Hello again everyone! It's been a long time since I've touched this story but I had to get Finding A Way Home finished so that it wouldn't spoil things here. This chapter introduces a time jump in that it is now 1761 when this chapter takes place and Ethan is now about fifteen and Olivia seven. There's a lot of changes in this chapter and some small sneak peeks at the future too! Special thanks goes to EmoryRose for helping me come up with some great ideas for this chapter (more on that at the bottom because I don't want to spoil things at the beginning!). Enjoy! As always, notes/translations are at the bottom.
Chapter 9-An Offer & A Decision
Mid-Summer 1761
"Hurry and go change, Tekariho:ken." Ista said as soon as he came through the kitchen. She and Olivia were arranging corn cakes onto a platter. "We have to leave soon if we are to arrive at Johnson Hall for dinner." "Hen, Ista." Ethan answered politely, but as he was passing the table where they working he felt his hand start to reach towards the white corn cakes. They were delicious, made of a mixture of hominy, oats and red beans and they were especially hard to resist when they had just finished boiling like these had. Olivia giggled and their mother looked sternly at him and he quickly drew his hand back just as she smiled and handed him one. "Nia:wen." He said as he stuffed his snack into his mouth and left the kitchen. He had been out hunting with Anen:taks and Ben for Teha'ennatirontha who had hurt his leg in the Montreal Campaign the previous summer. He was able to get around the village and the surrounding settlement well enough but long hunts were no longer an option for him as he needed a walking stick for longer distances. They had brought him two fat turkeys, and one of their aunts had offered to dress and smoke them for him. He and Anen:taks had had to hurry though, as both their families along with Ona:to's, had been invited to Johnson Hall for the day and the hunt had taken longer than expected.
Opening the door to his room, Ethan saw that Ista had already laid out his clothes, including his new blue calico shirt that she had finished for him last night. A basin of water was by the door and he washed quickly before getting dressed. He knotted the sash around his waist and couldn't help but think back to the first time that Ongewasgone had helped him dress in Mohawk clothes. They had felt so strange then. Now it was hard to remember how it felt to wear English clothes. Lately, he had found himself thinking about when he and Olivia had first arrived in Canajoharie three years ago. It seemed like it had been much longer than that. But now wasn't the time for that. Grabbing his weapons from the top of the chest where he had put them, he stuck his tomahawk in his sash and swung his Brown Bess musket onto his back. Catching sight of his best moccasins by the chest, he slipped his feet into them before going downstairs again. Ista and Olivia were just about to leave the house, having already dressed in their best clothes as well, when Rakeni came in. "The wagon is ready." He told them as they walked outside together and Tsiron:iare and Olivia climbed into the wagon that they had borrowed from the Hoffmans to join the other women and younger children. The other mothers had already placed the food they were bringing along into it and Ethan knew it would be hard to resist eating any of it on their way over to Johnson Hall. He was grateful that he would be riding horseback like the other men and older boys since it would help with the temptation. I wonder why Sir Johnson wants us to come?
"She:kon, iatate'ken:'a." Thayendanegea greeted Ethan, Anen:taks and Ona;to as soon as their families had entered Johnson Hall. "It's been too long." The four of them remained outside near the steps. It was obvious that that his cousin was glad to see them. He hadn't been to Canajoharie in almost two months. Ever since his sister Degonwadonti had become Sir Johnson's common law wife and mother to a growing number of children, Thayendanegea had lived between Johnson Hall and Canajoharie when he wasn't on campaign with his brother-in-law. Or had been on campaign, Ethan thought, remembering that the war between France had come to an end the year before with the capture of Montreal. Both Anen:taks and Thayendanegea had been in Montreal went it happened, but Ethan and Ona:to had not been since their families had decided that they were still too young to go to war. Canada now belonged to England and there was little chance that France would try again to take back their former territories. It was why he knew that Sir Johnson had not invited them in order to discuss them joining him and his soldiers as warriors. But why?
Ona:to gave Thayendanegea a friendly slap on the arm. "You could come see us in Canajoharie more. Or has all this fine English living made you soft?" "I'll show you soft!" Thayendanegea leapt forward and tackled Ona:to to the ground. The two began to wrestle, laughing as they tried to gain the upper hand on the grassy ground. Anen:taks raised an eyebrow at Ethan and nodded towards them, a question in his eyes along with a grin. Ethan nodded, grinning back at his cousin. With both of them distracted, they would not notice them until it was too late.
