Page 15

Czanna watched as the two families formed into several lines spread out upon the prairie to ride or to walk toward the established rendezvous point with the rest of the tribe. Remembering again how each member of the family—even the children—had touched her shoulder as they had left, and had each said to her, "ákáá," which she had later discovered meant, "perfect, complete," had so greatly affected her, she had been struck again by the incongruity of what she had been led to believe about these people.

Ill-mannered? Ungodly? Nothing is further from the truth.

Yet, she worried, not knowing what her place would be amongst these people. What would be expected of her? And, what would happen to her if she were to fail to meet their expectations?

Would she become the object of gossip? Would they shun her?

Oh, where was Stands Strong?

Though she knew Stands Strong had been rushed a little earlier when he had left her, as well as her little sister and Liliann, alone, she wished she had asked him more about what was expected of her today. He had said only, "Stay here until I return."

But, he had taken off so quickly that she hadn't thought to inquire about when he planned to return nor what she should do in his absence.

Stay here until I return…

Standing here so close to Sacagawea Springs and watching the families move away from her, Czanna studied each person closely, hoping to catch a glimpse of Stands Strong. But, when she could not pick out his image in the long line of people, she worried even more.

Where was he?

Surely, he had not already joined the Pikuni scouts from the main column of the Pikuni people without telling her, had he? Recalling that earlier, after they had returned to camp, Stands Strong had told her about his chiefs calling upon him to scout for the tribe, she now wondered if he had been given a moment to find his almost-mother and ask for her help.

Were his duties as a scout so great that he might have forgotten?

Still, he had told her he would return, and, so far, she had never known him to say he would do a thing and then not do it. Also, in all this time she had known him, though short, he had made it a point to stay close to her.

Her thoughts were weighing more and more heavily upon her, when, in the distance, she saw him coming toward her; he was leading two ponies by their reins, while his almost-mother, whom she had already met, rode astride one of those mounts. Czanna's brother, George, also accompanied him.

All of her apprehensions faded as soon as Stands Strong came within hearing distance, and she had greeted him with a warm smile. He returned the gesture, then turned to help his almost-mother—who was carrying the baby on her back—from her horse. Only then did he step toward Czanna.

Drawing in close to her, he reached out to take her hand in his own and he whispered, "Amongst my people, it is not done to show too much affection where all can see. But, I fear I have left you waiting too long."

"It is true what you say," Czanna had answered. "I admit I was a little nervous of your return, but now you are back, it is forgotten."

He nodded, then said, "As I told you earlier, George and I will help the others to scout—"

"You will? You are taking George? But, I thought it is I who is always to be the one to help you scout. Why do you not let George stay here with the others, while I come with you?"

When he frowned at her, she explained, "How else am I to learn if you do not take me with you?"

Reaching out to her, he took hold of a lock of her hair and twirled it around his fingers before he replied, "There will be much time to teach you to scout once we return to our people and camp next to the fort. For now, you are needed here, and I hope you will honor me by remaining with my almost-mother, who is anxious to know you better. George and I have come here, also, to help First Rider carry your father's man to the wagon. My almost-cousin, Howling Wolf, has returned from his successful pony raid and has agreed to drive the wagon. This will help to give you the time to be able to talk to my almost-mother, whose heart is joyous at the prospect of speaking to you."

"Oh, I see. I thank you, and of course I will stay here with your almost-mother. I am as anxious to talk with her, and perhaps as you say she is wishing to speak to me. But, if I had a choice in the matter, I would be with you, my husband."

"And I, you. However, the time to do this is not now." Letting go of the lock of her hair, he reached out for her hand and brought it up to his lips, where he proceeded to kiss first her fingers, then her palm. "We must be on our way. The others are already well ahead of us. Once we settle your father's man into the wagon, we will move out quickly; the three of us will stay with you until you reach the other members of my family, and then all three of us—George, First Rider and I—will join the other scouts. You are now with my family. They will ensure your safety."

What could she say? She didn't know, and so she simply smiled. But, deep within her was still a worry. The losses of her brother and her parents were too great to easily sustain losing another one so very beloved; and she experienced again the desire to not let this man out of her sight.

