The white Arctic terns, waving their white wings dotted with black edges, chased the swarms of swimming fish in the strait. The black-footed albatross flutters its dark, gray wings and soars over the high coastal cliffs. This is north of the 48th degree north latitude, which later became the border between the United States and Canada. It is the northwest corner of Washington state and is also the whaling fishing ground of the Makka people.
Old hunter Whale Hai led a dozen Makka boats, dragging rafts filled with whale meat, around the steep promontory to the tribal camp more than twenty miles away. The two kingdom's longships were filled with freshly cut whale meat and followed the Makka fleet to the southeastern coast.
Maybe it was because today's hunting harvest was sufficient, maybe it was respect for the powerful strength of the fleet, or maybe it was respect for the strange shamans on the longship... Regarding the distribution of the spoils, the Makka kept their promise and behaved very generously.
"O God! The meat of this giant whale is probably tens of thousands of kilograms! The two long ships are full, and they haven't even finished taking our share. They contain at least twenty thousand kilograms..."
Mikey the Knowledgeable looked around the flagship, looking at the mountains of whale meat, with a look of wonder on his face. Everyone participated in cutting up the whale meat, which was estimated to be twenty tons, and the fleet took more than half of it. Each long ship carried five or six tons of meat, and the two ships carried 11 or 2 tons, more than 20,000 kilograms! He has never seen so much meat in his life!
The Mexican plateau is densely populated and there is a serious lack of meat in various parts of the country. Common people even relied on pumpkin and kidney beans as daily food, and often could not even eat meat even during the New Year. Only trained young warriors can eat expensive meat with the support of the entire extended family to ensure physical development. If we could find a way to transport this whale meat back to the kingdom, I don’t know how many more strong warriors could be trained! What a pity...
"This whale meat must be transported back to the camp immediately and smoked and salted immediately! Otherwise, it will not take long before it is all spoiled!..."
Mickey, the knowledgeable man, pondered in his heart, and after a little calculation, he knew that the harvest of this whaling was enough to feed a tribe of a thousand people for a whole month! Of course, the storage of fresh meat is a crucial issue. The production of bacon and cured meat is time-consuming and laborious. The Maca people’s whaling team cannot be too far away from the camp, let alone harvest so much every time...
In other words, the Maca hunters of the Whale Department can only carry out such whaling activities two or three times a month. A lot of the whaling gear needs to be repaired after every hunt. And if they rely on whaling and fishing as their main source of food, then the size of the tribe will never reach a thousand people. It should be around five hundred people...
"Witness the Lord God! The tribe with less than a thousand people... Even if they reach their camp, they are not sure of taking down two long ships and more than a hundred warriors and sailors! So, it is safe to go and have a look..."
With this idea in mind, the two fleet leaders arrived at the Whale Department of the Makka people after rowing for half a day. This is a tribal fishing village built in a small bay on the east side of the cape. On the hills on the shore, there is a tall totem pole with an abstract and tall ancestral whale carved on it, even with a human-like face. Next to the totem pole, there are huge whale bones piled up, which seem to be some kind of special sacrificial ceremony.
"The blessings of the ancestors! The blessings of the ancestors! We went out to sea this time and successfully caught a gray whale! ...Haha! This is the biggest hunt for the tribe in half a year, and it is also the most blessed by the ancestors! We also met a reliable friend! …”
The old hunter Whale Hai looked excited and loudly announced the details of the hunt to the tribesmen who greeted him in the village. Seeing the fully loaded hunting fleet returning, the tribesmen in the village were also overjoyed and even cheered and sang.
"The ancestral spirit of the sea protects us! She gives us the gift of the sea. Oh Makamaka, the name of the sea and the whale! Oh Makamaka!…"
"O Lord God! Oh Maka Maka! These Maka people are so tall! They are really born warriors!..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo narrowed his eyes, stared at the strong men in the village, and couldn't help but lick his lips. These Makka people are a true fishing and hunting tribe, living in cold areas at high latitudes, and usually feed on fish meat and fish oil. They are all about 1.8 meters tall, a head taller than the warriors in the fleet. And Mickey's prediction was good. This whale department indeed only has about 600 people, only one or two hundred strong men.
"Know how to cooperate and are born sailors and warriors... If we can subdue them and convert them to the Lord God..."
