A Painful Journey

Chapter 4

The women were so tired they could barely move. It was hard to make a shelter because they were so exhausted. When they finally got the fire started, they sat huddled close together and stared like they were hypnotized at the fire.

They fell asleep leaning against one another. When Sa’ woke up her legs had fallen asleep. Chi pretended to be asleep because she did not want to fall asleep. Both women had pushed their bodies too far and they were in pain.

As painful as it was, Sa’ finally got up and was able to move around, proving how determined she is. Chi watched all this while pretending to be asleep. However, her bladder proved to be more insistent and soon she got up to use the bathroom. Chi’ was surprised at how fast she could move.

The women soon began their journey again. They tied ropes around their waists and started walking for their new campsite. The women followed the riverbank as they kept a lookout. On the sixth day of walking, Sa’ looked up and said, “We are there.” Both women were so excited to have found their spot!

The women found the old fishracks that they had hung many years ago and were excited again. They sat and just looked at the camp that they had made so long ago. Both women thought of all the memories of their lives.

While the women worked, they thought of their own lives and how different everything was. The two old women had not known each other well before they started their journey. Chi was thinking of her daughter and grandson and wondered if they were ok.

Chi started to talk about her life. “Once when I was a little girl, they left my grandmother behind. She couldn’t walk and could barely see…I was horrified that they might leave her behind but it was a hard time. There was talk of people eating other people…When I was older I found out my brother and father went back to end my grandmother’s life so she wouldn’t suffer…I remember winters that were harder, but that one will always be the hardest.

Sa then shared her life story. “When I was young, I was like a boy. I was always with my brothers and I learned many things from them. My mother would try to make me sit and do things that a woman would do, but my brothers and father always saved me…My family let me do many things, like explore. I only played with my brothers because we had so much fun. I grew older but did not have a family and children like other women. People talked about me behind my back, but I always brought home more than my share of the food to share with the clan…”

“One winter, though, we experienced our worst winter…There was an old woman who had to be carried to find the caribou. The chief did not want to deal with her so he ordered her left behind. No one argued except me, and because I argued, the chief ordered me to be left behind as well. My family begged me to apologize but I would not and was left behind. After they left, I was in charge of feeding the both of us, but soon the old woman died and it was just me…”

“One day when I was walking alone. I heard a mans voice, ‘Who are you talking too?’ I jumped because I was surprised. He asked why I was alone and I told him my story. He told me the same thing had been done to him. We began to travel together and then became married. After a few years, we joined the People. My husband died fighting a bear.” Sa’ sighed as she ended her story.

The days became shorter as winter began. The women filled their time by hunting and talking to each other. They began to respect and like each other. They developed a plan to stockpile, or save, as much wood and food as they could so they would not starve. But they had a routine and after many weeks of cold, it began to get just a little bit warmer.