when he saw the best-positioned sentry stiffen, the tohunga, like all great men, made his decision then. And his voice rang out before the sentry could say reason for his muscle tensing: Aee! I have sign now!
The hearing villagers stopped what they were doing, some in anticipatory fear for the worst, others the opposite, since to them it was inconceivable that their chiefly lord and two best sons should come to harm. And the sighting sentry turned in surprise at his post, and people saw his astonishment and then his admiration for the tohunga, since how could Te Tono have known what only the sentry could see, that the war party was back?
The sharpest eye might have seen the calculating tohunga’s eyes read the progressive responses of the sentry, as he cried out for all to hear: See how the cloud yonder has twisted to form shape of a warrior’s arm held aloft? And every eye went to the cloud, which indeed was as the tohunga described, when ordinarily they’d not have seen such good omen or any meaning at all. For they took their meanings , their definitions, mostly from his leadings.
So they saw the sign he imposed on them to see, and they cried out the tohunga’s name, and he was with instant response to them: Our warriors come home victorious! Which was his singular risked prediction, for even he could not make such interpretation in the mere muscle movement of the sentry.
Yet just then the sentry bellowed out: I see them! I see them! And he strained his eyes down to the point between rock walls where the sun most of the time put any figure passing between into sharp silhouette. And what he saw he relayed down to his people, and the secretly smiling tohunga. Hark! I see one of our brave fighters holding aloft a — A head! the tohunga slipped in first. I see many heads of our hated enemy they bring to us their people!
Indeed, the picture that filled the space between the rock walls was of many warriors holding aloft severed heads. And the sentry’s face was in more astonishment at his high priest.
Is that what you see yet, sentry? the tohunga called up to the tower. Yes, tohunga, that is what I see! So Te Tono’s greatness was confirmed and he allowed himself the smallest of smiles as his people gazed in awe and admiration at his powers.
The people became quickly impatient to greet their heroes. Several slaves were promptly killed and made ready for the earth ovens; the storage pits of sweet potato were uncovered and removed of considerable quantity; the fires were fed and the cooking stones thrown upon them; hunters went into the woods to snare the fattest pigeons for the hangi; birds preserved in their own fat were pulled from storage; dried fish and dried shellfish meat strung on flax lines were readied for the feast.
The carvers hewing out the timber slabs in their elaborate traditional shapes and meaning-laden patterns discussed amongst themselves if their task should make exception of pause to honour this auspicious day. But the head carver said not even such momentous event should cease their sacred work, or else it would bring bad omen at some later time. So their choppings and chiselling could be heard in accompaniment to their special chantings to each stage of the carving work, as they brought forth from the timber the forms of ancestors and symbols to remember their deeds and standing. And the work was made exact and of highest standard to show a people what an enemy would see, or know of, to represent a tribe with greatest pride in itself.
The excitement spread; women made themselves ready for a husband’s other needs, cleansing their bodies with water and scenting with a special bark oil; those in a noa state, with monthly bleed, had taken themselves into the chore and task background, none of it to do with food preparation. Her husband’s needs would have to wait, or he might take another woman not noa. But let her be plain, let her be but a receptacle for husband’s emptying, and let the
The hearing villagers stopped what they were doing, some in anticipatory fear for the worst, others the opposite, since to them it was inconceivable that their chiefly lord and two best sons should come to harm. And the sighting sentry turned in surprise at his post, and people saw his astonishment and then his admiration for the tohunga, since how could Te Tono have known what only the sentry could see, that the war party was back?
The sharpest eye might have seen the calculating tohunga’s eyes read the progressive responses of the sentry, as he cried out for all to hear: See how the cloud yonder has twisted to form shape of a warrior’s arm held aloft? And every eye went to the cloud, which indeed was as the tohunga described, when ordinarily they’d not have seen such good omen or any meaning at all. For they took their meanings , their definitions, mostly from his leadings.
So they saw the sign he imposed on them to see, and they cried out the tohunga’s name, and he was with instant response to them: Our warriors come home victorious! Which was his singular risked prediction, for even he could not make such interpretation in the mere muscle movement of the sentry.
Yet just then the sentry bellowed out: I see them! I see them! And he strained his eyes down to the point between rock walls where the sun most of the time put any figure passing between into sharp silhouette. And what he saw he relayed down to his people, and the secretly smiling tohunga. Hark! I see one of our brave fighters holding aloft a — A head! the tohunga slipped in first. I see many heads of our hated enemy they bring to us their people!
Indeed, the picture that filled the space between the rock walls was of many warriors holding aloft severed heads. And the sentry’s face was in more astonishment at his high priest.
Is that what you see yet, sentry? the tohunga called up to the tower. Yes, tohunga, that is what I see! So Te Tono’s greatness was confirmed and he allowed himself the smallest of smiles as his people gazed in awe and admiration at his powers.
The people became quickly impatient to greet their heroes. Several slaves were promptly killed and made ready for the earth ovens; the storage pits of sweet potato were uncovered and removed of considerable quantity; the fires were fed and the cooking stones thrown upon them; hunters went into the woods to snare the fattest pigeons for the hangi; birds preserved in their own fat were pulled from storage; dried fish and dried shellfish meat strung on flax lines were readied for the feast.
The carvers hewing out the timber slabs in their elaborate traditional shapes and meaning-laden patterns discussed amongst themselves if their task should make exception of pause to honour this auspicious day. But the head carver said not even such momentous event should cease their sacred work, or else it would bring bad omen at some later time. So their choppings and chiselling could be heard in accompaniment to their special chantings to each stage of the carving work, as they brought forth from the timber the forms of ancestors and symbols to remember their deeds and standing. And the work was made exact and of highest standard to show a people what an enemy would see, or know of, to represent a tribe with greatest pride in itself.
The excitement spread; women made themselves ready for a husband’s other needs, cleansing their bodies with water and scenting with a special bark oil; those in a noa state, with monthly bleed, had taken themselves into the chore and task background, none of it to do with food preparation. Her husband’s needs would have to wait, or he might take another woman not noa. But let her be plain, let her be but a receptacle for husband’s emptying, and let the
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