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Abandoned - Native Village - Story 60

Started by Abandoned, September 21, 2020, 06:02:14 AM

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Abandoned

Intro


  This is the 60th story in the Smallville Series and tells the tale of the 17th expedition to leave that town.  A small group left Smallville in year 52 SVT, going first to the Outskirts of Smallville (Story 25) to join a wagon train heading west.  They planned to follow the trail of the first Westward Ho expedition but unexpected events had them traveling north from the Rest Stop (Story 26) instead. 


The map seed is # 609585056      Prairie,  Small,  Fair, Disasters Off,  Start Native Prairie- 8 families, no deer


Mods activated for this map and load order are:


Map changing and Starting Mods:  Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, CC Light Rain, Cold Realism, CC Transport, Jinxie Natural Decorations, Start Native Prairie (for story)

Tweak Mods:   Better Stockpiles, Better Stockpile Storage, Dried Mushrooms, Fishing Dock +25%, Hunting, Hunting Season, Increased CC, 1:1 Alternative, Override Native Clothes (new testing), Rocks Respawn, Tiny Smoke

Major or Must Have Mods:    An Empty Square, Nomads (Kid), Storage Crates,  Kid Native Village (new testing), Kid Westward Ho Wagons, Kid Workplace

Supporting Mods:   Deco Sunflower, EB Natural Irrigation System Deco, I See Fire, Kid Deco People (upgrade testing), Kid Deco Farm Animals, Kid Farmyard, Kid Market Food (upgrade testing), Kid Old Fence, Kid Washing Mod, Kid Wayshrine, Kid Work Shop, Tiny Chopper


Mod note: Kid Native Village has only original vanilla start conditions.

Story note: Main characters and storytellers are not physically on the map.



  As you know, weary traveler, we left outskirts with the wagon master, a supply wagon, and 2 other families.  The wagons rolled westward to Rest Stop where we circled for the night.  The following morning the teams were hitched to only 3 of our 6 wagons when what we thought was distant thunder turned out to be a stampeding herd of buffalo with a Native hunting party on horseback close behind.  The wagon master screamed and waved at us to go, go north.  The 3rd wagon did not make it, there were only our 2 wagons left, heading north.    Maybe we should have headed back to Outskirts but we didn't, and now we have arrived at a Native Village.  We will hear what they have to say.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbjWn0EUcn4

Abandoned

#1
Prologue


  Haukhola, hello friend.  I am called Little Sparrow, I speak your tongue, I attended Mission school as a child.  This is my husband Chief Thunder Hawk. He says, "if you come in peace, we welcome you to our village and will help you".  The Black Hills treaty grants you free passage on the Oregon trail as long as the river flows and the eagle flies.  Come, sit by the fire, weary travelers,  the men will smoke the peace pipe, then we will talk.

   So, weary travelers, it is meaningful that you should arrive here on the first day of autumn.  It is the season for deep inner thoughts, for going within to meditate on where you have been and where you are going in this life.  Smoke signals foretold of the large buffalo herd and of your coming, and our scout saw you from the hilltops.  There are not many large herds left now.  Our hunters take only what is needed and every part of the buffalo is used for some purpose.  We give thanks to Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, the Grandfather and Creator of all things.  But the white man kills much and wastes much, many of the herds have disappeared, and now many of our relatives starve.  There is now much fighting between tribes and white men, and between the tribes over hunting grounds.  Those braves were not of our tribe.

We too once followed the herds.  We came a long way from Cedar Creek before settling here on the northern prairie where fish and other foods are more abundant.  Much has changed.  The stone formations you see here were formed by Tate, the wind, the wind is change and is one of the Great Mysteries.  You have come a long way too and your life is about to change.  Had you gone west instead of crossing the big river, you would have reached a Homestead settled by pioneers from another wagon train.  But the south wind brought you here.  The direction south is represented by Tate's son Okaga, and is a symbol of new growth.  You will grow and learn.  You were brought this way for a reason and someday you will learn that reason.  But first I will tell you what it was like when we first came here.


kid1293

The first day of autumn and we are served another story! Great! :) :) :)

Abandoned

Ah, you like the story already  :) :) :)  It is hard not to always tell you what I have planned  ;D  I like those Wayshrines  :)

taniu

@Abandoned ;Dit starts well, I' interesting curious what the next adventure will be. Regards

Abandoned

 :)  Thank you @taniu  I hope you will enjoy the story  :)

Abandoned

#6
Chapter 1


  Thunder Hawk and I sat side by side on horseback at the top of the hill overlooking the prairie before us just as you did now.  There were stones in the river we could cross over like a bridge.  There were small trees scattered over the prairie with birch and pines near the lakes and hills in the east and the north.  We could see a few small herds of buffalo.  Scouts reported there were 2 cranberry bogs in the east and a duck pond in the north.  Thunder Hawk said, "It is good, we stay" and raised his feathered spear to signal our party to go forward.  We had 16 adults and 18 young children with us.

