glanced up, then went back to her quillwork. But she was not going to let the opportunity to instruct him pass unremarked. “You should have done that a long time ago,” she said.
He looked at his mother curiously. “Done what, made a fool of myself in front of the whole village?”
“You didn’t make a fool of yourself—or no more so than anyone else, anyway. Your father was no more accomplished at courting than you seem to be, but we managed to find each other. If Light Hair is meant for you, it will work out. At least now she knows you are interested.”
Sitting Bull walked over to sit beside his mother. “You think so?” he asked.
She nodded. “I know so.”
“Do you think she is a good match for me?”
“That is not for me to decide.”
“But what do you think?”
“I think she comes from a good family. She is pretty, she is strong, and she will keep you in line. From where I sit, you could do a lot worse than Light Hair.”
“Then I will have her.”
His mother laughed. “It is not that easy. The question is not whether you will have her, but whether she will have you. She knows what she wants, and if she wants you,
then
you will have her. You are not the only young man in the village who has an eye on her.”
“Who else?” he asked, sitting a little taller. “Who else?”
Her Holy Door shrugged. “I don’t know all their names. But if you want her, you had better let her know it … and soon. She won’t wait forever for you to find your nerve.”
Sitting Bull took the warning to heart, and six weeks later he and Light Hair were married. To celebrate the wedding, they went off alone on a hunting trip. It was a strange experience for Sitting Bull. He had spent twenty years in Jumping Bull’s lodge. He had hunted for his family and for those in the village who could not provide for themselves. Now he was standing on another threshold. He had taken the step, but realized it was going to be a while before he understood its full implications.
Getting away by themselves was a good way to begin. He had his own lodge now, with Light Hair there to share it with him. Someday there would be children, and he could do for them what JumpingBull had done for him. His new life was going to take some getting used to.
On the second day away from the main village, they encountered a small herd of buffalo, and Sitting Bull brought two down. He and Light Hair butchered the animals together, and it seemed like a perfect beginning to what they both hoped would be a lasting thing. Jumping Bull and Her Holy Door had been together for more winters than Sitting Bull had been alive, and the match seemed ideal. He could only hope that his own would be as successful.
Two days later, while moving their lodge, they spooked some deer, and Sitting Bull again turned hunter, dropping a big buck this time. Once more they butchered their kill, and it was obvious they were already beginning to work well together. Sitting there on a hill that night overlooking their lodge, they talked about what it would be like to grow old together. Sitting Bull was finding it harder to ignore the reality of age now that Jumping Bull and Four Horns were getting on in years.
As a young man you took your elders for granted in some ways. It wasn’t that you didn’t respect them for what they had accomplished or what they knew. Lakota culture was based on reverence for the old, for their contributions in the past, and their ability to continue to contribute in the future. If you thought about it all, and as the descendent of holy men and medicine men Sitting Bull thought about it more than most, you realized that your elders had made everything possible. It wasn’t a long leap from there to understandingthat by fulfilling your responsibilities now, you were continuing that tradition, making it possible for those who would come after you to experience the same things you had experienced.
But there was another way in which you never
He looked at his mother curiously. “Done what, made a fool of myself in front of the whole village?”
“You didn’t make a fool of yourself—or no more so than anyone else, anyway. Your father was no more accomplished at courting than you seem to be, but we managed to find each other. If Light Hair is meant for you, it will work out. At least now she knows you are interested.”
Sitting Bull walked over to sit beside his mother. “You think so?” he asked.
She nodded. “I know so.”
“Do you think she is a good match for me?”
“That is not for me to decide.”
“But what do you think?”
“I think she comes from a good family. She is pretty, she is strong, and she will keep you in line. From where I sit, you could do a lot worse than Light Hair.”
“Then I will have her.”
His mother laughed. “It is not that easy. The question is not whether you will have her, but whether she will have you. She knows what she wants, and if she wants you,
then
you will have her. You are not the only young man in the village who has an eye on her.”
“Who else?” he asked, sitting a little taller. “Who else?”
Her Holy Door shrugged. “I don’t know all their names. But if you want her, you had better let her know it … and soon. She won’t wait forever for you to find your nerve.”
Sitting Bull took the warning to heart, and six weeks later he and Light Hair were married. To celebrate the wedding, they went off alone on a hunting trip. It was a strange experience for Sitting Bull. He had spent twenty years in Jumping Bull’s lodge. He had hunted for his family and for those in the village who could not provide for themselves. Now he was standing on another threshold. He had taken the step, but realized it was going to be a while before he understood its full implications.
Getting away by themselves was a good way to begin. He had his own lodge now, with Light Hair there to share it with him. Someday there would be children, and he could do for them what JumpingBull had done for him. His new life was going to take some getting used to.
On the second day away from the main village, they encountered a small herd of buffalo, and Sitting Bull brought two down. He and Light Hair butchered the animals together, and it seemed like a perfect beginning to what they both hoped would be a lasting thing. Jumping Bull and Her Holy Door had been together for more winters than Sitting Bull had been alive, and the match seemed ideal. He could only hope that his own would be as successful.
Two days later, while moving their lodge, they spooked some deer, and Sitting Bull again turned hunter, dropping a big buck this time. Once more they butchered their kill, and it was obvious they were already beginning to work well together. Sitting there on a hill that night overlooking their lodge, they talked about what it would be like to grow old together. Sitting Bull was finding it harder to ignore the reality of age now that Jumping Bull and Four Horns were getting on in years.
As a young man you took your elders for granted in some ways. It wasn’t that you didn’t respect them for what they had accomplished or what they knew. Lakota culture was based on reverence for the old, for their contributions in the past, and their ability to continue to contribute in the future. If you thought about it all, and as the descendent of holy men and medicine men Sitting Bull thought about it more than most, you realized that your elders had made everything possible. It wasn’t a long leap from there to understandingthat by fulfilling your responsibilities now, you were continuing that tradition, making it possible for those who would come after you to experience the same things you had experienced.
But there was another way in which you never
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