"Ancestors witness! Tribes on big boats! Fresh whale meat is very easy to spoil! You can give us the whale meat to be smoked and salted. You only need to take out part of the meat to compensate for the tribe's firewood and salt... If you Take our word for it!…”
The old hunter Whale Hai arranged for the hunters and once again came to the two "shamans". He suggested cautiously on behalf of the entire tribe.
The Makka people make a living by fishing, and their tribe is small. Their tradition of whaling also makes them attach great importance to the unity of the tribe. Therefore, they did not differentiate into hereditary chiefs. The person who can lead the hunters to hunt whales will be elected as the leader at tribal meetings held every few years. In fact, the other identity of the old hunter Whale Hai is the chief elected by the tribe.
"The Lord God bless you! Brothers from afar, of course we believe in you!..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo smiled, looked around at the bacon racks, meat drying racks, and dug salt pits, and readily agreed.
"The divine prophecy guides us to meet each other across thousands of miles! Brothers of the Whale Tribe, don't you invite us to have a warm drink in front of the tribe's fire pit?"
"Ah?...Okay! Friends, brothers!..."
Hearing this, the old hunter Whale Hai thought for a while, with a joyful smile on his face.
"Come on! Let's set up a campfire and have a good chat! By the way, I also have some ready-made blueberry juniper tea, just perfect for entertaining guests!..."
As night falls, the bonfire is lit. Everyone sat in front of the fire pit, ate their fill of fresh whale meat, and drank some fatty fish soup, which warmed their whole bodies. Then, the old hunter Jinghai cooked a pot of traditional tribal herbal tea, which contained blueberries and juniper leaves that are special to the North. It tasted sweet and sour, with a slight herbal aroma.
At this time, blueberries were only a specialty of North America and were widely used as an anti-inflammatory herbal medicine in various parts of the North. The benefits of juniper leaves are to treat colds and coughs, and to deal with wind chill in cold climates.
Mickey, the knowledgeable man, drank herbal tea, looked at the tribesmen who were still busy, and then looked at the strange little drum that was carefully put away, and asked curiously.
"Dear old hunter, this strange little drum seems to be able to make a low whale call...how do they do it?"
"Haha! Blessed by the ancestral spirits! This is the ancestral whale inheritance of our whale department, and it is the ancestral craft that we rely on to make a living..."
】
The old hunter Whale Hai smiled, took out the wooden drum from his waist, and beat it gently for a while. The long and distant whale call echoed in the village and floated far away.
"But it's okay to tell you! This is the ancestral wooden drum, which is made of wood and the air sac in the whale's throat to imitate the whale's cavity... The ancestors have made a lot of them, and we have also made a lot, but it is really easy to use and can There are only a few that attract whales! Those are the blessings of the ancestral whales, and they are not something that can be done easily!…"
Hearing this, Mickey the Knowledgeable touched his nose, thoughtfully. This kind of wooden drum that imitates a whale must contain some divine mystery, but it seems that the Makka people don't know much about it...
Zuvalo, who was next to him, pondered for a while and asked the topic that the fleet was most concerned about.
"Praise the gods! When you hunt at sea, you whales must have traveled far and visited the northwest and southeast coasts, right? ... What is the situation like in those two directions? What is the hydrological climate like in winter? ..."
"Huh? The northwest and southeast coasts?"
The old hunter Whale Hai glanced at Zuvalo in confusion, then smiled cheerfully and confidently.
"Ha! Witness the ancestors! This longship shaman from the south, if you ask other tribes on the northwest coast, they probably don't know about it! But since you asked our Whale Tribe, then I do know!..."
"After the cape and strait, go to the northwest coast... It looks like a long and narrow land edge full of mountains. In fact... it is a big island! A long and narrow island that extends for thousands of miles!... Its east side , separated by narrow straits and rivers, is the real continent..."
"As for the climate of this island, you can see the vast snow-capped mountains on the mainland on the eastern coast, which is very cold, much colder. The western coast is blocked by mountains, which is much warmer, and there are also springs that are warm all year round..."
The large island in the mouth of Old Hunter Whale was the 11th largest island in North America, later known as Vancouver Island. The east coast of the island is cold and snowy, while the west coast is relatively warm, with beautiful beaches, forests, and even geothermal hot springs to protect against cold waves...
