Brave Beginnings Read online

  He shoved Citlali away with enough force so that Citlali fell against the side of the lodge. “It was just a suggestion,” Citlali said.

  “Is this the suggestion you’ll offer Onawa when you marry her? Will you take a second wife to her lodge and tell her it’s for the sake of having more full-blooded Mandan babies? Or will you bring three or four wives to her and expect her to understand?”

  “She is full-blooded Mandan. I don’t need to take another wife.”

  “But what if she can’t bear children? My first wife couldn’t. Just because you marry a full-blooded Mandan, it doesn’t mean you will have children that will reach adulthood and carry on our way of life.” Chogan collected the coyote and glared at Citlali. “Life does not always go according to plan, and marriage is more than having babies. If you don’t learn that and learn it quick, Onawa will throw you out of her lodge and find another husband. No woman wants to be second to someone else. She wants first place in your heart and life.”

  Citlali stood up and straightened his robe. “You take offense where you shouldn’t.”

  “I hope you remember that when Onawa wants no part of it. There’s a good reason why Woape ran away.”

  He blinked before his eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly.

  Chogan’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Don’t strain yourself, Citlali. That’s the most emotion you’ve ever shown.”

  Citlali waited for a moment and then headed off.

  He hoped that meant Citlali would leave him alone, but if he didn’t, then Chogan would be more than happy to deposit him into the middle of Bismarck and let Ernest and his ilk deal with him.

  Chogan entered his family’s lodge, no longer in a good mood.

  His mother came forward to inspect the coyote. “You did a marvelous job!” She ran her hand along the fur and grinned.

  “Where is Julia? I want to show it to her,” he said. “I want to save the fur for her.”

  “She’ll love this,” she replied. “She’s helping Woape with Penelope.”

  “I’ll tell her about the coyote.”

  “We’ll divide this up and set the fur aside for Julia.”

  His mother took the animal beside the fire as his aunt gathered the knives. With some of his enthusiasm returning, he headed out to Woape’s lodge.

  ~~********~~

  Chapter 22

  Julia shoved her hands into her coat pocket as Woape pointed out where her family planted crops in the spring. Penelope was a few feet away, rolling a snowball and giggling as the ball grew bigger. Julia chuckled and turned back to Woape who pointed further down the prairie that ran along the river.

  “You will plant with Chogan’s female relatives over there,” Woape said. “Chogan’s family is part of the WaxikEna clan. You’re lucky. That’s the highest one we have.”

  “Oh?”

  “Citlali’s lodge is the primary one of that clan.”

  Julia looked at her in interest. “I’ve heard the name Citlali before, haven’t I?”

  “I was supposed to marry him.”

  Julia briefly recalled her aunt telling her that Woape was promised to one of the Indian men in her tribe, but she didn’t love the man so she ran off in the middle of the night. At the time, her aunt had told her the story in hopes that Julia would sympathize with Woape instead of resenting her for coming in between Julia and Gary. But at the time, Julia didn’t care why Woape left. Now, the matter intrigued her. “Why didn’t you want to marry Citlali?”

  “He did not love me. Our parents arranged the marriage because of his prominence in the tribe. My family is in the Prairie Chicken clan, and the agreement was that I’d bring the sacred robe bundle into the marriage. I had to transfer it to Onawa so she can do it instead.”

  Julia felt a smile tug at her lips. “You don’t sound sorry to lose that bundle.”

  “The bundles are just bundles. They contain objects in them that were once believed to hold sacred items in them. This specific bundle has a Good Furred Robe with a map of the world on it, a pipe, white sage, a headdress, moccasins, a clay pot, a strip of elk hide, dried gourd for a rattle, something that looked like corn silk, three different ears of corn, a strip of badger skin, blackbird heads, a head of a green-headed duck, a skull of a whitetail deer with antlers attached, three dried squash, one sunflower head, another robe, and a braid of cornhusks.”

  Woape rattled off the objects so fast, it was apparent that she’d had to memorize what was in the bundle. Julia waited to see if there was more—though with all those items crammed into the bundle, Julia couldn’t imagine what else might possibly be in it. When she realized Woape was finished, she said, “That’s an impressive bundle, but I admit, some of the items sound gruesome. Bird heads? Why are those important?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know why any of those items are necessary, but then I never could accept that they had any special powers associated with them. They are a part of our people and our past. This bundle is for the corn ceremony, so Citlali has a particular interest in it.”

  “Oh,” Julia said, her eyes lighting up with understanding. “I see what you’re saying. He wanted the bundle and the prestige it would bring him more than he wanted you.”

  Woape nodded and glanced at her daughter who had succeeded in rolling a sizable snowball. “I may have gone through some harsh times to be with your brother, but they were worth it. I never told your brother this, but Hothlepoya did more than beat me. Until I saw Penelope with Gary’s nose, I wasn’t sure who the father was. I thank God every day for the moment that led me to Gary.”

  Woape’s meaning dawned on Julia, and Julia felt the color drain from her face. “Woape, I had no idea…” Tears stung her eyes, their heat a drastic contrast to the cold around them.

