The Most Dangerous Direction

reindeer hair and burnt juniper form ribbons tied to the mountains

at night the Duca leave their deer in a sheltered enclosure to protect
them from the cold and wolves

before healing others they must first heal themselves to prove they are
true shamans

the peaks of the mountains rise up behind the hunters

Tsuyan has a second soul
the back of her tent will be cut
to let her body out

the animal has been wounded but it is too late in the day to go after him

the ancestors penetrate the past lives with the present

she appeases the forces of nature by sprinkling tea in all corners

the communists destroyed our idols
so I learned how to tie magic knots
they bound the rivers and mountains
where the ancestors reside

the duca resorted to abstraction

the tea is a nutritious soup with milk and butter and spiced with a salt
which the reindeer cannot resist

her headdress is decorated with rooster feathers, a suit of armor

when all the stars are out it means that the ancestors are present
she strattles the drum as her spirit joins the others waiting for her

a demon has removed an arrow

she points the stick at someone
the message is whispered and veiled in mysterious metaphors

if it is wounded it will go hide in the trees
if it doesn’t snow the dogs will follow the trail

salt preserves the sweetness and connection
the babies are tied to their kin

no shaman has been able to pacify this unpredictable demon

her remains will be hung on a tree
nestled in a house for immortals
her things will be placed nearby within reach
thus she will continue to watch over her people

the hunters have to choose between heading for the pass or going
through the valley

they study the shoulder blade of a charred lamb

the oracle was right
the moose is still in the snow looking up
the dogs pull at its fur

the hunter stabs its back begging for forgiveness
her trance is over

the bone marrow alone is enough to feed a man for an entire day and
the meat for three weeks

otherwise the ghost of the moose will leave black tracks on their trail a curse

the camp moves on as dictated by the reindeer
the most dangerous direction is north

the sun never warms it
the winds rise from it

and the black sky of the dead circles the mountain

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