They were right. "No fair!" They yelled as Ethan and Anen:taks landed on them in a dogpile of tangled arms and legs. Whooping, all four of them began to try to pin down or move whosever arm or leg they found in their way, sometimes not even realizing they were pulling on their own and not even caring.
"Ratinekenhteron's!"
Ethan quickly let go of Thayendanegea's leg as all four of them scrambled to their feet, trying to brush off the dirt and straighten their clothes as best they could. His mother and his aunt Ostien stood in the doorway, staring sternly at them while Molly, as Degonwadonti mostly went by now, stood beside them. "It is time for dinner." She said, coming forward a bit more with her son Peter in her arms. She returned inside the house but not before giving them all a wink and a sly smile. Despite her growing public role among both the Six Nations and the European colonists, she was still her brother's big sister and enjoyed seeing him happy.
As soon as he reached the steps, Ista immediately began to brush at his clothes and straighten his shirt. Turning him around, she looked him over for rips or tears in his clothes. Finally letting go of him, she nodded. "Ioia:nere. You didn't rip your new shirt with your foolishness. If you had, you would be sewing it up yourself." Her eyes sparkled with laughter though and Ethan knew his mother was only teasing him. Looping an arm around her shoulders, he gave her a quick hug as Anen:taks finished a similar process with his mother and they went inside.
"We are pleased to welcome you here as always." Sir Johnson said after the final dinner course had been served and everyone lingered over it. Molly and the household staff had prepared a large meal that had only grown with the addition of the other women's dishes. It had been a fine meal, one that reminded Ethan of the dinners his mother had supervised being prepared daily in Boston. It was nice to have those reminders of his English life every now and then. He reached out and helped himself to another handful of Ista Ostien's maple sweets to go with the slice of Cheshire cheese already on his plate as Sir Johnson continued. "I have a proposal for all of you to consider." He leaned forward slightly. "As you know, there is an increasing need for interpreters and intermediaries among the Six Nations and other tribes with the British and colonial governments. I have made arrangements with my friend the Reverend Eleazar Wheelock to send several young Mohawk men to his school for a classical education. Joseph will be going in the fall, and I would like to have your sons go with him as well." Ethan stopped eating as all three sets of parents exchanged glances with each other, surprise plain on their faces. Across the table from him, Anen:taks' eyebrows had briefly shot up but his face quickly returned to a neutral position. Out of the corner of his eye, Ethan could see Thayendanegea's eager look beside him. He had known this would happen, and he was clearly hoping that his cousins and friend would be going with him to school.
"There is plenty of time to make your decision." Molly offered up to which Johnson nodded in agreement as she stood up from her place beside her husband, excusing herself to nurse her daughter Elizabeth. She paused beside Olivia's chair, smiling down on her. "Would you like to meet your little cousin, khe'ken:'a?" Olivia looked to Ista for permission who smiled at her and she left the room with Molly. Despite the large age difference between the two, Molly had always taken a special interest in Olivia whenever they were together. Johnson said once again that he believed this would be a fine opportunity for their sons, but Ethan barely heard him. Inside he felt confused. There was a chance that he could go to school again! He had missed learning Greek and Latin and mathematics and literature a lot even though he didn't think about it as often as he had in the beginning. But then he looked around him, staring at the fine imported porcelain dishes that were on the table, the inlaid wainscoting on the walls and the fine mahogany furniture and silver serving pieces. Johnson Hall was as grand, if not grander, than the finest homes in Boston. It had reminded him in many ways of his own home in Boston from the first time he had seen it. But despite the memories it brought back, it also felt strange to him now. Canajoharie was home now. Can I re-enter the English world? Just then he caught sight of Ista looking at him, her expression wistful and her eyes concerned. Will she let me go?
"Tsiron:iare, there is no need to make a decision tonight or even tomorrow. It can wait." Ongewasgone reached over to her and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand as they laid in bed together. "I know." She said, a little crosser than she intended to. Turning on her side, she gave her husband an apologetic smile before sighing. "I don't know what the right thing to do is." She said honestly. "This is a great opportunity for our son. I could hear the interest and excitement in his voice on the way home when he and Anen:taks were talking about it. He's told us about his school in Boston and I know he hated having to leave it. But I don't know if I can let him go." Ongewasgone nodded, he had similar feelings and told her as much. "It took him so long to begin accept us and our families and our people as his own. Longer still for him to truly consider himself as one of us." He said, voicing his feelings. Tsiron:iare nodded. "I worry…." Her voice trailed off as she struggled to put into words her fears. "I worry that if he goes to school he will decide to return to the English forever and leave us." Tears flowed freely as Ongewasgone embraced her, wiping them away with his fingers before holding her in his arms. "I know. I know." He said, his own heart aching with that nagging fear as they both struggled with it.
