The Good Berry: A Wild Rice Domestication TL

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 29: Way Down South​

During the classical period, the Muskogee kingdoms of the southeast relied more on maize, cotton, aji [peppers], koha [cane/American bamboo], and Muscadine grapes than any other area. This meant that as these products became increasingly common, domesticated, and/or adapted to the southeast throughout the classical period, the Muskogee kingdoms gained population, prestige, and power. Cotton cloth, aji spices, muscadine wine, and tobacco (all expensive luxury items) were all traded far and wide, making the Muskogee kingdoms rich.

There were many small kingdoms and city-states in the southeast. Most of these polities spoke a Muskogee language and followed similar customs. Unlike the area around the Mishi River, there was no geographic feature which encouraged these city-states to unify into a larger empire. This meant that throughout the classical period, the Muskogee kingdoms remained small and disunited, each vying for power and control over their neighbors.

There is almost no documentation on the Yuchi in this period. They lived in the Wasioto Basin [Nashville Basin] and had fairly large cities. They may even have had their own script. We have almost no evidence of it due to the destruction caused by the Shawnee Empire. We will discuss that later, when we reach it chronologically.



Name: Etowah (“town”)

Population: Large

Ethnic Majority: Muskogee

Ruling Doodem: Chukotalgi (“panther”)

Type: Kingdom

Etowah or Etowaa [Atlanta, GA] was the largest and most powerful city-state amongst the Muskogee. Its power and prestige came from its control over the trade routes south of the Cohutta Mountains [Appalachian Mountains] and its control over the rich agricultural lands in its vicinity. It ruled over the cities of Daalonega, Chattanuga, and sometimes Ocmulgee.



Name: Daalonega (“yellow)

Population: Small

Ethnic Majority: Mixed Muskogee and Tsalagi [Cherokee]

Ruling Doodem: Koakotsalgi (“wild-cat”)

Type: Tributary

Daalonega [Dahlonega, GA] was less than four days walk from Etowah. It was also the source of much of the gold in the southeast. Daalonega was a colony of Etowah. Supposedly, warriors from Etowah were led to the gold by a Tsalagi [Cherokee] child who told them about “yellow rocks”. The warriors killed the child and took the gold for themselves. When they were arrested for the child’s murder, the King of Etowah demanded to be shown where the gold was. The warriors showed the king and were pardoned. From that time on, the king of Etowah controlled the gold mines of Daalonega.

Gold Ore mined from Daalonega[1]​

Name: Chattanuga (“rock rising to a point”)

Population: Small

Ethnic Majority: Mixed Muskogee and Tsalagi

Ruling Doodem: Fusualgi (“bird”)

Type: Tributary

Chattanuga [Chattanooga] was situated on a bend in the Tanasi River [Tennessee River], between the Cohutta Mountains [Appalachian Mountains] and a ridge. This makes it very naturally defensible and a natural site for trade. Like Daalonega, it was a colony of Etowah with a mixed population of Tsalagi and Muskogee.



Name: Ocmulgee

Population: Small

Ethnic Majority: Muskogee

Ruling Doodem: Ahalakalgi (“bede”) [Apios Americana]

Type: Tributary

Ocmulgee [Macon, GA] was the first and oldest city of the Muskogee. It is situated on the Ocmulgee River, which is where the Muskogee are said to first settled after coming from the west. It was the first and fiercest enemy of Etowah. According to the people of Ocmulgee, Etowah was originally a colony of Ocmulgee but the people of Etowah deny this strenuously.



Name: Mabila

Population: Medium

Ethnic Majority: Muskogee

Ruling Doodem: Kohasalki (“koha”) [cane/American Bamboo]

Type: City-State

Mabila [Selma, AL] is located on a bluff overlooking the Alabamu River [Alabama River]. It was a powerful southern kingdom located in prime agricultural land.



Name: Towassa

Population: Medium

Ethnic Majority: Muskogee

Ruling Doodem: Tsulalgi (“fox”)

Type: City-State

Towassa [Montgomery, AL] was built on a bluff overlooking the Alabamu River [Alabama River]. It was smaller and further east than Mabila. Supposedly it had been founded by twins.



Name: Tuskaloosa (“Black Warrior”)

Population: Small

Ethnic Majority: Muskogee

Ruling Doodem: Hutalgalgi (“wind”)

Type: City-State

Tuskaloosa [Tuscaloosa, AL/Moundville, AL] is named after the legendary character called the Black Warrior, a dark skinned fighter who conquered most all of the Muskogee in the past and built his capital at Tuskaloosa. If he even ever existed, by the time writing entered the southeast the Black Warrior’s empire had fallen apart. The city of Tuskaloosa remained proud of its semi-legendary founder, however.

The Black Warrior of Legend, depicted here with much lighter skin than he would have had in real life[2]​

Name: Opelika (“large swamp”)

Population: Small

Ethnic Majority: Muskogee

Ruling Doodem: Hlahloalgi (“fish”)

Type: City-State

Opelika [Columbus, GA] is at the furthest upriver point where the Chattahoochee River remained navigable to the sea. It had control over the prime agricultural land that surrounded it as well.



Name: Kuwanda'talun'yi (“Mulberry Place”)

Population: Small

Ethnic Majority: Tsalagi [Cherokee]

Ruling Doodem: Aniwayaa (“wolf”)

Type: City-State

Kuwanda'talun'yi [Knoxville, TN] was the only major city controlled by Tsalagi [Cherokee] nobility during the classical period. The Tsalagi were an Ongweh’onweh group of people most famous for living in groups of hunter gatherers amongst the Cohutta Moutains [Appalachian Mountains].



Name: Tohomae

Population: Medium

Ethnic Majority: Natchez

Ruling Doodem: Cokup (“Black”)

Type: Tributary

Tohomae [Mobile, AL] was located at the estuary of the Tohomae River [Mobile River] and the Gulf of Chitti. They were closely related to the people of Natchez. They controlled the trade flowing up the Tohomae River into the interior of the southeast.



Next time, we will discuss the first proper history written in the Mishigami: the Winter and Summer Count. But first, a supplemental on the first historian in the history of the Mishigami.

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[1] Taken from: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/images/ga/GADAHgold_ks13_620x300.jpg
[2] Taken from: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...odDiplo.png/revision/latest?cb=20170904224257

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Supplemental: The Father of Lies​

The first narrative historian of the Occident [Americas] was named Maskawigwan. Unlike Medweginoonind (The Man Who Made the Birch Bark Talk), Nipisii (The Great Peacemaker), and other historical/legendary figures we are more certain of his historicity.

Maskawigwan, which translates as “hard quill”, was born in Sagong [Saginaw, MI] in the first decade of the fifth century AD. He was as a member of the Gaag doodem, or Porcupine clan. The Gaag doodem was an agidajiw clan, meaning they lived atop a wajiw. They were rich and influential in the city of Sagong. From a young age, he was trained in martial pursuits and given a religious education. He became a zhimaaganish warrior at the age of 17, following his father’s footsteps. By that time, he could read and write as well as any priest in the city.

In the year 446 AD, when Maskawigwan was middle aged, the Naawayi’ii War broke out between the Three Waters Confederacy and the Miyamee Kingdom. The details of this war are complex (we will discuss some of them in the next update) but, in short, the Three Waters Confederacy and the Miyamee Kingdom were fighting over control of the city states of the Naawayi’ii Peninsula [Lower Peninsula of Michigan].

In this conflict, Maskawigwan was first a frontline soldier, later a commander, and then (briefly) Sagamos of Sagong. After the war’s end, he would move to Mackinaw Island and become a priest of Shingebiss for several years. Later, he moved to Milliokee and served as an advisor to the Sagamos of Milliokee. We know all of these details about his life from the Winter and Summer Chronicles.

The Winter and Summer Chronicles are the oldest surviving narrative history in the Mishigami. Earlier historical records were often little more than surviving lists of Sagamos, Mide, and noble marriages. They occasionally describe battles but only in the context of short pieces of propaganda written on the sides of columns or on the walls of temples. They freely mix actual history with mythology and religion.

The Winter and Summer Chronicles, by contrast, was a narrative written by a single person for the purpose of understanding the past. When Maskawigwan wrote the chronicles, he hoped they would rehabilitate his image, which had been damaged by his failures during the Naawayi’ii War. During his writing, he was able to speak with P’koomkwa, former Sagamos of Miyamee, and many other men who had fought on both sides of the conflict. Using this information, he presented the story of the war as accurately as possible (or so he claims).

After the publication of the Winter and Summer Chronicles, it became a sensation throughout the Mishigami. Maskawigwan’s image was rehabilitated. He died famous and well respected. But the effects of his manuscript lasted long after his death. The Winter and Summer Chronicles were copied and recopied hundreds of times and disseminated throughout the literate Minisian world. The earliest surviving partial manuscript of the chronicles comes from a cache of birch bark scrolls found in the tomb of a Shawnee Emperor. Its contents vary little from later copies. The Winter and Summer Chronicles inspired an entire historical tradition within the Mishigami. Many later historians would imitate his style and prose.

Today’s historians are more critical of his account. It often paints the actions of Maskawigwan and the Three Waters Confederacy in the most positive light possible while Miyamee and their other enemies are cast in the worst possible light. While the Chronicle is an invaluable source on the late classical period it should be taken with several large grains of salt.

Next time, we will discuss the Naawayi’ii War as told by the Winter and Summer Chronicles.

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 30: Winter and Summer​

In 445 AD, Owashnong [Grand Rapids, MI] was a tributary city of the Miyamee kingdom. In that year, they petitioned the Grand Council of the Three Waters Confederacy to join the confederacy. They wished for a defensive alliance and to get out from under the thumb of the Miyamee Kingdom.

This was not the first such petition given to the Grand Council. They had repeatedly rejected such offers in the past. Recently, however, the Miyamee kingdom had started acting more aggressively. They had raided Confederate lands in the north of the Naawayi’ii Peninsula. They had harassed confederate travelers passing between Lake Karegami [Lake Huron] and Lake Wabishigami [Lake Eire]. They had increased their demands of the cities that owed them tribute. Any of these incidents, by themselves, would have meant nothing. Together, they provided the impetus for war.

At first, it appeared that war would not happen. The Grand Council of the Three Waters Confederacy was split on the question of admitting Owashnong. Shikakwe [Chicago, IL], Milliokee [Milwaukee, WI], Sagong [Saginaw, MI], and Wiikwitong [Traverse City, MI] were all in favor of intervention. They all had large armies and had been threatened by the Miyamee kingdom recently. Munising [Duluth, MN/Superior, WI], and Animikiing [Thunder Bay, Ontario], were against intervention. They were farther from Miyamee and had little military strength of their own. Poonchikit [Green Bay, WI], Baawatigong [Sault Ste. Marie, MI/ON], and Mackinaw [Mackinac Island, MI] were neutral.

Normally this would have meant that the vote for admitting Owashnong (and, by implication, war with Miyamee) would have failed. However, a priest by the name of Diindiisi of Poonchikit advocated for war. He considered Miyamee an evil empire to be destroyed. His rhetoric and charisma were enough to sway Poonchikit, Baawatigong, and Mackinaw in favor of accepting Owashnong into the confederacy. Thus began the Naawayi’ii War.

At least, according to the Winter and Summer Chronciles, that is what happened. Historians today are not convinced that Diindiisi was instrumental in starting the war. Many believe that Maskawigwan had a personal grudge against Diindiisi and wanted to blame him for stating the war. In any case, we should continue the narrative as told by the Chronicles.

When the noble clans of Miyamee heard the news, they were outraged. In the spring of 446 AD, they dispatched an army under the command of a man by the name of Memeskia to investigate and punish the city of Owashnong. Memeskia was a decorated and famous battle commander from Miyamee. However, he had suffered a head injury in a war with Minesing [Barrie, ON] some years prior that had affected him severely. Since that time, he had become notorious for drinking excessively and his impulsive anger.

As Memskia and his army reached the outskirts of the city, they immediately noticed that Owashnong had begun building defenses, which was expressly forbidden by their tributary agreements with Miyamee. At this Memeskia ordered his men to march double quick to the gates. Before they could reach the outer walls, however, a delegation from Owashnong met them. The delegation denied the rumors of Owashnong’s betrayal and joining the Three Waters Confederacy. They claimed to be as loyal and submissive to Miyamee as ever. Memeskia demanded a jar of wine as a sign of their submission. The delegates fetched a wine jar from the city, stating that what was inside was “a wine fit for the Sagamos of Miyamee”. Satisfied, Memeskia let them go. When he poured and drank from the ceramic pot, however, he found that it was urine, not wine in his cup.

Ceramic wine jars[1]​

Furious and humiliated, Memeksia ordered an immediate attack on Owashnong. This was a mistake. Owashnong had been prepared for the attack, knowing that it was only a matter of time. The Miyamee force was small and had not been prepared for an attack to begin so soon. The attack was repulsed. After the initial failure, sallies from Owashnong drove Memeskia and his small force away from the city. This battle, known today as the Battle of the False Wine, was the first engagement of the war. It was far from the last.

Throughout the rest of 446 AD, both sides prepared for a long war and skirmished. Both Miyamee and the Three Waters Confederacy expected the Three Waters Confederacy to win. The Confederacy was larger, richer and only had to defend their positions to win. Miyamee was smaller poorer, and had to conquer at least Owashnong for the war not to be a failure.

Though there were many theatres of conflict, the Winter and Summer Chronicles focus mainly on the fighting in and around Sagong. This is because Maskawigwan was from Sagong and fought on that front for the entire war. It was perhaps the most important theatre (though this is disputed by some historians) but you should remember that there were other things going on.

In spring of 447 AD, the army of Miyamee was reorganized. It was to be led by Sagamos P’koomkwa, with Memeskia being demoted to commanding a detachment. P’koomkwa planned to attack Sagong. The force that would meet them at Sagong was commanded by Anakwad, uncle to Maskawigwan (who was a minor lieutenant in the same army for this campaign).

A much later (and likely inaccurate) painting of P’koomkwa[2]​

P’koomkwa was more cautious than Memeskia had been. He stopped in Pewonigowink [Flint, MI] to load up on supplies before heading to Sagong. He planned to head down the Flint River until Miing [Montrose, MI]. There, they would portage over to the Shiawassee River, some eleven miles to the west, and attack Sagong from an unexpected angle.

Unknown to the Miyamee, however, the Sagamos of Pewonigowink was helping the Confederates. This was unexpected because Pewonigowink had been a long time enemy of Sagong. The Winter and Summer Chronicles is filled with these sorts of stories about the petty feuding city-states of the Mishigami. The Sagamos of Powonigowink sent a message to Anakwad telling him of P’koomkwa’s plan. Anakwad and the Sagong army rushed to fortify Miing before P’koomkwa and the Miyamee army could reach it.

The two forces met at what became known as the Battle of Miing. P’koomkwa had sent an advance force down the river to capture the small fortress at Miing before the main Miyamee army arrived. This force, headed by Memeskia, met a much larger and better prepared force than they had anticipated. Memeskia, eager to make up for his failure the previous year, blindly attacked the fortress. To be fair to him, his men were well on their way to overwhelming the soldiers in the fortress when they were attacked from behind by the main Sagong army that had been hiding in the trees.

Now aware that his situation was dire, Memeskia sent a message to P’koomkwa, asking for reinforcements. P’koomkwa refused, thinking that Memeskia had attacked the fortress too recklessly and gotten himself into trouble. P’koomkwa did not believe that Memeskia was really fighting the main Sagong army as he claimed. Instead, P’koomkwa instead sent a message for Memekia to retreat across the river and await reinforcements there. By the time this message reached Memeskia, it was too late. Memeskia’s forces were surrounded and unable to retreat.

When he received the note, Memeskia is said to have declared: “There is no help coming. Surrender if you wish. Flee if you wish. As for me, I walk the warpath. I have always known where it leads. It should have led there long ago.” These were his last words. He took off his armor and commander’s cap, and charged alone at the Sagong army. He died with a dozen arrows in his chest. He may have been a hot head and a fool but no one could doubt his bravery. The rest of his men either surrendered or died.

The death of Memeskia[3]​

When P’koomkwa arrived at the battlefield sometime later, he realized his mistake. He attempted to land the army anyway but was repulsed. Rather than further compound his mistake and with a significant portion of his army already destroyed, P’koomkwa retreated. But he retreated to Pewonigowink, which closed its gates to him. He could not afford to siege it because his army was so depleted already and the Sagong army was bearing down on him. He decided to continue the retreat all the way back to Maawanding [Livonia, MI].

P’koomkwa, however, refused to return all the way to Miyamee [Detroit, MI]. He knew that as soon as he returned to Miyamee, he would be deposed as Sagamos. Rather than face deposition and possibly exile, P’koomkwa ordered his army to attack Sagong again. Though he did not really expect to take the city, he hoped to fight a battle that could be reported as a victory and maybe that would be sufficient to give him another chance. Anakwad was too clever for him, though. He knew that P’koomkwa was not in a position to mount a serious challenge so Anakwad simply refused to fight. There was no need to risk a battle.

After chasing the Sagong forces all summer, unable to force a battle, P’koomkwa finally retreated back to Miyamee after the first snows. As he had expected, the nobility deposed and exiled him. If he had returned straight after the Battle Miing, he might have been able to argue that Memeskia had been responsible but his subsequent actions doomed him. Instead, P’koomkwa would spend the rest of his life in comfortable exile in Minesing. He was still there when Maskawigwan visited to interview him for the Winter and Summer Chronicles.

The Ogimaa of Miyamee elected a new Sagamos, Peshewa. The next year, in 448 AD, Peshewa lead a new attack on Sagong but this was mostly raiding. There was little stomach in Miyamee for further war. In the Three Waters Confederacy, too, there were many advocates for peace. Munising, Baawatigong, Animikiing, and Mackinaw pressed for a truce at least. It seemed, for a time, that the war would soon be over.

In the winter of 448-449 AD, a five year truce was agreed to by both Miyamee and the Three Waters Confederacy. It lasted less than three months. In the spring of 449 AD, forces from Miyamee attack Owashnong again. They claimed that since the truce was between Miyamee and the Three Waters Confederacy, Owashnong was not covered by it. The Three Waters Confederacy protested and ultimately resumed the war.

Next time, we will discuss the people of the arctic and northern Great Plains.