"Ah? A big island in the northwest? It's cold in the east and warm in the west?..."
Hearing this, Mikey, the knowledgeable man, was startled and asked aloud.
"Are there any tribes on this island? Where is the northwest end of it?"
"Of course! There are settled or migrating tribes in every piece of land in the North! However, as you go north, the tribes become smaller and smaller, and the population becomes smaller and smaller! And on this kind of island, especially the island To the west of , there are also several seaside tribes, all small tribes of probably more than a hundred people... Oh! They call themselves the people of the fishing islands, 'snuneymuxw', the Slaus people."
Speaking of this, the old hunter Whale Hai smiled and said confidently.
"However, when it comes to fishing technology, our whales are the most powerful! The islanders in the north are only better at the cold climate of the Far North and understand the climate of the North Sea, so they can avoid sudden attacks. The storm is just fishing in the winter and ice fishing..."
"Slaus people...island people?...adapted to the arctic climate, sheltered from storms, able to ice fish..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo captured the key words and kept them firmly in his mind. The further north the fleet goes, the climate and hydrology will become increasingly harsh and volatile. At this time, according to His Majesty's enlightenment, they must learn the survival skills of the Northland from the tribes in the Northland in order to survive the terrifying second half of the voyage. As for the best way, it is to trick the other party directly onto the ship! …
Thinking of this, Zuvalo touched his chin, and then looked at the old hunter Whale Hai who could translate and communicate. He thought about many ideas in his mind to force people to board the longship... After a while, he pursed his lips with a friendly smile. asked.
"Praise the Lord God! What a great thing to meet a warrior on the sea like you! ...That's right! We received a divine prophecy and heard that in the large bay in the southeast, there is a bay with a warm climate, suitable for settlement, and capable of planting. Fertile soil...I don’t know, what’s the situation there?”
"Huh? The prophet's prediction? The big bay? Very good fertile soil?..."
After hearing the translator's description, the old hunter thought for a while and asked with some uncertainty.
"Along the coast, four to five hundred miles to the east, there is indeed a big bay, a big, big bay! ... As for the fertile land of the bay you are talking about, is it the North Bay in the plain under the mountains, or the South Bay with hundreds of lakes? Bay?...I have rowed to both of these bay areas. The climate there is warm, suitable for settlement, and many pumpkins and beans can be grown...These two bay areas are thousands of miles apart. The fertile soil that all the northern tribes covet!..."
Speaking of this, the old hunter smiled, with yearning on his face. In later generations, the North Bay area was the Vancouver area in Canada. It was a warm valley surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on one side. The South Bay area is the Bay of Lakes area in Seattle, which is also blocked by mountains to the east. There are many lakes and the land is very fertile.
However, no tribe does not know what such rare, warm and fertile soil that can be planted in the cold and chilling Northland means! ...And the fight for these two fertile lands has lasted for hundreds of thousands of years and has never stopped!
The old hunter looked at Zuvalo deeply for a while, then smiled meaningfully.
"The shaman from the big ship, the prophet of your tribe, has great magic power and his predictions are very accurate! The fertile soil of this bay land is indeed what you said! It is suitable for settlement..."
"The climate there is warm, and you are not afraid of cold waves. You can grow pumpkins, beans, and even harvest some corn. The fisheries there, especially those in the Nanwan lakes, are also very abundant... and where there is food, there must be tribes ! In this cruel northern land, the more stable and abundant food production is, the more powerful tribes will appear!"
"So, whether it is Beiwan or South Bay, these two heritage lands coveted by countless tribes are occupied by several, or even more than a dozen, large tribes with thousands of people! And the fighting between these tribes is far more intense than in other places. There are more tribes, and they are more adept at fighting..."
"Friends from the big ship! Your warriors are very powerful, your spears and axes are indeed sharp, your bows and arrows are very powerful, and your armor is very tough... But your numbers are too small!... If you want to be in the two bays in the east If you want to settle down, you must be well prepared...and my suggestion is not to go there! Don’t go there when there are few people!..."
"Witness my ancestors! I will not deceive my friends! If you row a big, eye-catching boat and carry shiny weapons to the eastern bay, you will definitely be stared at by the greedy tribe... They are not like us, nor are they like others. Friendly tribe. They will try to eat all your boats and people, just like they forced our ancestors of the Makka people to migrate!..."
