White Arrow 1

By Pueros

Part One - Oneidas

(Schenectady [now in upper New York State, U.S.A.], North America, May 1689)

The English colonists set out in their covered wagons from Schenectady, intending to establish a new settlement somewhere upstream along the Mohawk. They were following a trail forged by earlier pioneers to the region through the thick forests that skirted the river. However, they never reached their intended destination as, one month later, their train was attacked by Oneida Indians. There was only one survivor of the attack, a baby boy.

(Oneida Eastern Woodlands [now in upper New York State, U.S.A.], North America, July 1702)

White Arrow was hunting deer with his admiring friends. The 13 years old was expert with his bow and arrow, a skill that had led him to be renamed whilst at the same time becoming his tribe’s youngest brave.

The boy had originally been called ‘White Face’ because of his fair skin, which, along with his blonde hair and blue eyes, had caused him much abuse and trouble from other children during his earlier years. The only survivor from the colonists’ wagon train had been taken back to the Oneida tribal village by a brave whose squaw was apparently barren and therefore childless. The warrior’s wife had been delighted with the baby, despite his strange features, and had brought him up as if he were her own offspring.

White Face had bravely stood up to the frequent torments to which he was subjected by the other tribal youngsters and this had caused him to become embroiled in regular fights, in which he usually came off worse because of the numbers ranged against him. However, such fortitude had gradually, over time, gained him admiration amongst some of his contemporaries, who eventually formed a close protective band of friends around him, ending the teasing from others. This was assisted by the fact that the 13 years old’s physical appearance had begun to blossom into true beauty, now much admired by the girls of the tribe, as well as secretly by a few boys and men.

White Face rewarded his friends by being an excellent companion, always entertainingly full of energy and ideas, and a good confidant during the troubling times all boys encountered as they passed through puberty. He also helped to save their lives.

The previous autumn, the tribal warriors had left their village to go on one last hunting expedition before the winter snows fell, intending to boost the meat stocks to help their people survive the harsh months to come. The community was left in the hands of the old men, women and children.

The Oneidas were one of the six peoples who made up the Iroquois, the others being the Cayugas, Mohawks, Onondagas, Senecas and Tuscaroras. Although these tribes formed an alliance to combat the intrusions of the white men into their lands, this did not prevent them from frequently warring with each other. This was such a time of conflict and it was the fierce Mohawks who attacked White Face’s virtually undefended village, expecting easy rape, killing and pillage. However, they had not reckoned on the boy’s ability with the bow and arrow and his leadership skills.

White Face, from his place of concealment in the longhouse he and his father and mother shared with several other families, had not only caused a number of the enemy to fall from their horses fatally wounded but also successfully co-ordinated and encouraged his friends to do the same, overcoming the boys’ initial trepidation in the process. However, the Mohawks would probably still have overcome this unexpected resistance if their leader’s heart had not been pierced by one of White Face’s arrows, causing the rest of the raiders to cut their losses and flee.

With the later return of the Oneida warriors, ‘White Face’ had become ‘White Arrow’ and the boy had been awarded his first buckskin breechcloth, indicating his progression from child to man, and a precious necklace of wampum beads, actually purple and white shells, symbolising his heroism.

Oneida children normally went naked during the warm months and so White Face was the only boy to be clothed as he and his friends hunted, although his loincloth was very skimpy. However, the 13 years old also now covered himself with a deerskin to enable him to cross the flower-strewn, tree-surrounded, meadow and creep up on the intended prey, a large buck whose meat would feed many. The hide of the animal would also be used to make clothing and moccasins, the skin being prepared by placement in a running brook, preferably with a clay bottom, to loosen the hair for scraping off. A mixture made from the beast’s brain and liver would then be applied to strengthen the material. The creature’s antlers and hooves additionally provided arrowheads and glue respectively.

When the Oneidas gathered berries, they deliberately left the hunting meadows untouched so that deer and moose would return there often to feed. These hunting grounds were far away from the village to prevent the animals from coming too close to the crops that the tribe planted and White Arrow and his companions had, in fact, set off at dawn to reach to this particular distant location. The 13 years old had left his pony, to which he was now entitled as a man, behind to share the burden of the long walk with his friends. It was now mid afternoon as the young brave aimed his arrow at the unaware buck. However, the target suddenly detected human presence and bolted before the boy could launch his shot.

White Arrow was surprised by the animal’s reaction as he had skilfully crept up on the beast from downwind and, even if the gentle breeze had changed direction, his deerskin cover should have prevented his scent from being sniffed. His correctly positioned companions had also not made any discernible disturbance. However, the 13 years old’s puzzlement was soon resolved when a large party of mounted Mohawks entered the meadow from the surrounding forest, on the opposite side of the large clearing from his friends.

White Arrow perceived that the Mohawks were already aware of his presence and that of the other boys. He therefore shouted to his companions to retreat into the trees just behind them. Unfortunately, the young brave had a much longer distance to run to manage the same feat.

White Arrow discarded the deerskin and ran as fast as he could towards the anticipated safety of the forest, whose denseness would make pursuit by the Mohawks very difficult if not impossible, especially on horseback. However, he could not outpace the enemy’s mounts, from one of which a young man leapt to bring him tumbling to the ground. The subsequent tussle was short as a 13 years old was no match in hand-to-hand combat for a warrior in his early 20s and a blow to the boy’s jaw rendered him unconscious.

When White Arrow awoke, he found himself draped facedown over his captor’s pony, hands tied firmly to feet under the animal’s belly. The adjacent proud Mohawk warrior, aware of his young captive’s identity because of his attire and the fact that there was only one known fair-skinned 13 years old Oneida brave, observed the boy stirring below him. He immediately lifted the rear of the lad’s sparse breechcloth to reveal the virtually bare young buttocks below and began to spank the lovely curvature as he and his victim rode together along the forest trail that would eventually lead them to Mohawk territory. Both knew that the pain now being inflicted was nothing compared to that to come.

The Mohawks took great pride in their ability to torture their enemies to death slowly and excruciatingly over many days. The warrior was looking forward to seeing the boy so die. He would also claim the right as captor to sever the 13 years old’s genitals, which would be removed bit by bit as part of the process. The organs, especially the testicles, of such a captive, notable for courage and success in battle, would be much prized, particularly to make potions to cure all sorts of sexual complaints.

The warrior smiled as he contemplated this delicious future for the boy whilst he turned the young 13 years old bottom a vivid red. After all, White Arrow had the previous autumn killed his father, the leader of a certain Mohawk raiding party that had attacked a particular Oneida village.

(To be concluded in chapter 2 – ‘Mohawks’)