Character List

• Anakwad- commander of the Sagong forces at the beginning of the war; uncle of Makawigwan
• Diindiisi- priest from Poonchikit who advocates for war; name translates as “bluejay”
• Maskawigwan- author of the Winter and Summer Chronicles; name translates as “hard quill”
• Memeskia- army commander from Miyamee; name translates as “dragonfly” but has the double meaning of being “fickle or capricious”;
• P’koomkwa- Sagamos of Miyamee, later removed; name means ‘pecan’.
• Peshewa- Sagamos of Miyamee elected after P’koomkwa; name means ‘wild cat’

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[1] Taken from: https://www.tradingpartners-silkroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/3880_large-brown-wine-jars_5.jpg
[2] Taken from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacanne#/media/File:Chief_Pacan.jpg
[3] Modified from: https://cdn4.picryl.com/photo/1867/...f-sergeant-wyllyams-stuck-with-arrows-640.jpg

Next week is my birthday so no update.

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 31: The Great White North​

During the classical period, the peoples of the arctic and northern Great Plains were split into several distinct groups. They were the Tuniit [Dorset Culture], Cree, Psinomani, and Asiniibwaan.

The Tuniit were the people of the arctic. They were nomadic hunter gatherers who mainly hunted sea mammals through the sea ice. Unlike earlier arctic cultures, their drills, bows and arrows, and dog sleds resembled those of the Cree and other more southerly Algonkian cultures.[1] Whether this is the result of inter-breeding, trade or some other factor is unknown. It is known that the Tuniit traded ivory to the Cree in exchange for trade goods and marriage alliances, especially in the far north of Cree territory.

The Tuniit hunted walruses and used their ivory tusks for art. Both raw ivory and ivory artifacts were in high demand to the south. Tuniit ivory masks have been found in archeological sites as far south as Teotihuacan. This provides good evidence for what is known archeologically as the “Ivory Road”, a series of trade routes from the arctic to the Meso-Minisia.

A Tuniit Ivory Mask found in Teotihuacan[2]​

The theorized “ivory road” would have started in the arctic where the Tuniit hunted the walruses for their ivory. The Tuniit would then have carved the ivory, either for their own use or explicitly for use as trade items. The Tuniit would then have met Cree traders in what are called Tuniit Trading Houses.

Tuniit Trading Houses were structures built for the purpose of being meeting points for trade between the Tuniit and Cree. Previous archeologists believed that these were imitations of the longhouses of Menominee and Cree but more recent scholarship has rejected this hypothesis. It is now believed that these trade houses likely didn’t even have permanent roofs and were little more than semi-permanent meeting places for those wishing to trade.

In order to trade with the Cree, the Tuniit used a sign language today called Minisian Trade Sign Language. We will discuss the use of this sign language more in two weeks, when we discuss the peoples of the southern Great Plains, where the sign language was more prevalent.

The Cree would then have transported the ivory trade goods south to Gakaabikaang [Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN]. There it would have been sold to Odawa traders who would then have loaded it on a boat. The Odawa traders would have floated the ivory piece down the Mishi River [Mississippi River] all the way to Macha [Thibodaux, LA]. It might have changed hands several times during this trip or been taken from Gakaabikaang to Macha by a single trader. Several individuals who made such trade expeditions from Gakaabikaang to Macha are known historically.

Upon reaching Macha, the ivory piece would have been traded again, this time to coastal traders who would take it all the way to Totonac [Tecolutla, Mexico]. Totonac would then have used it as tribute for Teotihuacan, the capital city of the Otomi Empire[3]. This nearly 4000 mile journey connected the most distant parts of Minisia in a single trade system. If it was a regular trade route as has been theorized and not a one off journey, it was a trade route about as long as the Silk Road.

The theorized “ivory road”​

The Cree and the Psinomani were the agricultural peoples who lived above the “Maize Line”, the imaginary line that represented the limit above which maize cannot be grown. Over the course of the Classical Period, it grew steadily north as better and better short season maize was bred. By the end of the Classical Period, high yielding varieties of short season maize only required 120 frost-free days to grow, placing the maize line just north of Poonchikit [Green Bay, WI].

The Cree and Psinomani grew manoomin, bede, sunflowers, and many other plants but not maize. Manoomin only requires 59 frost free days (provided the water does not freeze for 120 days). This means that it can be grown extraordinarily far north.

The land of the north that favored agriculture was called Aki Cree [OTL’s Aspen Parkland] which means “the land of the Cree” in Anishinaabe. The word “Cree” was used by the Menominee to designate algonkian people to the north who were agricultural. Culturally and linguistically they were most similar to the people of Manoomingamiing [~Minnesota].

The word “Psinomani” was used by the Anishinaabe to designate Siouan people to the north who were agricultural. It is a Siouan word which means “black rice people”, just as “Menominee” means the “black rice people” in Anishinaabe.

Both the words “Cree” and “Psinomani” come from Anishinaabe historical records. They probably would not have referred to themselves as Cree or Psinomani unless they were interacting with Anishinaabe traders from the south.

In any case, such distinctions are not really evident in the archeological record in Aki Cree. Cree and Psinomani lived in the same types of houses, used the same sorts of tools, and grew the same sorts of foods. The only way a Cree settlement can be distinguished from a Psinomani settlement is if writing is present.

The Cree used a simplified form of Mowin syllabics for writing. It is thought that the Psinomani did not use writing but some historians speculate that they did. If any writing containing Siouan words is ever discovered north of Ioway [Iowa], they would be proven correct. Until then, however, the Cree are the only group of the far north that are confirmed to have been literate.

A recreated Classical Period Cree Village[4]​

It is from this literacy that some insights into their life are revealed. Just as it was further south Kisewa poles recorded marriages, death, and the ascension of important leaders. From these records it is clear that mixed marriages between the Cree and the Psinomani were common.

Both the Cree and the Psinomani clustered around lakes and rivers. They had no large cities and few towns of any great size. At most, a few trading sites hosted two or three thousand people during designated market days. Unlike the peoples of the Mishigami and further south, their villages were not fortified. Without horses (and therefore horse archers), the nomads of the plains were not a great threat to the settled agricultural people who vastly outnumbered them.

Today, the word “Cree” is used in Anishinaabe to mean an uncultured, poor, rural person. [similar to hick or redneck IOTL] It was not used in this sense during the classical period and such a meaning did not become widely used until well after European contact.

The word “Asiniibwaan” was used by the Anishinaabe to designate Siouan people to the north who were non-agricultural. The name means “Stone Sioux”. It supposedly originates from their practice of tying prisoners to rocks to burn them. It is more likely the name originates from the Asiniibwan practice of heating rocks to boil water and cook food. Plenty of cracked rocks in their campsites attest to this. During the Classical Period, they began trading with their settled neighbors for ceramic vessels that could be heated over the fire and such traditions faded.

The Asiniibwaan were nomadic hunter gatherers. Unlike their old world counterparts, who were nomadic pastoralists and skilled horse archers, the Asiniibwaan were at a significant military disadvantage over their settled, agricultural counterparts. They were pushed onto the worst land and frequently suffered starvation.

Next time, we will discuss the Siege of Sagong. But first, a supplemental on the mythology surrounding manoomin in Anishinaabe culture.

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[1] IOTL the Dorset culture had no drills, bows and arrows, or dog sleds despite the fact that cultures in the arctic before and after them had those technologies. I am assuming this is because the knowledge was lost or too expensive to maintain rather than useless. Thus, they reacquire them from their southern trade partners.
[2] Taken from: https://www.historymuseum.ca/blog/w...asque_Tyara_maskette-IMG2008-0215-0008-Dm.jpg
[3] All of this will be explained in more detail when we discuss the butterflies that have reached Mesoamerica. Which should be sometime next year. Hopefully.
[4] Taken from: https://dynamic-media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/18/54/e1/57/photo0jpg.jpg?w=1200&h=-1&s=1 Actually a recreated Sami Village in Sweden

...And we're back.

Its a beauty when you go.

 

[PeterEzgo]

Tales from the Aadizookaan: Waynaboozhoo and the Good Berry ​

Waynaboozhoo led the survivors of the Great Flood and they settled onto Mackinaw Island, the first land. All summer, the survivors of the Great Flood played and gathered wild berries and nuts from the forest. For the next several years, Waynaboozhoo and his people ate their fill. But soon, the people of the earth grew and multiplied. And each year, the water retreated from the Great Flood and there was more and more land. Soon, there were too many people and not enough food to feed all of them, especially when winter came.

One year, autumn came and the leaves began to fall. There were no more berries to gather. Then winter came and the snow fell. There was no food at all and people began to starve. Wendigo, the terrible beasts of hunger, were first seen that winter. They stalked the camps and fed upon the dead and dying.

The next spring, Waynaboozhoo set out to find food for his people to eat during the long winter months. He wanted to put a stop to the suffering. He went in the woods and fasted for four days. On the fourth day, he started a long walk. After walking a long way, he came to the edge of a river. Bathing in the river was a beautiful woman that Waynaboozhoo had never seen before. Ashamed at seeing her nakedness, Waynaboozhoo hid amongst a patch of tall grass in the shallow water. As he moved to hide, a few seeds fell from the grass. Waynaboozhoo caught them and put them in his pocket.

Manooa, Goddess of Manoomin[1]​

When the woman finished and left, Waynaboozhoo went back to his campsite, having forgotten about the seeds. That night, as he slept, he dreamed. In his dream, there were many dancers upon the water. He walked a little closer and asked if he could dance along. As he danced, the other dancers turned into tassels in the water. Long seeds hung on the tassels. Waynaboozhoo tired to gather them but every time he tried they disappeared from his grasp. Frustrated and sad, he began to weep. He wept and wept until the water of the river rose and flooded the land around the river. Out of that water, more Manoomin grew.

Then he was in his camp site in front of his fire. A ceramic bowl was hung above the campfire. On the edge of that ceramic bowl sat the beautiful woman from before. She gestured for Waynaboozhoo to look inside. Waynaboozhoo did and inside he saw the seeds that had been in his pocket.

“The food grows upon the water,” the woman said.

The seeds transformed into soup. Waynaboozhoo ate the soup and it was the best tasting soup he had ever had.

When he was finished, he asked the woman, “Who are you?”

“I am Manooa, the spirit of the rice,” she said, “Plant the rice, care for it, grow it, and you shall never go hungry again,”

“How do I grow it? How do I care for it?” Waynaboozhoo asked.

“Come with me and I shall show you,” Manooa said.

Manooa taught Waynaboozhoo how to plant rice, care for it, and grow it. She taught him how to build damns and irrigation canals to control the waters. She taught him to put the water on the land so the rice could grow upon the water. Once Waynaboozhoo controlled the waters, he could grow as much manoomin as he wanted.

It seemed to Waynaboozhoo that many years had passed as Manooa taught him to grow rice. He was an old man. His back hurt. His knees hurt. He was tired. Manooa gestured to his bed.

“Is it at last time to rest?” Waynaboozhoo asked.

“No,” said Manooa, “Now it is time to wake up.

Waynaboozhoo awoke the next morning as if no time had passed. He returned to the river and gathered enough rice to feed himself and his people for the winter. He gathered enough to plant for the next spring. When he returned home, he told and taught his people about the manoomin.

And that is the story of how manoomin became the food without which there is no meal.

---

[1] Generated using Bing Image Creator.


This is adapted from actual Anishinaabe stories on the origins of wild rice that can be found here: http://www.uwosh.edu/coehs/cmagproject/ethnomath/legend/legend6.htm and http://www.nativewildricecoalition.com/cultural-importance.html and

]

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 32: The Siege of Sagong

“In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons”- Herodotus​

The Naawayi’ii War restarted in earnest in 449 AD. Rather than attack Sagong [Saginaw, MI] directly, Peshewa of Miyamee chose to raid the river valleys around Sagong Bay in order to deprive them of food. The attacks were devastating, resulting in much loss of life and burning of crops. Pewonigowink [Flint, MI] was singled out for punishment for their betrayal of Miyamee.

Maskawigwan, when writing the Winter and Summer Chronicles, said that he interviewed an old man originally from Pewonigowink. Makawigwan asked the old man how he had survived the repeated, devastating raids.

“By my belief,” the old man said,”

“Belief in what?” asked Maskawigwan

“When people told me raiders were coming, I believed them,” the old man said.

The Raids Around Sagong[1]​

Despite the devastation, the strategy failed. Manoomin was imported from the western portions of the Three Waters Confederacy and Sagong could always take fish from Lake Karegami [Lake Huron]. Miyamee could not starve them out easily.

After two years of raiding, Peshewa was able to convince the council of Ogimaa to create a navy to take control of Lake Karegami. Miyamee had never been a strong naval power and its navy, especially in comparison to large and well trained Confederate navy, was inadequate for the task.

In the spring of 451 AD, Miyamee appointed Dakwaa, one of the few Miyamee men to have experience commanding a navy, to begin building boats and training sailors. As the boats were being constructed, the sailors sat on the beach and practiced rowing. Despite their inexperience, Dakwaa set sail for Sagong at the beginning of summer.

The attack failed, to the surprise of few. The experienced Confederate navy was able to outmaneuver and destroy most of the Miyamee navy. The land invasion fared no better. Peshewa struggled to bring enough supplies to Sagong in order to start a siege and they were attacked before they could finish building a circumvallation around the outer walls of Sagong. Upon hearing of the failure of the naval assault, Peshewa was content to once again burn some farmland and withdraw back to Miyamee.

The next year, they attacked again and in much in the same way. This time, Peshewa was able to cut off Sagong and begin to dig in before receiving word that his navy had once again failed. So again he withdrew after burning and raiding.

War Canoes set out for Sagong[2]​

While the death of Memeskia and humiliation at Owashnong [Grand Rapids, MI] had galvanized Miyamee, the Three Waters Confederacy remained internally divided about the war despite their victories. The western cities of Munising [Duluth, MN/Superior, WI], and Animikiing [Thunder Bay, Ontario] remained skeptical of any gain they might see from the war. They had sent sailors and boats to fight Miyamee. They had sent food to feed Sagong. What were they going to gain from the war?

To assuage the western cities skepticism, the Grand Council of Confederacy sought to bring in either the Black Swamp Confederacy or the Kingdom of Munising [Barrie, ON] on their side. After several years of repeated Confederate victory, the Kingdom of Miyamee was looking vulnerable and both were willing to listen. The Grand Council promised them territorial and trade concessions. P’koomkwa the Exile persuaded the Sagamos of Munising against joining the war. Despite his exile, he remained loyal to his home. Or so he claimed years later when interviewed by Maskawigwan for the Winter and Summer Chronicles. It is just as possible that Munising never had any intention of joining the war and P’koomkwa did nothing.

Unlike Munising, the Black Swamp Confederacy was willing to negotiate their entry into the war. This willingness ended when Diindiisi the priest decided that the Winter of 452-453 was the perfect moment for a pogrom against Thunderbird worshippers in Poonchikit [Green Bay, WI]. A temple was destroyed and hundreds of people either died or fled the city. The City of Kekionga [Fort Wayne, IN], was both a key leader of the Black Swamp Confederacy and had a majority of thunderbird worshippers. They adamantly rejected joining on the side of the Three Waters Confederacy. For the moment, the war would not spread.

It wasn’t until 453 AD that Miyamee saw its first real victory of the war. To the surprise of almost everyone, it was a naval victory. The Miyamee navy once again sailed out into Lake Karegami but rather than sail directly to Sagong Bay, they turned east to Manidoowaaning [Manitoulin Island], a sacred island to the Midewiwin religion. It was believed to be the dwelling place of Manidoo himself.

The Confederate naval commander, Waasnodae, was located in Baawatigong [Sault St. Marie, MI/ON] when he heard of this. The Sagamos of Baawatigong told him not to engage with their attack and instead to guard Sagong Bay. Waasnodae agreed and then left with his ships. Once out on the water, he ignored the advice of the Sagamos and headed straight for Manidoowaaning.

The resulting battle was a disaster for the Three Waters Confederacy. Dakwaa, who had never intended to cause harm to the temples of Manidoo on the island, sprang his trap. The confederate fleet was surrounded and destroyed. Wasnodae himself was killed in the battle and his body was placed on the prow of the Dakwaa’s ship. It would rot there for months until Dakwaa returned to Miyamee a hero.

At last, Peshewa was able to surround Sagong and put it fully under siege for the first time. Dakwaa was able to blockade the harbor but could not enter it due to the chain across it. There was no need to risk trying to break the chain when they could simply wait for Sagong to surrender.

Cannibalism in the Siege of Sagong[3]​

The siege would last for nearly two years. Trapped inside the walls, the people of Sagong suffered. They ate through the grain stores in the winter of 453. In the autumn of 453, they slaughtered every animal in the city, except for the sacred geese kept at the temple of Nanabozho. (According to various Aadizookaan, Nanabozho had tied geese together in order to fly and this is why they form a “v” shape in the sky.)

Outside the city, the besieging army was even worse off. They had no grain stores and struggled to bring supplies down the Flint River. They ravaged the countryside for all of its food but this was soon depleted. They used their control of Lake Karegami to bring in fish but this was limited and inconsistent. Many starved during the winter of 453. Even so, they held on.

In 454, Peshewa doubled down on his efforts to take Sagong. Dakwaa fended off a counterattack by a new Confederate navy to relive the city. Peshewa took and burned the forests used to replenish Sagong’s boats. While Peshewa and many of his men were gone burning the forest, Maskagwan led a sally that poisoned wells and despoiled food in the Miyamee camp. This raid is described in detail in the Winter and Summer Chronicles. We will not cover it here.

Despite all of this, food began running out in Sagong. By the winter of 454-455, they became desperate. With no other options and despite the great cultural taboo, the defenders turned to cannibalism. Dead bodies were eaten. When those were gone, they began to turn on the weak. Anakwad, still the commander of Sagong’s forces, offered up his own concubine as one of the first sacrifices. It is not known whether Waabojiig, Maskawigwan’s own son, died of natural causes or if he was killed before his body was eaten. The Winter and Summer Chronicles are strangely ambiguous on this point.

It was at this bleak moment in the early part of 455 that Peshewa ordered a sneak attack on the citadel of Sagong in the middle of the night. They were able to sneak quite far due to the struggles of the city. As they passed the Temple of Nanbozho, however, the sacred temple geese reacted to their presence by honking loudly and making a great fuss. Maskawigwan and many others awoke from the commotion and were able to drive out of the Miyamee soldiers out without too much trouble.

The Geese Warn of the Attack[4]​

After this, the priests celebrated the city being saved by the sacred and loyal temple geese. The Miyamee soldiers reported that not only did the city still have food, they still had living animals around. When news of this reached the rest of the Miyamee army, morale plummeted. They starved outside while those in the city lived the high life. Peshewa was forced to retreat or face a mutiny.