If it meant she would have to learn how to scout, then she would do it. If only he would let her do it, and now, which he didn't seem inclined to allow her to do.

If only…

The distant laughing of several children, who were passing by her, caused Czanna to remember where she was and that this man had never failed her. Besides, she was not the only person this man loved. His love for his family, his tribe and his close friends, which included her brother, George, was heart-felt and was an undeniable strength of his nature.

She realized she would do well to add the power of her own spirit to his.

With her hand held firmly within Stands Strong's, and, with him positioned so closely to her, she was aware her worries were dissipating. And then, realizing how much George would benefit from Stands Strong's guidance, she felt her objections evaporate as water does to the warmth of the sun.

She said, "You are wise, my husband. I will welcome speaking with my almost mother and I know George will benefit from being with you."

He squeezed her hand and grinned at her, and, as she gazed up into his dark eyes, she said, "I am so glad I was, at last, wise enough to marry you. I love you so much!"

"And, I, you." And then, despite the others looking on, he kissed her.

****

"I cannot begin to tell you how happy we are, all of us, to welcome you and the rest of your family to ours."

"Thank you," said Czanna, then smiled at Stands Strong's almost-mother, Sharon.

"There are many of us, I fear," said Sharon. "The other women in our family would also like to be walking with us, since they are all curious to know you better. But, we have decided all five of us might overwhelm you, and it is our wish to comfort you and allow you to come to know us gradually."

"This is, indeed, very kind of you all," replied Czanna. "And, I thank you for the consideration."

Sharon smiled. "Although I know we have only just met, I am hoping you might permit me to tell you a little about our family."

"This would, indeed, be favorable," replied Czanna.

"Good. I thank you, and I will try not to bore you with too many familial details—only enough so you will feel welcome. I suppose the best way to start is to begin with us, the women in the family. There are five of us in the immediate family, and now six, including you. Four of the women in our family married into the Pikuni tribe, having come from another tribe or other cultures. And now, with you, there are five of us."

"Oh my. Are you speaking of the family of Chief Chases-the-enemy?"

"Indeed, I am. There are many people in the entire family: grandfathers and grandmothers, as well as cousins, aunties, uncles, nieces and nephews. But, I think it wise to keep my story to your more immediate relatives, and these are: my husband, Strikes Fast, who is Crow; myself and our children—we have five children including the baby girl you see on my back. The oldest of our children is Stands Strong, who is Lakota by birth."

"Yes, my husband told me about his heritage, and about you, too, when we first met."

"Did he, now?"

"Indeed, he did. Because I am obviously not Indian, he asked me if I were your friend and if I was looking for you. I think he could not understand what I—a white woman—was doing all alone, and on a bluff overlooking the prairie."

"Yes," said Sharon. "I can imagine you took him by surprise."

"I think I did. But, I am very glad we met as we did, if only because later we were to need his help very much. I will never forget how he came to our aid, and to the support of my father's manservant, Mr. Henrik."

"I am happy to hear this," said Sharon. "I did not realize how the two of you came to know one another. But, I can only imagine how you must have felt at first; he probably scared you."

Czanna laughed. "That he did. Quite so. But, my fear of him lasted only a little while. As we spoke, he set me at my ease. But, please, tell me more about my new family. I fear I have dominated our conversation when I very much wish to come to know more about Stands Strong's family."

"It is your right to dominate the conversation," said Sharon, and she smiled. "It is your family now, also. In truth, I would like to ask more, but I do not wish to pry. I love my almost-son as though he were of my own blood, and so of course I like to hear him spoken about in such a loving way."

"I, too, like to speak of him. He does tend to tease me a great deal."

Sharon laughed. "And, so it has been his way for as long as I have known him. He has a good heart. I only wish…"

After a long pause, Czanna asked, "Yes? You only wish…?"

"I am sorry. I do not wish to burden you with my own problem. We have much time to get to know one another. And, I think it best if I tell you about us and about how excited we all are to welcome you into our family."