  “I didn’t tell anyone,” Woape softly said. “I still haven’t. It only brings up a part of my past that I’d rather not think about.”

  “So why tell me?”

  Woape looked at her and shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s a feeling I have, a connection I share with you that I don’t have with anyone else.” Then she laughed. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? Considering how we didn’t get along at first, I never expected to tell you something like that.”

  Julia laughed and wiped the tears from her eyes. “We’ve had our share of arguments, but I feel the connection too.”

  Penelope gave a startled cry as she tumbled over her snowball and fell face first into the snow. This made Julia and Woape laugh harder.

  “She is my brother’s child alright,” Julia teased as Woape picked Penelope up and brushed the snow from her robe. “When we were kids, he was always tripping over himself.”

  “He’s more graceful now,” Woape replied.

  “I don’t know. I did see him run into a horse the other day, but to be fair, someone called out to him while he was walking. So I think he’s not so bad anymore.”

  Woape lifted Penelope in her arms and walked back to Julia. “No, he’s not. Maybe Penelope will grow out of it too.”

  “The men will be more than happy to court her, even if she does bump into things.”

  Woape giggled. “I won’t be making any marital arrangements for her. I want her to choose her own husband.”

  “After what you went through, I don’t blame you. I’m glad you didn’t have to marry Citlali.” Julia turned with Woape to head back to the lodges. “So, does he love Onawa?”

  “I’m not sure. I like to think so, but I worry for her.”

  “It’s apparent she loves him.”

  “Yes. That’s why I worry.”

  Julia sighed. “I hope it’s not because of the corn bundle that he wants to marry her. I hope there’s more to it than that.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears.”

  As they neared the first batch of lodges, Julia happened to notice a woman who was carrying a bucket. Julia recognized her but was sure she’d only seen her a couple of times. Something in the woman’s eyes bothered her. Stepping closer to
Woape, she whispered, “Who is that?”

  Woape grabbed Penelope’s wrist before Penelope could pull on her hair. She turned her head in the woman’s direction, and the woman quickly looked away and hurried off.

  “Does she hate me?” Julia asked, wondering what she might have said or done to upset any of the women in the tribe.

  “No. Citlali wanted Chogan to marry her, but Chogan didn’t want to be with her.”

  “I take it that she would have been happy to marry Chogan?” Julia wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear the answer but didn’t see what good it would do to hide from the truth.

  “Yes, she would have been,” Woape softly replied. “But you shouldn’t trouble yourself over it. Sarita would have been wrong for him. She is not strong. His first wife was more than sickly. She needed someone to support her all the time. He’s a hunter. He can’t be strapped to the lodge all day. His first wife used to make up illnesses to get him to stay home. Her mother and sister told him to go out and hunt once they realized what was going on, and this caused a lot of problems between them. Sarita may not be sickly, but she requires more attention than a hunter can give her.”

  Julia considered Woape’s words. “Does Sarita still harbor feelings for him?”

  “It’s hard to say. She hasn’t said anything, but she probably wasn’t pleased to learn you married Chogan.”

  “There seems to be a lot of that sentiment going around. Ernest didn’t care much for my marriage to Chogan either.” She could only hope that Sarita wouldn’t cause problems like Ernest did. She and Chogan left Bismarck to come here, and she didn’t know where else they might possibly live. This was their permanent home. She’d hate to ruin it with bad feelings. “Maybe I should offer her my friendship? Do you think it would help smooth things over?”

  “There’s no reason why your paths should cross too much. The tribe is not so small that we have to see each other all the time.”

  Julia glanced back at the area where Sarita had been glaring at her. Looking back at Woape, she asked, “Is Sarita someone I want to avoid?”

  Woape shifted Penelope from one arm to the other and stopped. After a quick scan of the area around them, she lowered her voice to say, “Citlali had her believing she would be Chogan’s next wife. In some ways, I don’t blame her for feeling betrayed, but Chogan didn’t give her a reason to believe the marriage would happen. Citlali pushed for it.”

  Despite the chilly air, Julia’s face grew hot as her anger surfaced. “Why would he push for such a thing?” And as an afterthought, she added, “Is he still pushing for it?” She’d seen a couple of women who shared a husband. Goodness, was Citlali thinking that Chogan should take more than one wife? Her hands clenched in her pockets and she gritted her teeth.

  “Citlali wants Chogan to have full-blooded Mandan children.”

  “What?” Julia yelled, unable to decide what was worse: knowing Citlali wanted Chogan to take a Mandan wife or the reminder that she hadn’t gotten pregnant yet.

  Woape shushed her and then smiled. “You have no need to worry. Chogan did not take a second wife when he was married to his first wife, and he will not now. He loves you more than he ever loved her. It’s obvious in the way he looks at you. He never looks at Sarita that way.” She giggled and leaned forward to whisper, “In fact, last summer, he made it a point to hide behind the cornstalks just so she wouldn’t see him when he had to pass by her family’s plot of land when he came back from hunting.”

  She relaxed. “Really?”

  “Yes. Really. Don’t worry. Chogan is as devoted to you as Gary is to me.”

