Secrets: The Truth is Slowly Revealed - 24. Chapter 24 S1

Chapter 24 – The Navajo Nation

Route 666 was merely a two-lane paved road that ran through the reservation, and we’d traveled quite a ways on it when Pops told us what he was about to do next. He’d taken over the driving after we’d stopped to fill the SUV with gasoline, since he’d been here before and knew the way. He’d traveled to the reservation to ask the shaman if he could possibly make me a skinwalker, so Gramps thought it would be best if he took over the driving.

“We’ve got to turn off of the paved road and take a dirt road the rest of the way,” he explained.

We didn’t question what he was about to do and twenty minutes later we reached the location where we were to meet up with the shaman. Pops pulled over, just off the dirt road, and came to a stop next to a dirt hogan. I knew it was a dirt hogan because of the photos I’d seen online while I was doing my research.

“Ok, we can get out now,” he advised us.

As we were gathering together on the side of the SUV closest to the hogan, an older man walked out of the opening in the mound of dirt. The hogan was shaped like the top half of a basketball, although this one had a doorway. I assumed the person coming toward us was the shaman, but he wasn’t dressed as I expected. He was wearing jeans and a blue shirt and had a bandana wrapped around his forehead. He was also wearing a very simple sterling silver necklace with a collection of highly polished turquoise stones embedded in it, and he was walking directly toward Pops.

“Yá'át'ééh,” the shaman said as he addressed Pops.

“Yá'át'ééh,” Pops replied, and then Pops turned toward us and spoke. “That’s the standard Navajo greeting and this is the shaman I’ve been telling you about.”

“Yes, it is true this is our typical greeting, but we refer to ourselves as Diné, not Navajo,” the shaman said as he corrected Pops. “And it is my pleasure to welcome you here. I am the medicine man or haatali in our language. The name haatali means singer, because the chats I utter while performing the various ceremonies are a form of singing.”

Pops then introduced him to the rest of us, and the shaman greeted each of us the same way as he’d greeted Pops. However, he said more when he came to me.

“So, you are the young man who wishes to become a skinwalker, the same as Isaac and his descendents.”

“Yes, Devin is one of his descendents,” I replied as I took Devin’s hand in mine, “and he and I are lovers. We want to get married and share a very long life together.”

“The Diné are accepting of homosexuals, although we do not use that term for them. The Diné use the term nádleehí instead, because it describes the social role the person plays in our society, although the individual’s role is not as rigid as being either male or female. The Diné actually acknowledge four genders: masculine male, feminine male, masculine female, and feminine female, and these roles may be somewhat fluid, depending on the situation. A male may be a masculine male when it comes to his function in our society, but a feminine male when it comes to his choice of having a male partner or choosing a typically feminine role.”

“Wow, that’s really interesting,” Devin responded. “I wish all people thought that way.”

“I already knew about some of what you just said, because I did some research on the Diné before coming here,” I followed. “It just sounds better hearing you explain it.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. Other Native American nations may share some of our beliefs, such as the idea of Two-Spirits. That’s the term the Indigenous Lesbian and Gay International Gathering chose in 1990 to describe those who fulfill a traditional third gender role, or other gender social role, in our communities. Others might use the term Third Gender to describe themselves or others as being neither male nor female. It may also be used to describe a transgender individual or one whose body is one sex, but they identify more closely with the other sex.”

“Native Americans seem to be far more enlightened about LGBTQ concerns than most people,” I observed.

“Possibly we are in some ways, while not in other ways. I have a reason for saying this, because unfortunately I must request that you do not mention to anyone other than myself that you and Devin are planning to marry. Although we do not have a problem with members of the same-sex having sexual relations, same-sex marriage is illegal for Diné. That’s due to a tribal law that was passed in 2018.”

“Thank you for warning us about that, but I’m glad you are more accepting of the idea that we want to get married.”