  He chose a central location to build a stockpile, and nearby resources were gathered.  The tent poles and hides were unloaded from the carts and construction of the teepees began.  As was tradition, most of our dwellings would be built with the doorways facing the morning sun, some would be built facing south.  No doorways would face the cold wind from the north.  Unlike tradition, Thunder Hawk instructed dwellings to be built first for the families, ours would be built last. 

  The first 3 teepees were built for the families with the most young children.  The women would tend the washing and needlework and be home to tend the children.  The next 2 teepees were for our head scout and his son, they would tend the horses.  The 6th teepee was built closer to the lake.  One longhouse was built on the east side and 2 longhouses were built on the west side, 2 of the children became adults by the time they were built.  It was near those 2 longhouses that our hut, the Chief's Hut, was finally built. 

   It began to snow.  Campfires were built and our cook pots were set up.  We traded many hides at Fort Rapid for those cook pots, but we had only a little food to put in them. 


kid1293

Thank you for using the Prairie Start. It really feels like a good choice :) :)

Abandoned

It was a hard choice, either Tree Replacer, Maritimes Trees, or Prairie - location on World Map was deciding factor, prairie and plains buffalo.  :)  The special start with extra families and no deer a big help - thank you  :)

Abandoned

#9
Chapter 2


  Thunder Hawk knew exactly how much food, firewood, clothes, and tools we had.  He knew everything that there was to know about our village and our people.  At a young age he already was a wise elder.  He and other tribe elders would gather together and teach the children about the Ancestors and the Old Ways.  There are many stories and legends that teach lessons they need to learn.

  One such lesson is the Three Sisters - a Native woman had 3 daughters, they lived together in the same field but did not get along.  The mother had a dream of how she could teach her daughters how to get along and help each other even though they were so different.  We plant corn, squash, and beans together in their honor.  Like those three sisters, our 3 staple foods are different but they help each other grow. The big leaves of the squash vines shade the ground and protect the corn plants from wild creatures that come to eat the corn.  The corn shades the squash from the hot afternoon sun.  The beans twine up the corn plants for support and they helped enrich the soil.

  Going into that first winter food was scarce.  We gathered as much wild corn and other wild foods as we could before the snow covered the earth.  Earlier we built hide covers over the carts until we would have time to build a storage tent.  We saw no deer, and no buffalo were near, but a small hunting grounds was discovered to the north, not far behind the Wise Elders tent.  There was wild honey, nuts and berries which attracted small game and birds, and there were rabbits that would provide meat and furs.  And suddenly a small herd of buffalo appeared and our hunters were nearby, they took only what was needed.  We would have enough to eat that winter.  It was good.

   In spring of year 2 we planted the Three Sister and build a storage tent.  The hunting grounds provided an abundance of foods, firewood, and furs.  A lone buffalo lingered nearby throughout the summer, reminding us to thank the Great Spirit for the abundance He has sent us, and we thanked the Ancestors also for all they taught us.  And although our ancestors were only with us now in spirit and legends, we set aside an area for burial mounds to honor them and any of us who would join them. 

Abandoned

#10
Chapter 3


  By late autumn of year 2 we again had an abundance of food.  We collected wild foods and harvested the last of the corn, squash, and beans for the season.  Branches were collected and fires crackled under our cookpots in front of our teepees.  Seeds collected from prairie trees were being planted west of the burial grounds.  We would have no wood shortages in the future.  We also now had buffalo hides and furs from the hunting grounds.  Our needlewomen could make much need clothes, rugs, and throws.  By spring of year 3, a needleworker's hut was built by their 3 teepees.

  The men were busy as well building birch bark canoes on the small lake near the cranberry bog where we were now harvesting ripe cranberries.  The chill of autumn was in the air when the men headed out at sunset with spears and torches.  They would wait until dark to light the torches to lure the fish to the surface.  They would strike fast and return to the small pier with the catch.  One of the woman would be there waiting to clean the fish and hang some on the wooden rack to dry for longer keeping, none would go to waste.

  Autumn soon turned to winter, branches were collected and cookfires were lit.  The needlewoman had warm coats ready for whoever needed one.  Scraps of hide were made into fur lined moccasins to keep our feet warm and dry while walking through the winter snow.  We would not have far to go.


