Yotkhee. Andre Martin
them on my fingers!»
The wise old man smiled and said:
«I will teach you how to live a long and healthy life – and how to stay strong even in your old age. But for now, just keep listening to my story.»
The herders couldn’t take their eyes off the beautiful pictures, which slowly kept changing one into another to the accompaniment of the sweet, restful music.
«With every year our families grew larger and larger, as did the families of our neighbors, so we had to think of what to do next: now there were more of us while the land and its plants stayed the same.»
Here Yotkhee paused and looked down at the fire as if remembering something that was important or moved his spirit. In a few moments, he continued:
«One day our old and wise shaman gathered together the council of elders and announced…»
The picture changed again and now showed people sitting inside a large teepee. All of them were elderly, with long white beards, but one clearly stood out. Dressed as a shaman, he was holding a tambourine and a drum stick and was addressing the rest of them in a grave tone:
«A great misfortune is coming our way,» he said. «Behind our Big Stones19 there are other tribes who have also grown too numerous for their old place. They want to find and settle on new lands, and they will come here too. But this place is already too small, even for us. Their coming will sow discord and strife. Some people will want to kill others. Many will die. But as Num the Wise20 has told us, we must not kill, for it is a great sin. However this is not even the worst that awaits us.»
At that moment everyone who wasn’t already looking at the old shaman lifted their eyes and stared at him in bewilderment. They knew well that he could see the future. The shaman continued.
«The Great Water is coming. The Master of the Eternal Birch-Tree with seven trunks21 will lift its roots, and from under it there will rush out a big great flood which will wash away all the sickness from our land. Many families will perish in that flood. The Great Water will remain for seven suns and seven moons. Then, gradually, it will go away, and life will be restored again.»
«You know that even the Great Creator cannot stop the Master of the Birch-Tree. I am too old for long journeys and would like to stay here. But thankfully, our good gods have provided my family with an heir to whom I can pass all my knowledge and skills. He will take you to the new land where the Great Water cannot reach you. The journey will be very long and very hard, but there, in the new land, you will all be safe.»
Having said all this, the shaman raised his right arm bent at the elbow with his palm open towards the others. It meant, «I have spoken.»
The elders were silent, lowering their eyes and staring into the center of the circle. They were clearly shaken and saddened by the old shaman’s words.
In a few seconds, a gray-haired man on the opposite side of the tepee raised his hand, asking for permission to speak. Everyone nodded slightly, letting him know they were ready to hear what he had to say.
«Those are grievously sad words we heard from you today, O Great and Wise Healer,» the old man said. «We are ready to do your will and to save our people. We will make the long journey you’ve told us about. But tell us, who is this heir of yours? Who will lead us into the new land?»
Everyone looked at the wise shaman, and he spoke in a placid and confident voice:
«I speak of our young Yotkhee. The good spirits have given him so much strength and power that he will be able to do all that is needed. He will become a great healer. He also knows how to see the future and will give you good counsel. His spirit is strong, and his courage is great. He is an old soul, earnest beyond his years, and his memory never loses anything.»
A hum of approval ran through the elders’ circle, and they nodded in agreement. They knew well that the boy Yotkhee, vydu’tana’s grandson, indeed had wonderful powers: even at seven years of age he could heal the sick and give wise counsel, and sometimes he came up with really good ideas. Animals seemed to understand and obey him, often without words. The boy was kind and diligent, which meant that the good spirits would never leave him in trouble. And if he led the people, they would definitely be able to overcome all obstacles, handle all difficulties, and reach the new land where they would be able to live in peace and harmony with nature again.
The old shaman raised his open palm again and added:
«While we’re still here, I will teach little Yotkhee everything I know. I will teach him to speak to the gods. I will teach him how to live a long life without sickness, how to grow old and to remain strong at the same time.»
«Come here, Yotkhee, my son,» the old shaman called out to the boy the next morning, just as his grandson came out of the teepee yawning and stretching. The old man was already sitting cross-legged near the little fire he had made at dawn. He had been waiting for the son of his oldest son to wake up and climb out of the teepee so that he could catch the power of the first rays of heaven’s Great Light.
«Last night the Council of Elders decided that we must depart on a great journey,» the old shaman said. The boy was sitting next to him and listening with his whole being, his eyes looking straight into the shaman’s eyes.
«Great troubles are coming. To save our people, we must lead them towards the Land of the Dead. Our way will be long: a whole generation may be born, grow up, and depart to the Other World before you reach your destination.»
As the shaman was speaking, he kept looking into Yotkhee’s eyes, trying to discern whether there was any fear or doubt there and thus see if he should even continue. But the boy’s face showed nothing of what the old man was anxious about. When the shaman paused, the boy understood that it was a signal for him to respond.
«That’s what I thought too, O Wise Healer. The other day I had a beautiful dream, and in the dream the good spirits were calling us away to some distant place.»
«That’s right, Yotkhee. And you are the one who will lead our people. You are young, which means you’re strong enough for this journey. You are wise, which means you won’t stray from the way shown by the spirits. You will be able to take our people to the Land of the Dead. Only there life will be good and peaceful. And you must remember that even if, on the way, you are tempted to stop and stay in some other rich and pleasant land, you must not yield to temptation but press on!»
The old man let out a heavy sigh and looked down at the fire.
«But why have the spirits chosen that particular land to take us to?» the boy asked.
«There is a beautiful lake there. It is the favorite lake of the Great Num. He keeps that land with special care. He will help our good people to survive the Great Trouble. The lake gives birth to many rivers, and its islands are the Great Num’s heart and eyes. The lake is shaped just like the body of our Great Creator. That’s how you will know you have come to the right place and can finally settle down and live a long and happy life.»
The old man paused again and turned to look at the fire.
«O Wise Healer, why do you keep saying «you’ and not «we’? Are you not coming with us?»
«I am too old to live in that land, and our spirits are waiting for me. After I teach you everything I know and see you off on your journey, I will go up to the top of our beloved mountain and fly away to the world of our ancestors.»
Yotkhee must have been smart enough to see how silly it would be to argue with the wise old man and to try to talk him out of the decision he had made.
«We
Big Stones (Nen.) – mountains. Ngarka Peh (Nen.) – a large rock. This is what the Nenets used to call mountains.
Num – the Great Creator, the high god of the Nenets people.
According to Nenets legends, the Master of the sacred seven-trunk birch-tree, Khebidya Kho Erv, lives in the hollow of that tree. Once in every several thousand years, he comes out from the hollow, lifts up the birch-tree, and big waters come from under its roots, covering the land. With this water Khebidya Kho Erv washes away all sickness from the earth.