Upon returning to Miyamee, Peshewa was deposed. He committed suicide shortly thereafter. It took several weeks of negotiation before a new Sagamos was chosen. During the negotiations, one Ogimaa is reported to have lamented the loss of Peshewa, who was deposed too soon. P’koomkwa, still in exile in Munising, later claimed to have received a message asking if he would return but the validity of this claim was doubted even by Maskawigwan. In the end, Dakwaa was made the new Sagamos of Miyamee.

When the army retreated, the city of Sagong celebrated. The Miyamee navy left soon after. But instead of food being delivered to relieve the city, the other cities of the Confederacy horded it for themselves (especially Munising and Animiikiing who did not even send a token amount). The previous year’s harvest had been bad all over. They argued that they needed the food for their own people first. Despite the siege being over, more people died in Sagong in 455 than 454.

Among those who died was Anakwad, the uncle of Maskawigwan and the commander of Sagong’s military. As Anakwad’s children were too young and inexperienced, Maskawigwan was appointed the new military commander in charge of Sagong’s military.

Despite the losses at the Siege of Sagong, the war continued on. Next time, we will discuss the people of the southern Great Plains.

Character List

• Anakwad- commander of the Sagong forces at the beginning of the war; uncle of Maskawigwan
• Dakwaa- Miyamee Naval Commander; name means “short”
• Diindiisi- priest from Poonchikit who advocates for war; name translates as “bluejay”
• Maskawigwan- author of the Winter and Summer Chronicles; name translates as “hard quill”
• P'koomkwa- former Sagamos of Miyamee, now in exile in Munising; name means 'pecan'
• Peshewa- Sagamos of Miyamee elected after P’koomkwa; name means ‘wild cat’
• Waabojiig- son of Maskawigwan; name means “white fisher”
• Waasnodae- Naval Commander for the Three Waters Confedearcy; name means “dawn”

---

[1] Generated using Bing Image Creator
[2] Taken from: https://images.fineartamerica.com/i...e/2/polynesian-war-canoes-print-collector.jpg
[3] Modified from: https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2HJ00JR/c...t-print-engraving-or-illustration-2HJ00JR.jpg
[4] Generated using Bing Image Creator.

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 33: The Big Middle​

The people who lived below the Maize line of the Great Plains were mostly Siouan and Caddoan. Though they did not have great cities, they formed a key part of the trading network that stretched from the eastern woodlands to the west coast and south to Meso-Minisia.

The Mandan lived in small villages in the Middle Pekitani Valley [Middle Missouri Valley]. They were Siouan and settled agriculturalists. They lived below the Maize line and their principal crop was maize, although they also farmed many of the crops the Cree and Psinomani did.

The Anishinaabe called the Middle Pekitani Valley Aki Mandang [North and South Dakota, basically], meaning the place of the Mandan. They called anyone who lived there Mandan, regardless of their ethnic identity. In reality, although the Mandan were the single largest single group they were not the only people who lived in the Middle Pekitani Valley. The Hidatsa and several other (mostly Siouan) peoples inhabited the banks of the Pekitani and lived very similar lives to their Mandan neighbors. For simplicity, we will refer to all the inhabitants of the Middle Pekitani Valley as Mandan (just as the Anishinaabe did) but remember that there were a variety of different people groups there during the Classical Period.

Mandan Village on the banks of the Pekitani River [Missouri River][1]​

Like the Cree and Psinomani, the Mandan did not have large cities. Instead, they clustered into villages of no more than a thousand or so along the Pekitani. During summer, most of the men (and some of the women) would leave the village to hunt buffalo. Most of the women (and some of the men) would stay behind, farming and protecting the grain stores. In winter, the village would swell and the people would hunker down to survive the harsh winter. Like the Psinomani, the Mandan were illiterate and we have no historical records from their perspective.

The only major kingdom of the northern Great Plains was the kingdom of Ioway [~Iowa]. They also had the only true city of the northern Great Plains: Mekwi [Des Moines, Iowa]. It was the most powerful city of the Ioway River basin and hosted a large palace for the Sagamos of the kingdom, which may be as much as 7,000 years old.

Unlike the cities and kingdoms of the east, Mekwi and the Ioway Kingdom were ruled by a Siouan aristocracy. And unlike the Siouan peoples to the north and west, they were farmers who grew Maize and manoomin and rarely hunted buffalo, instead relying on trade to bring in buffalo meat and furs. They were also literate, using a variation of Mowin Syllabics. During the classical period, they were the only literate Siouan Peoples, though the Ioway Syllabary would later be modified and adopted by the Siouan Peoples of the plains during the Post-Classical Period.

While Mekwi was the only large, permanent city of the Great Plains, the town of Tonwatonga [Omaha, Nebraska] rivaled it in size, at least during winter. Tonwatonga was ruled by the Dhegihan people and was at the confluence of the Pekitani [Missouri River] and Nibrakzee [Nebraska River] Rivers. During the summer, it was large trade post for goods flowing from the west to east and east to west.

The Dhegihan lived like the Mandan, with most of the men hunting buffalo during the summer while the women stayed behind to farm maize. During the summer, the important aristocratic women of Tonwatonga formed a council who mediated disputes and ruled by decree.

Downriver of the Dhegihan lived the Kitikiti’sh. They were the northernmost Caddoan peoples. Their most powerful city was Etzanoa [Arkansas City, Kansas] which, like Tonwatonga, was largely a trading post and had dramatic population increases during winter.

A Caddo village[2]​

The close kin of the Kitikiti’sh, the Caddo, lived to the south, centered on the Upper Cana River [Red River of the South]. The largest confederation of Caddo was called the Hasinai Confederation (meaning “Our People”). The Tunica knew them as the Tejas (meaning “friends”). Both the Tunica and later Shawnee Empires were known to employ the Hasinai as mercenaries. They were famed for their skill in archery, probably due to their close association with the bow wood bush [Osage Orange].

During the classical period, the Hasinai Confederation demanded tribute from the city of Atakapa [Houston/Galveston, TX] on the Gulf of Chitti. Atakapa was ethnically Chitti[3]and served as a stopping point for Meso-Minisian trade items to enter the southern Great Plains. Like many other settlements of the plains, it depended on this trade.

This trade was facilitated by the widespread use of the Minisian Trade Sign Language more commonly referred to as “Hand Talk”. Hand Talk allowed the many people of the Great Plains who spoke many different languages to communicate and trade with each other. There were many regional variations but the most common and basic signs were essentially universal throughout the Great Plains and beyond.

Unlike modern sign languages, there were no phonetic signs or finger spelled alphabet. Instead thousands of signs for words or concepts were used and combined to make entire sentences. For example, to indicate a stream you might use the signs for “small” and “river”. There was a single sign to indicate you were asking a question. There were individual signs for every tribe and clan of the Great Plains. And so on.

A Phrase in Hand Talk[4]​

Hand Talk was not just limited to the peoples of the Great Plains. Deaf, hearing impaired, or otherwise mute people were known to use Hand Talk to communicated in their everyday lives. Many still face discrimination and prejudice as others might assume they were stupid because they could not talk. Many Odawa trading clans from the Mishigami taught their children the signs so that they could become merchants and traders, transporting goods from the Great Plains to the Great Lakes and vice versa. Salish traders from the Pacific Northwest were said to travel every year to Tonwatonga to trade even as far back as the classical period and they used Hand Talk in order to communicate. They are even depictions of traders using their hands to talk in Meso-Minisian art.

While writing was used in both eastern Minisia and Meso-Minisia by the more “civilized” peoples, limited forms of writing were used in the Great Plains as well. Simple pictures could aid in translation where Hand Talk failed. Sometimes a mix of Mowin syllabics, pictographs, and drawings of Hand Talk signs were used to send messages. As the peoples of the Great Plains increased in number and sophistication, these kinds of proto-writing became more common but they never eclipsed the popularity and usefulness of Hand Talk.

The further west of the Mishi River [Mississippi River] you went, the less “civilized”, or at least less agricultural, people became. Unlike the nomadic pastoralists of the old world, they were hunter gatherers at a severe military disadvantage to the settled agricultural peoples who lived in the wetter east.

Next time, we will have a narrative interlude entitled “The Duel”.

---

[1] Taken from: https://lewis-clark.org/media/lctoday/hidatsa-village-catlin-sq.jpg
[2] Taken from: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/85/01/ab/8501abb7e17f2bdfbef1f617b4a06c70.jpg
[3] Possibly, OTL the extinct Atakapa language might be a language isolate or might be related to the Tunica/Chittimacha , it isn’t known for sure.
[4] Taken from: https://lewis-clark.org/media/4-tompkins.jpg

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Interlude: The Duel​

Animikiing [Thunder Bay], Three Waters Confederacy 456 AD

Menakihikon of the Caribou Clan of Animikiing sat in the sweat lodge with his eyes closed, savoring the heat and humidity. Occasionally, he softly hit himself with birch branches, which was said to improve circulation. Whether that was true or not, it did feel nice.

Menakihikon in the sweat lodge[1]​

A shock of cold air swept over the room. A slave had entered the sweat lodge.

Menakihikon scowled but did not open his eyes. “Why are you letting out all the warm air?” he demanded.

“There is urgent news,” the slave said.

Menakihikon waved his hand but kept his eyes closed. “Why do you always disturb me when I am most at peace? Whatever it is can wait.”

“It is about your brother.” The slave said.

At this, Menakihikon rubbed his eyes but did not open them. “What has he done now?”

“Kanonikus seduced Ozhaawashkodewekwe of the elk clan,” the slave said.

“And who is that?” Menakihikon said.

“She is the wife of Iyanoo of the Porcupine clan of Munising [Duluth].” The slave explained.

A distant memory of watching his brother play with a girl as children and watching her sail away sparked inside Menakihikon’s mind. “Ozhaa, yes, I remember her,” Menakihikon shrugged, his eyes still stubbornly closed. “My brother is a fool. That is well known. What of it?”

“Ozhaa bragged about the affair to her servants. She mocked her husband to his face,” the slave said nervously.

“Apparently she is a fool as well. This is likely the reason Kanonikus was able to seduce her.” Menakihikon said.

“Iyanoo did not take it well. In his rage Iyanoo took a rock and beat her until her head split open. She is dead,” the slave said.

Menakihikon’s eyes shot open. “Iyanoo of the Porcupine clan killed his wife, Ozhaa of the elk clan?” Menakihikon said.

The slave nodded. “Yes,”

“This will start a war,” Menakihikon said.

“Yes,”

Bowatinong[Sault St. Marie], Three Waters Confederacy 456 AD
Several Weeks Later

Menakihikon was making his way to the Great Council in Mackinaw. It was a regularly scheduled meeting but the murder of Ozhaa was likely to dominate discussion, despite the war with Miyamee.

Before reaching Mackinaw, Menakihikon stopped over in Bowatinong. It was on the way and it was convenient neutral ground where he could meet with Wendjimadub Mishi Gaag, the leader and Ogimaa of the Porcupine clan of Munising. Wendjimadub was also the father of Iyanoo.

Wendjimadub was nearly fifty. The muscle of his youth had turned to fat but his mind remained sharp. “There has been a great insult done to an agidajiw family,” he said.

Menakihikon nearly snorted. Their claim to being an agidajiw family was weak. They were hardly a family of great antiquity or ancient standing. The Porcupine clan was a clan of zhimaaganish warriors. They had served the Sachim of Munising for a hundred years. The war with Miyamee had brought them enough wealth to buy their way onto the wajiw of an impoverished clan.

They are adawa. Menakihikon thought. Little biting dogs that serve their master. I am a zhooniyaawaabik odawa, a silver merchant. My outhouse is better adorned than their sleeping quarters.

But there was no need to say such things to the old warrior’s face. “Two insults to two different families, by my count,” Menakihikon said.

“You consider your brother’s actions to have insulted the Caribou clan as well?” Wendjimadub said.

“If he did such a thing—” Menakihikon began.

“He did,” Wendjimadub interrupted.

“If he did, it would still not justify the murder of Ozhaa of the Elk clan.” Menakihikon said. “Kanonikus might have insulted the porcupine clan but Iyanoo certainly insulted and damaged the elk clan,”

“Do you speak for the elk clan then?” Wendjimadub asked.

Menakihikon shook his head.

“Then let them speak to me about insults and damage for the death of Ozhaawashkodewekwe.” Wendjimadub. “We have our own business to discuss.”

“What will it take for Kanonikus to be forgiven?” Manakihikon said.

“Your brother’s actions have cost Iyanoo a wife,” Wendjimadub said.

“Iyanoo’s own actions have cost him a wife. Kanonikus may have seduced her, but he didn’t kill her,” Menakihikon said.

Wendjimadub waved his hand. “No matter what happened, once Kanonikus touched her she became unworthy of marriage to Iyanoo. Even if she had lived, the marriage was at an end.”

“Is that all he seeks then, a bed mate?” Menakihikon said, mockingly. “I have several slaves that could fill the position. He can have one or several of them if that will resolve this issue.”

“Slaves will not fill the hole created by the wife,” Wendjimadub. “Iyanoo needs a new wife. A proper wife.”

Menakihikon knew what he was hinting at but opted to play dumb. “I have no woman in my possession who could be a proper wife for Iyanoo.” A proper wife for that bastard would be his own hunting dogs.

“Your sister—” Wendjimadub began.

“My sister is a member of the Caribou clan of Animikiing, an agidajiw clan since the time of the great flood. She is not a proper wife for a member of the porcupine clan. No mide would perform the ceremony. It is against the law,”

“A wise Mide would make an exception to ensure peace,” Wendjimadub said. “You know this. I know this. Stop making excuses,”

“I will not send my sister to be abused and raped by your beast of a son,” Menakihikon spat out.

“So it comes out at last,” Wendjimadub said. “We are beasts, unworthy of your great bloodline. A hundred years of service. A hundred years of bleeding for our Sachim and still we are unworthy. My father died for his sachim. My grandfather too. My brother drowned in your stupid pointless war in the east. Still you look down at us from your hill houses. Even when we live as high as or higher than you, you still look down,”

“Yes,” Menakihikon said.

“You are a fool.” Wendjimadub said. “Your brother is a fool.”

“He is my fool,” Menakihikon said.

“If he had not treated us so, perhaps we all could have pretended that service meant something.” Wendjimadub said. “If we are unworthy of marriage, another settlement must be made. You have many possessions. Part with enough of them and we may forget this matter.”

“My brother’s cock will not be the thing that brings you great wealth,” Menakihikon said.

Wendjimadub snorted, “Then it may be what kills him.”

“I’ve known that for a long time,” Menakihikon said. “So has he, for that matter,”

The meeting ended not long after.

Sacred Mackinaw, Three Waters Confederacy 456 AD
A Few Days Later

When Menakihikon arrived at the Temple of Asibikaashi in Mackinaw, he was clad head to toe in furs. The summer heat made him sweat more than his sweat lodge ever had. He had been in the damaged temple before, though never in such dire circumstances as this. His brother, Kanonikus strode in behind him, also heavily clad in furs. Kanonikus had never been to Mackinaw. He had never been important enough to bring along, until now.

The Sagamos of Animikiing was already seated in the temple. Though he wore winter clothing, his was lighter. Their furs signified their willingness to drag out negotiations into the winter.

When the Sagamos of Munising entered the hall, he too was wearing winter clothing. Behind him, the Porcupine clan was covered head to toe fur, not unlike Menakihikon and the Caribou clan.

They are willing to hold out for a settlement as long as we are. Menakihikon thought.

Most of the rest of the day was taken up with the formal ceremonies of the start of a Grand Council. The main speaker of the day was a priest by the name of Diindisi. He spoke much and said little. His mouth smiled but his eyes did not.

For many hours, Diindisi beseeched Manidoo and various ochijaag for protection and to guide negotiation. He plead forgiveness for violating Asibikaashi’s temple. He asked Manooa for a good harvest. He asked Mishipeshu to calm the waters for the confederate navy. So many promises and so many appeals.

In the center of the hall was a huge bonfire. The fire made more smoke than heat. Despite wearing thick furs, the fire did not bother Menakihikon. If this did drag out until winter, the hall would be bitterly cold.

Once the formal ceremonies were over, Menakihikon left the hall having said nothing all day. As they filed out, he was approached by Shingas, the Ogimaa of the Elk Clan of Animikiing and brother to the woman killed. They had met several times before but Menakihikon had not seen him since learning of the death of Ozhaa.

“Mishi Adik,” Shingas said, bowing his head. He was using Menakihikon’s formal title. He is trying to sweet talk me. Menakihikon thought.

“Mishi Omashkooz.” Menakihikon bowed his head to return the favor. “I was saddened to hear of your sister’s death.”

“It is precisely on her account that I have come to speak to you,” Shingas said. “I wish to hear the truth from you,”

“Then I shall tell you the truth,” Menakihikon said. “My brother seduced your sister. She bragged about it to her husband. Her husband killed her. That is all I know,”

“That is what your brother maintains, is it?” Shingas said. “That he seduced her?”

“What else could he say?” Menakihikon asked.

Shingas considered his words for a moment. “If it were to be known… if your brother confessed not to seducing a married woman but instead confessed to raping her, then Ozhaa’s honor would be preserved. If you were to… persuade your brother on the correctness of this action, then it would be in the interests of the elk clan to support the Caribou clan.”

For a moment, Menakihikon said nothing. Shingas stared at him, waiting his answer.

“You ask me to condemn my brother and betray him for a lie so that you can preserve a dead women’s honor?” Menakihikon asked, carefully keeping his voice calm.

“Your brother is condemned whether it was rape or it was seduction,” Shingas said. “One preserves the honor of my sister and my clan. The other doesn’t.”

“It would also lead to war,” Menakihikon said.

“War has already begun. All of this is but pageantry before the blood flows.” Shingas shook his head. “What is one lie or the other?”

“One is a lie,” Menakihikon said. “The other is truth. If truth leads to war, so be it. But it will still be truth. I yet have hope that war can be avoided.”

“Then you are a fool, just like your brother,” Shingas said. He left the hall in a huff.

The second day of the Grand Council was when the deliberations really started. Diindisi did not spend so long on invocations. Instead, the council started business almost right away.

“I know that there is much to be discussed here today. Everyone will have their turn to talk,” Diindisi said, looking from the Caribou clan to the Porcupine clan. “Let us start with the accusations. If you will Mishi Gaag…”

Wendjimadub stood up. “My son, Iyanoo, was lawfully married to the beautiful Ozhaawashkodewekwe of the Elk clan.”

“Whom he murdered!” shouted Shingas.

