land of the living. Then, over the objection of Chocan, who wanted her to rest, she helped the band to process their assigned quota of the caribou kill. In total, her band was allotted thirty-two animals.
The first step in preparing the caribou was to remove the skin. She was shown by the women of the band the technique of removing the caribou hide. After the chest was sliced open, Kiera used a sharp-edged stone to detach the skin from the underlying muscle. She worked her way down to the back legs, over the rump and then back up along the spine. Her goal was to remove as large a single piece as possible. Given the lack of sewing skill among the Beothuck, the bigger the piece of skin, the less work it would be to make a winter garment. After the removal of the skin, she passed it on to other band members, who then scraped it to remove any remaining flesh or fat from the inner surface.
The next step was tanning. Tanning was achieved by rubbing the inside of the skin with the caribou's own brain. The brain mixture would ensure that the skin would toughen and not rot, thereby creating a garment that would last many seasons. When the tanning process was complete, the skin would then be tied and stretched on a drying frame.
After skinning her fifth caribou, Kiera stood up and stretched her aching arms. Absently looking over the busy crowd, she was surprised by the appearance of a strange man who had wandered into the gathering of her band. It was hard for Kiera to guess how old he was, for his skin was not only covered with ochre, but he was also blotched with a random pattern of cinders and ash. His long, dirty hair was braided and hardened into thin, crooked pieces that resembled the flailing roots of an upside down tree. The man approached a dead caribou. The workers stopped and reverently retreated from the animal. He knelt beside the animal and began a mournful chant. Kiera was able to determine that he was offering a prayer of thanks to the departed animal spirit. The man then removed some fur from the remaining skin. He tucked the tuft of hair into a small leather pouch and moved on to the next nearest animal. He didn't acknowledge the members of the band. It was as if they didn't even exist. His eyes saw only the slain animals lying around him.
Kiera was so engaged in watching the man with roots for hair that she jumped when a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She looked up at Chocan. He held a small piece of birch bark in his hand.
“This is a piece of birch bark from your canoe. I found it below the falls. I thought you might like it to help you remember your adventures yesterday.”
She took it and turned it over, staring absently at its rectangular shape.
“I'm not sure that it's an event I will want to remember. Was your canoe still in one piece?”
He nodded. “Huritt and I portaged the canoe back to the Meeting Place.”
Kiera shivered as she remembered, then turned and looked at the man chanting to her band's last caribou.
“Who is he, Chocan?”
“He is the shaman. According to ancient customs, he has the ability to talk to the spirits of the animals. He is required to release the spirits from the dead caribou killed by humans. The spirits will then go out in search of the birth of another caribou. Once found, the spirit will dwell in the new body for the rest of its life.”
Kiera looked puzzled and returned her stare to the shaman. He was now moving his hands in slow circles over the heart of the animal.
“I don't remember that story in church.”
Chocan moved closer and lowered his voice. “It is not something that is approved of by myself, my sister or the other Teachers. It is difficult for the people to let go of the ancient ways.”
“So your teachings are relatively new to the Beothuck?”
“Yes. The true message of the Great Spirit is quite new for these people. Although they welcome my teachings, they are also reluctant to give up the old ways. For instance, I know that after they bring their young child to me for blessing with the Water of Life, they quietly seek out the shaman and ask for his acceptance of their child by the spirits of the forest. The shaman is a very powerful and spiritual man among our people.”
Kiera gazed at the shaman, now wandering on to examine the animals of the adjoining band. “Is he upset with your teachings?”
Chocan looked over to the shaman with a hint of sadness. “No. But he refuses to have a conversation with me, not that he is a talkative one to begin with. My guess is that he is simply being patient. I think he believes that in the long run, his teachings will outlast ours, that the Beothuck will eventually return to their traditional ways.” Chocan paused and sighed. “And he may be right.”
“You said that the teachings of the Great Spirit are relatively new. How long have the Teachers been with the Beothuck nation?”
“Atchak was the first.”
“Atchak? The leader of the whole nation?”
He nodded. “He started teaching here when he was a young man. When my sister and I arrived five years ago, I was amazed at the work he had been able to accomplish among these people. I had hoped to follow in his footsteps and perhaps someday be a leader myself.”
Kiera tilted her head in surprise. “Did you say arrived? You mean to tell me that you and Sooleawaa are not Beothuck?”
“Although our great-great-grandfather was of your homeland, the place you call Ireland, our blood is otherwise part of the Mi'kmaq nation.”
Kiera was completely confused. “Did you say Mi'kmaq?”
“Yes,” explained Chocan. “The Mi'kmaq people are from a land beyond the setting sun. It is a very dangerous crossing to our homeland, and it is attempted only on rare occasions.”
“So the Teachers from Ireland didn't settle here with the Beothuck. They settled in the land of the Mi'kmaq. Is that what you are saying?”
“That is correct.”
“So you are a stranger to these people as well.”
Chocan smiled. “It felt just as strange to me as it did to you when, for the first time, I smeared red ochre over my entire body. But the ochre is such an integral part of their beliefs that without it, they would always consider me to be an outsider. And you do get used to it, even like it. Ochre is like a second skin to me now.”
Kiera looked off into the distance. “It sounds like the Beothuck are going through almost the same spiritual conflict as my Viking masters.”
“How so?” asked Chocan.
“The Vikings once believed in many different spirits, or gods, as well. There was a god for the sea, a god for thunder, a god for the dead, plus many others. But several generations ago, the message of the Teachers began to find a home within the hearts of some of the Vikings. Unlike here, where the people seem to be able to accept both beliefs, the Vikings have split themselves into two groups: those who believe in the One Great Spirit and those who hold onto the ancient faith of the many Norse gods.”
Chocan looked off as he thought about this information.
“Thank you for sharing your news with me, Kiera. It is good to know that the word of the Teachers is spreading among other nations, as well. Sometimes, I feel that our efforts in sharing the Teachers' words are largely in vain. Even in the Mi'kmaq nation, the numbers of believers are dwindling, and after old Atchak passes on to the next world, I am not confident
