Indians of North America -- Colorado; Mesa Verde National Park (Colo.)
In March the sun begins to be warm. During the morning, while still in
the shadow, the cave is cold but in the afternoon when the sun creeps
in, it is very pleasant. Some days the sun is actually hot as it beats
into the sheltered cave. Chipmunks and squirrels, even the lizards, come
out of hibernation to sun themselves on the warm rocks. The Indians do
likewise.
As the sun begins to climb into the cave each afternoon the people come
out to meet it. Uncomfortable winter clothing is thrown aside and soon
most of the inhabitants of the cave are sunning themselves on the front
terraces. Everyone is happy. There is much laughter and boisterous
shouting. The aged men and women bring their rheumatic bones out into
the warm sunlight and immediately feel new life. Gaunt old men, whose
creaking joints have not climbed the cliff trails for years, get a new
gleam in their eyes as they vow they will raise a crop of corn this
summer. Aged women begin to twist their gnarled fingers as they dream of
making pottery again.
The able-bodied men sit in small groups, dreaming and talking of the
planting time that is coming. Wrinkled old priests assure them that it
will be a fine season. All signs are right; the gods are smiling on
their people. The women think of new pottery they must make, repairs
they plan for their houses, and marriages they must arrange for their
daughters. Young wives, in whom romance has not been dulled by too many
children, playfully comb the lice from their husbands’ heads and dream
of babies soon to come. Spring is a fine time for that.
Here and there young unmarried men lean against the walls, presumably
dozing in the sun. But they are the busiest of all. Each one is
endeavoring to catch the eye of some dusky young maiden whose
full-rounded curves are causing her mother to think of a son-in-law. The
young man’s eyes seldom connect; the ever vigilant eyes of mothers and
aunts come between.
The really active members of the populace are the children. Some play on
the trash pile in front of the cave; others scramble over the boulders
that litter the slope below. Their rich brown skins flash in the sun as
they endeavor to make up in one afternoon for all of the cold inactivity
of the winter. Their shouts and laughter are mingled with the barking of
their dogs and the gobbling of the turkeys they are disturbing. During
the winter the turkeys stayed close to the cave but now they are
scattered over the slope, nipping off the early buds and searching for
the first insects of spring.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account