Wendjimadub ignored him. “One night, a thief took up residence in our wajiw. He ate our food. He slept in our beds. And he violated the marriage of Iyanoo and Ozhaawashkodewekwe.” He gestured grandly with his hands. “That thief, I barely can call him a man, was Kanonikus of the Caribou clan.”

Diindisi turned to the caribou clan. “Kanonikus, do you have an answer for this serious accusation?”

Kanonikus stood up. “I confess my guilt in this matter.” Iyanoo and several other members of the porcupine clan hissed at him. Of course, this was all planned and rehearsed. There was no point in denying the act. This was merely a dispute over the potential consequences. “Ozhaa and I grew up together. I used my childhood friendship with her to seduce her. I betrayed the trust of the Porcupine Clan. I violated the marriage of Iyanoo. I regret it now… more than you know.”

Besides a small deviation at the end, Kanonikus had done well. Menakihikon stood up and placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder. Kanonikus knew that this was the signal to sit down.

“Do you have something to say, Mishi Adik?” Diindisi asked.

“We have never disputed the nature of the crime. We only seek a fair settlement,” Menakihikon said.

“Such an insult and crime demands more than rice can buy.” Wendjimadub said. “Some men value things above owning things.”

Menakihikon smiled, remembering their conservation earlier. “Indeed. Some people value terrorizing and murdering women.”

Anger flashed across Wendjimadub’s face. But he was not the one most insulted. Iyanoo stood up and pointed his finger at Menakihikon’s chest. “That whore deserved everything I gave her and more. Your brother defiled her and her lying tongue.”

Menakihikon glanced over at Shingas. Iyanoo had all but admitted to the murder. Whatever happened with Kanonikus now, Iyanoo was a dead man. He would certainly be condemned for Ozhaa’s murder. “I don’t dispute anything you have said,” Menakihikon said, simply.

Even Iyanoo was not stupid enough to miss that he had made a mistake, even if he was unsure of what it was. “I have a right to my anger! I have a right to my vendetta! Aazhida gwayakochige!”

Menkihikon closed his eyes. He knew what was next.

“You are correct, Iyanoo.” Diindisi said. “What will make things right? What will bring things back as they were?”

“His death,” said Iyanoo, pointing at Kanonikus. “Or mine.”

“A duel, then,” Diindisi said.

Menakihikon looked over to his brother. Kanonikus looked like pale. He took a deep breath and stood.

“I accept.” Kanonikus said.

“So be it,” Diindisi said. “Tomorrow one of you shall die,”

The rest of the meeting was perfunctory. A time, place, and rules were agreed to. After that, other business was discussed. The war with Miyamee was finally brought to the fore. The western representatives argued fiercely against further conflict. The eastern representatives called them cowards. On and on it went. Menakihikon heard none of it.

That night, both the Caribou clan and the Porcupine clan held great feasts for their supporters in the upcoming duel. Shingas of the elk clan, despite all that had been said the previous day, attended the feast with the Caribou clan. He thanked Menakihikon for his verbal trickery, drank a single cup of wine, and left.

Kanonikus, meanwhile, seemed determined to drown himself in wine for most of the night. He had a prostitute on each arm and used a turkey leg as a prop when describing what he meant to do to Iyanoo in the morning. Menakihikon drank only a little and kept an eye on his brother.

As the feast wound down, Kanonikus grew quieter and quieter. His groping of the prostitutes became less frequent and more desperate. At last, when most of the party goers had gone to bed, Menakihikon gestured for the last remaining attendees to go as well. Kanonikus sat at the table, seemingly oblivious to their absence.

“It is time, Kanonikus. The feast is at its end,” Menakihikon said.

“You knew he would challenge me to a duel,” Kanonikus said. “How can I beat him, big brother? Tell me that?”

“It could not be avoided,” Menakihikon said.

“You didn’t even try,” Kanonikus said. He drained his cup. “You know what the funniest part is?”

“What?” Menakihikon said, helping his brother stand.

“She seduced me,” Kanonikus said. He laughed.

Menakihikon helped his brother back to his bed. The prostitutes were waiting for him. Menakihikon was sure they would improve his brother’s mood considerably.

That night, owls haunted Menakihikon’s dreams. They stared at him with their large, pale eyes. Saying nothing. He knew the meaning of the dream. He knew the message before the dream. Death was near and all around him.

He dreamed of owls[2]​

The next morning, a grass field had been cleared for use as an arena. People gathered for the duel. Brothers, sisters, uncles, distant cousins, and more from the Caribou clan crowded one side to cheer for Kanonikus. Other people from Animikiing stood next to them, as well as many members of the elk clan. The porcupine clan and many people from Munising crowded on the other side to cheer for Iyanoo. By Menakihikon’s eye, the Caribou clan had more supporters but he supposed that could be his bias showing through. The unaffiliated that were looking for a bit of entertainment and blood outnumbered both sides.

Yet despite all the people, Kanonikus had yet to arrive. Members of the porcupine clan began jeering and hissing. “Where is he?” came a chant. “Coward!” cried a man in the crowd. Iyanoo sat waiting, staring at Menakihikon.

At last, Menakihikon stepped forward. “If he does not show soon, I will fight you myself.” That was assurance enough for the crowd that at least some blood would be spilt.

No sooner had the words passed his mouth then a cry went up from the Caribou clan side. “Ka-non-i-kus! Ka-non-i-kus!” He had arrived at last.

“Get him ready.” In a moment, half a dozen members of the Caribou clan began tying wooden armor onto Kanonikus. Menakihikon handed him a copper sword.

Kanonikus looked at his brother with blood shot eyes. “You know what the worst part id? I’m gonna die with a hangover”

“His weapon requires the strength of his shoulder. Yours requires a flick of your wrist. He will be slow. You will be fast.” Menakihikon reassured him.

“He is stronger than me,” said Kanonikus.

“Let him come at you and tire himself out, then” Menakihikon said.

“He has more stamina than I do,” Kanonikus said.

“He is blinded with rage. Be calm, let him make a mistake,” Menakihikon said.

“He is a trained zhimaaganish warrior. I am a silver merchant who has never fought before. Don’t pretend this is something it is not,” Kanonikus said as the last of his armor was fastened.

Menakihikon could say nothing. Kanonikus entered the arena. In contrast to Kanonikus’s wooden armor and copper sword, Iyanoo wore only a loincloth and carried a ball club.

Diindisi was at the center of the arena. Both warriors walked up to him and took his hand. Diindisi lifted their hands over his head. “The rules have been agreed to. Follow them. Let justice be done!” At that, Diindisi let go of their hands and walked out of the arena.

The two fighters began circling each other.

Iyanoo laughed. “This is who you have sent to fight me? The man who defiled my marriage? A girlish boy who wears the armor and carries the weapons of rich old men.” He lifted his club over his head. “I carry the weapon of heroes. It will be vengeance in my hands.”

Kanonikus took advantage of Iyanoo’s grandstanding to strike. Kanonikus’s sword went for Iyanoo’s exposed belly but he was barely able to get to him before Iyanoo’s club came down on his shoulder. Kanonikus was sent reeling. The crowd cheered.

Blood spilled over Iyanoo’s stomach. Menakihikon smiled. Whatever else happened, it was likely that Iyanoo would die of an infection.

Despite this early victory, it soon became clear who would win the fight. Iyanoo was larger, stronger, and faster. Kanonikus continuously retreated but Iyanoo kept raining blows down on his wooded armor. Though it provided some protection, the small pieces of wood soon splintered and shattered.

At last, Kanonikus was backed up to the edge of the crowd. Unable to retreat any further, he was forced to charge at Iyanoo. Being an inexperienced fighter, he did not use the sharpness of the copper sword to his advantage. He swung with his shoulder and did not flick his wrist. This nullified whatever advantage he might have had.

Iyanoo swung his club hard into Kanonikus’s now unarmored forearm. There was a sickening crunch. Bits of bone stuck out of Kanonikus’s arm. He dropped his sword. Another blow behind his ear dropped him to the ground. The end was coming now.

But rather than finish Kanonikus off, Iyanoo waited. After a moment’s hesitation, he picked up the copper sword and gave it to one of his relatives. Then he returned to Kanonikus, who was still groaning on the ground.

“I want to know, when you were in bed with my wife did you imagine this is how you would die?” Iyanoo laughed.

Kanonikus’s only reply was to spit at Iyanoo. Iyanoo responded not with his club but by beating Kanonikus with his fists. The crowd began to boo. They did not come for anything less than death.

Iyanoo ignored them. When he was done beating Kanonikus, he retreated again and began circling. “I have no intention in making this quick,”

Kanonikus began crawling along the ground. At first, Menakihikon thought Kanonikus was merely crawling away from Iyanoo but he soon realized that Kanonikus was crawling toward him.

His brother lifted his mangled arm in the direction of Menakihikon. “Brother,” he said weakly.

Menakihikon stepped forward. “Enough. Finish this, Iyanoo.”

Iyanoo turned to face Menakihikon. “A warrior does not take orders from a silver merchant,”

Menakihikon grabbed a club and ran into the arena. Though he did not know it yet, the Three Waters Confederacy, a political institution that had lasted nearly a thousand years, was dead before he reached Iyanoo.



Character List

Caribou Clan of Animikiing

• Kanonikus- foolish younger brother; slept with Ozhaa
• Menakihikon- Ogimaa of the Caribou clan of Animikiing; older brother; also called Mishi Adik or ‘Great Caribou’
• Slave- unnamed slave of Menakihikon

Porcupine Clan of Munising

• Wendjimadub- Ogimaa of Porcupine Clan of Munising; father of the husband; also called Mishi Gaag or ‘Great Porcupine’
• Iyanoo- son of the Wendjimadub; easily angered; killed his wife in jealous rage;

Elk Clan of Animikiing

• Ozhaawashkodewekwe- Wife of Iynaoo; often called Ozhaa; her name means “the woman of the Green Glade”; killed by Iyanoo after sleeping with Kanonikus
• Shingas- Ogimaa of the Elk Clan of Animikiing; brother to Ozhaa

Other

Diindiisi of Poonchikit- priest from Poonchikit who is used as a mediator; name translates as “bluejay”

---

[1] Generated using Bing Image Creator
[2] Taken from: https://thesupernaturalfoxsisters.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/owl.jpg

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 34: A Dream of Spring [1]​

The conflict between the Caribou Clan of Animikiing and the Porcupine Clan of Munising soon escalated out of control. By the end of 456 AD, Animikiing [Thunder Bay, ON] and Munising [Duluth, Minnesota] were openly and illegally at war with each other. This severely reduced the military capacity of the Three Waters Confederacy, especially its naval power.

Miyamee took advantage of this in the spring of 457 AD. They raided Bowatinong [Sault St. Marie, MI/ON] and Mackinaw. They burned the sacred temple of Asibikaashi that had been used as the meeting place for the Grand Council of the Three Waters Confederacy for close to a thousand years. Priests from around the Mishigami condemned this action, calling it sacrilege. Both the Black Swamp Confederacy and the Kingdom of Minesing [Barrie, ON] sent delegations to Miyamee to protest the desecration of such sacred places. Dakwaa, the new Sagamos of Miyamee, refused to even see them.

The land campaign went just as well for Miyamee. They again raided the land around Sagong. This time they focused their attacks on their former ally Pewonigowink [Flint, MI]. With the Confederacy so clearly weakening, a noble from Pewonigowink named Lawokwa was bribed into poisoning the water supply of the city. With no clean water, the city was forced to surrender. Lawokwa expected to be made Sagamos of Pewonigowink for his actions. Instead he was killed by the Miyamee forces shortly after they entered the city. To this day, the phrase “to be rewarded as Lewokwa was” is used in Anishinaabe to describe similar situations.

With Pewonigowink taken, Sagong’s fall was all but inevitable. Recall that Maskawigwan had been put in charge of the defense of the city after his uncle’s death. Due to this, we have a lot of details regarding his defensive planning during the Fall of Sagong. For obvious reasons, many historians doubt some of Maskawigwan’s descriptions in the Winter and Summer Chronicles as slanted so as to avoid being blamed for the failure to defend the city. In any case, no one has ever offered a convincing alternative to the scenario as described by Maskawigwan so we will stick with it for now.

Sagong had been severely weakened by the siege and subsequent famines. The Confederate Civil War had removed even more military forces from the area, including most of the ships who were supposed to protect the harbor. There was no expectation this time that the city could hold out in a siege.

Instead, Awasis, the Sagamos of Sagong, ordered an evacuation of the city. Thousands of people crammed themselves onto boats and rafts. They paddled for friendly cities and villages to the west. Others decided to stay behind, hoping to survive the onslaught. As the evacuation began, rioting and looting rapidly became rampant. Fires broke out across the city. There was chaos everywhere even though the Miyamee forces were still days away.

Maskawigwan attempted to take control of the spiraling situation. He ordered his soldiers to abandon their defensive positions and instead arrest looters and disperse crowds to stop the rioting. Once that was done, they began to escort the residents to boats. Shortly thereafter, a group of his soldiers caught Sagamos Awasis attempting to flee with most of the city’s valuables and food storage. Rather than punish him, Maskawigwan simply deposed him and requisitioned the supplies to feed his army and the city. Maskawigwan unilaterally declared himself Sagamos of Sagong.

By that time, the Miyamee forces were on the outskirts of the city. The Sagong military forces fought a brief rear guard action to evacuate as many people as possible but it was too late. The final boat out of Sagong was commanded by Maskawigwan. As he watched from his commander’s chair, the city burned.

The inhabitants of Sagong spread out along the fishing villages of the northern Naawayi’ii Peninsula [Lower Peninsula of Michigan]. Many of those who evacuated were left homeless and starving. In the weeks after Sagong was taken, many of these small villages were taken as well. Those rich, lucky, or resourceful enough made it to the relative safety of Wiikwitong [Traverse City, MI].

Those who stayed behind were no better off. Many were killed as Miyamee soldiers sacked and burned whatever was left in the city. Anyone who survived the orgy of violence was enslaved. Miyamee would later refound the city and settle several thousand inhabitants but Sagong would not regain its former prominence until the Long Peace of Shawnee Imperial Period.

In 457 AD, for the first time in nearly a thousand years, the Grand Council of the Three Waters Confederacy would not meet in Mackinaw. Instead they gathered at Milliokee [Milwaukee, WI]. At this meeting, Maskawigwan was recognized as the rightful Sagamos of Sagong and would be granted the right to vote in the council.

Besides Sagong, the Sagamos of Animikiing, Bowatinong, Munising, and Mackinaw were absent. They had either been killed by Miyamee or were currently fighting each other in the Gichigami [Lake Superior]. These Sagamos were replaced by representatives backed by Asiginaak, the Sagamos of Milliokee. These votes, along with the votes of Maskawigwan and the Sagamos of Wiikwitong, gave Asiginaak almost complete control of the council. From this point forward, the Three Waters Confederacy would be little more than the Milliokee Empire.

This did not sit well with the members of the delegations from Poonchikit [Green Bay, WI] and Shikaakwe [Chicago, IL]. Diindiisi attempted to organize these members in order to oppose the power grab by Asiginaak. His personal unpopularity, having been involved in both starting the war with Miyamee and the duel which led to the civil war in the Gichigami, made this impossible. When Diindiisi attempted to interrupt Asiginaak during a council, Asiginaak is said to have replied “Stop quoting laws to men with clubs.”

It soon became clear to Diindiisi and the other delegates that opposition to Asiginaak would not be tolerated. Diindiisi fled to Taykopera [Madison WI] rather than face imprisonment in Milliokee. He would live there the rest of his life. At one point, Maskawigwan attempted to interview him for the Winter and Summer Chronicles but was refused.

This rapid takeover of the Three Waters Confederacy by Milliokee led to a brief rebellion in Poonchikit and Shikakwe but it too disorganized and unpopular and was swiftly put down. In a single year, almost every city in the Three Waters Confederacy had been damaged by war.

458 AD would be little better for the Three Waters Confederacy. With Sagong now secured, Miyamee turned its attention to Owashnong [Grand Rapids, MI]. The last major battle of the Naawayi’ii War took place at Owashnong, not far from where the first battle of the war had been fought. The Owashnong forces, without the element of surprise and with no confederate reinforcements, were quickly routed by the superior Miyamee forces. Owashnong was put to the sword and burned.

With nothing left to fight for, a peace treaty was signed in Wiikwitong that autumn. Asiginaak and Dakwaa dug a hole, placed war clubs in the hole and covered them over to ritually signal their desire for peace. Then they shared a pipe filled with tobacco as a sign of friendship. Asiginaak agreed to cede Sagong and Owashnong to Miyamee control. Wampum belts were made and exchanged which detailed the new borders between the kingdoms. With that, the Naawayi’ii War was officially over. This is also where the Winter and Summer Chronicles ends its story. But history went on.

The civil war in the Gichigami continued to rage. Eventually, both the Caribou clan of Animikiing and the Porcupine Clan of Munising were completely destroyed. Munising would be taken over by the Kingdom of Manoomingamiing [~Minnesota]. Animikiing would remain more or less independent for a time before being conquered by Milliokee in the 470s AD.

Over the next few years, Miyamee would begin wars with the Black Swamp Confederacy and the Munising Kingdom. Further large scale conflicts would erupt across the Mishigami. This period after the collapse the Three Waters Confederacy is called the Terminal Classic Period. It would only be ended by the rise of the Shawnee Empire and the start of the Imperial Period. But we will discuss that later. Next time, we will have a narrative interlude entitled “The Veiled Woman” which will bring us closer to the beginning of the Shawnee Empire.



Character List

• Asiginaak- Sagamos of Milliokee; name means “blackbird”
• Awasis- Sagamos of Sagong; name means “child”
• Dakwaa- Miyamee Naval Commander; name means “short”
• Diindiisi- priest from Poonchikit who advocates for war; name translates as “bluejay”
• Lawokwa- traitor from Poewonigowink [Flint, MI]
• Maskawigwan- author of the Winter and Summer Chronicles and commander in Sagong; name translates as “hard quill”

---

[1] With apologies to George RR Martin. I will gladly change the title when his book comes out. Whenever that is.

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Volume 2: Sacred History

Trigger Warning: I’m generally not one for trigger warnings but this story is about as intense as it gets. Rape, murder, torture, mutilation, the works. Be warned.

Interlude: The Veiled Woman​

Negushwa had been invited by the Sagamos of Wapeksippu [Indianapolis, IN] to attend a feast. As a babaa-ayaa zhimaaganish or wandering warrior, he was invited to many feasts. Most served poor food and promised hard work under harsh masters. Negushwa hoped this time was different.

