"Huh? Run for ten days, cross the peninsula, and fight the invading deer tribe?"
Outside the winter camp in Shanbei, exploration captain Zuvalo’s eyes flashed. He vaguely felt something, but it wasn't clear. But the hunting captain Mu Quan didn't give him time to think. He stretched out his hand to pull Zuvalo and walked towards the queue of strong tribesmen.
"Come! Chief of the Kaibu, look at our warriors from the Hot Spring Mountain Tribe. They are all good at hunting! There are four palms in a team, and there are ten teams in the tribe! Whether it is the Deer Tribe heading south from the north or the Island Tribe attacking from the south, None of them can compare with the mighty Yamabe!…”
Listening to the words of the hunting captain Mu Quan, Zuvalo pursed his lips and looked at the warrior at Hot Spring Mountain seriously. He looked at the chubby, simple faces and the compound bows behind the warriors, and felt a slight shiver in his heart.
"Lord God! 200 warriors and 20 elite hunters! Look at the reindeer tribesmen... three people and one warrior. I am afraid there are more than 800 people in this hot spring mountain!... I didn't expect that in such a situation How could such a large northern tribe gather in such a bitter cold land?...We have never seen such a large tribe on the extreme northern coast east of the island chain during our journey!..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo walked past the standing queue with a smile and a friendly nod. The Yamabe warriors in the queue were talking in low voices while looking at the three Kaibu envoys curiously. Facing the envoys from a strange tribe, everyone in Yamabe not only had curiosity on their faces, but also obvious vigilance! But this kind of vague vigilance and caution rarely appears on the faces of the simple tribes in the northern continent.
"Witness the Lord God! These Jiao people tribes across the ocean are very thoughtful and have many thoughts. They are obviously different from their compatriots on the northern continent. Their equipment is more sophisticated, their warriors are more orderly, and they have many reindeer and dogs. Their production capacity is... Their organizational skills are much higher... Even if the climate is colder and there is no warm sea current on the far north coast, they still gathered a large tribe of nearly a thousand people! And look at their camp, the neat rows of tents The ground and the den seemed to be full of people and dogs..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo looked around the camp and looked at the level of buildings on the mountain, with thoughts flashing in his eyes. All this should be what the old grandmother Chief Yamabe wanted him to see.
In the camps in the mountains, there are many gray-yellow leather tents, almost connected together. The simple underground shelters are only used for emergencies and food storage, while the leather tents are the main residence for each family. The tribesmen first used strong short branches to form a circle of mutual support to form the spire and frame of the tent. Then, large pieces of deerskin, bearskin, or sealskin are carefully wrapped around the outside of the frame to form a waterproof and cold-proof skin. The naturally formed spires and small holes on the top of the tent serve as flues for ventilation.
"Well, there is a shortage of wood in the mountains, so they use such light and warm leather tents. And this kind of leather tents is easy to move. Apart from being very expensive, there are no shortcomings... Well, the food in the mountains seems to be plentiful. It can be Find a way to trade some!…”
Next to the leather tent, there are some strong female tribesmen who are preparing food for the winter. Their physiques are very strong, on par with the men of the tribe. They skillfully used stone knives to deal with old, frozen or injured reindeer, paying no attention to the blood and deer howling. They carefully peeled off the complete deer hide and cut out large pieces of venison. Then, they bulged their strong arms and hung the fresh pieces of meat on the meat drying racks to use the sun, cold, wind and snow to make shelf-stable freeze-dried meat.
Soon, when the female tribesmen saw the hunters returning empty-handed, they kept busy with their hands while shouting and greetings loudly! They showed off the momentum of the head of the family and questioned the men about their harvests from the trip. However, the elite hunters who had held their heads high just now suddenly became embarrassed and a little nervous.
"Ancestors witness! We are not going out to hunt this time. We are ordered by the old grandmother to bring back important 'guests'!... Well, I want to take the 'guests' to see the old grandmother and won't come back for dinner at night!... What! Daughter? Where is she? Don't worry, this is the arrangement of the old grandmother!... Ugh! Don't scare me, I won't come back until she comes back! I have to keep vigil for the old grandmother..."