"Take the fish to your mother, riien'a. I need to go to the Bear longhouse for a while." Rakeni told him a few days later after their visit to Johnson Hall. Ethan took his father's share of their catch from his father and watched as Ongewasgone walked away. As he continued to make his way towards their home, he thought about different his parents had seemed since they went to Johnson Hall. Neither of them had brought up Sir Johnson's offer to him, but Ethan suspected they were talking about it at night since he had heard murmurs coming from their bedchamber. He had also noticed that they look at him intently from time to time. It wasn't his place to bring it up to them, but the need to know one way or the other was beginning to make him feel a little crazy. It will likely be no. He tried to brace himself for that. But what if it were yes?
Entering the kitchen, Ethan laid the fresh fish on the kitchen table for his mother who stood close by slicing squash with Olivia. "Skashaka:ra, Ista." He told his mother. She loved small mouth bass and would be glad to have fresh ones to cook with. She looked up at him with a grateful smile, "Nia:wen, Tekariho:ken. She moved over to him and took a look at the catch, touching his shoulder as she did so. "You are a good son." She said, and her eyes had tears in them before she quickly turned and moved back to finish slicing the squash. She began quickly slicing the remaining squash, chatting with Olivia. Ethan didn't know what to do. It wasn't like Ista to be this way. Not knowing what else to do, he remembered that he and Anen:taks were going to collect some bark from the forest to carve. Just as he left the house, it struck him why his parents, especially his mother, had been acting so strange. They're afraid I'm going to leave them forever.
He wouldn't, he knew that. There was nowhere for him to go in the English world, no family and any of his school friends in Boston had long since moved forward with their lives. There was Olivia to consider too. She was at home in Canajoharie and could only remember a few things about their lives before. Maybe I should tell them. But he had a feeling that telling them wouldn't help much. After all, he had had plenty of talks about his old life with his parents since he and Olivia had been adopted. He thought about one conversation that he and Ongewasgone had had shortly after he had accepted them as his new family.
"Make another notch here, and then there." Ongewasgone had pointed on the long hickory stick that Ethan was carving. It was going to be a tewaaraton stick for him, so that he could learn to play the traditional game in the spring when the snow had melted. For several days now, he and his father had been working on it, first steaming the hickory bark before wrapping it to curve it into the proper shape. Now he was working on carving the stick to decorate it. It was slow work, and he didn't think it looked very good so far. He had never done any type of carving before. His father sat beside him on the wooden bench near the hearth, working on a wooden bowl and keeping an eye on his work. Gripping the knife tightly between his fingers, Ethan tried to make the notches the way he had been told. But the knife suddenly slipped and Ongewasgone quickly grabbed it before it fell to the floor and pierced his foot. "Relax your fingers," he said and put the knife back in his hand. "Now try again." Ethan did but the notches still looked sloppy. "It takes time," he felt his father's hand on his shoulder. "You will get there." "You always say that Rakeni." Ethan groaned. Ongewasgone squeezed his shoulder. "I am certain you heard that from your English father as well." It was said simply enough but he knew it was an opportunity for him to talk about his life before he and Olivia had been adopted. Neither of their adoptive parents ever pressed them to talk about it but there were times like now where it was left open for them to talk.
"He did." Ethan admitted, dropping his gaze as he thought back. "He…he often said it when I was having trouble with a school lesson." Ongewasgone's gentle gaze encouraged him to continue. "Once, he said it when I was struggling with my Latin verb tenses. I had just started Boston Latin and couldn't remember them all. But he helped me study them and went over and over with them until one day I could remember them all. I wasn't the best at Latin but I did my best and he said that was what mattered to him." Looking back up, he saw that Ongewasgone-no, Rakeni-was looking at him with a loving but concerned expression. "Do you miss school?" he asked him. Ethan didn't know what to say. Would Rakeni be angry with him? But he hadn't been angry with him before when he had talked about his life before. He decided to take the chance and tell him anyway. "Yes." He said quietly, dropping his eyes again only to have his father gently draw his chin back up at once, his eyes still loving but concerned despite the tender smile on his face. "It is not wrong to miss the life you had before, riien'a." Ethan nodded, not sure what to say. They sat in a comfortable silence together until his father suggested that they could get some more carving in before bed. Placing his hands over Ethan's, he gently helped guide his fingers in making the markings on the wood.