Abandoned

#11
Chapter 4

  The winter would go quickly.  The men and children would spend most of it in the Wise Elder tent, telling and listening to stories.  We women would bring in firewood and tend the fire inside the teepees.  We did the chores and cooked the meals.  We had sacks and baskets of food hanging from the tent poles.  We had time in those cold months to sit by the fire and add decorative touches to our clothing and home decor.  Beads and special tokens such as colorful stones and rare feathers which had special meanings, were used.  We each have our own totem animal or bird which guides us on our life's walk.  Mine is the little sparrow after which I was named.  Sparrow is a powerful little bird, and it is a survivor.  It is the bird of the common people but teaches dignity and self-worth.  Sparrow feathers decorated the dream catcher that hung above my cradle board after my birth.  Good dreams  pass through to the dreamer but bad dreams are caught in the web and destroyed by the morning sun.  A rare feather that is found is a gift and has a message to tell if we are wise enough to listen. 

  Thunder Hawk has 2 totems, Wakinyan, the Thunderbeing, and the mighty hawk.  He was born to lead with the energy of the thunderbird and insight of the hawk.  The canoe builders built a totem pole to honor the Thunderbeing and our chief.

  Many new dream catchers were made in those early years.  Our Native Village's population in the early summer of year 4 was 39 plus Thunder Hawk and myself, there were 19 adults, 6 students, and 14 young children.  Thunder Hawk said it was good that some young people still lived at home with their parents.  He also said there was now a need for more logs and for tools.  More prairie tree seeds were collected to be planted and now, in summer, some of the older trees would be cut.  A toolmaker tent was set up by the big rock next to the stockpile and our small surplus of spare tools began to grow.

  Our lone buffalo returned that summer but even though we needed leather, he was safe from our hunters.  The buffalo is the totem animal of the north and has great spiritual energy.   He must have another message for us, and since we found 3 turkey feathers at the same time that the buffalo returned, we interpreted the message to be that we have been taking too much, our abundance was too large.  The noble turkey is thought to be a giver, good at sharing, and a  symbol of the harvest.  We immediately reduced the workers at the hunting ground to 1.  The fishing party returned early with the catch and more fish were dried to be saved for later.  Only 1 of the Three Sister patches was harvested for our use, the other would be left to go to seed and those seeds would be saved for later.  Most of the corn was hung on racks in the sun by the fire to dry to be used when the people needed it most.  The harvest was good.

Artfactial

This map theme looks gorgeous, really well fitting.:)

Abandoned

Thanks, Kid did a fantastic job creating the structures.  :)  I am pointing out the real historical significance of them.

Abandoned

#14
Chapter 5


  At the start of year 5, our supply of coats was good, we had both hide and warm coats.  We had only the rabbit fur from the small hunting grounds, no hides at all.  Our food supply was stable with enough rabbit meat, small game, and fish, but that winter our scout went out in search of buffalo.  He tracked 2 herds, one in the north not far from the duck pond, and one in south across the river.  Small herds would be safe from our hunters.  The herd in the north was closer and easier to reach on foot, the herd to the south was farther away.

  Spring returned to the prairie, it was the season of new beginnings.  Thunder Hawk said the people were more in need of spiritual guidance than buffalo hides to continue to walk the Good Red Road, to walk in balance with Mother Earth as our ancestors did.  The people needed healing and purification that could only be obtained in sacred sweat lodge ceremonies.  He choose the location across from the burial grounds where one day we, the ancestors, would be buried. 

  Construction of the sweat lodge dome began in a sacred manner, in the customary sacred pattern, 16 poles were placed in the ground at the points that represent the 16 Great Mysteries. The fire pit in the center must have the prescribed number of stones.  Herbs like sage, sweet grass, and tobacco would be sprinkled on the hot stones with water to create the steam which is called Grandfather's Breath.  A Holy Man would lead prayers, songs, and ceremonies.  A Medicine Man in a hut nearby would gather herbs.  The sweat lodge and medicine hut were completed in summer, the season of rapid growth.  Was the prairie ever more beautiful than it was in summer?

  Perhaps it was in autumn, the season of strength and power.   We loved rustling through the golden fallen leaves and dry prairie grasses as we collected branches and wild foods.  We wanted more roots, onions, and mushrooms for our cookpots which were again bubbling outside our teepees.  And then it was winter again, the season of wisdom and to our amazement a small herd of buffalo gathered behind the sweat lodge.  We wondered if our lone buffalo was among them.  Were we being told we were wise for building the sweat lodge?