"Indeed, I would like to hear this…very much."

"Good, then let me tell you about all your new relatives—at least those who are closely related to you now. Well, I have told you about myself and my husband, Strikes Fast. So, let me continue with my dear friend Amelia and her husband, Gray Falcon, who is a medicine man. They have three children, who are very excited to meet you," continued Sharon. "Next, we come to Amelia's sister, Laylah, who is married to the well-respected medicine man, Eagle Heart, and they have four children. Eagle Heart is also Chief Chases-the-enemy's younger brother, and it is Chief Chases-the-enemy who is the head of our family's clan.

"Now, as for Chief Chases-the-enemy's intimate family, he has two wives, and between his two wives, he has eight children. As you have probably become aware, some Indian men take more than one wife."

"Yes, I know, although Stands Strong has promised me he will not marry another woman. As you know, it is against our religion, and I could never marry a man who believes he could take another wife."

Sharon grinned. "Yes, I had a similar objection. And so, my husband has also promised this to me, as have Amelia's and Laylah's husbands. Indeed, Stands Strong knows well our beliefs—I have ensured this—so I am certain this came as no surprise to my almost-son.

"But, in truth," continued Sharon, "most Pikuni men take only one wife. Chiefs, however, who are duty bound to entertain guests and many other people from various different tribes, require a great deal of work from their women…too much work usually. Most women, who then are married to a chief, appreciate her man marrying another woman, if only to have another to share in the tremendous work imposed upon them. But, sometimes other men take a second or third wife because our men are prone to go to war, and so we lose many of our men in battles.

"Someone, you see," said Sharon, "must take care of the widows. Also, the brother of a man is oftentimes responsible to marry his deceased brother's wife and to provide for her, unless the woman marries another."

"Really?"

"Yes," said Sharon. "There are no servants and no slaves here. This is the reason for the custom. And so, sometimes it is the wife of a man who will ask her husband to marry another, often her own sister, so as to get help with the workload."

"But," asked Czanna, "if there are no servants or slaves, and if our husbands can only marry once, who is there to help us with the work expected of us?"

Sharon grinned. "All the people know of our religious beliefs and honor them. So, do not fear. There are many who will help. After all, all of our men have sisters, aunties, mothers, grandmothers and nieces. And, there are some widows who do not ever wish to marry again. All these might offer to help, and if they do, our husbands ensure they have good lodges to live in and meat enough so they do not go hungry. And, we women tend to help each other even if not related by blood. It is, after all, a time for us to get together and gossip or talk about many different matters…many of which are our men or the boys who go courting."

Sharon laughed, and Czanna giggled, saying, "It sounds like fun."

"It is," admitted Sharon. "But, don't tell our husbands. They think we are so overworked, they often volunteer to help us, also."

Czanna chuckled and said, "I will remember this."

"Yes, I know this may all seem confusing, but after a while, I think you will be very happy here," Sharon said. "Most usually the Pikuni men love their wives deeply and devote themselves to pleasing them, and so life here can be very pleasant, indeed."

Czanna gazed at her almost-mother-in-law and grinned. "I am very happy to hear it," she said.

In response, Sharon laughed. "But, returning to our most intimate family, I should probably first tell you about the man who is already known to you, First Rider. Although his mother is one of Chief Chases-the-enemy's wives, she is not Pikuni. She is Crow, and her son's father was also Crow."

"Really? They are Crow?"

"Indeed, they are. And, even though the Crow, as a tribe, are traditional enemies, they are still welcomed here. It was Chief Chases-the enemy, Eagle Heart and Gray Falcon who welcomed my husband, his sister and his sister's son into the family. It is a long and exciting story of what took place to bring them here, but this tale is for another time."

"Ah, I understand. But, what about Chief Chases-the-enemy's first wife?" asked Czanna. "Did she not object to her husband taking another wife?"

"Indeed, it is not so," answered Sharon. "You see, Little Dove, who is my husband's sister, was in a bad way when she came here, her own husband having been killed. And then, having almost lost her son, as well as then being required to come and live in what is considered by the Crow people to be a hostile tribe… Well, as you can imagine, it was not easy. My husband, her brother, accompanied her here to ensure she would be well taken care of.