The memory faded as Ethan greeted Anen:taks and the two left the palisade to collect the bark they needed. But Ethan couldn't get everything out of his mind. How can I show them I won't leave them?
"You look as far away as the moon, kia:se." Anen:taks looked at him with a playful grin as they walked back towards the palisade entrance later that day. Ethan shrugged and shifted the bundle of bark under his arm, matching his cousin's grin with one of his own. "I feel like it." He said. "Do you think we'll end up going to Reverend Wheelock's school?"
Ethan didn't know what to think about Anen:tak's question. Other than talking about it on their way home from Johnson Hall, his cousin had not brought it up and neither had he. "I don't know." He said. His cousin nodded. "My mother has said that both of our mothers will make their decision together so either we both will go or we both won't." Ethan had known that too. "Ona:to will be going with Thayendanegea though for sure." He said. Ona:to had told him himself the morning after they got back to Canajoharie. As they entered Canajoharie, he saw Ona:to exiting the Turtle longhouse and lifted a hand in greeting, before almost stopping in his tracks at his friend's appearance. Ona:to looked a little self conscious so Ethan tried to smile at him, hoping to reassure him that he looked fine. His friend rolled his eyes a little before rubbing his head. 'Don't laugh.' His expression said, but his lips twitched and they both burst out laughing. Just then it hit him. Touching the top of his head with his free hand and looking from Anen:taks to Ona:to, he thought hard about it. Maybe that's my answer.
"I will be back later, Ista." Tsiron:iare nodded at Tekariho:ken as he left the house, leaving her alone in the house. Ongewasgone was away on a short trading trip with some of his relatives and Olivia was with Otash:ta and some of the other girls, taking their turn scaring the crows away from the cornfield. It was rare that she was alone in the house and right now she didn't like it, as it left her alone with her thoughts and the nagging need to make a decision about Sir Johnson's offer for schooling for her son. She huffed a little to herself, not sure what to do. Terkariho:ken wanted to go, it was plain to see. He had missed having to leave his school in Boston when his family had made their ill-fated move to the New Hampshire. He could have that part of his old life back. But will he choose to keep his new life too? The thought of never seeing her son again…or worse, having him return only to take his sister with him…she couldn't think about it for long without wanting to break down into tears the way she had after returning from Johnson Hall. But am I being selfish? Ongewasgone had not tried to press her for an answer and she knew he wouldn't. He would wait for her decision. Neither had their son. But the time was drawing near, she could feel it.
"Am I being selfish?"
"Iah, akhtsi:'a."
Tsiron:iare jumped a little, startled by the sound of her sister's voice. Ostien stood just inside the door, a woven reed tray in her hand. "I brought more of the maple candies you and Tekariho:ken are so fond of." She set them down on the table. Tsiron:iare's mouth watered. She had loved maple candies since she was a little girl and Ostien was the only one who could make them the way their grandmother used to. Her son had taken an immediate liking to them, even before he had accepted them as his family. It had brought her hope at the time, seeing something that they both liked. Looking up at her sister, she saw her gesturing at her with an impatient smile. "Go on, have one. You know you want to." Popping on in her mouth, Tsiron:iare savored the sweet taste while bracing herself for what her sister would say. She had a gift for seeing right to the heart of a matter. She also didn't let things go when they needed to be settled.
"I know you've been struggling with whether or not to let our sons go to this English school." Ostien said, staring at her sister with kind, but knowing eyes. "I have too. I know it is especially difficult for you because Tekariho:ken has only been a part of our family and people for a few years." She paused and took Tsiron:iare's hands in hers. "I know I am younger than you and that it is possible that someday you will take our aunt's place as clan mother but-" Tsiron:iare felt a flush of anger and jerked her hands back. "Go ahead, say it. You may be younger than I but you have been a mother for much longer and know better than I do in this situation." She bit out, feeling a sting at the thought of her sister reminding her of her years of being childless. It wasn't by choice. Part of her knew that she was being a bit irrational but she couldn't help it.