“Yes, I am more open about this than most others, possibly because I am older and remember what it was like before the marriage of same-sex partners was prohibited. We must now talk about other things, though, and get down to business. This evening will start off when I perform a ceremony to make you a member of the Diné Nation.”

“What about the others? Will they be included in the ceremony as well?”

“Only as observers, because they are already members of the Diné Nation. You see, when my fourth great-grandfather performed this very same ceremony on Isaac many decades ago, Isaac became a Diné and the head of his own clan. His descendents became Diné and a member of his clan when they were born.”

“Ok, I understand now.”

“And even though the Diné are a matriarchal or matrilineal society, which means the women are generally the leaders of the tribe and heads of their clans, an allowance was made in this case. It was necessary since only males can be skinwalkers, and it was also necessary due to Isaac’s longevity.”

“Won’t the others in your tribe wonder why he’s the head of his clan then?”

“Yes, but it will be explained to them that only males have been born in his clan, and since he is the oldest he is therefore considered the head of his clan. As I mentioned previously, his son, grandson, and great-grandson all became members of his clan and Diné at birth. Their wives became members of his clan once they married into the family, but they are not considered Diné.”

“Ok, I guess that makes sense.”

“And after the ceremony, you will become a member of his clan as well. After you have had a chance to speak with some of the other Diné who wish to welcome you as a member of our tribe, you will return to this place with me. From that moment on, we will remain here until all of the rituals that will make you a skinwalker have been completed.”

“And after tonight’s ceremony,” Pops added, “the rest of us will drive to the nearest town and stay at a motel until Mac is ready to return home.”

“It will not be necessary for you to spend your money on a place to stay. You are part of this Nation, so you may stay on the reservation until you are ready to return to your homes. You may use my private hogan, or my hohrahn as we prefer to call our ancestral homes, if you do not mind sleeping on the ground. Michael and I will be sleeping on ground while we are at this hohrahn, which is the ceremonial hohrahn, and I will show you where my personal hohrahn is located in a little while, but I have a question for Isaac first. Did you just refer to Michael as Mac a minute ago?”

“Yes, we call him that because his last name is MacPherson.”

“Ah, I see, although I find it very strange. I suppose it is another of the white man’s customs that I do not fully understand.”

“Do all Diné live in hohrahns?” I asked, changing the topic.

“I do, along with a few of the others, but many Diné now choose to live in a trailer or a double wide. Some of the younger members of the tribe have even built rectangular stone homes with flat roofs, so you will find a variety of dwellings in use.”

“If you don’t mind,” Pops interjected, “seeing the ceremony won’t be happening until later, can we drive you somewhere when we go to get something to eat?”

“There is no need for you to leave the reservation for your meals either. You may eat with us.”

“I appreciate the offer, but we don’t want to impose. I hope I don’t offend you by saying this, but we understand the Diné aren’t wealthy and there’s barely enough food to go around. With that in mind, we have decided to go off the reservation to eat, and that way we won’t be taking food out of someone else’s mouth.”

“I am not offended and you are correct. We are not a wealthy people and the money your ancestor gave to our Nation was used up long ago. Besides, you will probably be more accustomed to the food you will get when you go off the reservation, as compared to what you would get with us. In that case, you can drive me to my personal hohrahn and it will give you a chance to see what it’s like, and it will also let you know where you should return when you have finished eating. You will then be able to do whatever you wish until an hour before the ceremony begins, and that will happen at sundown. I will not need Michael until then either, so he may wish to go with you to eat.”

As we all got in the SUV, Gramps let the shaman sit in front next to Pops, and then the shaman directed him to his hohrahn. I believe we were all surprised by how far away it was from the ceremonial hohrahn.

“Damn, do you have to walk between the two hohrahns?” Devin asked.

“Yes, and for the most part the walk between the hohrahns has not been a problem for me, although it is becoming more difficult as the years pass.”

The shaman’s personal hohrahn was quite different from the one we’d just seen. Where the ceremonial hohrahn appeared to be made entirely out of dirt, this one was basically a small log cabin with a domed dirt roof. The building had a door that we entered through, and it was quite dark inside, even though the shaman had left the door open. It still took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darker interior before I could look around.