Negushwa climbed up the stairs of the wajiw of the Sagamos. On every step there were carvings of monsters and aspects of Manidoo. A common theme in many of the carvings was the presence of a large red fox, which was the symbol of the ruling clan of Wapeksippu. When he reached the top the guards recognized him by his missing right eye. They let him in with a smile. The feast had already begun.

Negushwa was ushered in. Chiksika, the Sagamos of Wapeksippu, sat at the central table higher than anyone else. His wives sat to his left. Two young boys no older than ten, his heirs, sat to his left. Further away sat many zhimaaganish, both native to Wapeksippu and visiting mercenaries looking for work. Negushwa was granted a seat amongst the mercenaries, though he was nearer to the Sagamos than most.

“The tales of your bravery are legendary,” the fawning flunky who escorted him said, “When Munsee [Muncie, IN] was taken, all the warriors feared you most.”

That was a long time ago, thought Negushwa. He said nothing.

He had missed the beginning of the feast, but there were many courses to go. Young and pretty slaves served the Sagamos’s table. Further from the Sagamos the serving slave girls got uglier and older. The only one to break this trend was the veiled woman.

The veiled woman[1]​

You could not tell how ugly or pretty she was because of the veil over her face. Negushwa could tell from her eyes and the way she carried herself that she was middle aged. She served the tables near the Sagamos but carefully stayed away from the Sagamos’s wives. When she came near, Negushwa raised his cup to ask for more wine. As she poured it, he looked into her eyes. There was something in her eyes that was familiar. Before he could remember what it was she moved on.

Negushwa ate little. The food was too rich and the wine too sweet for his liking. Besides, he knew what came at the end of the meal and he was not looking forward to it.

When the feast ended and the plates and utensils cleared away (Negushwa looked for the veiled woman but did not see her), the Sagamos went around the tables glad handing every wandering warrior there. Even from across the room, Negushwa could see how weak he was and how labored his breathing became. At last, he reached Negushwa.

“We have met before, you and I,” said Chiksika. “Though I was only a young warrior and you were a legend even then.”

“I remember,” said Negushwa, rubbing his eye patch. “It is a difficult day to forget.”

“Yes, I suppose so,” said Chiksika. “Recently I have quarreled with the Sagamos of Ishpadinaa [Terra Haute, IN]. I have need of your services. The price will be the same as the others, of course.”

A lie. Negushwa thought. You need extra muscle for the transition to your young sons. But outwardly, Negushwa only nodded. “I would expect nothing less and nothing more.”

With a quick flourish, Negushwa got on one knee. “I pledge on my honor to defend Wapeksippu and follow your orders.”

“Accepted,” Chiksika said instantly. “I suppose you never thought you would defend Wapeksippu, did you?”

Negushwa shook his head. “It pains me greatly to do so. But I have little choice.”

Chiksika laughed. “You are too dour. This is the start of something wonderful. Have some more wine,” Chiksika poured more wine into Negushwa’s cup. “Indulge in some revelry, old soldier. We have a bed set aside for you tonight. Do you see a woman who might warm it for you?”

Negushwa raised his eyebrow. “What about the woman who wears a veil?”

Chiksika’s face fell. “She is ugly. You do not want her. There are many women, pick another.”

Negushwa shook his head. “She is intriguing. I will have her or I will have no one.”

Chiksika paused for a moment and then with a great flourish. “Fine, old soldier. Don’t tell me that I didn’t warn you.”

The veiled woman was brought to him. Her eyes were narrow in skepticism. “You have requested me?”

“I have a bed for tonight. Let us retire and talk the night away.” Negushwa said.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Haven’t you heard? I am ugly. All the other men who have talked with me sent me away.”

“I am not like other men.” Negushwa said, standing up. “I am tired of this party, let us go.”

The woman raised an eyebrow but followed him. Negushwa took a lamp and was given directions to a bedchamber by a flunky.

“What is your name?” Negushwa asked as they began walking that way.

“Wapanacakos,” the woman said.

“The morning star,” said Negushwa. “Yes, that is what I thought.”

The sounds of the party faded as they made their way to the bedchamber. When they reached it, Negushwa saw that it was little more than a wooden bed frame and a door. It would do for now.

Negushwa sat on the bed. “Show me what you are hiding beneath that veil.”

Wapanacakos sighed. She lifted the veil. Beneath was the face of a beautiful woman. Full lips, dark eyebrows, high cheekbones, long eyelashes, and a great black hole in the center where her nose should be.

Spoiler: Beneath the Veil (Warning: Graphic)

Beneath the veil[2]​

“You are ugly,” said Negushwa.

“No uglier than you,” said Wapanacakos, pulling off his eye patch to reveal the empty socket underneath.

Negushwa laughed. “True. They have taken much from me. Not as much from me as you, I think.”

For a moment, Wapanacakos and Negushwa stared at each other. “Are you going to send me away then?”

“No,” said Negushwa. “I wish to hear your story.”

“No,” said Wapanacakos.

“I will tell you mine and then perhaps you will be more comfortable,” said Negushwa.

“Many years ago, I was a proud zhimaaganish warrior for the city of Munsee. I knew many other men like me. Including a proud warrior by the name of Beswewe who had a daughter named Wapanacakos.”

Negushwa paused for a moment. Wapanacakos said nothing but sat at the edge of the bed.

Negushwa continued. “One day the Sagamos of Wapeksippu, the father of Chiksika, attacked Munsee. Beswewe and I and many others fought bravely but they were too many and we were too few. I was wounded in the eye and infection took it later. Munsee was taken and sacked by Wapeksippu while I lay losing my eye. Afterward, I escaped and became a wandering warrior. I do not know what happened to my friend, Beswewe.”

“He lived for a time,” said Wapanacakos. “Too long.”

Negushwa’s eye filled with tears. “And his daughter? What happened to her?”

“She was left behind in Munsee. After the battle, the city was panicked. Madness everywhere. The army of Wapeksippu threw open the gates. They burned and stole all they could. My mother and I were taken prisoner and raped. We were all rounded up and taken to the market field. There, I saw my father for the last time.” Tears streamed down her face at the memory.

Forced to witness[3]​

Negushwa carefully took a cloth from his pocket and wiped away the tears from her face. “I know it is difficult but please tell me.”

“He was brought in with the other prisoners. One by one the Wapeksippu zhimaaganish began torturing them. Peeling skin, cutting off fingers, burning them. Through it all my father never broke.”

Wapanacakos wiped more tears from her cheeks. “I did. I begged them to hurt him anymore. My mother tried to stop me but I did it anyway. It didn’t do any good. They tortured him anyway. But my cries brought me to the attention of Chiksika. He thought I was beautiful and lusted after me. And because he was the son of the Sagamos he got what he wanted. That was the last time I saw my mother as well.”

For a moment, there was silence between them. Then Wapanacakos said. “You asked me what happened to Beswewe. I have told you.”

“I still want to know what happened to you, girl,” Negushwa said. “You bounced on my knee as a child. You were as much family to me as my own children.”

Wapanacakos nodded. “At the time, Chiksika had only one wife, Kaniehtiio. They had married for love and without the permission of the Sagamos. But though they had shared a bed many years, her belly had never swollen with child.”

Wapanacakos’s face hardened. “When I arrived, I was made an awakaan, a house slave. I was given easy jobs and light work. But every night, my bed would be visited by Chiksika. Some of the girls hated that I was so favored. But one of the older awakaan put them in their place. She said my work was done at night when no one could see. She called it ‘the curse of the beautiful slave girl.’”

Not long after I arrived, my belly began to swell. My work was made even lighter. I was given many gifts of fine fabric and jewels. As awful as that time was, I miss it now. Not as much as I miss Munsee and my mother and father. But it was better than what came after.

Kaneihtiio disliked me from the moment I arrived. Once I became pregnant, she hated the sight of me. She did everything she could to denigrate and humiliate me. But as my belly swelled more and more, Chiksika favored me more and more and favored her less and less.

Finally the day came. My water broke. The labor was long and difficult. So much blood. But at the end, I gave birth. Not just to a child of Chiksika but to twin sons. My sons were strong. Their cries filled the room. Chiksika was overjoyed. He took my sons and paraded them in front of everyone in the longhouse.

While he was gone, she came. Kaniehtiio who had given him nothing but blood and death when I had given him two sons. ”

Wapanacakos touched the place where her nose once was. “I was young and beautiful and fertile. She was older and plainer and barren. And for this, I was punished.”

Negushwa spoke now, after being silent for so long. “The two boys at the Sagamos’s table.”

Wapanacakos nodded. “My sons, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa. And, if all goes well, Tecumseh shall be Sagamos soon.”

Negushwa nodded. “Chiksika is dying. Even I could see that. But Kaniehtiio will surely try to stop him from taking his father’s place.”

“Without a doubt. All the time she is scheming to kill my boys.” Wapanacakos said. She grasped Negushwa’s hand. “We must stop her and soon. Manidoo delivered you to me tonight for a reason. If we do not act, Kaniehtiio will kill my boys. All this suffering will have been for nothing. Please I beg you, help me.”

Negushwa fell to one knee. “I promise that I shall help you in any way that I can. What do you want me to do?”

“Kill her. Kill her now. Tonight!”

Next time we will discuss the sons of Wapanacakos: Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa the Prophet, founders of Mozism and the Shawnee Empire.

​

Characters List

• Beswewe- father to Wapanacakos; name means “Echo-maker” a word for a sand hill crane.
• Chiksika- Sagamos of Wapeksippu
• Kaniehtiio- first wife to Chiksika
• Negushwa- mercenary hired by the Sagamos of Wapeksippu; name means “the Gatherer”
• Wapanacakos- the veiled woman; name means Venus or the Morning Star

---

[1] Taken from: https://www.maskmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/Middle-East-Yemen-Bedouin-Battoulah-1b.png
[2] Taken from: https://www.grossmanburnfoundation.org/bibi/ real name Bibi Aisha, an Afghani woman who was mutilated by her husband
[3] Generated using Bing Image Creator

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 35: The Prophet

The dogs chased the foxes. Through the woods and over the rivers and into the gully, they ran. Always the dogs were barking and howling, out for blood. Always the foxes were running, afraid of what was to come. At last, the dogs cornered the foxes. But something happened then that no one expected. The foxes tore the dogs to pieces.

-Shaanii Aadizookaan (Holy Book of the Shawnee)[1]​

The only narrative history which details the lives of Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa is the Shaanii Aadizookaan, the Holy Book of the Shawnee. For obvious reasons, it is clearly biased in favor of Mozism and uses every opportunity to denigrate and belittle the standard Midewiwin religion and its followers. It emphasizes the miracles and magic performed by the practitioners of Mozism and the truthfulness of the prophecies of Tenskwatawa. It is a work of sacred history. It aims to proselytize and convert, not convey literal truth. Even so, it is the best source for the time period and provides crucial insight into otherwise mysterious chapters of history.

Little is known about the lives of Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa (often called the Prophet or Moz) before 536 AD. It is known that they were the twin sons of the Sagamos of Wapeksippu [Indianapolis, IN] born around the year 510 AD. Their father died when they were young, possibly around the year 520 AD. Tecumseh was elected Sagamos but the twins’ mother, Keniehtiio, was made regent. Shortly afterward, she was murdered by a mercenary who had been seduced by a courtesan. The first act by Tecumseh as Sagamos was to order the execution of both the mercenary and the courtesan.[2]

With Keniehtiio dead and Tecumseh just a boy, the Mide, or chief priest, of Wapeksippu held effective control of the city. The Mide at the time was a man by the name of Piskwetomen. Piskwetomen soon garnered a reputation for corruption and miserliness. In particular, he became infamous throughout the city for extorting sex from the most beautiful women of the city. If they refused, Piskwetomen would threaten to appoint her as a human sacrifice. This sort of scheme was well known amongst Midewiwin priests but Piskwetomen took it to new heights. He preyed on young and old, wealthy and poor. Piskwetomen’s sexual extortion of agidajiw noble women, in particular, earned him great ire from the powerful clans of the city.

Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa were largely unaware and unaffected by Piskwetomen’s abuses. As Tecumseh matured, he took more and more control of the day to day running of the city. Piskwetomen did not seem to mind, as he had no interest in the actual day to day running of the city so long as he was allowed to continue his abuses and corruption.

Tecumseh, like most Sagamos of the classical period, had multiple arranged marriages with the daughters of high ranking nobles of the city. However, the love of his life was undoubtedly a beautiful peasant girl by the name of Tatapanunum. Tatapanunum was popular throughout the city due to her beauty, innocence and low ranking background. Many poor girls in the city aspired to be like her. Others were jealous and hated her for achieving what they aspired to. She was, of course, hated by the nobility and the priests, who viewed her as an upstart and an outsider.

In contrast to his brother, Tenskwatawa never married. Instead, he devoted his life to religious study and prophetic interpretation. As a teenager, he began taking hallucinogens in order to try and converse with Manidoo. In these visions, Tenskwatawa was told by Manidoo that priests should not marry or have children. They should give up all worldly pleasures, including sex, meat and alcohol. The Shaanii Aadizookaan treats these visions as absolutely real and true.

Tenskwatawa did not keep the contents of his visions to himself. Instead, he began telling everyone he knew. Normally Tenskwatawa would have been imprisoned or exiled for this but Tecumseh protected him. Tecumseh viewed his brother as a harmless fool and did not wish to see him punished for such minor heresy.

The Year without a Summer[3]​

It was in this environment that the 536 event happened. The 536 event was the most severe period of climate cooling in the last 2000 years triggered by a volcanic eruption which spewed sulfur into the atmosphere. The skies darkened and temperatures dropped. Throughout the world, crops failed. In China, snow fell in August. Famine afflicted parts of Europe. In Meso-Minisia, the Otomi Empire was overthrown and the capital Teotihuacan was burned to the ground by its own citizens.

In Minisia it was known as the Year without a Summer. The volcanic eruptions are now thought to have happened on the west coast of Minisia and the effects were most severe in the Mishi valley. The sun was hidden behind thick clouds for most of the year. Crops failed, people starved, and wars were started over access to stored supplies of manoomin. Famines and wars may have killed as much as 10% of the population in a single year. Hunger causes weakening of the immune system. This may have led to an outbreak of tuberculosis in Minisia, though this is disputed. If true, it would the first large scale disease outbreak in the Occident [Americas].

Tecumseh was forced to try and lead his people out of danger. Piskwetomen lied to Tecumseh, stating that they had plenty of stored manoomin when in reality it had all been squandered years prior. Because of this, Tecumseh did not cut rations in the city despite the crop failure. This led the nearby city-states to assume Wapeksippu had plenty of manoomin. Ishpadinaa [Terra Haute, IN] in particular was short of food and decided to attack Wapeksippu for its grain supply.

Tecumseh led his soldiers out of the city to defend against this attack, leaving Piskwetomen, Tenskwatawa and Tatapanunum behind in the city. Piskwetomen decided that this was the perfect opportunity for one last party before everything came crashing down. Many of Tecumseh’s faithless wives joined him, drinking wine and sleeping with priests. The longhouse of the Sagamos was filled with drunken orgies.

Tatapanunum, the peasant wife of Tecumseh, stayed true. She demanded Piskwetomen and his ilk leave the longhouse of Tecumseh. Piskwetomen refused. Instead he drunkenly threatened to sacrifice her to Manidoo if she did join in the orgy. Tatapanunum was offended and refused, belittling Piskwetomen. Piskwetomen then had her arrested and thrown in a dungeon.

The next morning, Piskwetomen sobered up and realized the magnitude of his mistake. He visited Tatapanunum and pleaded with her to forget the whole episode. She again refused. Piskwetomen then resolved to sacrifice her to Manidoo, reasoning that it was better than Tatapanunum telling Tecumseh what had happened.

A ceremony was prepared, and a crowd gathered at the foot of the Sagamos’s wajiw [mound]. Many of the crowd wanted a sacrifice in order to bring the sun back but Tatapanunum was very popular and sacrificing her specifically was unpopular.

Throughout all of this, Tenskwatawa had been meditating in his private apartment, ignoring the tumultuous events outside. As the ceremony was beginning, he was given a vision of Tatapanunum’s death. He knew he must act.

By the time Tenskwatawa reached the steps of the wajiw, he was too late. Piskwetomen had cut Tatapanunum’s throat. Tenskwatawa demanded to know why and Piskwetomen replied that she had been a sacrifice to bring back the sun. At this, Tenskwatawa exploded. He furiously denounced Piskwetomen and human sacrifice. He stated that the corruption of the priests had caused the sun to hide away. At that moment, for the first time in months there was a break in the clouds and single ray of sunshine fell upon Tenskwatawa. Or so says the Shaanii Aadizookaan.

Tenskwatawa atop the Wajiw[4]​

The crowd, already inflamed by the death of the Tatapanunum, took this as a sign of favor from Manidoo. They stormed the steps of the wajiw, killing Piskwetomen and the other priests. Any soldiers who tried to defend him were also killed by the crowd. Most of the soldiers instead lifted Tenskwatawa up and proclaimed him a prophet. The crowd agreed.

For the next few days, Tenskwatawa ruled as a theocratic dictator. He quickly discovered Piskwetomen’s deception about the food stores but told no one. When Tecumseh returned having triumphed over Ishpadinaa, he learned of all that had happened. He was distraught over the death of his beloved Tatapanunum but remained unconvinced of his brother’s visions. However, he agreed to share power for the moment.

Word continued to spread of Wapeksippu’s supposed supplies of grain and with these rumors came tales of religious heresy. Ishpadinaa, Kansee [Evanville, IN], Nepernine [Cincinnati, OH], and Chalakatha [Chillicothe, OH] all came together to destroy Wapeksippu and take its food supplies.

Tecumseh once again led an army in defense of the city but could not hope to prevail against so many. Most of his army was killed but Tecumseh and a small group made it back to the city. From inside the walls, Tecumseh was able to negotiate a peace. Tecumseh, Tenskwatawa, and all of their followers would be allowed to leave city unharmed. In exchange, the allied army would be given all their stores of manoomin.

Most of the population of the city, even those who did not agree with Tenskwatawa’s new religious edicts, left with them. When the army discovered how little food there was, they fell into infighting.

Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh’s group, now called Moz biminizha'ige or followers of the Prophet, wandered for a time. In the end, the city-state of Opihale [Louisville, KY] allowed them to settle on an uninhabited part of their land. They would name their new city Mozcala [Madison, IN], the city of the prophet. It was located near the confluence of the Wabash and Ohiyo [Ohio] rivers.