The hunting leader, Mu Dog, was also scolded a few times, which fully demonstrates who is the head of the family. He glanced awkwardly at Zuvalo, who couldn't understand the language, pointed to the warmest big tent in the recess of the mountain, and said seriously.
"The ancient Renlu is watching us! Leader of the Kaibu, follow me! The old grandmother is in the shaman's tent, waiting for you! Her name is Mulu Mountain Mother, the tribe's Renlu and the sacred mountain ’s mother…”
Exploration captain Zuvalo nodded slightly, took one last look at the busy winter scene in the valley, and walked towards the deepest shaman tent.
As soon as he approached the tent, Zuvalo smelled a pungent aroma, which seemed to be a mixture of herbs, blood and pine wood. And when he opened the big tent, lowered his head and stepped inside, he saw an old and vicissitudes of life grandmother, sitting cross-legged on a rare white deerskin, looking over with sharp eyes.
"The Lord God bless you! The shaman chief of the mountain tribe praises the immortal gods and guides us to meet!..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo bowed his head in salute, with a sincere smile on his face. The old grandmother opposite did not answer immediately. She just narrowed her eyes and carefully looked at the "guest" in front of her. Her eyes swept over the "guest's" bronze weapons and strong leather armor, as well as the other party's gold amulets and obsidian jewelry. After a moment, she spoke in an old and deep voice.
"Head of Kaibu, Yamabu welcomes you! Yamabu and Kaibu are the same clans that have been married for generations, and are brother tribes that have been apart for a long time... Come, sit across from me, and let's have a good chat!..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo raised his brows, nodded slightly, and carefully sat down opposite the old grandmother.
"Blessed by the ancestors! The leader of Haibu, the towering sacred mountain is the boundary of the sea and the most eye-catching symbol on the sea. I think he also guided your big ship to the territory of Shanbu. You and Mu Dog met at the foot of the sacred mountain, We expressed goodwill and greetings to each other, and drank the deer blood of our brothers... It was the Holy Mountain that allowed us to meet, and it also told us the enlightenment of the Holy Mountain!..."
The old grandmother Mulushanmu speaks the Chukchi language of the tribe, which is similar to the language of the Unanga people. Her voice is old and clear, word for word, not only easy to translate, but also has the flavor of northern ice and snow. If you look closely, you can see that she is wearing a ceremonial deer skull hat and an ancient leather robe with carved patterns. She has a deer bone staff and a bristle stick woven from reindeer tail hair.
These ancient objects are shamanic instruments passed down from generation to generation. The deer skull hat and deer bone staff all come from the mythical Ren Deer. The ancient leather robes are inherited from the original ancestors and shamans. The bristle short stick is the blessing of the sacred mountain and the sky, and accepts the attachment of the soul after death. Therefore, Ancestor Renlu and Shenshan Cangtian are the divinity inherited by the old grandmother and the original source of her authority and respect.
However, after leading Yamabe for a full twenty years, the authority and will of the old grandmother Mu Lu Shanmu come more from her wisdom, determination and ruthlessness, and have little to do with these ancient magical weapons!
After a brief exchange of greetings, the old grandmother Mulu Shanmu spoke calmly. She looked at Zuvalo's young face and asked the question frankly.
"The reindeer are the masters of the snowfields and the ancestors and origins of our mountain tribe. This snowfield and mountains of reindeer are the territory that our mountain tribe has passed down from generation to generation! ... Leader of the sea tribe, you are bringing a big ship with you. Warriors suddenly appeared in our mountain territory before the long winter, not far to the south of the tribe’s winter camp..."
"Headman of the Kaibu! We in the Yamabu don't like to fight, but we are never afraid of fighting, and have long been accustomed to fighting... But before I share the blood of my close deer with you, I need to ask you carefully on behalf of the ancestors of the tribe: You warriors from the Maritime Department came here from the distant seas in the east, braving storms and cold waves. What is your purpose and what do you want to do?..."
(End of chapter)