When my eyes became more accustomed to the lack of sunlight inside the hohrahn, the first thing I noticed was a metal stove with a stovepipe that extended through the roof. I didn’t spot any windows, though, which explained why it was so dark inside. It also made me wonder what the shaman did for light so he could safely move around inside during the day, but I didn’t take the time to inquire about this now. I had other things I wanted to ask him first.

“Where will tonight’s ceremony be held?”

“Although the members of the Diné Nation do not live close together and are spread out over the northern portion of the reservation, we still have a common area where many ceremonies are held. It is only about a half mile (0.8 km) from here and we will go there just before sunset.”

“I guess that’s not too far from here, considering how far away the ceremonial hohrahn is located,” I agreed.

Shortly after we talked to the shaman about those things, we told him that we’d see him again when we returned, and then we set out to get something to eat. We ended up driving to a small town that was located a short distance from the reservation, and after we spotted a decent looking place where we could get something to eat, we stopped to fill our bellies.

“I’ve got a feeling that I’ll be eating on the reservation from now on,” I told the others as we were eating.

“You might be right about that,” Pops agreed, “but we’ll try to bring you a little change of pace whenever we can.”

“Thanks and that will probably help.”

When we returned to the shaman’s hohrahn after we finished eating, he came out to greet us again, but this time he was wearing a more traditional outfit. He was dressed in homemade clothing that included a pair of leather britches, a hand-stitched leather shirt that he had to slip on over his head, and he was wearing a pair of leather moccasins on his feet. He also wore a leather headband, and Pops advised us that each of those items were probably made from a deer’s hide. At the same time, the shaman was still wearing the same sterling silver necklace with the turquoise stones that he had on earlier, but now he appeared very different than when we first met.

“As I mentioned before, the ceremony will not begin until dusk,” the shaman stated, “so I will give you a tour of the local area first, if you are interested.”

“We are,” we replied in unison.

“It will save us a great deal of time if you are willing to use your vehicle to do this, if you do not mind.”

“No, that won’t be a problem,” Gramps replied.

Pops let the shaman sit in front, next to Gramps, who drove wherever the shaman told him to go. Along the way, the shaman pointed out where the ceremony would take place, and he also took us to see where some of the other members of the Diné Nation lived. As we drove around, we looked at the various types of homes and the people who resided in them, and I couldn’t help but think about how simply they lived and how poor they appeared to be. We were told that not all of the homes, especially the hohrahns, stone houses, and some of the trailers, even had running water. I’d always thought that Devin’s family was a throwback to an earlier time, since they live in a cabin in the woods, but the Diné were much worse off than that.

“Can’t the Diné Nation just build houses with running water for the people to live in?”

“There are two reasons why that doesn’t happen. First of all, we are too poor as a Nation to do it, and the other reason is that even though this is our homeland, over 90% of the reservation is owned by the U.S. government.”

“So, the Diné don’t even own this land?”

“No, the U.S. government owns the land and it is managed by a trust that comes under the control of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Less than 1% of the reservation is actually owned and under the control of individual Diné. And before homes can be built or other construction can proceed, environmental, archaeological, and other permits must be secured first, and those aren’t easy to get.”

“Damn, that’s awful.”

“It’s just the way it is.”

I immediately began to feel sorry for them, and at the same time I also became extremely angry with the federal government for taking advantage of the Native Americans over the years. During the late 1700s and throughout the 1800s, the government took the lands the Native Americans had lived on for generations and forced them to live on reservations. Since then, the government hasn’t done much, if anything, in the way of making reparations for the way it had treated and abused the native population. It was fairly obvious that most of the Diné we were observing continued to be unable to maintain a decent standard of living.

