The Cast of Characters Rain Bringer Clan (about 135 people) The clan shares the territory between

and around the three rivers. They gather in October for the Big Gathering to gather pecans and walnuts and perform rituals. Fewer gather more frequently for special ceremonies, such as the Grandmother Growth ceremonies to mark girls entrance into womanhood. Sometimes people screw around at the Big Gathering or other times of fun. Bird Wing Band ( each band has about 15 people) Rabbit Snare Band Striped Fish Band Cottonwood Band (currently the most powerful because of Rattlesnake) Red Snake Band Blue Heron Band Sweet Smoke Band Grey Chert Band Two Mountains Band Husbands life with the wifes band, as do the children. Bird Wing Band 1. Deer Cloud, 17, unmated. By the end Deer Cloud is called Deer Tail and mated with Cliff Swallow 2. Dove Call, 14, unmated. Sister to Deer Cloud 3. Aunt Hawk Wing, 36, widowed. Aunt to Deer Cloud and Dove Call. Sister to their mother. 4. Stone Face, 38, widowed. Son mated and moved away. Brother of Hawk Wing and Deer Clouds mother. Uncle to Deer Cloud and Dove Call. Shaman. Desperately wants to be the next head shaman for the clan before he dies. 5. Badger Paw, aka, Fat Neck, 18, unmated, smitten with Dove Call. Bird Wing Band. Best friend to Deer Cloud. Honeygatherer. 6. Ocotillo, 37, mated with Squirrel Tail. Aunt to Badger Paw and Sotol Woman 7. Squirrel Tail, 35, mated with Octotillo. From the Red Snake band. Honeygatherer. 8. Sotol Woman, 22, Fat Necks sister. Mated with Snake Skin. Mother of Little Hummingbird, Wolf Ears, and Chuchi. 9. Snake Skin, 19, mated to Sotol Woman. Father of Little Hummingbird Wolf Ears, and Chuchi. From the Two Mountains band. Honeygatherer. 10. Little Hummingbird, 6, unmated. 11. Wolf Ears, 4, unmated. 12. Chuchi, about 1 year old, baby 13. Long Spear, 20, mated with Rushing Water. Acolyte to Stone Face. Father of Green Turtle Boy. From Cottonwood Band. 14. Rushing Water, 17, mated to Long Spear. Parents deceased. Father also from Cottonwood Band. Becomes pregnant again during the story. 15. Green Turtle Boy, 3

16. Panther Claw, deceased. Former head shaman of the clan. Deer Clouds grandfather 17. White Rain Flower, deceased. Formerly mated with Panther Claw. Deer Clouds grandmother. 18. Grey Cloud, deceased. Deer Clouds mother. Cottonwood Band 1. Rattlesnake, 40, head shaman of the clan. Widowed. Father of Metate Woman. Secretly worried he will die without a worthy successor. Does not fully trust Stone Face because he has to cover his mistakes. Bone Eye and Jumping Rabbit have not yet attained the highest shaman knowledge, so they are not ready. 2. Metate Woman, 23, mated with Bone Eye. Rattlesnakes daughter. 3. Bone Eye, 31, acolyte to Rattlesnake. From Rabbit Snare band. Could inherit the role of head shaman. 4. Jumping Rabbit, 26, acolyte to Rattlesnake 5. Little Eagle, 15, coupled with Dove Call. Training as a Honeygatherer. Sweet Smoke Band 1. Cliff Swallow, 16, unmated. Eventually mates with Deer Cloud. Honeygatherer Duties Beekeeping Finding wild bees and luring them into the hives Making and replacing hives of burned-out tree stumps Gathering the honey They wear special sotol leaf protective clothing to do this. They use smoke torches to calm the bees. When they bring the honey in, there is a celebration, with drumming, dancing and singing. Special funny dances and stories. Lots of joking. They bring pleasure to the people, so they are sort of like Santa Claus, bringing the sweets Shaman Duties Memorizing all the songs and chants to the Powerful Ones Singing and chanting correctly in order to keep the Power Ones happy and the World in balance Conducting various ceremonies throughout the annual cycle Healing people who are victims of witchcraft (i.e. sick or injured) Gathering medicinal herbs and preparing the decoctions Womens Duties Caring for children Gathering plants for food and fiber Preparing food Preparing fiber for weaving, etc. Weaving complex items, such as winnowing baskets and food storage baskets. Making cordage of various sizes

Dressing hides Weaving rabbit fur and turkey feather capes Conducting the Grandmother Growth ceremony (elder woman in the band conduct it, except for one all-night sing by all the shaman and acolytes together) Bringing water to the camp Making light wine for the camp Gathering firewood and stones Making stone tools for to prepare food and fiber Childrens Duties Snaring and catching small animals like rabbits, rats, lizards, fish in traps or weirs or by other means Weaving food mats (an everyday chore) and simple cordage Serving as lookouts for adults Helping with pounding and scraping Helping gather foods, such as nuts, grapes, prickly pear pads and tunas Gathering firewood and stones Learning how to hunt and trap Learning how to make stone tools Learning how to make fire Learning how to do many other womens tasks in camp until about age 10, when they start to go out with the men Mens Duties Hunting deer, bison or other large animals, such as turkeys Protecting the camp from animals at night Keeping the fire going at night Gathering firewood and stones Fishing and trapping, including birds with beautiful feathers Making spears, atlatls, and stone tools for hunting and fishing Weaving weirs and traps Making cordage for traps, snares, etc.