"But, his concern was for naught. All was well, you see," continued Sharon. "Morning Sun Woman, the chief's first wife, is one of the sweetest and the kindest of all the people in our band of the tribe, and she welcomed Little Dove and her son into their family with an open heart. It is said she has cared for Little Dove as though she were her own sister."

"Goodness! It seems incredible," said Czanna. "And so, if I understand this correctly, First Rider is by blood Crow, but by tradition is now Pikuni?"

"Yes, this is true. But, let me tell you a little more so it does not seem to be too unusual. Little Dove is my husband's only living Crow relative. It is he who told me about his sister's first coming to the Pikuni tribe. Apparently, she was afraid to meet her new husband's first wife. This is because both she and the chief became united together for many months following the trail of her son's abductor."

"Abductor?"

"Yes. As a babe, First Rider had been stolen by an enemy tribe. And, it is this story I wish to tell you at some length once we have, ourselves, become more acquainted. But, as it happened, the chief's first wife had no knowledge of why her husband was missing, and so she was in mourning, fearing her husband had been killed. This is why Little Dove—my husband's sister—expected the chief's first wife, Morning Sun Woman, to hate her on sight. But, it was simply not to be."

"I am glad," replied Czanna. "However, I can understand why Little Dove might have thought this."

"Yes, to be sure. But, those fears were quickly put to rest. Truly, Morning Sun Woman was so happy to see her husband again, alive and well, she barely took notice of Little Dove. And then, upon learning of her husband's and Little Dove's plight in rescuing the baby—the young man you know as First Rider—Morning Sun Woman took pity on Little Dove and welcomed her into the family with a full and loving heart. She and her husband's kindness helped Little Dove through many trials in the beginning."

"This is very good," said Czanna. "Yet, it still seems incredible to me. But, my, what a story this is. First Rider was abducted as a baby. I did not know this, but then I have seldom had cause to speak to him. Might I please ask who abducted him?"

"Of course you can, although we seldom speak of it."

"Really? Why is this?"

"I fear it is because his captor was from an unusual tribe."

"Oh?" asked Czanna.

"Indeed it is true," said Sharon. "His captor was a female from the tribe of Big People."

"Big People? I have never heard them."

"Yes, this doesn't surprise me," Sharon replied. "They are different from us in many ways, and they tend to keep to themselves. But, she did take Little Dove's son."

"And, the chief helped her to regain the boy?"

"Yes," answered Sharon.

"And, did you not say Little Dove's first husband was no longer alive when this happened? Is this why the chief had to come to her aid?"

"Yes, it is so.

As the story goes, when Little Dove's son was taken, no one else except the chief was near enough to hear her pleas.

This is why he came to her defense.

But, the task to rescue the boy took many months, and, as you might imagine, being forced into one another's company, the chief and Little Dove came to be closely united.

In the end, they married, the chief adopting First Rider as his own son.

"Now, continuing on with our family, the chief already had one son with his first wife, Morning Sun Woman.

This son is not much older than First Rider, and his name is Medicine Fox.

One might suppose there might have been great animosity between the two boys, since they are not related at all by blood.

"But, it is not so.

Medicine Fox seems to have inherited his mother's kind heart as well as his father's empathy for others, and so the two boys grew up as almost-brothers and have remained closely knit to one another even to this day."

"My goodness.

It seems as if there are many adventures to be had in this country.

Indeed, listening to this, it puts my own plight into proper perspective.

Please allow me to tell you how happy I am for enlightening me with a little of the history of my new family."

"It is my pleasure to do so.

Little Dove is one of your almost-aunties.

And, because she is married to Chief Chases-the-enemy, both he and his first wife, Morning Sun Woman, are part of your family now, too.

I think you might come to love them all as much as I do."

"Oh my," declared Czanna.

"I admit it is quite a good feeling to have so much family, even if they are only related by adoption.