Next year, we will discuss some of the tenets of Mozism and the early history of Mozcala. In the meantime, there will be a Special Christmas Surprise on December the 25th.



Character List

• Keniehtiio- ‘mother’ to Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa; murdered shortly after Tecumseh’s election as Sagamos
• Piskwetomen- Midewin priest who is made regent to Tecumseh; name means “he keeps going in the dark”
• Tatapanunum- peasant girl who marries Tecumseh; name means “Speak to them”
• Tecumseh- Sagamos of Wapeksippu
• Tenskwatawa- brother to Tecumseh; religious leader and claims to be a prophet

---

[1] To clear up any ambiguity, “Shawnee” and “Shaanii” are the same word spelled two different ways. I’ve decided to use “Shawnee” most of the time since it is the spelling in common use. The only exception is when I am quoting a phrase from ATL Anishinaabe. Then we will use “Shaanii” because it is consistent with the double vowel system.
[2] This is the “in-universe” knowledge of the events. It is not what really happened. In truth, the Sagamos died, and Tecumseh was elected . Kaniehtiio (not their mother) was made regent, and then Negushwa killed her. Negushwa and Wapanacakos were then executed on the order of Tecumseh.
[3] Taken from: https://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/field/image/climate-cataclysm.jpg
[4] Generated by Bing Image Creator

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

DBWI: The Bad Berry

Taken from a discussion thread on alternatehistory.co.eng​

Thread Title: Does anybody remember The Bad Berry?



Original Post

From: Charles Be Good

Time: 13 March, 7:26 AM

What does everyone think of Peterezgo’s TL The Bad Berry, where Black Rice is not domesticated in the Mishigami circa 3000 BCE? As a consequence, there is no Mishigami Agricultural Package and world history changes dramatically as a result.

Personally I thought that it was fun but had severe plausibility problems.



From: King Leo the Great

Time: 13 March, 8:21 AM

It was ridiculous and I didn’t like it at all. Just because black rice wasn’t domesticated doesn’t mean bede or other stuff wouldn’t be domesticated. And he has sunflowers show up anyway later on. The whole TL is silly and inconsistent.

The eastern European stuff is particularly crazy and nonsensical. The “Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth”? Really?



From: Bloodshark

Time: 13 March, 9:23 AM

The complete lack of any kind of major civilization in Minisia (Or “North America”) is kinda ASB. The closest the TL gets is Cahokia, which falls apart before the Europeans even arrive. Something would have formed there, whether black rice was domesticated or not.



From: Juan78

Time: 13 March, 9:26 PM

The “Spanish” (who only control 2/3 of Spain and the wrong 2/3 at that) manage to conquer most of the Occidant in two expeditions with massive amounts of good luck. I’m all for a Spanish wank but that was pure ASB.

And “Portugal” inexplicably continuing to exist even after unification with the rest of Spain.



From: Queen Yolanda’s Revenge

Time: 13 March, 9:48 PM

I think he just forgot about Portugal. It’s the only explanation.



From: Charles Be Good

Time: 14 March, 7:13 AM

I’m really surprised by all the negative responses so far. I quite liked the TL. Was it the best TL ever? No but it was fun.



From: Grease Titan

Time: 14 March, 8:18 AM

To me, at least, it comes across as a white supremacist’s wet dream. Europeans conquer most of Minisia, wipe out the indigenous population, and unite in one country “from sea to shining sea” because of “manifest destiny”. And this country doesn’t immediately collapse from being way too large and diverse. No, instead it becomes a world dominating hyperpower. Because white people.



From: Florin_03

Time: 14 March, 3:58 PM

At least his Minisian super state is threatened by a pan-Russian Empire that worships non-theistic collectivism. That, at least, is interesting and different.



From: Grease Titan

Time: 15 March, 9:23 AM

I forgot to mention that atomics are only used twice… on Nippon by his white Minisia super-state. :rolls eyes:



From: Kaiser Caesar

Time: 15 March, 10:17 AM

Overall I agree that it was disappointing, but I think you guys are being too harsh. I like wanks and this one is more plausible than most. If a country did manage to conquer such a large part of Minisia it would be super powerful. And the native Minisian population would be way lower without black rice.



From: Grease Titan

Time: 15 March, 12:16 PM

What about East Asia? Nippon doesn’t modernize until the 1860s. China doesn’t industrialize until the 1990s! Just ridiculous.

South Asia and the Middle East are no better. A mostly united Bharat called ‘India’. A divided Arabia and an evil caliphate. And I’m pretty sure he just drew random lines on a map of Sub-Saharan Africa. Brasil is just drugs and coups. The whole world is messed up.



From: Arthur the Admin

Time: 17 March, 6:27 PM

You can’t just go around accusing people of being white supremacists because they made a TL where Europeans do well. Grease Titans is kicked for a week.

In fact, this whole thread is just a pit of negativity. Locked.

This thread is not open to further replies.


*************************​

A Super Special Christmas Surprise! Just a fun little bit of speculation. Hope you enjoyed it. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 36: The Master of Life

By your hands these great works are made. –Shaanii Aadizookaan​

When Tenskwatawa claimed to see and hear religious instructions from a supreme being, he started a new religion. This new religion is called Mozism in modern times, after the title of Moz, or prophet, used by Tenskwatawa. Contemporary non-Shawnee history and literature simply called it the Shawnee religion, though that is considered inaccurate today because of the large number of non-Shawnee converts. Shawnee history and literature refer to their own religious practices as mishi-debwewin or the Great Truth. This term is still used by some modern day Mozists.

Mozism shares many similarities and had many differences from the Midewiwin religion. Philosophically, Mozism was far more monotheistic. While Midewiwin religion had the idea of an overarching all powerful Manidoo, most of the day to day worship was directed at the expressions of Manidoo, the ojichaag. Mozism, by contrast, focuses all worship on the Ogimaa bimaadiziwin, often translated as “Master of Life”.

The Symbol of the Master of Life, as well as a symbol for Mozism as a whole​

The Master of Life is one form, one mind, and one being. However, Mozists still claim that the Master of Life can appear in many different forms and sometimes chooses to appear in seemingly contradictory ways. They simply state that you should not worship these forms and instead focus all attention on the singular supreme being. The concept of directly worshiping Manidoo or any supreme being is considered blasphemous in Midewiwin religion.

Today, the Master of Life is often (though not always) conflated with Manidoo and even the Christian God. But most religious scholars and philosophers do not consider the religion to be true monotheism because the Master of Life is not the only godly being, just the supremely powerful one and the only godly being that should be worshiped. Most would describe it as “singularism” to contrast “dualist” religions like zoroastrianism or monotheistic religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

To the average worshipper, the differences between Mozism and Midewiwin religion were more practical. No human sacrifice was allowed. Animal sacrifice was only to be performed in extreme circumstances.

Many Mozists were pescetarians (meaning the only meat they ate was fish), ovo-vegetarians (meaning the only meat they ate was eggs) or even full blown vegetarians. This was a continuation of the Mozist emphasis on the sacredness of life. Nobles and priests were the most likely to have restricted diets, as the average peasant was too preoccupied with getting enough food to survive to worry about moral arguments.

Slavery was also restricted. A Mozist was not allowed to enslave another Mozist. They could, however, enslave non-Mozist people and a slave that converted would not be freed. The Shaanii Aadizookaan explains this rule, as with so many others, with a story. In this story a slave pretends to convert to Mozism in order to get out of labor and then returns to his old religion. The duplicitous slave does this three times and commits crimes against Mozists each time before Tenskwatawa declares that slaves that converted would not be freed. Some scholars suspect that this story is a fabrication and that this rule was only adopted later, during the conquest of the Wasioto Basin, but this is not universally agreed upon.

Many Mozists also tattooed the sun on their hands to symbolize the moment Tenskwatawa was illuminated by the sun. Once again, this was most popular with priests and nobles. Sun tattoos among peasants was fairly common, though they were generally less elaborate than those of the nobility and priests.

Sun Tattoos [1]​

The most fundamental difference between Mozism and the other religions of Minisia during the late Classical Period was that Mozism is an evangelical religion. All previous religions in Minisia were ethnic or folk religions, similar to Judaism or Hinduism. This meant that only those of a particular ethnic group or area followed those religious beliefs and practices. Adherents of folk religions do not seek to convert others to their cause. Folk religions allow for a very wide range of acceptable practices and often (though not always) allow for their followers to be members of multiple religious groups simultaneously.

Mozism, by contrast, was a universalist and evangelical religion, similar to Christianity or Islam. This means that anyone can be a Mozist and religious adherents seek to convert people to Mozism. It held that there was a single universal truth that everyone should be told and convinced of. Doctrinal disputes had a right and wrong answer. It was exclusive, meaning you could not be Mozist and Midewiwin at the same time, at least according to Mozism. The rise of an evangelical religion had profound political and religious effects on the Mishigami and Ziibiing, not the least of which was the rise of the Shawnee Empire.

A new class of people also arose from the formation of this new religion. They were called mashkikiiwi, which literally means “medicine person” but is usually translated as “monk”. Unlike priests, monks were not allowed to accumulate lands or property of any kind. They were not allowed to eat meat of any kind. They were not allowed to drink any kind of alcohol or caffeine tea. They were not allowed to marry or have sex. They forswore their clan connections when they became monks. They wore a thin, simple cloth, rarely washed. They were often seen begging for food on the street. Though most were men, women were also permitted to become monks. Monks were expected to be well educated on Mozism and to evangelize Mozism to others.

In reality, of course, the quality of monks could vary widely. Some monks followed every rule and lived chaste, solemn lives trying to convert others to Mozism. Some used the respected status of monks to seduce women and take advantage of the religious or naive.

Non-mozists often considered monks to be a little more than dirty hobos and a nuisance. They were frequently expelled from city-states whose official state religion was Midewiwin or other folk religions. These expulsions were often a catalyst for conflict with the Shawnee Empire. At other times, the Shawnee trumped up tales of the mistreatment of monks as an excuse to go to war.

Next week, we will discuss the early history of Mozcala and the Shawnee Empire.

[1] Generated using Bing Image Creator. At least this one had the right number of fingers.

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 37: Sacred History​

Much of the early period of the Shawnee Empire is shrouded in mystery. Our only source for most of it is the Shaanii Aadizookaan, which makes many dubious historical claims. The purpose of the Shaanii Aadizookaan is not to tell an accurate historical account but rather to serve as a religious and moral guide for future generations. It has a tendency to cast people as either “villains” or “heroes” with little in between. And it is heavily biased in favor of the Shawnee and Mozism in general.

In later times, the Shawnee were quite proud to have risen from humble origins to the heights of power. When Mozcala [Madison, IN] was founded it was a city of bandits, vagabonds, prostitutes, and exiles. Many, although far from all, of these inhabitants were Mozists or converted to Mozism shortly after arriving.

The actual construction of the city was haphazard and unplanned. Rather than the wide boulevards and carefully constructed sewage systems of most classical period city-states, Mozcala had many twisting alleys and a notoriously inefficient and ineffective sewage system. The houses, at first, were little more than shacks hastily constructed before winter. While they would improve over time, it was well into the imperial period before Mozcala’s ramshackle reputation faded.

Many stories of the Shaanii Aadizookaan are set in this early period, when Mozcala was under construction and being ruled by Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa. These stories are usually explanations for the institutions and practices of Mozcala, especially those which were unique or otherwise rare in the Mishigami and Ziibiing.

How many of these stories are true? To be blunt, most of them were probably cobbled together later to explain the origins of the Shawnee. Many of them appear to have some level of historical truth, though.

For example, in one story a man is accused of stealing a wapiti elk. In order to determine guilt, Tenskwatawa ordered the man placed in a boat and the boat sunk. If the man survived, then obviously he had not stolen the wapiti elk. The man agreed to undergo the trial, but only if Tenskwatawa was in the boat with him. Tenskwatawa, recognizing the folly of such a thing, set the man free and outlawed trial by ordeal. Most classical period city-states used trial by ordeal and Mozcala did not. This story provides a plausible reason why such a practice was banned. Though the story itself is likely to be fiction, something like it probably happened.

According to the Shaanii Aadizookaan, Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh ruled Mozcala together for many years. Tecumseh was the first to die. Tenskwatawa ruled alone. After Tenskwatawa’s death a few years later, there was a great deal of confusion because he had made no provision for who should inherit the throne. Many thought that the Fox clan should continue ruling the city. Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa had been members of the Fox clan and the Fox clan had been the ruling clan of the city of Wapeksippu for hundreds of years prior to the foundation of Mozcala. These people were ignored.

In the end, the masses proclaimed an elderly Mozist priest named Wyandanch to be the next King. He was not a member of the Fox clan. However, he was said to have “no vices”. Therefore it was thought that he would rule the city justly.

Very quickly the masses learned of their mistake. Wyandanch, who had never been particularly powerful or well known before Tenskwatawa’s death, soon became corrupt. One of his first acts was to make an ostentatious crown of elk antlers, tipping them in rare and precious gold. He married many wives, all of them much younger than himself and treated them terribly. Most damning of all, he had little interest in ruling. The people suffered under his rule, which was thankfully short due to his old age.

Wyandanch with his wives [1]​

With Wyandanch’s death, it was clear that a more systematic way of choosing a leader was needed. A council of noble Ogimaa gathered, as they did in other cities, and began to discuss who their new leader should be. They quarreled and each man nominated himself. After much negotiation, a particularly influential Ogimaa declared that he would vote for “the next man I see”. At that moment, Keannekeuk, nephew of Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa entered the room with a message for the Ogimaa. This was seen as a sign from the Master of Life that the Fox clan should once again be in charge. From that time on, the King of Mozcala was a hereditary position.

The story of Wyandanch and the origins of clan inheritance is almost certainly false. Most scholars believe that this story was created to justify later dynastic changes and to subtly critique the decadence and disinterest of the later Shadow Emperors. Hereditary rule was never in doubt for Mozcala. Keannekeuk was always the heir of Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa. Wyandanch, if he existed at all, was an overly powerful official, not the recognized King.

In reality, the government of Mozcala formed slowly and evolved over time. It owed much of its early structure to the government structures of other city-states in the Mishigami and Ziibiing. Descendants of the original settlers were given a status akin to citizenship and were called dibendaagozi. They elected a group of nobles called Ogimaa who in turn elected the ruling Sagamos or King. The elections were overseen by an agindaaso, or counter. This was a very common type of government in the Mishigami and Ziibiing. It is covered in detail in Chapter 20: State Society.

In Mozcala, the group of Ogimaa was referred to as the dibishkoo zagaswe'idiwag which is usually translated as “Assembly of Equals”, though it was far from equal. We will discuss the complex hierarchy of the Shawnee nobility at another time. For now, it is sufficient to know that its structure in the early days was not very different from many other city-states.

The bureaucracy of Mozcala was headed by an official called the dakon oshtigwaanens, translated as the Keeper of the Seal. He was allowed to hold and use the seal of the King, which effectively granted him the ability to make legal judgments. Another important bureaucrat was the jiimaanikewinini or chief boat builder, who was officially in charge of building war canoes but in reality had near total control over the king’s spending. Neither of these titles was uncommon among the other city-states in the Mishigami and Ziibiing at this time.

The most notable difference in Mozcala’s governmental from other city-states was the widespread use of exams to choose bureaucrats. According to the Shaanii Aadizookaan, it was Eshkibagikoonzhe, the Keeper of the Seal for Keannekeuk, who first instituted these exams. Due to the success of these exams, Eshkibagikoonzhe was better remembered in history than Keannekeuk.

The exams likely began due to a shortage of bureaucrats in the early history of Mozcala. Since so many people came from so many different places and so few people knew each other, the Mozcala bureaucracy needed a standardized test to determine who was proficient at what in order to sort out governance.

Men taking the exams to become bureaucrats [2]​

In later times, exams had an oral and written part. Each applicant was expected to know not only the ins and outs of his position but also detailed knowledge of Mozist religious thought and history. While most other states in Minisia [North America] used inheritance to choose their bureaucrats, this exam system ensured a minimum level of competence in the government of Mozcala that was simply not present elsewhere.

At the height of the empire, dozens of people would attempt these tests for each that passed. And passing such exams were a requirement to reach the highest levels of government, even for the high nobility. This was how a few thousand bureaucrats were chosen to rule over tens of millions of people. But for now, they granted a token amount of upward mobility in a small but growing city-state among dozens of others.

Next week, we will have a supplemental on the role of women in Mozism.

Characters

1. Eshkibagikoonzhe- Keeper of the Seal for Keannekeuk; a government bureaucrat; inventor of the civil service exams
2. Keannekeuk- the nephew of Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh; another early ruler of Mozcala
3. Tecumseh- brother to Tenskwatawa; one of the rulers of Wapeksippu and later Mozcala.
4. Tenskwatawa- also called the Moz or prophet; the founder of Mozism
5. Wyandanch- a man with “no vices” that proved to be a terrible early ruler for Mozcala

[1] Generated using Bing Image Creator. At least no one was wearing a headdress in this one.
[2] Generated using Bing Image Creator

Questions? Comments?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Supplemental: The Place of a Woman​

One major difference between traditional Midewiwin religion and Mozism was the role of women. While Classical Period Midewiwin society had never been particularly pro-woman, Mozism took sexism to a new extreme. Women were considered impure and liable to spread their impurity wherever they went.

Men and women were to be segregated at almost all times. They had separate sweat lodges, separate temples, and even separate living quarters. If a woman left the house too often or unaccompanied by a man, she could be socially ostracized. Women were to spend their days separately from the men. Only at night would she join her husband in the marriage bed.

Every woman was controlled first by her father and then, after she got married, by her husband. If she outlived her husband, she might even be controlled by her son. Every woman was cloistered first in the longhouse of her father’s clan and later in the longhouse of her husband’s clan.

The ideal woman was submissive. She took orders from her father or husband and never questioned or defied them. She wore a clothe to cover her hair, face, breasts, stomach, genitals, and legs in public or any time a stranger entered the longhouse. She did not speak to men outside the family, much less have affairs.

In reality, of course, such restrictions were not really practical for the majority of women. They lived, worked, and moved about the city as they always had. Economic necessity required nothing less. Aristocratic women, however, followed these ideals and could be punished (usually socially, rarely legally) for failing to uphold them.

This gave rise to rumors about noble women, most of who had never been seen by the wider public. Generally, these rumors were either that noble women were profoundly ugly or profoundly beautiful. Sometimes they were said to be both at once. At others times, it was said they had the ability to change from beautiful to ugly and back. These sort of rumors were discouraged by the nobility but the lower classes paid them no mind. On the rare occasion a noblewoman was seen in public, the lower classes were often disappointed by their rather plain and normal appearance.

