must learn never to put their trust in strangers, especially not in those who smile too easily.

  “Men with beards, men who wear fine clothing, men who are afraid to get their feet wet, these are not men like the Red Men. They do not keep their word as the Addaboutik people do. An Addaboutik who has given his word and does not keep it is punished, often by death, because his untrustworthiness threatens the lives of the other members of his clan. If the other members are judged by his example, then they, too, will not be trusted. No nation wants a clan in its midst whose word cannot be trusted. The entire nation suffers when a single member breaks his word.”

  31

  Iwish stormed out of the mamateek. She was furious, and the whole village knew it because they had heard her shouting at Gobidin the Eagle, chief of the Seal Clan, throughout almost the entire council meeting. Clan chief or not, Gobidin still had to listen to the words of his councillors, and stop thinking that he was perfectly capable of making important decisions all on his own.