But, please tell me about the two other women who are white and who have also been adopted into the tribe."

"Indeed, I will.

Also, I think you might find that family, even if only by adoption, is still thought of as a relation, regardless of being a blood relative or not.

And, the relationship is just as loving.

"But, let me now begin my story about Amelia and Laylah," Sharon went on to say.

"Laylah," continued Sharon, "is the wife of the medicine man, Eagle Heart, who, again, is the chief's younger brother.

Laylah was the first white woman to marry into the tribe, and not only was she welcomed with kindness into Eagle Heart's entire family, she has since gone on to become a medicine woman and is almost as well-known as her husband.

"And, then there is Amelia, Laylah's sister," Sharon carried on.

"She met her husband, Gray Falcon, when they were little more than youngsters in their teens.

Although Gray Falcon's family welcomed her into the fold of their lives, it was Gray Falcon, himself, who was not convinced Amelia would make him the kind of wife he thought he was expected to marry.

You see, his family has a long lineage of medicine men.

And so, Gray Falcon was uncertain Amelia would be welcomed.

However, love will have its way, and Amelia was accepted wholeheartedly by his family.

In truth, they are one of the happiest married couples in the tribe.

"As for me, I met Amelia when she was living in St.

Louis, and I remember how determined she was to return to Indian Territory.

Because I looked upon her as a sister—though we are unrelated by blood—I could not let her endure the journey back into Blackfeet Country unattended.

I had thought in the beginning of the journey that I would return to St.

Louis once she was settled, but it was not to be.

I met my husband, Strikes Fast, through his heroic deeds on my behalf; he saved my life several times.

And, I fear I love him so dearly, I would brave any calamity to keep him with me.

It was hard for my husband at first to live amongst the Pikuni, since he is Crow and the Pikuni and the Crow tribes are at war.

But, there are some friendships that rise above all feelings of hostility.

Such is the friendship of your almost-father-in-law, Strikes Fast, with the medicine men, Eagle Heart and Gray Falcon.

It is they who adopted Strikes Fast into their family.

And, it is because of his friendship with these two medicine men that my husband came into his own power as a medicine man.

"And, so you see," Sharon went on to say, "the family you can now call your own is a diverse, yet a kind and powerful people.

Now, I admit it is probably a little too much to take in all at once because our family is large, but it is my wish for you to find as much happiness with my almost-son, Stands Strong, as I have found with my husband.

Please know this: we love you already, and we will do all we can to make your life amongst us as joyful as we are able."

Czanna, listening to her almost-mother-in-law, felt a little overwhelmed, it is true.

But, Sharon's kind and calming ways made it a little easier to understand how similar their families were to her own.

In truth, they set her so much at her ease, she found she was unable to speak for a moment.

And, with this knowledge came another thought: although she had so recently lost most of her family, she now had attained a new one, and apparently a good-hearted one.

For several moments, Czanna hesitated to say anything more.

Instead, she found it easier to merely nod, while also trying her best to smile.

Such graciousness and generosity was hardly what she had expected of these people.

Into the silence between them, her almost-mother murmured, "We are very close, you know."

Czanna didn't reply at once, but in due time she asked, "Are you speaking of Stands Strong and yourself?"

"I am," replied Sharon. "If you will bear with me, I'd like to tell you a little about how Stands Strong came to live with us, since he is a Lakota man living amongst the Pikuni. Have I overwhelmed you with all our history, or would you like to hear a little about my almost-son, your husband?"

"Oh, yes, please," Czanna was quick to say. "I would very much like to hear what you have to say. You see, Stands Strong has told me a little about his heritage, but I would be pleased, indeed, if you would tell me more."

"Soka'pii, good, very good," said Sharon. "It is what I had hoped you might say, and I am glad. Please allow me to tell you yet another story, a very important one about how Stands Strong came into our lives. It is about how we first came to know one another and how he became our almost-son. It is important to me because…well…"

"Yes?" asked Czanna. "You mentioned before about there being a problem. Won't you please tell me about it now? I promise I will do no more than listen."

