White teepee and campfire seating area in scrub-brush with mountains and sunset in the distance
{This is a response to a Friday Fictioneers photo prompt, to write 100 words, inspired by the photo. The title is an allusion to the common law concept of “adverse possession,” in which, if you squat on vacant land for long enough, without the owner putting up a fuss about it, that land could eventually belong to you. Of course, adverse also means at cross purposes, or, as enemies. Thank you for the prompt, and for reading!}
No GPS, back then.
But, near as I can tell, this is the patch of scrub-brush, where Gramma cooked corn-cakes and wove tourist blankets.
As the setting sun weaves threads through the turquoise sky, the land’s spirit rises. The wind moans. A coyote covetously yearns for its neighbor’s pup.
We blanketed the countryside. Then, suddenly, faced eviction. No longer heirs, but renters, we shivered in the city.
We nearly forgot the drumbeat of our own words.
Gramma’s rat-gnawed teepee glows by firelight.
Until the White Man comes, this land’s mine.
And I’ll only leave, at the point of a gun.
“The drumbeat of our words”….I LIKE that!
Thanks Dawn!
Heartbreaking, tough and with a hint that things could get very messy for everyone. I do hope your narrator regains their land without violence. Wonderful story telling Andrea
Thank you Lynn. Yes things could get messy.
My pleasure Andrea
Beautiful writing and very atmospheric. A sad story with a glimpse of hope to reclaim what was stolen.
Thanks gah!
Maybe in the end the white man will be swallowed by his possessions… to be able to enjoy the free sky should be everyone’s rigth
Nice to learn about adverse possession –
And enjoyed the flow of your 100 words – a lot transpired in this short piece – well done
Dear Andrea,
Many of us went in similar directions this week. I love what you did…and the line,..no longer heirs, but renters…went through me. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle. It was both uplifting and sobering, to peruse FF this week!
And the line, of course, developed as soon as I wrote the word “evicted.” Because how can you be evicted from land that you own, that your fathers father’s father owned? Or better yet, land that no one owns, but that is gifted as a bequest from on high, to generation after generation? The notion of property as understood in the two cultures makes for an interesting contrast. So glad it spoke to you!
I was not aware of this Chief and his and his tribe’s mistreatment by the US government. He is very quotable, especially on human rights and equal rights. He has many good quotes, some of which are here:.
https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Wisdom/ChiefJoseph.html
I especially like this one,
“If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow.
All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The Earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born a free man should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases.
If you tie a horse to a stake, do you expect he will grow fat ? If you pen an Indian up on a small spot of earth, and compel him to stay there, he will not be contented, nor will he grow and prosper.
Chief Joseph – Nez Perce”
I also like this one, which could equally be applied to treatment of the disabled:
I am not a child, I think for myself. No man can think for me.
Chief Joseph – Nez Perce
Not sure why, but I’m reminded of “I will fight no more, forever!” when Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce surrendered. Always sad.
It’s a lovely piece. you say so much and then hint at lots more. I loved the way you weaved in emotional nuances
gramswisewords.blogspot.com
Thank you Marian!
Beautifully written, Dear One. Really enjoyed that read! 🙂 <3
Thank you Jelli. My heart was fluttering, wondering whether I would pass inspection. ?
Very nicely done.
Thanks Sandra!
A poignant tale of people of the land being displaced at gun point.
Thank you, Abhijit!
Beautifully written.
Thanks Lisa!
Your stories are ‘must reads’ for me. This story is a good example of why I feel like that. It’s full of lovely writing. I think my favourite is “We nearly forgot the drumbeat of our own words” because it has so many overtones, and they all enhance the story. Kudos, Andi, this is excellent!
Now it is your turn to make my day, Penny! I am flattered beyond measure.
So much of the impetus of this story comes from the interview I heard the other day. In it Tommy Orange, the author of “There, There” a book that has won awards and critical acclaim, had much to say, including that many Indian languages are all but forgotten. One thing he said was: “I don’t know that I have the time or discipline to become fluent — it would be a dream come true, though. It would be amazing to talk to my dad in Cheyenne.” I found that especially touching. Heres the link:
https://www.ttbook.org/interview/unheard-stories-urban-indian
Really well written. Too many had to leave just that way, or leave their blood to get soaked up in the land.
It is a shameful, tragic history.
Beautifully done, Andrea. So good I had to read it twice!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Thank you Susan!
He knows what’s coming. Well written.
Inevitably. Thank you Iain!
Yup! So true.
I will take “true” as a compliment, when speaking of fiction. ?
setting sun weaves threads through the turquoise sky…nice line. Lovely story
Thanks Neel. I had in mind the beautiful blankets you see coming up for valuation on Antiques Roadshow, and turquoise jewelry, both of which I associate with tribes in the American Southwest. Don’t know if any of those tribes used teepees though.
Back to their roots, come what may.
You can see why someone might want the beautiful land back, and be willing to risk it all.
Nicely atmospheric piece, well done.
Thanks CE!
Some great images here. And a detailed storyline woven in very smoothly. Your ‘major surgery’ certainly hasn’t done any harm. Impressive.
Thanks Margaret! I think, for me at least, the smoothness of the final product is in proportion to the amount of time I spend on it. Don’t rush a surgeon!
it seems like she’s resigned to her fate and relishing whatever the moment can provide until it’s gone for good.
I think the title is key in this one because it suggests motive. The land that was stolen is being reclaimed.
The problem was there were more than enough guns pointing to rout anyone.
True. And today, too, guns are far from being in short supply.
WOW! It’s hard to tell a story with only 100 words.
Tell me about it!!it’s major surgery with snipping all over the editing floor. No words were harmed in the making of this story.
Missed you today at lunch! It was enjoyable with several new faces!
I missed lunch due to adverse reaction with a new OTC allergy med. Glad no words were harmed. :))
See you next time. Feel better.
I liked the weaving theme
Very glad you noticed the warp and weft.?
Beautifully written, Andrea.
Thanks Dale!