You’d think that reparations would be the least the government could do after the many times throughout the years that it went back on its word and broke the treaties it had made with Native Americans. The government had broken nearly every treaty, but unfortunately it still hadn’t made amends for this atrocious behavior. Besides having stolen their ancestral lands in the first place, the government now wants to conduct mining and fracking operations on some of those same lands.

Even worse than that, the government was also responsible for the deaths of many Native Americans, either directly or indirectly. When first making contact with the native population, the settlers introduced many diseases for which the Native Americans had no natural immunity. The army also killed many of the Native Americans during numerous battles that were fought when the various tribes attempted to protect their ancestral homes. In most cases, the Native Americans were just reacting to how they were being taken advantage of, but in the end it didn’t seem to matter.

Reparations could have been used in order to improve conditions on the reservations where the Native Americans had been forced to live, as well as to make amends for past injustices, but it never happened. African Americans have their own claim for being owed reparations for the years they were enslaved and mistreated, at least those who are direct descendents of those who’d been forced to live as slaves. My train of thought, however, was interrupted when I began noticing something else.

“I’ve seen a lot of sheep around here. Is that typical?” I asked.

“Yes, many families raise sheep, both as a source of food and for the wool they provide. Mutton is our primary source of meat and we use the sheep’s wool to make blankets and clothing.”

“Does that mean you only eat the meat from sheep?”

“No, we also hunt mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, rabbits, and squirrels which we eat as well. We will also eat beef whenever we can afford to buy it or if we can purchase a calf or two to raise, but that does not happen very often. It is the reason why you see so many sheep here.”

“I’ve noticed a bunch of gardens too,” Devin stated, “so what types of crops do you grow?”

“It is mainly beans, squash, and corn, but not the type of corn you are used to. We grow Robin’s Nest Corn, or Naadaa’ in our language, and it gets its name from the blue colors of the kernels, but it varies by the ear and by the kernel, because not all ears appear the same. It is a soft corn that can be ground into flour and used to make blue corn bread, blue corn mush, and blue corn pancakes. It can also be dried, roasted, and ground into a cornmeal that can be used to make such things as tamales and cornmeal soup.”

Seeing the sun was about to set in the west, the shaman directed Gramps to return to his personal hohrahn. After Gramps parked the SUV in front of the hohrahn, the shaman informed us that we would be walking to the ceremony, but first he had to go inside the hohrahn to retrieve a few additional items. The rest of us decided to wait near the SUV as he did it.

When he returned, he was also wearing a wolf’s pelt with the head still attached. However, the lower jaw, brain, and eyes had been removed and it now sat on the shaman’s head. The remainder of the wolf’s pelt hung down and rested against the shaman’s back, and the wolf’s forelegs were draped over the shaman’s shoulder and crossed over his chest. He was also carrying a traditional Diné drum and drumstick, which had a padded tip, but he didn’t immediately speak.

“That’s his ceremonial headdress,” Grandpa Isaac whispered to the rest of us as we stared in awe at the shaman’s commanding presence. A few seconds later, the shaman finally spoke.

“It is time for you to follow me,” he said, breaking our concentration over his current appearance. “It is not a very far from here, so it will not take very long to get there.”

We did as he suggested, and when we arrived at the site there were quite a few other members of the tribe already gathered to watch the ceremony. A small bonfire had also been lit and it gave off a limited glow to the area once the sun had set, and I spotted a group of about a dozen dancers waiting to perform. They were evenly split between males and females, and they were all dressed in what I assumed was traditional Diné ceremonial attire. Their appearance was nearly as impressive as the shaman’s.

“As you can tell by what the dancers are wearing,” Pops began, “the colors white, black, red, and turquoise blue are all very important to the Diné, along with the color yellow.”

This fact was apparent in the garments they were wearing, since the males were all attired in long-sleeve black shirts with white leather bands wrapped around their wrists. There was also a turquoise medallion attached to their shirt, situated over the top button and just beneath their chins. They were also wearing a turquoise necklace that hung down to their waist, and those necklaces were very similar to the one the shaman had been wearing since we’d first arrived, except they were longer. The main difference was rather than using sterling silver in their design we discovered the dancers’ necklaces were constructed using aluminum instead.