The legal and religious restrictions on women were not limited to the upper classes. Women were not allowed to own land independently of their husband. At best, a widow might be granted lifetime occupancy, not ownership, of land. She would be able to live off the produce of the plot of land but she could not sell it.

On the other hand, noblewomen were required to have sufficient property income to maintain themselves in case their husband could not take care of them. It should be made clear, however, this income was managed by their husband and was frequently stolen by those same husbands. Also, if a father had no sons then his property was inherited by his daughter (or really, by his daughter’s husband).

Portrait of Shawnee Woman [1]​

Divorce also became more difficult, legally, under Mozism. Under Midewiwin religious traditions, if a woman ran away from her husband and reached the sanctuary of a Midewiwin temple, she would be granted a divorce. This changed under Mozism. If a woman fled her husband, she could be forced to return if her reason for running was considered insufficient.

Even when it was granted, divorce usually required penance by the woman. Typically a woman was required to spend a year as the servant of a Mozist temple before divorce was granted. Rich women might be allowed to give sufficiently valuable gifts instead. But often, the humiliation of serving the temple was used against even rich women in order to discourage divorce.

As the Shawnee Empire expanded, some female Mozist priests would start and run their own temples. These female run temples would use the power and prestige they accumulated in order to protect women fleeing abusive husbands and granted divorce far more easily than male run temples. This caused some friction and prevented female run temples from spreading beyond a few in the major cities of the Shawnee Empire.

Next week, we will discuss the cuisine of the Mishigami and Ziibiing.

[1] Taken from: https://www.online-catalog-of-profe...oads/1/1/4/8/114825577/bgh-080-weary_orig.jpg

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 38: A Dish with One Spoon​

In Minisia [North America], lower class people ate once or twice a day. If once, then the meal was served just before bed in order to lessen hunger pains while attempting to fall asleep. If twice, then they would eat once in the morning and once in the evening. Upper class people might eat three, four or even five meals in a single day.

Families, consisting of parents and children, usually ate together. Entire longhouses might gather for communal meals every few days. In a village, whole clans would eat together every few weeks. The entire village or city would feast together during holidays or festivals, with the meals paid for by the rich.

At a typical family meal, men, women, and children sat at the same table at the same time to eat. Leaders and guests were served first, then the men, then the children, and finally the women. This partly reflected social status but was also practical, as women were the ones who served the meal. This was also reversed during the festival of abundance which we discussed previously.

During more formal meals, children would be seated separately, served first, and then allowed to play while the adults ate. Under Mozism, women were excluded more and more from formal meals and official conversations. They were often expected to eat with the children at more formal events.

Dishware was made of wood or ceramic and rarely cleaned. They would be used over and over until broken. At other times, bread or squash was used in place of plates. Most (non-soup) food was eaten with the hands. Wooden spoons were ubiquitous. Copper knives were only used by the richest.

At times, ambassadors from different kingdoms or city-states would come together to literally eat out of the same bowl with the same spoon to symbolize their commitment to the peace process. We all eat from a dish with one spoon was a common saying that promoted peace and cooperation.

A type of simple wooden plate [1]​

Soups and stews, slow cooked over a low fire, were the most common meals for the Menominee. Typically, a lower class household would keep a soup simmering, always ready to be eaten. More and/or new ingredients were added each day.

Cooking fires were rarely extinguished. The smoldering embers from the previous days fire would be used to relight the fire each morning. This was often ritualized and mythologized. The always burning fire was a symbol of the loyalty, hard work, and dedication of the housewife.

In lowland areas, as much as 70% of the food found in abandoned grain silos was manoomin. In highland areas, the same would be true of maize and bede [apios americana]. This does not necessarily mean that 70% of food consumed was manoomin, maize or bede, though. Not all food is stored in silos. But for the lower classes, most of their food would be either manoomin, maize, or bede [Apios Americana] depending on the area they lived. Especially during the long winter months.

Manoomin was so instrumental to Shawnee cooking it was called “the food without which there was no meal”. It was so ubiquitous that soup was generally only named for what other ingredients were put in it. So, for example, okosimaan naboob (“squash soup”) would be expected to contain both squash and manoomin.

Manoomin could also be served as part of a salad or stir-fry, you just had to drain the water used to boil it. This was more common among the Ongweh’onweh [Iroquois]. Succotash, a salad mix of maize, beans, and squash, was common in upland areas. It was sometimes made with manoomin added or replacing maize, especially in lowland areas.

Maize or beans might be added to make multi-grain soups. Sunroot [Jerusalem artichoke] was slow boiled to sweeten soups. Ramps, an onion relative, were used to add savoriness. Tomatoes were used to add umami flavoring, especially in the south. Bede [Apios Americana] flour was often used to thicken the broth. Meat might even be added.

The further south you went, the more common aji [chili peppers] were to be used as spices. In many places, aji was considered a poor man’s spice to mask the taste of poor quality food. Larger, sweeter aji [bell peppers] were more popular among the elite. Aji might also be stuffed with manoomin or other ingredients to make a meal on their own.

Dumplings and noodles made from maize were more common in the south. So was bread and roasted maize on the cob. Bean goulashes [chili] were also common.

The dish called okosimaan jiiman (“squash boat”) was made by cutting a squash in half, emptying it of its seeds, and fill it instead with manoomin and other ingredients. It was popular everywhere, north and south. Spherical squashes [pumpkins] were sometimes filled with soup and used as a kind of edible bowl, though the squash had to be baked separately.

Modern soup served in squash [2]​

Grits and porridge (made from kiinwaa [domesticated goosefoot] or other grains) were common, especially among the poor. Mashed squash or mashed bede were common staples as well. Both were also often served to the elderly who had no teeth to chew their food.

Some dishes were popular in specific regions. Agokiwasigan, [Korean Gochujang] a type of aji [pepper] paste over black rice and vegetables was common in the Tanasi valley. Bakwezhiganaaboo, [Poutine] a type of thinly-cut fried bede topped with gravy was common in the Mictaang. Manidoana [Thousand Islands, QB/ Kingston, Ontario] was famous for its sauces, particularly a type of fish sauce that was an elite item popular across the Mishigami. [3] Popcorn was common everywhere but particularly popular in the Great Plains, where the hard outer shell of the grain meant increased resilience from drought. And so on, for many regions.

Each married woman was expected to maintain her own fire and cooking pots for soup but there were other ways to cook. Earthen ovens were communal, with a single oven to a neighborhood or entire village. Richer longhouses might have their own earthen ovens. They were often use to bake maize-bread.

An abwewin, a type of griddle or frying pan made from clay, was used to cook tortillas and pancakes. Pancakes were made with maizebread and filled with various vegetables, including ramps and aji. Leavened bread was either very rare or non-existent at this time.

Sunflower and squash seed oils were most commonly used to fry food. Sunflower seeds and squash seeds were often roasted. Squash flowers could also be deep fried. These were all common snack foods.

Sunflower oil could also used as a kind of salad dressing, being poured over kiinwaa greens or bread. The oil need not necessarily be eaten. It was often rubbed into the skin and hair. It was also used to treat snakebites, with dubious effectiveness.

Bread could also be made by deep frying dough in oil to make a frybread called supone. Supone might also be topped with maple sugar or berries. It was more popular in the south and in upland areas which relied on maize.

Modern supone frybread [4]​

Meat was eaten irregularly. Eggs were the most commonly eaten meat, if you consider them meat. The next most common form of meat was fish and crayfish. Catfish, in particular, was prized and was even farmed in some parts of the Ziibiing. Caviar, ironically enough, was only eaten by the poor. It was considered the junk part of sturgeon that would otherwise be thrown away.

Many male ducks, geese, and turkeys were culled before winter. Females would generally be killed when they stopped producing eggs. Turkeys and rabbits were the only animals that were widely raised solely for their meat. Wapiti elk meat was rarely eaten and only by the richest people. Dog meat was considered highly prized, though it was not as common as some modern stereotypes of Minisians would suggest. Cannibalism was rare and only for ritualistic or survival purposes.

Meat that was not farmed or fished had to be hunted. Who was allowed to hunt and where they were allowed to hunt was controversial and ever changing. Nobles and other powerful landowners often tried to restrict hunting on or near their property. But it was often difficult to enforce such measures. Areas around large cities were often devoid of sizable game. This, among many other food problems, led to nutritional deficiencies being common among the urban poor.

Large amounts of meat were consumed during holidays and festivals, by all classes but by the rich especially. These holidays and festivals were often purposefully held during times of year when meat was common, such as autumn when flocks needed to be culled before winter. Animals were usually fattened and sometimes even force fed before slaughter.

Meat and fish that wasn’t eaten during the festivals would be preserved by smoking, salting, covering in sugar, covering in aji [peppers], or pickling. Each preservation technique gave a unique flavor to the preserved meat and was used to vary the taste of dishes during the long, cold winters.

Roast duck served with sauce [5]​

The rich might eat meat every day. But then they indulged and overindulged with food in many ways. Seemingly random foods would would skyrocket the price as it became fashionable to eat them. Fresh fish from the sea was always desired and always magnificently expensive if you were far inland. Of course, the expense only increased the desire for those eager to show off their wealthy tastes.

One of the most famous feasts in Minisian history was the Swans of Tuskaloosa. The King of Tuskaloosa, in an attempt to show off his wealth, threw a feast in which hundreds of guests were each given the wing of a swan with which to fan themselves. The bodies of the swans had been thrown away, as they were not considered good to eat by the rich. The poor of the city, however, discovered the discarded swan bodies and soon frenzied to gather them up. The resulting riot disrupted the feast, much to the displeasure of the King of Tuskaloosa.

Deserts were made with berries, sunroot and later camas to add sugar. Maple sap and its products were also added to many otherwise bland foods to sweeten them. Maple sap was boiled to make syrup, taffy, maple butter, and sugar. Maple sugar was separated into various grades based on color, from “dirt” to “bird-shit” to “snow” with lighter colors considered superior. Unscrupulous merchants were known to add eggs whites to create the desired color. Sugar was also used as a preservative. The resulting sweet meats and candied fruit were popular but expensive treats. Chocolate would have been very rare and expensive, imported from across the Chitti Gulf [Gulf of Mexico].

The most common drink was, simply enough, water. There were many reservoirs and aqueducts built to carry fresh, clean water to large numbers of people. However, many people were still forced to drink dirty or contaminated water.

Teas made with various herbs or spices were common. While the Shawnee did not understand why, they did observe that some people who were sick stopped being sick when they drank tea. Today we know those people were getting sick from untreated water. By boiling the water the bacteria in the water would die. The people would get better on their own since they were no longer being poisoned by the water they drank. At the time the ingredients of the tea were ascribed medicinal properties they did not have. Thus, raspberry (the leaves not the berries), peppermint, yaupon holly, burdock with and without nettle, spruce, beebalm, and kinnikinnick [bearberry] were all used in both teas and medicines. Kinnikinnick was also smoked like tobacco.

Milk was hardly ever drunk. The only domesticated mammal large enough to bother milking was the Wapiti Elk and, culturally it was considered stealing from their calves to milk them. Lactose intolerance and milk sickness, caused by ingesting milk poisoned by the death milk plant [white snakeweed] were also deterrents. In an emergency, Wapiti milk might be used to feed a starving infant but otherwise, milk drinking was taboo. There was also no cheese or other dairy products.

There were many different types of alcohol fermented and drunk in Minisia. The lack of knowledge about yeast often meant that taste and alcohol content varied wildly between batches. The froth of a good batch, called barm in the European tradition, would be put into the next to try to make more consistency. Even so, water, fruit, herbs, spices, or maple syrup was often added to cover up the taste of a bad batch. Batches also spoiled quickly, which encouraged binging. Not that anyone greatly needed encouragement.

Maize Beer [6]​

Beers, usually made from manoomin or maize, were the most common type of alcoholic drink. Thick beer was used as payment and rations for workers on building projects like wajiw [pyramids/mounds] or canals. Maize was considered the better seed to make beer. Today we know that is because maize has a higher sugar content. The Ohiyoong [Ohio] and the Wabashaang [Indiana] were famous for their beer and beer drinking.

Beer drinking was considered uncouth by many of the nobility, who preferred wine made from either frost grapes or muscadine grapes. The Naawayi’ii Peninsula [Michigan] and Meskonsing [Wisconsin] were famous for their wine. The Miyamee [Detroit, MI] vs. Milliokee [Milwaukee, WI] wars described in the Winter and Summer Chronicles are sometimes reenacted as wine competitions.

Other alcoholic drinks included sunwine, an alcoholic drink made from sunroot [Jerusalem artichoke] which was used in some religious ceremonies. Maple Meade, an alcoholic drink made from maple sap was common in the north. It was more common in some places than manoomin beer. There were no hard liquors, as distillation had not been discovered.

Next week, we will discuss the Shawnee conquest of the Wasioto Basin.

1Taken from: https://theantiquebreadboardmuseum...._wooden_bread_trencher.jpg?w=825&h=510&crop=1
2Taken from: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7a8ds2XIKfxboj5OEgRyGMfoGjKWgf1OrL-V6QDD2iQ&s
3 Yes, this is a reference to Thousand Islands Salad dressing.
4Taken from: https://cdn.foodaciously.com/static...0cf68832de93c17cb42c282f34f7832e-1920-q60.jpg
5Taken from: https://www.thespruceeats.com/thmb/...-hero-01-78e1e92c2e4948a4b98ba23c0701d274.jpg
6Taken from: https://www.perurail.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Chicha-de-jora-1.png

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 39: The People of the South Wind​

The Wasioto basin [Nashville basin] was particularly hard hit by the disruptions of the 530s and 540s. The Yuchi people who inhabited the Wasioto Basin may have seen as much as a 50% drop in population (from either death or migration) in less than 20 years. After the volcanic clouds dissipated, the area slowly rebuilt.

When Opihale [Louisville, KY] had granted Mozacala land, they had given Mozcala land that had either been depopulated by the aftermath of the 536 AD volcanic eruptions or was undeveloped to begin with. Much of this land was south of the Ohiyo [Ohio] River, near the settlements of the Yuchi people. In fact, this is where the term Shawnee comes from. Shawnee translates as “the People of the South Wind” or “People from the South”.

As Mozcala grew, more and more uninhabited forest was transformed into farmland. This encroached on the traditional hunting lands of the Yuchi. The situation came to a head in the early 570s when a group of Yuchi noblemen visited Mozcala to make their displeasure known. They insulted the Shawnee and their religious practices. This enraged the then-King of Mozcala Keannekeuk. He quickly ordered the army to march against these insolent barbarians. This was the first time Mozcala would go to war.

This first conquest was successful. Too successful in a way. Keannekeuk captured a large number of Yuchi prisoners. This posed a problem. Mozist teachings banned human sacrifice but the captured soldiers were clearly not suitable as slaves. They refused to work and when forced to work they sabotaged what they could. All of them repeatedly tried to escape. Some of them demanded to be sacrificed as a matter of honor. A few even killed themselves rather than face the indignity of slavery.

One of the captured soldiers, a man by the name of Muccutay took a different approach. He did not resist his enslavement. Instead, Muccutay studied the Mozist religion and was persuaded of its truthfulness. He converted to Mozism and petitioned to be allowed to fight for Mozcala in the future.

Keannekeuk rejected this petition at first as he did not trust a slave to fight for him. However, his Keeper of the Seal, Eshkibagikoonzhe, was moved by Muccutay’s story. Eshkibagikoonzhe persuaded Keannekeuk to allow Muccutay to prove his worth. Keannekeuk sent Muccutay on a very dangerous mission to rescue a prisoner held by the Yuchi.

Yuchi Soldiers in War Paint1​

Muccutay braved many dangers but managed to rescue the prisoner, though he was gravely wounded in the attempt. Rather than let him die, Eshkibagikoonzhe ordered his personal healers be sent to Muccutay. In time, Muccutay would return to health. Muccutay would serve Mozcala loyally for many years. He was marked out from the other soldiers with a sun tattoo on his hand. In the future other Yuchi slave soldiers would also be given such tattoos.

It is unclear how much of this story (which is found in the Shaanii Aadizookaan) is truthful and how much of it was fabricated later. It certainly follows the format of a hero’s adventure but that does not mean it is false. It may simply be an embellishment of a real story. In any case, it serves as a way for the Shaanii Aadizookaan to explain the origin of the Yuchi slave soldiers.

The Shawnee conquest of the Wasioto Basin continued through the reigns of Keannekeuk, Memiskondinimaaganeshiinh and Mahomet. We will not discuss every campaign and battle recorded in the Shaanii Aadizookaan. Here are some highlights:

The Assembly of Equals would symbolically declare war on the Yuchi at the beginning of every year.

In 591 AD, the city of Hogohegii [Murfreesboro, TN] was captured. The city resisted for a long time and when it finally fell it was burned and looted by the Shawnee. The entire population of the city was taken as slaves and were to be force marched back to Mozcala. Many of the children were unable to keep up with the quick pace of the soldiers. Rather than slow down, the Shawnee commander instead ordered anyone unable to keep marching to be drowned in the nearby river. This river is now called the Papoose River [Stones River in Tennessee] for the many infants, called papoose by the Shawnee, who were drowned on that day.

Under Memiskondinimaaganeshiinh, a special group of Yuchi converts were made into a bodyguard for the emperor. They had no ties to the nobility or anyone except the king. Memiskondinimaaganeshiinh treated them well and lavished gifts on them. This made them fanatically loyal. Later kings would follow his example, slowly expanding the Yuchi forces until they made up the bulk of the royal armies.

Map of the Shawnee Empire circa 626 AD​

As Mozcala came to control more and more of the Wasioto basin, they began to appoint local governors to rule smaller areas. These men were given the title odaakewigimaa and ruled over parcels of land called aki. We will use the terms “prefect” and “prefecture” when referring to these concepts.

Prefects were were given large estates where slaves would grow food and cash crops. The more prestigious the post, the more slaves and land they were given. However, they were not given lands that they had any claim or connection to. Each prefect swore loyalty to Mozcala and had to give military aid whenever asked. If they didn’t they could be dismissed from their post or even executed for disloyalty. When a prefect died, their sons did not inherit their post. This made their position very precarious and dependent on loyalty to the King of Mozcala.

Even Yuchi soldiers who had served Mozcala could be given tracts of land. After they became too old to fight, they were settled in oshki’aki ruled over by eshpabid. We will use the terms “colonies” and “barons” when referring to these concepts.