Ostien looked at her with compassion even though she could tell she was hurt by her words. "That is not what I was going to say at all. What I was going to say is that I know you can trust Tekariho:ken to return to you and our people. He has proven it." She gestured with her hands. "Does he not bring meat to you and I? And helps provide for those who have less? Does he not go with the men to learn the art of trading and diplomacy? Does he not take his turn at keeping watch and eagerly awaits the day you and Ongewasgone will let him go with the warriors?" Tsiron:iare knew Ostien was right. Her son had embraced his growing role and responsibilities within their community. But the nagging fear inside her wouldn't go away so easily. "Fine. You are right. And what if it is not enough to keep him once he leaves for school?" She pointed at Ostien. "Anen:taks is one of our people by birth as are Ona:to and Thayendanegea. They will return. But my son was born English. What if decides to be English again? What if he leaves the Kanienkehaka behind?" She turned away and sobbed, unable to hold back any longer. "What if he leaves us behind?" She felt her sister's arms wrap around her and hold her tightly. "We all have to trust our children to leave and return at some point." She told her sister softly while she cried. Tsiron:iare leaned into her sister's arms, welcoming the touch. Ostien said nothing as her sobs slowly faded and she leaned back to look at her sister. Guilt pricked at her for what she had said to her sister. "Sewakatathrewahton, khe'ken:'a." But her sister only smiled back at her and patted her back. "It's alright, I know you didn't mean it." Her face turned more serious but her voice remained gentle as she continued talking. "I know it is different for you. But you should trust Tekariho:ken that he will return. Part of loving someone is trusting them." She didn't say anything more but let Tsiron:iare take in her words. Tsiron:iare considered it, and slowly nodded. "Hen." She said, repeating it more strongly. "Hen.
"Are you sure about this, Ethan?" Ethan looked at his cousin, not surprised that he had used his English name. Anen:taks rarely used it, but did when he was serious and wanted to make sure he heard him closely. Anen:taks was finishing placing the ashes on the piece of bark Ethan held out to him. They crouched together near the low-burning fire in the compartment of the Wolf longhouse that Anen:taks shared with his parents. They were the only ones in the longhouse, as everyone else was busy outside in the summer season. Anen:taks had said that this would be the best time to do it, when there was no one else around. That way no one would know until they were done.
Ethan nodded. "Hen. Tsi niwathawi." He was the right age for it, and most boys his age had already had had their hair plucked into the traditonal scalplock. He hadn't really thought about it for himself before seeing Ona:to's though the other day and no one had pressed him into it. This was his choice. His cousin raised an eyebrow at him. "You are old enough for sure, but we can't put your hair back if you decide you don't like it after I'm done. It will take a long time to grow out again. Besides, you don't know if we will go to school yet or not." "I know." Ethan said. When he had asked Anen:taks to pluck his hair for him, he had agreed but asked him why. Ethan had explained that he wanted to show his parents, especially his mother, that he was truly a part of their community. "They're worried I'll leave," he had said. "I want them to see that I will not." Anen:taks had pointed out that he didn't know if it would make his parents decide that he could go to school but Ethan had insisted he wanted to do it here they were.
Anen:taks shrugged a little and they stood up and moved over to his sleeping platform. Sitting down beside it, Ethan lifted his chin a little and set his teeth. He knew it would hurt. It hurt when his mother and aunt plucked his body hair. Anen:taks sat in front of him, and dipping his fingers into the ashes, reached into Ethan's reddish curls, gripped a tiny section firmly and pulled it out. Placing the plucked hair on the ground beside Ethan, he repeated the process. Ethan sucked air through his teeth, determined not to cry. This was more painful than he thought it would be.
"Tohsa se ksa:a Tesahsentho/Ohkwa:ri ta:re/Tenhanonniahkwe/Ohkwa:ri ta:re/ Tenhanonniahkwe." Anen:taks sang to Ethan quietly as he continued plucking. His cousin was taking it very well, but the first time one got their hair plucked was always painful no matter what. Ethan was used to having his body hair plucked, but having his head plucked was a different matter. Anen:taks remembered the first time their cousin Teha'ennatirontha had plucked his hair into a scalplock. He had been excited for it, eager to look like the young men in the village he had looked up to for so long. But it had hurt a lot. The song had helped him by giving him something else to think about, and he hoped it would help his cousin now.