The men were also wearing a black apron that hung down to their knees and was attached to their body using a leather belt. The belt was adorned with a series of sterling silver, or possibly aluminum, disks that went all the way around it. The aprons were covered in a series of designs, but I had no idea what they meant or why they were important. At the bottom of the apron was a dark red band, and above it was a series of white and black step pyramidal designs set against a grey background. The black pyramidal shapes were nested inside of the larger white pyramidal shapes, and I could only guess as to why they were important.

In addition to those items, the men also wore a fur cap that was encircled by a leather band that had long black fringe attached to it. The fringe went from ear to ear and hung down below the dancer’s eyes. They also wore moccasins, as well as leather leggings that extended from their ankles to their knees. Below that, there was a leather strap that wrapped around each of their ankles, and both straps contained multiple ‘sleigh’ bells that jingled as they danced.

The women dancers were dressed in similar garb, starting with a black sleeveless dress with a turquoise medallion that was attached to their dress so it hung just below their throat. It was identical to the medallion the men were wearing, as was the turquoise necklace that hung down to their waist. In addition to those items, they had on a belt that was similar to the ones the men used, and under the belt was a band of bright red material that extended both above and below the belt. There were also bright red tassels that attached to the belt over each of their hips and extended down to their knees.

At the bottom of each dress was a series of turquoise step pyramidal shapes that alternated between being right side up and upside down as they went around the dark red strip located at the bottom of the dress. The women also wore leather moccasins and leggings like the men, along with a feather that hung down from their hair on the left side of their head.

Both the men and women dancers carried a white rattle in each hand, and each rattle had a long, slender handle that they held onto and it also attached to a large, bulbous head.

Now that the ceremony was about to begin, the shaman asked me and Pops to join him in the center of the ceremonial area, and then the shaman addressed those in attendance.

“Some of you may have met Isaac when he came here several weeks ago, but now I wish to inform you about how one of his ancestors saved many of our people many years ago. It happened shortly after the white man’s War Between the States had ended and when their army was hunting our people. The army’s goal was to force the Diné to make the long walk from their homeland to a reservation.

“The army had already done this to the Apache and many had died or were killed during the long walk, so our people were doing whatever they could to avoid the same fate. Isaac’s ancestor, who had enlisted in the army during the war, knew what had happened to the Apache and wanted to prevent the same thing from happening to our people as well. Isaac’s ancestor worked with my fourth great-grandfather to move a large group of our people to a place where the army could not reach them, thus saving their lives.”

I have to admit that I knew this story wasn’t quite accurate, because it wasn’t one of Pops’ ancestors who had done this, but Pops himself. However, due to how long ago it had happened, neither the shaman nor Pops wanted to explain how he’d managed to live for so long and still looked so young.

“For his part in helping to protect our people,” the shaman continued, “Isaac’s ancestor was granted the honor of becoming a member of the Diné Nation. Isaac is now the head of the clan that began with his ancestor, even though the honor is typically passed to the female members of the clan. In this case, however, his ancestor and his ancestor’s descendents have only had male children. Their wives only became Diné through marriage and cannot become head of the clan, so it falls to Isaac as the oldest.

“Isaac now wants to include Michael into his clan,” he added as he patted me on the back, “since Michael is like another member of his family. However, there was a problem with doing this because Michael is not a blood relative and does not have a Diné lineage. For that reason, I met with the Tribal Leaders and requested they make an exception in this case and allow me to perform a ceremony to make Michael a member of the Diné Nation. This will also make it possible for Isaac to adopt him into his clan.”

There were a few murmurs at first, and then some of those watching began to clap, and then others in attendance began to clap or whoop their approval as well. As soon as the commotion died down, Pops took a seat next to Devin and Gramps while I remained where I was. The shaman now began to beat on his ceremonial drum and started to chant as the dancers began to perform around me. They shook their rattles along with the rhythm of the drumbeat, and this continued for approximately twenty minutes.