Sharon glanced away and sighed before saying, "I should not be bringing it up to you now. I can only hope you will forgive me. This is all so new to you, and I should not have even mentioned it."

"But," answered Czanna, "since I am married to him now, perhaps it is best for you to tell me. Won't you, please?"

Again Sharon sighed. "Yes, there is a problem, and I think it weighs on my almost-son, although I doubt Stands Strong has told you about it. He tends to speak little of it. It is not his way to do so. Yet, I am aware of it and know it troubles him."

"He did tell me about him asking for the hand of Good Shield Woman. Is it about this?"

"I fear it is not," answered Sharon, "although I believe God has ways of bringing people together whom He knows will lift up the spirits of both people. And, although I knew well how brokenhearted my almost-son was when Good Shield Woman married another, I thought then that perhaps God knew there was another yet to come, one who might be able to bring my almost-son closer to finding what he has always sought. I think you are the one."

"Oh my. Me? The one? Thank you for your so-gracious compliment. And, although I am appreciative of your praise, I think, perhaps, I am not the one. After all, I am only a woman who loves your son, and with all my heart. I have no power other than this."

Czanna's almost-mother looked askance at her and smiled. She said, "And yet, love, itself, is a healing power. Love, it is said, can heal any breach."

"Oh? There is a breach?" asked Czanna.

"There is, I fear," answered Sharon. "But, I go before myself. Let me first tell you—if you would like to hear—about how Stands Strong and I came to know one another, for it is this which causes us to be devoted to one another."

"Yes," said Czanna. "Please."

"Soka'pii. This means 'good' in the Blackfoot tongue, by the way. Well, the story starts out in perhaps a bad way, but please do hear me out. It is not bad. Although I think God tries to bring people together smoothly, sometimes it simply isn't possible to do so without a little 'bad' to season the relationship. But, I also believe He knows the injury experienced at first will turn to good, and I have often thought that perhaps the ways in which we find one another might be the only manner He can bring us to know one another."

Czanna felt she was close to tears, so kind and gentle was Stands Strong's almost-mother's voice. Was it any wonder why Stands Strong spoke so highly of her?

Breathing in deeply as though to collect her thoughts, Sharon began, "My story with your husband starts when he was only seven years of age. At the time, I saved Stands Strong's life, and, many days later, he saved mine," said Sharon. "In those days, he was known as Rising Bear. But, this was before he had earned a strong warrior's name. Here, let me dig through my pouch and show you this gift he made for me when he was only seven years old. He fashioned it with my husband's help, I am told, because he wished to give me what the Indians call 'medicine,' and also he thought it would bring me the blessings of his god."

Czanna nodded, looking sideways at this pretty woman. Indeed, she, being about Czanna's height, was unusually beautiful, with her tawny, reddish-blonde hair caught in braids at both sides of her face. She appeared to be in her early thirties, and she was also slim in figure—a feat, considering she had birthed four children within the last fifteen years.

But, Czanna didn't wish to stare—it being the height of bad manners—and she returned her gaze to the front, squinting and staring ahead of her, seeing without really seeing the colorful parade this family made as they rode, skipped or paced forward in this, their journey to connect back to the main branch of the Pikuni tribe.

Gazing back toward her almost-mother-in-law's back, Czanna caught the eye of the babe Sharon was carrying in a cradleboard; this way of carrying a baby left her almost-mother's hands free to look into her parfleche bag. Still looking at the baby as the little girl gazed out upon the world from the safety of her mother's back, Czanna saw a child who appeared to be quite happy. Catching the babe's eye, Czanna smiled and received a grin in return.

"Excuse me, Czanna," said Sharon. "I seem to have left the statue made by Stands Strong with my other things. Please allow me to retrieve it. For a reason I do not quite understand, I think it is important to show it to you. I should be only a moment or two."

Czanna smiled. "Yes, of course. I do hope you will find it; I would like to see it. It must be very precious."

"Indeed, it is," said Sharon. "Excuse me, please." And, with these few words, Czanna's almost-mother-in-law hurried away, her pace quick as she made a path toward her friends and family.