The Day The Sailors Came
An Arawak Narrative
by Nina
The day the sailors came. The worst day of my life. I’ll tell you about it, but first you need to know how it began.
My name is Rayen. My mother says she named me that because it means Blossom. She was chief of our village. My little sister’s name was Sayen, Lovable. I disagreed. We were always fighting. Sometimes I wished she was somebody else’s problem, not mine. My grandfather lived in a hut next to ours. His name was Tecumseh.
My mother led a meeting today about the fish shortage. I wished I could have been more like her. She always kept everything under control and was so calm. I was short-tempered and impatient. At least that’s what I could tell from the way me and my sister fought all the time.
“Rayen! Where are you, sister?!” My brother Nahuel and I were very close. He was calling me for supper.
“Here brother!” I was sitting on my mat. The circle of ember was burning and I was toasty. I was watching the flames, which were the color of perfectly ripe mangoes, lick the wood as the smoke curled up toward and out of the smoke hole in the roof. We stood up and went to the central area of the village. Every year, all of the mothers brought a little of their own creations to the table. Usually we ate in our own huts but that night was a special night. It was the celebration of the harvest. I was always excited for that time each year.
“Brothers and sisters,” My mother was announcing the feast. “Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. We welcome you to the celebratory feast of the harvest. Enjoy!”
We dug in. It was the yummiest thing I had eaten since last year’s feast. I was thinking when I’m chief we would have more feasts like this where everyone comes together.
After everyone was finished with their food, we all gathered around a fire and told stories. When Sayen told hers, it was about imaginary things, like something to tell you how far into the day you have come. She said it will make a sound, and then she started making sounds that sounded like tck tck tck. I think this is ridiculous! The only way to see how far into the day and see how close it is to night is by looking how far the sun is in the sky.
I sat next to my best friend, Adolfo. He is very sweet, but when I told Nahuel that, he friendly-teased me about it.
“Not like that,” I had said. My cheeks were flushed red. “He’s my friend.” He didn’t seem to get it.
The day the sailors came. There was a thunderstorm. The sky turned a horrible shade of green and black and was clouded over, but it didn’t rain. The thunder boomed and rumbled from above. I was admiring my mother’s work, when I saw an opportunity. She had forgotten to empty the ember from the central fireplace in the story-telling place. She was always very sure to do this, so I was excited. Maybe this was my opportunity to show her I was responsible like her!
But before I could get a chance to fix her mistake, I saw something in the water coming toward the island. It looked like a giant canoe with big white pieces of cloth and ropes attached to them. The men on the ship had skin that were as white as the froth on the waves in the ocean, and their clothes were plentiful.
They looked very well fed and looked like they had just eaten a good meal. Also, they were a very heavyset group of men who looked like they would appreciate a welcoming to our island full of food. So, I decided to go pick them some ripe mangos from the grove across the way. It took a long while to get there, but I was intent on giving these travelers a sound welcoming.
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After I got back from the grove and back to the shore to see how close the giant canoe was to our island, I heard a commotion behind me. I looked and saw one of the white men hitting it off with my brother. It sounded like he was talking gibberish. I went up to him.
“How are you understanding him? I could not understand a word.”
“I am not! I am trading some of mother’s blankets for these tiny see-through beads. They are very beautiful.”
Then I realized the other men were spreading out among our land and trading. These new clear things were so shiny, I wanted some too! I went and got some berries I was keeping under my mat.
When I got back, things seemed to have changed. Some of my people had smeared paint on their faces in war patterns. Everybody was pulling out their weapons, my people bows and arrows and the foreigners these sharp-looking triangles of metal. They looked dangerous. I pulled out my bow and arrow.
I looked around for my mother, thinking she’d have this under control, but then I realized she was nowhere to be seen! Maybe she was behind that grove of trees?, I thought. But no, as I neared the chunk of forest, I realized she was not there. Where could she have gone? I saw her there just a moment ago. Maybe I should check over by the bank?! As I go over and check, I saw something that looks like a fishing boat, but a bit smaller. I realized that some of the foreigners had sneaked onto the island.
As I was thinking that my mother’s absence and the foreigners have something to do with each other, I heard a rustle from behind me. All of a sudden one of the white men came out. I jumped. They had my mother! He pushed past me and escaped on the boat with my mother. I jumped into the water and swam all the way to the boat. They started yelling thing in a language I couldn't understand.
“Stay away from my mother!” I was screaming. They looked confused.
Then I heard more screams from farther down the bank. I looked out and saw more little fishing boats heading toward the larger ship. And they had some of my people prisoner! They were yelling and fighting, but the white men held their ground.
When it seemed like they had taken all they wanted, I swam closer to the ship. There was a scuffle onboard, and then things went silent. I guessed they had all gone below. I managed to climb onboard. I heard footsteps. I almost fainted. The steps sounded like they were right next to me. I spotted a barrel. I only hoped it was empty. I pried off the top and hopped in. Right after a sailor strolled by where I had just stood. Then he stopped just past my barrel. I told myself to be as quiet as the island in early morning, when nobody is awake but me and I have the island all to myself. That image calmed me. But my heart was beating so loud I was afraid they might hear it. I felt a push and a jolt when the ship took off.
I was aboard the boat.
I was leaving my island.
I was saving my village.