When the dancing ended, the shaman set down his drum and picked up a bowl filled with sacred herbs. After he lit the herbs with a match, he took a feather and fanned the smoke so it landed upon my body, from head to toe, both front and back, while reciting another chant. When the chant ended, he looked at me and began to speak loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Michael, you are now a member of the Diné Nation, and let me be the first to welcome you as a member of our tribe.”

After saying this, he embraced me in a powerful hug, and once again I heard whoops of approval and clapping as the others began to welcome me as one of their own.

The shaman then urged them to step forward and welcome me in person while introducing themselves. The shaman then urged Pops, Gramps, and Devin to come up and join me, and after they did the other Diné began making their way over to us so they could introduce themselves and welcome us into the tribe. This went on for several minutes, but then one man took a little longer so he could share some information with us.

“My family has long told the story about a white soldier who helped to save the lives of our ancestors, and I’ve been selected by the head of my clan to welcome each of you into the Diné Nation. Isaac, my family wants to honor the memory of your ancestor for his heroic act of bravery in shielding our ancestors, whom he did not know at the time, by inviting you to visit our homes.”

“We will do our best to visit each of you, and I’m certain my ancestor would have been humbled by your kindness,” Pops replied.

As soon as he finished speaking, a young woman stepped up and spoke next. “And I am also a descendent of others whose lives your ancestor protected. I’ve been selected by the head of the clan I’m descended from to welcome all of you into the Diné Nation. We will honor Isaac’s ancestor for helping to save the lives of our ancestors by inviting all of you into our homes as well.”

“It’s been a pleasure meeting each of you and we will do our best to visit each of you while we’re here,” Pops responded, since the other man was still standing there as well. “I’m glad my ancestor was able to help save your ancestors’ lives, although I’m certain he didn’t do it for the recognition, but because it was the right thing to do. In fact, if the story was passed down to me correctly, our family benefited from his actions as well. Years later, a Diné code-talker helped to save the life of one of my ancestors and the members of his platoon during World War II, so any debt that was owed has been repaid.”

“Then some good came out of that war in addition to beating the axis powers,” the man responded.

We stayed and chatted with anyone else who wished to speak with us, and after doing this for some time, the shaman thanked everyone for coming before he led us back to his hohrahn. As soon as we arrived there, the shaman spoke.

“I have to go inside and change quickly, and the rest of you may also come inside and make yourselves comfortable. As soon as I have changed, I will point out some things you will need to know about my home, and then Michael and I will return to the other hohrahn to sleep. That way, we’ll be able to get started on his training early tomorrow morning and not waste any time.”

Before the rest of us went inside, the shaman lit a lantern and this allowed us to look about. I still hoped to see if I could discern how light entered the hohrahn during the day and made it possible for the shaman to walk around without having to light the lantern. This is when I noticed there were two wooden sets of shutters about one yard square (1 m sq) that were on hinges and located at each end of the hohrahn.

“Are there windows on the other side of the shutters? Is that the way you let light into the hohrahn?” I asked after the shaman had changed back into the clothes he’d been wearing earlier.

“There are no windows on the other side, at least not in the sense you mean. It is merely an opening that lets the light and fresh air inside. The one on the east side of the hohrahn will let in the light of the rising sun, and the opening on the west side will let in the sun’s light as it is setting.”

“Oh, ok. I didn’t notice them when I entered the hohrahn earlier, so I wondered if you had to light a lantern or candles to see your way around, even during the day.”

“Only at night, like I did when we entered.”

The shaman then took a few more minutes to tell the others about the things they’d need to know, such as the location of the bedding they could use. When he finished, he turned toward me and spoke.

“Now it is time for the two of us to make our way to the other hohrahn.”

I suddenly started thinking about having to walk the entire way there with the shaman when Gramps spoke.

“The other hohrahn is quite a ways from here and it’s fairly dark out, so why don’t you let me drive you there.”

