04-20-2010, 09:40 AM
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Post order: preferably as you entered, but don't worry too much about it. If you really want to post and it's not your turn, just go for it  Word Count: 507 He danced, and as he did so he noticed the approval in the faces of his tribe's members, and he relaxed better. Once Ember joined in, and then the rest of them, and he was playing his bone flute and no longer the single point of attention, he found himself enjoying it much more than he thought he would. He was not old enough to ever have witnessed a Uku Dance before, but he knew how Ayegali had danced, and so he had been forced to fabricate something out of this. There were no elders here to judge him, for he was the oldest. Perhaps he, then, had created his very own tradition on the Uku Dance; the thought was pleasing, even if Dawali was not usually an ambitious soul. The melody from the bone pipe soared above them all, its tones very high-pitched because it was so small. Still, they did not pierce through one's mind in an uncomfortable way, and with the drumming from Auréle and her son and the sound of everyone's feet making rhythms on the ground, it was mighty music indeed. Finally, he stopped playing and stepped outside the ring, letting the dancing come to a natural halt and finally dissipate. The great fire was alight as always, and he stood beside it and waited until they had all gone out of the dancing circle. Wordlessly, he smiled at them; most of them knew this process, and knew what was coming. "We've come to the point where we extinguish the great fire and relight it again. This fire burns for our continued existence, but as our lives enter the new season, it, too, needs to be renewed. He motioned for everyone to participate, and quickly started to throw and kick sand onto the base of the fire, its high flames shaking with every inch of burning material that was covered up and out of their reach. Once completely dead save for a few flames at the very top of middle pole, he bent down to rekindle the fire from the burning embers he had set aside; they had been resting on a flat stone nearby until this point. Dawali added more firewood, and within minutes the fire soared high again. One handful of tobacco leaves were also offered the sacred flames, and now their ceremony was complete. All that was left, now, was the feast. The Kalona turned to look at his tribesmembers and his deep voice rung out to them, announcing that the celebrations that would continue for the next seven days for those that wanted to, were now officially started. "With the fire re-lit, all that remains is our celebrations!" His one arm motioned towards the collection of fish and meat that lay behind him, and he reached for his flute once more. Song and dance and food was as important to this ceremony as the great fire itself. The cheerful melody he created itched his feet, and soon he was dancing again, though in a wholly different manner. |