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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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…Envoy (975 BC):
“I, Garakonthie, Elder of the Ball Clan of the Oneida people of the Iroquois Confederation, on behalf of the Great Council at Salamanca, offer an exchange of knowledge between our two peoples.”
“Hmmm. Do you need to catch your breath now,” replied the impudent Aztec. His attendants snickered behind him.
“Heated words serve no purpose, Teahactl.”
The gold and feather bedecked diplomat grew sternly serious. “Fine, Garakonthie, what do you have in mind?”
“What do you want for your method and system of writing?”
“Nope, that can’t be done,” came the terse response.
“Well, what if we offered our knowledge of horseback riding. You’ve heard of our feared mounted warriors, no doubt?”
The Aztec feigned ignorance. “Hmm, perhaps. Well, how about you throw in, say, 120 gold in the deal?”
“What,” the Iroquois envoy sneered. “That’s robbery!”
“Perhaps,” he smirked, “but you know your people would benefit greatly from this wisdom. What say you? Our Sun-God would be pleased to form this friendship between our two peoples.”
“While we acknowledge only the power of out Great Life Spirit, we agree to this so-called trade with your Montezuma…reluctantly!”
“Excellent. We shall send our wise-men to consult with yours…oh, and our treasurers to pick up the gold!”
After the Aztec party departed, Garakonthie turned to his top aide. “Note that we need to watch this nation closely. I don’t trust them one bit.”
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What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on around here?
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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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…Shaman (800 BC):
My name is At’yatawi of the Heron Clan of the Seneca. Here in the Temple of Niagra, where the Great River meets the Great Waters, I pronounce the omens spoken to me by the Life Spirit in dreams and visions. And here, too, others come from the surrounding villages to seek the visions that speak to their own hearts, answer their questions, and provide guidance for their lives. For we know that the Creator Spirit gives protection and blessing to all those that honor him. Therefore, as one comes to the temple, they may travel the Sacred Road only in ritually cleansed rabbitskins and moccasins made from the same hide, for the spirit of humility and wisdom dwells in the gentle hare. These garments are obtained from temple servants responsible for their purification. The temple itself, like our burial grounds, is sacred and only those truly in search of guidance and answers will be visited with dreams during their meditations. Those without a serious heart will only have bad luck in return. The temple pleases our people, for we know that the Great Life Spirit will watch over us if we continue to appease him.
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What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on around here?
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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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…Farmer (650 BC):
My name is Oheo of the Snipe Clan of the Tuscaroa. I was born in this village that also bears my people’s name. It is a proud village with excellent land for agriculture. My family’s fields are rich in maize and wheat, fruitful harvests given to us by the grain god Onenshste. A field is secluded as an offering to him so that he may provide food for all the gods in the Great Sky Lodge. Our plentiful harvests feed our people and the old grow fat with so much food to eat. While we farm mostly corn and wheat, we also have many fields of squash, pumpkin, tomato, beans, peas, and onion as well as apple and pear orchards. The pears are especially tempting as we have skilled crafters that take the fermented fruit and create a sweet drink that numbs the mind and senses. It is a favorite of our village’s military society, the Bucks, in which my husband is a brave member. I told him I hope he and his men are not drinking the juice should we be in need of protection from barbarian Apaches!
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What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on around here?
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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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…Military Instructor (290 BC):
Shoskoarowaneh of the Deer Clan of the Mohawk ran to the young man sprawled on the dust of the Riding Ground of Caughnawaga. “Your are dismounted,” he bellowed above the roar of thundering hoofsteps. “Get up, rider, join ranks.” The excited soldier retrieved a large knife from the ground and darted away.
Shoskoarowaneh took in the warm smell of horse hair, the musty odor of their sweat, and the sweet crispness of freshly churned dirt. Steeds raced round him and the course with the power of a roaring river and the gracefulness of a butterfly, handled by their owners with extreme ease and dexterity. Taking in the scene of leaping mounts and flying riders he smiled with pride. These were his men. He signaled for the Regroup Banner and the coarse blue linen fluttered weakly in the light breeze. Immediately, riders reigned in their protesting horses and dutifully re-formed to the right of their dismounted comrades.
He confidently stood at attention in front of the band. “Men,” pointing at the dismounted ranks, “your fallen brothers must be protected. The fancy jumps on this course, the countless rides in formation, the endless maneuvers in mock engagements will all be for not on the battlefield if you don’t stick together. You have worked hard these past months and I see great promise for future glory. And you shall have it soon. Do not be afraid. The enemy threatens Gayagaahe and our soldiers there are fighting hard. But they need help. You, men, are going to war!”
