The birth and death of the nekcihc

An anthropologist comes across many customs and traditions that might surprise or

horrify the average human. They go to the corners of the globe to study the odd and the hidden.

Then bring the information back to enlighten the general population about the tribes and customs

of these far off lands. This paper is about such a tribe.

This tribe was first brought to my attention in the spring of 2016. They are located in

deep East Texas, approximately 60 miles from Dallas. Their culture, beliefs and traditions would

surprise even the most seasoned anthropologist. It is in this remote corner of the dense jungle of

East Texas we find the Nekcihc.

The Nekcihc live in a community house where they all sleep standing on poles. They eat

as a large family from the ground outside their dwelling. Spend their days hunting for food and

relaxing in the shade of the large trees that surround their house.

The Nekcihc of East Texas have many deeply held religious beliefs and superstitions.

The first and most widely held belief is about the Gods that visit them every day. The Gods are

giant two-legged creatures that live past the barrier. They protect the Nekcihc from the wild and

hairy beasts that roam the area. Every day the Gods come down from their dwelling places and

bestow blessings upon the most worthy. These blessings most often take the form of exotic

fruits and vegetables from the Gods own table. The Nekcihc believe that the Gods choose the

worth by watching from their high dwelling place to see who the fiercest hunter is. As an
offering to appease the Gods the Nekcihc, offer up a daily sacrifice of their embryos. In

response, the Gods fill the storeroom with the essential nutrition of everyday life.

The Nekcihc perform a daily ritual of cleansing with dust. This is necessary because of

the tiny bugs that plague the Nekcihc and their dwelling places. The elders of the tribe spoke

often of the Summer of Pain. They began their folktale with the Gods bringing in new refugees

from a distant land. The Gods placed them in a special containment house to ensure the health of

the members. Weeks after the arrival of the newcomers the plague of Etim started. Because of

the powerful itch caused by the Etim, many of the tribe lost their outer coverings and skin. The

Etim eats the coverings and skin of all beasts. They can only be killed by baptism in a magical

potion the Gods themselves administer.

The most fascinating part of this culture is when the neh or women of the tribe start the

Stiller Aufstand. During this time the neh refuse the Gods their daily sacrifice of embryos.

Instead they protect them in tiny rooms off of their main house. Using every weapon at their

disposal they intimidate and yell at the Gods. The Stiller Aufstand lasts about 1 month and ends

in the birth of many children. The neh keep their children in the tiny houses for 1 week after the

birth, this week is called the Wachsend. After the week of wachsend the nehs bring their many

children out of the community house and teach them to hunt.

The Nekcihc had 2 great leaders. One was called Napoleon, he was small and fierce. The

nekcihc elected him their first leader because of his many brave feets. Napoleon had survived a

whole year with no gifts or protection from the Gods. He had lived in trees to avoid the vicious
and hungry hairy beasts that roam the area. The second leader was called Arschloch, he was

large and wore a huge red and black headdress. In the second year of Napoleon's reign, he

displeased the Gods. Napoleon in a great act of defiance attacked one of the lesser Gods. In

retaliation, the largest God caught and beheaded him in front of his whole tribe.

I lost contact with the tribe after Napoleon was beheaded and Arschloch took control.

The tribe migrated to a safer and more plentiful feeding ground. Looking back on my time with

the Nekcihc I learned many things. I realized that people in extreme circumstances will do

anything to survive. And just like Napoleon, sometimes you have to rebel against the system for

the good of all even if it means your life.