  “Good.” She didn’t think Chogan loved another woman, but she had wondered if he liked the idea of having Mandan children. Any children she might have with him would not be full-blooded Mandan, and she knew how he grieved the decreasing number of the tribe.

  “Love is more important, Julia,” her sister-in-law said. “Being Mandan is more than who your parents are. Penelope is Mandan. She is a full member of this tribe, and your children will be too. Citlali’s ways are not the ways of most of us. We want to be happy and live in peace. No amount of ceremonies or sacred bundles will ever replace a good marriage and the children that come from it. One thing your people have given us that has been good is your strong family ethic. In our past, men took more than one wife, and divorce was as easy as putting the man out of the lodge. But you honor marriage and make it a lifetime commitment. I don’t want to share Gary with another woman, and I don’t want him having children with a woman besides me.”

  “I doubt any woman likes to compete for the love of her husband,” Julia thoughtfully replied.

  “No, she doesn’t. And Gary said a husband doesn’t want to compete for the love of his wife.”

  “He said that?”

  Woape grinned. “He did. You should have seen how shocked he was when he learned the ways of my people. He made it clear that just because he was in this tribe, he would not take another wife and I would not kick him out because of an argument. He said we were going to stick together. I told him after all I went through in thinking I’d lost him, the last thing I’d do is let him go.”

  “Aunt Erin would love to hear this,” Julia mused. “It’s hard to believe the same boy who spent his childhood unable to stick with one thing for longer than five minutes could turn out as well as he did.”

  “Ah, then I think his older sister and aunt helped to steer him in the right direction, don’t you?”

  Julia noted the twinkle in Woape’s eyes and laughed. “Yes. We will take full credit for how well he turned out.”

  Woape joined her in laughing, and they resumed their walk.

  Up ahead, Julia saw Chogan heading in their direction. Her lips turned up into a smile at the sight of him. His eyes met hers and he returned her smile.

  Woape, seeming to understand the situation, said, “I’ll go find Onawa. Say good-bye, Penelope.”

  Penelope waved and Julia patted the girl’s head before she changed course so she could meet up with Chogan. When the distance between them came to a close, Julia stopped.

  “I thought you were going to run into my arms,” Chogan mused.

  With a slight shrug, she said, “I thought it’d be better to wait until we’re alone.”

  He grinned and pulled her into his arms. “We are not in Bismarck. White man’s rules do not apply here.” He kissed her and caressed her cheek.

  She blushed despite the chill in the air. “I have some adjusting to do.”

  “I will help you, like you helped me.” He turned and kept her close to his side as they strolled down the path. “You and Woape are getting to be good friends. You were laughing.”

  “It’s easy to laugh when it comes to Gary. He’s silly.”

  He chuckled. “I wouldn’t know. He rarely comes near me.”

  She laughed harder. “Because he’s scared of you when it’s just you and him.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.” His exasperated look told her that he didn’t believe her, so she poked him in the side. “Walk up to him and see what he does.” She stopped and pointed to her brother who was carrying an armful of branches to Woape’s lodge. “Go on.”

  “This is unnecessary.”

  “But you won’t believe me otherwise. Go and see what he does,” she pressed.

  Though he rolled his eyes, she caught the glint of amusement on his face. “This is silly, but for you, I’ll do it.” He took a step forward and then glanced over at her. “What do I say to him?”

  “What do men say when they see each other?”

  “Gary is not like other men. He is not good for hunting. He just talks a lot.”

  “Since he’s a chatterbox, let him do the talking.”

  He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.

  “Well…He likes horses. Talk about horses.”

  “I know about horses.”

  She groaned. “Then ask him where Woape is. Tell him I want to speak to her.” Before he cou
ld protest, she added, “It doesn’t matter what he says. What matters is how he reacts to you.” Then she gave him a pointed look. “Are you scared of him?”

  He huffed. “I am a hunter. I fear nothing.”

  Without further delay, he headed on over to her brother who was a good five feet from the lodge. He waved to Gary to get his attention, and she covered her mouth to hold back her laughter at the uncertain expression on her brother’s face.

  Julia strained to hear what Chogan said as he approached her brother, but a group of women from her left prevented her from hearing Chogan and Gary who were two lodges ahead of her. She noticed Gary drop a couple of branches as he fumbled to answer Chogan when someone said something to her in Mandan.

  Snapping her head to the left, Julia recognized Sarita who spoke in a condescending tone while she motioned to Julia from head to toe and snickered. The two women standing with Sarita giggled and walked away. Sarita shot her one last look and joined her friends. Julia gritted her teeth and decided she wouldn’t befriend those three busybodies who had nothing better to do than to stick their noses into someone else’s business.

  Julia faced forward and decided to help ease things for her brother who was stuttering while he scrambled around for the branches, unsuccessfully trying to hold onto all of them. As comical as the scene was, her good mood had turned sour, and she doubted anything would pull her out of it any time soon.

  “Um…wow…that’s interesting,” Gary stammered.

  She noted the amused sparkle in Chogan’s eyes as he glanced her way. She also noted that he didn’t make a move to help Gary. Even if she found a not-so-appropriate enjoyment from watching her brother squirm, she had to help him.