The assembled band yelled in joy with whoops and whistles. Shoskoarowaneh raised his arms to quiet the men, then continued. “Fight true to your hearts and the gods will grant our people victory. Do not fear the Aztec Jaguar, for you will run him down. Do not fear his archer, for we have bows of our own. Do not fear his resolve, for he is fighting far away from his home while we go to defend ours. We did not ask for, nor want, this fight, but they have brought it to us. And so the Bird Soldiers will make them reap what they have sown!”
Then in a thunderous cry in unison, “Bird Soldiers!”
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What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on around here?
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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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…Bronze Worker (250 BC):
My name is Ŏkwe’ukteæ of the Beaver Clan of the Oneida. I have worked for many years on this wondrous project, a colossal statue dedicated to the water god Ohneka. Forging, shaping, and polishing the bronze was often slow and exacting work, but the perfect and elegant form speaks of the craftsmanship and the love devoted to the project. Now it shines in the bright sun as a beacon of Iroquois culture. The Great Council directed we build this testament here in Niagra, where the Great River meets the Great Sea. It is said that Ohneka swallowed half of all the land on the earth, thus creating the seas. So here his likeness stands, gazing over the vast, white-capped blueness that he created and now protects. As Niagra’s patron god, he will bring us good fortune. Even before we finished this dedication to him, he brought us many curious visitors. And now our people are happy and our shoreline is brimming with commerce brought from other coastal villages of the North. It is an age of prosperity and fame for our village.
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What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on around here?
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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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…Sage (170 BC):
My name is Rokstenha, Elder of the Eel Clan of the Tuscaroa. I count it a privilege and honor to live in these days of our people. We prosper everywhere and are achieving all our dreams. Many say that the Iroquois people are in a Golden Age while commerce, production, culture, and science flourish! The war with the Aztecs and Arabs has not hurt, indeed it seems to have helped. Finally, my fellow wisemen and I have discovered the secret to Aztec writing, given to us many years ago in a trade when they were our so-called friends. Now, we can read it! Oh, what a boon to our civilization! With this new concept of deciphering words instead of crude, basic pictographs, the Council may expedite their decrees, the oracles of the gods disseminate faster, commerce thrives, and we are able to wage our war with more efficiency. Indeed, dispatches were sent immediately to the neighboring Germans and the distant Zulus enticing them into military alliances against our Aztec and Arab enemies, while our brave mounted warriors pour into the frontier to meet the Aztec hordes. Yes, this new knowledge will produce and store up wondrous fruit for our people in the many years to come.
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What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on around here?
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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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…Fisherman (10 AD):
My name is Kéntsyon’ of the Deer Clan of the Cayuga. This morning’s catch was not as abundant as usual. We only snared about 4 bushels, mostly Mackerel. There are larger schools out in further waters, but I was leery of the clouds forming to the Southwest. The last thing we wanted was to get caught a few miles off shore in a storm. Why just last week, the fierce storms of these waters, the Bay of the Red Sunsnake, showed once again how dangerous they are when they claimed yet another small fishing boat. That crew was either greedy, foolish, or not paying attention; all characteristics that can get you killed on these waters. We also did not venture out far because there are still reports of Aztec war galleys roaming the Bay. While this war has seen little fighting for several years, Gandasetaigon still is not far from the frontier, and definitely at risk of invasion, should the Aztecs launch one by sea. I have no desire to be a slave and sacrificed in their pagan rituals. So my men and I turned back home, content with the morning’s haul. Our midday meal will be waiting at the Cornfish Inn, then we must repair our rigging and sails and outfit our schooner for another trip in the evening…should the gods keep the weather and the Aztecs at bay.
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What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on around here?
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Poncho Marx?
Last Seen:
3/13/2009 8:41 AM
Posts: 977
Visits: 2,831
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…Spearman (70 AD):
My name is Uëkahsa’ of the Bear Clan of the Onondaga. It was another hard day of constant drilling and training. We keep ourselves warm as best we can, although it be the coldest of winter. Some men grumble that we work so hard. “After all,” they say, “the war is over. Surely the only threat now is from the barbarians, what little are left.” But I do not mind. I enjoy the companionship, and the food is hot. We get tents, although they pack as many of us into each one as they can, but the fire is nice with plenty of wood. And I am carrying on a proud tradition. My father before me, and my grandfather before him, were both in the famed Buffalo Soldiers, my grandfather falling gloriously in the war against the Aztecs. It was a glorious death, because he slew many of the enemy and earned a great reputation as a fierce and brave warrior. By the time my father joined the military society, the war was a war in name only, the cowardly Aztecs afraid to send more cows to the slaughter. And now we are finally at peace. But my village, Onondaga, is still near the frontier, maybe not as close as other towns, but people feel safer here knowing we garrison the settlement. For I am a warrior of the 1st Onondaga Spear and who knows who may threaten us next. The Aztecs still cannot be trusted. And our German neighbors look less friendly every year, encroaching closer and closer to our frontier. Our Great Council says we must be prepared, so I work hard to follow in the steps of my ancestors.
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What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on around here?
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