The pile of reddish curls was big by now, and most of Ethan's head was now bare. But there was still more to go. Touching the part of his head that was still covered with hair, he drew a rough outline of where the scalplock would be. But his finger slipped out onto the newly exposed scalp and he heard his cousin hiss between his teeth with a muffled cry of pain. Anen:taks mentally kicked himself. The skin was very sensitive after being plucked out the first time. "Sewakatathrewahton, kia:se." He gave his cousin an apologetic smile as he turned his head to look at him. "The pain is always the worst the first time. It gets easier over time." Ethan nodded but a few tears slipped out of his scrunched up eyes anyway and he swiped them away, embarrased. Anen:taks knew that his cousin was trying his hardest to behave like a warrior and not a child. "I cried a little too, the first time." He said patting his shoulder, and giving him a grin. "and my second time." Ethan smiled back at that. "We'll be done soon." Dipping his fingers into the ashes again to help his grip as Ethan turned his head back around again, he continued.
Ethan studied his reflection in the mirror that Anen:taks held up for him. He barely recognized himself. Most of his head was bald, and gleamed from the bear grease that Anen:taks had rubbed over it to help soothe the skin and help prevent it from getting sunburned. It didn't hurt now if he ran his fingers over it. It was like touching glass. The only hair that remained on his head was his scalplock which Anen:taks had tied loosely with a wide beaded cord. He touched his remaining curls, taking it all in. "Your head looks like the full moon." His cousin said with a teasing grin. Ethan laughed and playfully shoved the mirror away. "It's summer and I tan fast." He said. It was true that his scalp was ghostly white and looked a little funny with the rest of his body tanned from the sun. But it couldn't be helped for now. "Nia:wen." He told Anen:taks, who nodded with a smile before getting to his feet. "It's time we got something to eat." He said, and Ethan followed his cousin, placing the few curls he had saved tied with string into his waist pouch. His heart thudded a little as they walked towards his family's house. What would they say?
'We'll tell them when they come in for food.' Tsiron:iare thought to herself as she stirred the pot of venison stew over the hearth. It was just about done, and Ostien had just set a tray of freshly baked corn cakes on the table. Their sons and Ongewasgone would be in soon for the noon meal, and she and her sister agreed that they would tell their over the meal. Just then, she heard the door open and turned to greet whoever was coming in. She dropped the ladle on the floor at the sight of her son. The reddish brown curls that had been on his head when he left the house that morning were almost completely gone, and in their place was his bare scalp, with a scalplock tied back. Tekariho:ken looked like a young warrior. A Kanienkehaka warrior.
"Riien'a…" she finally said, "your hair…" Her son smiled and nodded. "Iawekon ken, Ista?" "Hen." She said, reaching out to embrace him. "Nek tsi ohnatieron?" Tekariho:ken gave a small shrug. "It was time." He said simply but Tsiron:iare suspected there was more to it than that. Her son hadn't mentioned ever wanting his head hair plucked before even though most of the young men his age now wore the traditional scalplock. 'He did it for us, for me." Realization dawned on her. 'He wanted to go to school so badly so he did this so I would let him go.' Guilt nipped at her. "You didn't have to do this." She said, a bit sadly. "We were going to tell you now that you and Anen:taks will be going to school with Ona:to and Thayendanegea." There wouldn't be time for his hair to grow back before he left now, and he would have to go with a hairstyle that marked him as different from his birth people. She knew how her son had dreaded standing out among the English and other settlers. It had been one of the hardest things for him to overcome.
But her son only squeezed her again before letting her go. "I wanted to, Ista." He told her. "Whether you and Rakeni let me go to school or not. I am your son and always will be." Tsiron:iare felt tears pricking her eyes for the second time that day but they were happy ones. Still, she couldn't help but wonder how her son would feel when he was surrounded by English people again. "What will you say if they ask about it?" She said. "That I am of the Kanienkehaka and the Wolf Clan and this is how a warrior my age wears his hair." He told her, his eyes reflecting his sincerity. She smiled and reached out to gently tug on his scalplock before a shriek interrupted them. In the doorway that connected the kitchen to the rest of the house stood Otsi'tsa'ko:wa who was looking stunned at her brother. She burst into tears and ran away, her feet pounding up the stairs.