“That would be much appreciated, since I have already spent so much time on my feet.”

As we left the hohrahn, the shaman carried the wolf’s pelt that he’d been wearing at the ceremony, along with a few other items. We then got in the SUV with Gramps, and Devin joined us as well. He wanted to ride with us to the other hohrahn, so we sat in the back and allowed the shaman sit up front next to Gramps after he’d put the things he was carrying in the rear of the SUV. When Gramps stopped to let us out, the shaman and I thanked him and said goodbye, and then Devin gave me a very passionate kiss before he got in the front, next to his grandfather.

“Take care and listen to the shaman,” he stated after we ended the kiss. “I’ll see you again whenever the shaman will allow,”

“Don’t worry, because I’ll do everything he tells me.”

We waved at each other as they drove away, and then the shaman led me into this hohrahn, which was quite different from the other one. From the outside it appeared to merely be a large mound of dirt that had been hollowed out, but I soon learned this wasn’t the case. Once we passed through the doorway and the blanket covering the opening on the inside, the shaman lit the lantern that was hanging down from the ceiling.

“Why do you have a blanket hanging on the inside of the door?”

“The blanket is the traditional covering to the hohrahn. The door was added later to protect me from any of the wild animals that might attempt to come inside, since I live alone.”

“Oh, ok.”

I now got my chance to look around and see how this hohrahn had been built. The structure had a wooden frame and the dirt had obviously been placed over and around it later, and the interior was fairly roomy and unlike what I expected. Other than the lantern, the first thing I noticed was a pot belly stove that sat just off center of the room and more toward the rear of the hohrahn, and its chimney extended upward and went through the roof. I suspected the stove was offset to leave more space for the rituals the shaman performed and it was used for both warmth and cooking food.

The next thing I noticed was a homemade wooden picture frame that hung on the wall to my right and contained a painting of the local scenery. Not far from that was another frame in which hung a piece of fabric that had several typical Diné designs on it, such as those I’d seen on the dancers’ outfits earlier. Setting on the floor beneath those items were two wooden chests, which were probably used for storage, and one of the chests appeared to be twice the size of the other. Not far from those items was a crudely constructed bench that I stared at for a moment.

“I used to sit on the ground,” the shaman said when he noticed me staring at the bench, “but as I grew older it became harder for me to do, so I built the bench for that purpose. It is large enough so we can both use it, in case you were wondering, but we will sleep on the ground.”

“That’s fine and I’ll do whatever is necessary.”

I then turned toward the other side of the hohrahn and spotted a rather long open-shelving unit on which were stacked a variety of items. They included some pots, pans, and a kettle, as well as some ceramic plates and bowls, silverware, and some items I wasn’t familiar with. Next to the shelving unit was stacked a long row of firewood that the shaman could use in the potbelly stove.

“Some of the men bring firewood for me to use and stack along that wall, and they do it often enough so I do not run out.”

“That’s very thoughtful of them, but there’s something I don’t see. What do I do if I have to go to the toilet?”

“Ah, yes, I knew you would ask that question eventually. The hohrahn faces east, and if you look to your left as you exit the hohrahn and then glance behind it, you will notice the frame of a smaller building with a dirt roof that’s about 20 yards (18.3 m) away. It has four corner posts and log walls that rise to about chest high, but the upper sections remain open so it does not trap the smell. That is the outhouse we will be using while we’re here.”

“Very ingenious and not what I was expecting. And if I’m not being too nosy, what do you keep in the two chests?”

“The smaller chest contains some heavier clothing and blankets that we will be using when we sleep. You will spread one blanket out on the ground to sleep on, and there are others you can use to cover up with, if you feel the need. The larger chest contains a collection of animal pelts that we’ll be using for training purposes during the time you’re here.”

“Ah, ok. I was just wondering what the chests were for and now I know.”

“I will get the blankets out that we will be using tonight so we can go to sleep. We will be getting up early in the morning and will need plenty of rest.”