The Sweat Lodge

Ehawee's nerves have her well awake before dawn, for she knows Kohana should have gotten back sometime last night. This morning, he will present her father with the wedding gifts he has made to make up for the loss of his daughter. Then they will go before the council once again and have prayers said over them before entering the sweat lodge. There they will stay, until the dawn breaks the next morning.

Ehawee forces herself to remain in her sleeproll until dawn, but as soon as it's light enough to see, she dresses and sneaks outside, glancing over at Kohana's teepee to see if he's up yet. She notices him as soon as she steps outside. He has already brushed two of his ponies and is decorating them for presentation. He also has a pile of fresh furs wrapped and ready. He smiles when he sees her. She grins back at him and begins brushing her pony, feeling relieved that he made it back. She realizes that there was a small part of her that had feared something might happen to him while he was gone.

Shortly, her father comes out of the teepee and stretches in the sun. "Good morning, Ehawee," he says, still with that happy/sad look. "Are you prepared?"

She nods, doing her best to hide her mix of nervousness and excitement. "I am ready."

Her father gives her an approving nod, then looks over her shoulder. When she turns, she sees Kohana approaching with the ponies and the furs. She smiles brightly at him. When he reaches Akecheta, he bows his head. "I present these gifts to you, as compensation for the loss of your daughter," Kohana says.

Akecheta begins looking the gifts over with a critical eye. "It is not enough," he says firmly.

Ehawee's eyes widen and her mouth opens in protest, then closes again. She gives Kohana an anxious look, then looks back at her father.

Kohana looks thoughtful. "I will also offer the rifle I got at the white trading post last winter."

Akecheta looks impressed. "Done," he says and takes the gifts from Kohana.

Ehawee looks both impressed and relieved, and smiles at Kohana. "You do me great honor," she says softly.

Akecheta ties the ponies to his string and places the skins within the teepee. The rest of Ehawee's family and some of Kohana's have begun to gather. Akecheta returns and takes Ehawee's hand. He then takes Kohana's hand and puts both of their hands together. "I give my daughter, Ehawee, to you Kohana, so that she can be your wife."

Takoda and some of the other boys whoop loudly. Ehawee looks at Kohana and smiles broadly at that, squeezing his hand excitedly. He squeezes hers back and stands tall and proud beside her. Akecheta smiles at both of them. "Are you ready to face the Council?" he asks.

"Yes," Kohana says clearly.

"Yes," Ehawee echoes steadily.

Akecheta leads them to the winter lodge, where the Council has gathered. Also present are the shamans who tested Ehawee before. Two circles have been drawn on the floor. Ehawee is told to sit in one, and Kohana sits in the other. Then the drums begin to beat and the shamans to chant.

Ehawee sits cross-legged and shoots a quick glance at Kohana to see what he's doing, figuring he must have done this before so he'll know what the proper response is. Kohana looks like he's meditating. He's sitting cross-legged in the center of the circle with his wrists resting on his knees, breathing deeply. Ehawee does the same, mostly concentrating on just remaining still for the moment and not fidgeting.

After about 15 minutes of chanting, Kohana and Ehawee are swept with pine boughs from the mountains by a shaman. Another shaman offers Kohana a bowl, and Kohana drinks from it. The bowl is then presented to Ehawee, who does the same, composing her face so that even if it tastes bad, she won't react. It is a very strong taste. As she closes her eyes and concentrates on the rhythm and words, she starts to feel a bit lightheaded, and begins to sway very slightly in time with the rhythm. At first she can understand the words she is hearing. They are prayers offered up to the Great Spirit, asking that their spirits be cleansed. Then the words and the music melt together, becoming no more that a rhythmic buzz at the back of her brain.

At some point, Ehawee feels hands lift her up and walk her outside. She is aware of the breeze, and the brightness of midday. She can see, through a haze, that Kohana is being treated the same way. They are both walked to the sweat lodge that the elders built for them yesterday. Because Ehawee has been declared half spirit, she will go through the ceremony as a man.

Once inside, in the darkness and steam of the sweat lodge, the scene around her becomes more unreal. It's as if she is someone else, watching the procedure from a small distance away. Both she and Kohana are undressed and sat on opposite sides of the hot rocks and fire. The wolf shaman disrobes and sits at the top of the triangle. He continues chanting and pours more water over the hot rocks. The drumming and chanting continues outside the lodge as well.

But this is Ehawee, and even with all of the mystical energies swirling around her, she can't help but notice that her husband is a very well-made man... She shoots quick glances at him at first, part of her feeling that it wouldn't be proper to look. But she reminds herself that he is her husband now, and she soon begins to spend more time looking him over, studying him. And she likes what she sees.

There must be medicine in the water, for the more the shaman pours it over the hot rocks, filling the room with steamy haze, the more lightheaded Ehawee feels. Soon, the lodge itself is hard to see, and she feels as if she is floating. She likes this feeling and gives herself over to it, trying to move around, and even float out of the lodge, if she can. She sees herself, as from above, and then she sees the lodge, as from above, but she does not emerge into a bright, sunny day. It is dark, shadowed and misty. She moves carefully through the mist, looking for other buildings, anything at all besides her, really. Shapes slowly gain definition in the mist. They are trees, looming tall all around her. She has never seen their like. So big. So wild. She approaches one and places her hand on its bark, looking up in wonder towards its branches, trying to sense its life force, but it is dull, dead. Almost like it is not there. That disturbs her, and she pulls her hand back quickly. She moves back in the direction of the lodge, looking for something more alive. But the way she came is no longer there, just more trees and the feeling that she is not alone...

"Deadwood"
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All text on this page is © 2000 by Kris Fazzari.

Last modified on December 31, 2000 by Kris Fazzari.