"Olivia!" Tekariho:ken called after her. "Go talk to her." His mother said, gently pushing him in that direction. He nodded but reached into his waist pouch and brought out one of his curls that had been plucked out. He gave it to her. "It's an English custom to give someone a lock of hair to help them remember you." He told her as he left the kitchen. Tsiron:iare carefully tucked it away before picking the ladle up off the floor and turning back to her soup pot. Despite her daughter's reaction, she couldn't help but smile. 'It will be all right.'
Olivia buried her face in her pillow and sobbed. Her big brother didn't look like her big brother anymore. Worst of all, he was going to go away and leave her. She didn't want to leave their parents and Canajoharie to go to school but she didn't want Ethan to go either. She couldn't imagine not having him in their home together anymore. What if he never comes back? Her brother was her one living link to a world and life she could barely remember. The people that they had called Mother and Father were faded figures in her memories. Sometimes she thought that she could remember them. She thought she remembered Father picking her up and carrying her up the stairs when they lived in Boston or Mother smiling at her and telling her she was brave when they had arrived at the cabin. Her brother had often told her about their life before the Kanienkehaka and before they were adopted by Ista and Rakeni. But it was hard to know which memories were hers and which ones came from his stories. Other things confused her too. Sometimes when she was Johnson Hall, she thought she remembered living in a house like it long ago. Ethan said it was a little like their house in Boston had been. But she didn't know if she was just pretending or not.
"Livy?" Ethan's voice was muffled from outside the door. He knocked again. "It's me, Ethan. Can I come in?" "NO!" She yelled and buried her face in her pillow again. But the door opened anyway. She heard her brother walk over to her bed and sit down beside her. He rubbed her back. She moved away but his hands followed her and he pulled her upright to look at him. "I'm still your big brother. With less hair for sure, but still the same." He waggled his eyebrows at her, which with his mostly bald head made her giggle in spite of herself. But he looked so different. It was hard when things were different. "Are you really going to go away to school and leave me?" she asked, crossing her arms over chest and frowning at him. He nodded and she started to turn away before he caught her. "I will come back, Livy." He told her. "I won't be gone forever. This is our home and our family. I won't leave you or them." "Promise?" she demanded. "I promise." Olivia felt a little better but not much. "I will write to you too." He told her. "You're learning your letters so you can write back too." "But I'll miss you." She said and the tears started to come again. "Don't cry, Livy." Ethan said as he wiped them away. "I love you and always will." "I love you too." Olivia said, still not liking the idea of him going away but feeling better knowing he wouldn't forget her. Pulling back to look at him, she studied him carefully. Curiosity got the best of her. "Can I touch your head?" He smiled and nodded, grabbing her hand and gently placing it on top of his head. "Feels funny." She said honestly to which he laughed. "It does a little, doesn't it?" He said and hugged her tightly, rubbing her own head. "You're still my big brother though." She said as he scooped her up off her bed and they began walking downstairs together. "Forever." He agreed.
Ethan hugged Tsiron:iare tightly before bending down to hug Olivia. The day had come for him to leave for school with Anen:taks, Ona:to and Thayendanegea. They were going to travel downriver to Albany with Sir William Johnson's formal letter of introduction that he was sending with them to Reverend Wheelock. All of them were now saying their final goodbyes to their families before they would launch their canoes into the Mohawk River. "O:nen:ki'wahi, Livy." He whispered. Turning to his father, he found himself pulled into a hug. "Safe journey, riien'a." He told him. After releasing him, Rakeni took off the gustoweh he wore on his head and placed it on his own. "This is for you. A symbol of who you are." He told him proudly. Ethan didn't know what to say. He reached up and gently touched the three upright eagle feathers that adorned the cap. The gustoweh was a part of a man of the Six Nations' identity. Each nation had their own design and each one was unique to that nation. Looking at his father whose eyes shone with pride and love, he embraced him again. "Nia:wen, Rakeni." He finally said. His father patted his back firmly. "Time for you to go." He said as Ethan pulled away, gesturing with his chin towards the beach. Ethan nodded and jogged down to where the canoe he and Thayendanegea would paddle together was beached. As he helped push it into the water, he couldn't help but remember the first time he had come to Canajoharie. It seemed as if decades had passed instead of only three years. Everything's changed. I've changed. He thought as he began to paddle and he and Thayendanegea matched each other's rhythm. Before they were too far away, he turned back and raised his paddle briefly as another farewell to his family who still lingered near the beach. When he returned, he would have changed more, he knew. But this would still be his home.