Barons were chosen from among former Yuchi slave commanders. Those who settled in the colonies were bound to part time military service for their entire lives. Their sons would take up their duties after the original colonists died. In this way, Mozcala always had soldiers which it could call upon when needed.

The last Yuchi settlement was taken in 626 AD and the Assembly of Equals formally declared the war with the Yuchi won. The then-King of Mozcala, Mahomet, took the title Ba Wasioto, which translates as “Lord of the Wasioto”. This sort of title had typically been used by the Kings of city-states that built small empires centered on a river valley. So the King of Nepernine [Cincinnati] would conquer most of the Ohiyo basin and assume the title Ba Ohiyo. The title of Ba would prove the basis of the later imperial titles of the Shawnee.

Some of these things are also discussed in the Book of War, which was supposedly written by King Mahomet. We will discuss that book in a supplemental next week.


Characters

1. Muccutay- first captured Yuchi soldier to convert to Mozism; name means “black”
2. Keannekeuk- the nephew of Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh; an early ruler of Mozcala
3. Eshkibagikoonzhe- Keeper of the Seal for Keannekeuk; a government bureaucrat; inventor of the civil service exams
4. Memiskondinimaaganeshiinh- early ruler of Mozcala; name means “red shouldered bird”.
5. Mahomet- early ruler of Mozcala; writer of the Book of War.

Comments? Questions?




1Taken from: https://www.citizen-times.com/gcdn/...th=1200&disable=upscale&format=pjpg&auto=webp

 

[PeterEzgo]

Supplemental: The Book of War

Success in war cannot be bought, borrowed or stolen. Its only price is blood. – The Book of War​

Mahomet’s most famous act was to author the mazina'igan nandobani, often translated as “the Book of War”. At least, he is the one traditionally credited with writing it. The Book of War is split into multiple sections which all have stylistic differences and sometimes repeat information. Because of this, many modern historians believe that the Book of War is really a compilation of multiple works written by different authors at different times. One or more of these works may or may not have been written by Mahomet. In any case, his famed military prowess would have lent credibility to such a work.

Despite the disputes over its authorship, the Book of War is considered a classic in military and Minisian literature. Alongside other works, such as Sun Tzu’s Art of War or the Strategikon of Maurice, the Book of War has been used for centuries as an introduction to warfare and tactics. It is still required reading at the National Military Academy of England and many other service academies throughout the world.

The book is formatted as a series of questions and answers. The question is usually the sort of question an office cadet would ask. The answer is given in character as Emperor Mahomet. Often it gives seemingly simple or obvious advice. But many of these seemingly obvious bits of advice are not followed even by those who should know better.

For example, the book details the decimal organizational structure of the Shawnee army. An officer led ten men, another rank up led 100 men, and another rank up 1000 and so on until you reached the King who commanded the entire army. It details how much food, water, and other supplies was needed for each unit. It gives instructions on how to set up a supply train. If that fails, it gives suggestions on how and when to scavenge for food.

A copy of the mazina'igan nandobani written on koha [river-cane] [1]​

The Book of War also gives advice on how to use different weapons. Several answers focus on the signature weapon for Shawnee officers: a copper halberd. One answer even gives tips for how to fight on skis in winter.

Throughout the book, there is an emphasis on the officer being a good moral example for his troops. A good commander, just like a good king, makes just rulings and follows his own laws. He keeps his word. However it also says that you should not feel bound by agreements with foreigners and barbarians.

Many answers deal with how to choose lower level officers. “Care not for the skills or position of a man’s father or clan. Care only for the results he can bring.” In fact, the early Shawnee army was famous for its meritorious promotions.

The Book of War has various strategies for motivating your warriors. “Some want land, some want women, some want power. Give each what he desires and not what the other wants.” It talks about dividing the loot of victory so that most of the wealth goes to the common warriors and not the leaders or officers. That way, you buy the loyalty of the common man. Also, only use people for what they are good at. Don’t make someone do something they struggle with unless you absolutely have to.

The book of also suggests that you should glorify warriors in everyday life so that common people yearn to become warriors and so increase the pool of available soldiers. You should reward those that have performed particularly brave actions.

It also gives more general, strategic advice. You should move quickly at first in order to take advantage of surprise. Once your enemy knows you are there, you should be more deliberate in your actions. Choose a battlefield that exaggerates your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses. And so on.

Be fierce against those that resist and kind to those that surrender. A city that surrenders should be allowed to continue much as before, with no plundering and as little disorder as possible. A city that resists should be sacked and burned. Much of its people should be sold into slavery to the cities who had already surrendered. This makes the neighboring cities richer and gives them a lesson about rebellion.

While it has much practical advice, the Book of War also includes several sections on divination. It considers prophecies and omens to be as important to the outcome of a battle as the decisions of the commander. Today we would consider this wrong but at the time it was considered sage advice.

Next time, we will discuss the Rosary River Valley [Snake River Valley] and the domestication of the Woolly Goat [Rocky Mountain Goat].


[1] Taken from: https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1op6WLFXXXXafaXXXq6xXFXXXq.jpg_640x640Q90.jpg_.webp Actually it is Chinese bamboo slips

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 40: The Land of Bede and Wool​

The Rosary River [Snake River] is so named because of a misconception. Some of the inhabitants of the valley, the Newe [Shoshone] people called the river the Yampapaa, after the yampa plant. The French assumed the plant they were speaking of was bede [Apios Americana]. The French call bede “rosary root” due to its appearance resembling beads on a string and christened the valley Vallée du Rosaire. The English later took the name from the French. [1] This gave rise to the myth that bede was first domesticated in the Rosary River Valley, something that was later proven false.

In fact, the yampa plant is more closely related to (and tastes quite a bit like) carrots. It was used similarly to the Eurasian carrot by many native groups in the valley. The Rosary River Valley is where yampa was first domesticated, though it later spread to the east. Camas was domesticated further west, but we will discuss that later.

A picture comparing camas, wapato and yampa [2]​

Today, there is a great deal of controversy over land ownership and the various competing ethnic claims within the Rosary River Valley. The Siksikaawa [Blackfoot] and Anishinaabe , both Algonquian speaking peoples, claim the Rosary River Valley as the homeland of the proto-Algonquian peoples. The Newe speak an Uto language [Uto-Aztecan language] [3] which is more closely associated with the lands to the south. They also claim the valley as their homeland.

We will not wade into this controversy beyond saying that the proto-Algonquian people likely originated from this area but it is unlikely they were still there when the ancestors of the Newe arrived. The Newe then lived in the area, more or less undisturbed, for millennia.

The ancestors of the Siksikaawa arrived in the Rosary River Valley in the first half of the first millennium AD, carrying domesticated manoomin and bede from the east. Even today the Siksikaawa are more common in the northern and eastern parts of Rosary River Valley while the Newe are more common in the southern and western parts. However, there are large areas of overlap on both sides. Some Siksikaawa people can be found in the furthest western and southern areas while some Newe people can be found in the furthest eastern and northern parts of the valley.

The Siksikaawa did not use rice bogs [paddies] to grow manoomin as their counterparts further east did. The Rosary River Valley is too dry and it is prone to form canyons that make irrigation canals impossible. Instead the Siksikaawa used the natural lakes and shallow river areas to grow manoomin not just for grain but also as bait to attract ducks and other migrating birds. They would introduce manoomin to these areas and then allow it to grow naturally. They would return each fall to harvest the rice and hunt the migratory birds.

Using only natural formed beds to grow rice limited the size of harvests that could be brought in and therefore the population they could support. However, permanent sedentary villages were able to form in places where ricing camps and salmon runs happened in close proximity.

Once sedentism became common, manoomin only represented a tiny fraction of the food eaten. The Rosary River Valley also proved both too dry and too cold for consistent maize harvests and the plant was never a major part of their diet. Instead, the inhabitants of the valley used sunflowers, kiinwaa [domesticated goosefoot], amaranth, and of course bede. Later on, domesticated turkeys, ducks, geese, and other animals were imported from the east and added to the farms of the Rosary River Valley. Domesticated animals were often kept in the same houses that people lived in, especially during the winter. Their houses were generally made from sod due to how rare and expensive wood was in the valley.

While the Siksikaawa were the ones to bring agriculture to the region, the Newe soon picked up the practice as well. Although both peoples adopted agriculture before trans-Cascadian populations, they never developed true cities or large kingdoms.

The Newe and Siksikaawa lived in the same types of houses, used the same sorts of tools, and grew the same sorts of foods. It can be quite difficult to distinguish a Siksikaawa settlement from a Newe settlement in the archeological record. The Newe pierced their noses while the Siksikaawa generally did not. Sometimes the remains of a Newe burial will be found with nose piercing intact but this is rare.

The only reliable way to distinguish the settlements of the two people is writing. Like the Cree, the Siksikaawa used a simplified form of Mowin syllabics for writing while the Newe were illiterate. If writing is found in a settlement, it is assumed to have been a Siksikaawa settlement and if no writing is found then it could be either a Siksikaawa settlement or a Newe settlement (as the writing just might not have survived).

From remnants of this writing we can tell the Siksikaawa called the Newe the kineepikoyiniwak, which translates as snake people, much like how the Anishinaabe called the Ongweh’onweh [Iroquois] snakes. [4] The Hand Talk sign for the Newe also mimics the movement of a snake.

While the ancestors of the Siksikaawa brought manoomin and bede to the Rosary River Valley, it was probably the ancestors of the Newe who domesticated the Woolly Goat [Rocky Mountain Goat]. The Newe had long gathered the wool of the goat from bushes and dead goats (either dead of natural causes or hunted). With the introduction of agriculture into the area and the increase in trade with the east and west, wool became inceasingly more valuable.

The Woolly Goat [Rocky Mountain Goat] [5]​

Like the Anishinaabe to the east, the Newe and Siksikaawa used both flax and wool dogs to make cloth. They also hunted animals in order to make leather. Bison were used for leather and wool when they were hunted. Without horses bison hunting was inconsistent and inadequate. None of these methods could keep up with the demand for clothing.

Instead, the Newe sought more and more to control the Woolly Goat. They selectively culled herds for favorable traits, slowly domesticating the goat. Over the course of many generations, Woolly Goats slowly became friendlier to humans. Their wool grew even longer and their milk production was increased. Their pregnancies grew shorter and sexual maturity came at a younger age. Eventually, the goats were so docile, they could be sheered without killing them.

Many Newe communities came to depend primarily on the products of Woolly Goats. Their meat, wool, and milk were all used. The Newe became the first Occidental [North and South America] culture to use milk outside of emergency situations. They fermented the milk of Woolly Goats in order to avoid the unpleasant side effects of lactose intolerance. This drink, called biza, was derided by the Siksikaawa as foul tasting.

As the goats were bred to handle non-alpine conditions better, more and more non-Newe communities began raising them. As domesticated Woolly Goats spread out from their natural habitats, wool dogs were used less and less. Woolly Goats ate grass rather than fish and did not need to kept away from house dogs to stop them from inter-breeding. This made them cheaper to feed and look after. In fact, some dogs could be bred to help herd the Woolly Goats, which made keeping them even easier.

The Rosary River Valley was a vital trade bridge between the peoples of the east and the west. The people of Rosary River Valley had long traded jade, obsidian, gold, silver, and salt to both the Salish and the Shawnee. As the Woolly Goat became more domesticated, they also traded wool blankets, wool clothing, the goats themselves, and even milk products such as cheese and biza. Soon the Shawnee would be raising Woolly Goats of their own.

Next week we will have a break. In two weeks, we will discuss the Shawnee conquest of the Ohiyo River Valley.

[1[ By the way, this is how so many places in OTL United States and Canada get their names. A misconception or mistranslation of a native word, sometimes from a group that didn’t even live in that area.
[2] Taken from a screenshot 20 seconds into this video:

If you are interested in rat trapping, it is a great youtube channel.
[3] No Aztecs so it’s not called Uto-Aztecan.
[4] This is where the name for the Snake River comes from, by the way.
[5] Taken from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe.../1024px-Mountain_Goat,_Enchantments_Basin.jpg

Comments? Questions?

 

[PeterEzgo]

Chapter 41: The Infinite Empire


Beneath all heaven

There is no land that is not the king’s;

Throughout the borders of the earth,

None who are not his subjects

-The Book of Odes, Classical Chinese Poetry​

Beginning with Mahomet, the history of the Shawnee Empire starts to become, well, more historical. There are more reliable sources for this period than the Shaanii Aadizookaan. Archaeology is also able to more accurately corroborate or contradict what is written.

By 630 AD Mozcala [Madison, IN] was dominating its neighboring city-states both economically and politically. Opihale [Louisville, KY], which had originally granted Mozcala the land on which it stood, was sacked by Yuchi slave soldiers in or around 635 AD. Nepernine [Cincinnati, OH] was forced to pay tribute to Mozcala at around the same time.

Mahomet’s reign, in particular, was filled with numerous battles and campaigns of conquest. Shortly after Mahomet finished the conquest of the Wasioto Basin [Nashville Basin] and declared himself Ba Wasioto, he led a campaign against the Tsalagi [Cherokee] people of the Cohutta Mountains [Appalachian Mountains]. While out scouting, Mahomet personally killed a mountain lion and turned its hide into a coat. The image of Emperor Mahomet presiding over court business in a mountain lion coat became iconic within the Shawnee Empire.

Mahomet in a Mountain Lion Coat [1]​

During the early part of his reign, Mahomet was quite popular among the people of Mozcala. He walked freely on the streets of Mozcala, only occasionally stopped by a person to petition for grievances. His reputation for justice during these interactions is also legendary. His reputation was poorer among the court officials, many of whom were corrupt and disliked his honest rulings.

Mahomet’s popularity waned in the later part of his reign. In particular, during a campaign against Kansee [Evansville, IN] he temporarily left Mozcala defenseless against a Kansee counterattack. The Kansee besieged Mozcala but only for a few days. After that, they were forced to withdraw. Mahomet was then able to destroy the Kansee army on a battlefield of his own choosing.

Though Mahomet’s stratagem was correct, it did not endear him to the people of Mozcala. He was never again able to wander the streets without a bodyguard. This would be the last time that Mozcala was ever threatened by a foreign state until the fall of the Shawnee Empire, however.

After Mahomet’s death, the Shaanii Aadizookaan says that the Wabash River was temporarily diverted so he could be buried in the riverbed. Once Mahomet was safely in the ground, the river was then returned to its natural state, covering the tomb from potential grave-robbers. Whatever the truth, the tomb of Mahomet has never been found.

Mahomet’s son, Oratam, succeeded him. Unlike his father, Oratam was greedy and corrupt. He ruled poorly and with only sporadic interest in actual statecraft. After a mere four years, Oratum was overthrown by a conspiracy headed by his cousin Netawatwees.

Oratam was the final ruler of the original dynasty of Mozcala: the Fox clan. Netawatwees was the first ruler of the second dynasty: the Fox Tail clan. While modern historians give this transition much weight, it was hardly remarked on at the time. Oratum and Netawatwees were closely related and such power struggles would have been seen as normal during the time period. Power changing from one endaad, or sub-clan, to another was not really considered a change in dynasty in the way it is today.

The Fox Clan Dynasty of Mozcala​

During this period, the priests of Mozcala began encouraging wars of conquest and the forcible conversion of conquered peoples. We will not describe every campaign and battle but here are some highlights:

After taking the city of Kansee, Mahomet was merciful. Rather than execute the captured soldiers, he merely had their hands cut off. The hands they used to carry their weapons, you see.

Wapeksippu [Indianapolis, IN], the ancestral city of the Fox clan, had been under the thumb of other city-states since the Mozists had been expelled in 536 AD. Around the year 650 AD, its nobles rose up in rebellion, aided by Netawatwees and Mozcala. They were able to expel the occupiers and joined Mozcala’s growing empire willingly.

The nobles of Wapeksippu came to regret this decision as Netawatwees sought to convert them to Mozism, willing or not. Just a few years later, they rebelled again, this time against Netawatwees and Mozcala. The noble’s army was crushed by the highly trained Yuchi slave soldiers of Mozcala. The nobles of Wapeksippu were then replaced by new Mozist aristocracy appointed by Netawatwees.

The King of Chalakatha [Chillicothe, OH] was far too nervous and excited before battle. As the Shawnee forces gathered on the other side of the field, the commander mistook the rocks and trees of the area for even more Shawnee soldiers. Panicking, he ordered a retreat. Seeing the Chalakatha soldiers retreat, the Shawnee commander ordered an immediate attack. The resulting chaotic battle saw most of Chalakatha’s forces destroyed.

The King of Cahokia [St. Louis, MO] attempted to summon Thunderbirds to destroy the heretical army of Mozcala. This failed. It was Cahokia’s army that was destroyed instead.

These successes led to the rulers of Mozcala to declare themselves first Ba Wabash then Ba Ohiyo then finally Ba Illiniwe as each river came under their control.

Map of the Shawnee Empire, circa 661 AD​

After the death of Netawatwees, his son Kinkash took power. The peripheral cities of the empire rebelled against the central authority. Though he was able to defeat each rebellion in turn, Kinkash initiated a pause in Shawnee conquests that would last 25 years. In spite of this, the Shawnee people continued to believe that wars of conquest and forcible conversions were the way for their religion to expand.

It was during this period that a Mozist priest by the name of Maa’igan preached that the Master of Life had given Mozcala domain of “all the waters of the earth” and prophesied that one day they would do just that.

Other empires and large kingdoms had ruled areas as large as the Shawnee. But they had collapsed just as rapidly as they had expanded due to the decentralized nature of their conquests and how dependent they were on a strong military leader to unite them. Unlike earlier hegemonic empires, it did not matter who ruled in Mozcala, the Shawnee Empire kept on going regardless.

The Shawnee people believed that their empire was to be eternal and all encompassing. Around this time, official documents in Mozcala stop referring to their state as Wewan Mozcala (“the Kingdom of Mozcala”) and instead refer to it as Akina Aki (“the Infinite Empire”). This is the true start of the Shawnee Empire as we would understand it today.

Next week we will discuss how writing changed under the Shawnee.




Characters

1. Kinkash- son of Netawatwees and King of Mozcala.
2. Maa’igan- priest who prophesized that the Shawnee Empire would be universal
3. Mahomet- early ruler of Mozcala; writer of the Book of War.
4. Netawatwees- cousin of Oratam and Mahomet; overthrows Oratam and becomes ruler of Mozcala; first of the Fox Tail endaad to rule Mozcala.
5. Oratam- son of Mahomet and ruler of Mozcala; overthrown by his cousin

[1] Generated using Bing image creator.