Long note/translations ahead…I thought it was important in this story to show how much Ethan has changed from when he first arrived in Canajoharie until this chapter. Not only has he grown physically, but he's also grown emotionally and mentally. He has a dual cultural identity now but leans more towards the Mohawk part of his identity which I felt was realistic given that's where he is living and what is being raised in. He's also gotten to the "sweet spot" with his family where he can laugh and have inside jokes with them and all of those things so I wanted to hit on those parts too as part of his growth here. We also finally got to meet his aunt Ostien who really surprised me with her part when she had her tough love talk with her sister. I wasn't expecting that at all when I first thought about this chapter but I liked showing Tsiron:iare with her sister and how close they are.
As far as actual history goes in this chapter, Sir William Johnson did have Molly Brant as his common-law wife and she lived together with him at Johnson Hall (he had at various times before their relationship several other common law wives of both European and Native heritages but never officially married any of them) and they had eight children together. Peter Warren Johnson was the name of their firstborn, and Elizabeth was one of their daughters. From a historical documentary I found on the life of Joseph Brant (Chiefs: The Worlds of Joseph Brant) it sounded like Joseph did live there with his sister Molly at least on a part time basis so I wanted to include that. Johnson did take a special interest in his brother-in-law and mentored him in the art of warfare as well as arranging for his education at Reverend Wheelock's school (Joseph was one of three Mohawk students sent there but for the purposes of my story, I made him one of four).
With Ethan's new hairstyle, he needed something that physically showed how far he has come in his new life. Historically speaking, Mohawk teenage boys would often get their hair plucked at about this age into a scalplock which signified that they were now young warriors. As I said at the beginning I have EmoryRose to thank for helping come up with some great ideas for that scene (including the idea of a song and Anen:taks both doing the honors and commenting about the pain of having his hair plucked out from the scalp-OUCH!). Speaking of plucking, I mentioned that Ethan's body hair was plucked by his mother and aunt (thanks to BrynnaRaven for helping with that detail) because native people tend to not grow much body hair and thought it wasn't attractive so he would've been plucked as soon as it started coming in. The scalplock is a gift of sorts to his family-especially his mother-and it's a gift that is freely given without thought of return (although it's reciprocated in kind by his mother letting him go to school since that it also given without thought of return). It's a big step for him, since he was so afraid of people making fun of him and judging him before, and now he is willing to let the whole world know that he is a son of the Wolf Clan and a member of the Six Nations. Speaking of which, the gustoweh is also part of that because as I said in the story, it represents a man's identity in terms of which nation he belongs to. I didn't want to leave out Ongewasgone in this chapter since there's a lot of focus given to other characters and when "he" suggested giving Ethan his gustoweh, it made for a perfect goodbye scene.
We also see Olivia get POV scene of her own for the first time. She's still a very young girl so it was simple but hopefully sweet (and as a little sister myself it was easy to picture her reaction!). I have plans for her in the future and wanted to show the difference between her and her brother in terms of their memories and experiences and how it shapes their identities. Olivia can't remember much of their life before they were adopted, but her brother can and he is her link to that in many ways. This is something that will come up again so I'm glad that I was able to get the ball rolling on that.
Thank you so much to everyone for their support with this story; I really couldn't do it without you!
Ista: Mother
Hen: Yes
Nia:wen: Thank you
Rakeni: Father
She:kon: Hello
Iatate'ken:'a: brothers
Ratinekenhteron's: Three or more teenage boys
Ostien: Blue Birch
Ioia:nere: good
khe'ken:'a: my younger sister
riien'a: my son
Skashaka:ra: smallmouth bass
tewaaraton: literally little brother of war, traditional name for lacrosse
kia:se: cousin
Iah: no
akhtsi:'a: my older sister
Kanienkehaka: People of the Flint (traditional name for the Mohawk people)
Sewakatathrewahton: I'm sorry
Tsi niwathawi: It's time.
kia:se: cousin
Iawekon ken, Ista?: Is it good, Mother?
Nek tsi ohnatieron?: But why?
O:nen:ki'wahi: Goodbye for now
The song Anen:taks sings to Ethan is a Mohawk children's song:
Tohsa se ksa:a Tesahsentho: Child don't you cry
Ohkwa:ri ta:re: The bear is coming
Tenhanonniahkwe: He is dancing
Ohkwa:ri ta:re: The bear is coming
Tenhanonniahkwe: He is dancing.