It's a story for mostly younger readers because of the lightness of the plot and events, but it can be engaging . . .
Walik and the Last Deeris a caring account of an indigenous tribe who called the environment around Lake Tahoe home. It is a completely detailed blend of nature and man, written with minimal dialogue and a rich, colorful narrative that will draw readers into the tribe's natural world.
There weren't many tribes left near young Mikito's northern valley home. After the great Wapiti elk were nearly driven to extinction, many tribes migrated to the Pacific coast, or moved their families south to fertile lands where they could fish or farm. Those who stayed formed a loose clan of opportunists and adventurers who believed that the giant deer would one day return to the valley.
Mikito's tribe was once large and the hunters were many. His father, Wa'lik, was the best bowman among them. He took to the hunt so that his family could eat, but it was stalking the elk that gave him the most joy. The elk killed were traded at the summer gathering by the great lake, at the Daowahga. The kin tribes would take all of the elk the tribe could provide.
The tribe prospered, but the elk were killed in great numbers, beyond any real need outside of trade. The tribe rarely kept more than a year's supply in store. However, after a long generation of this it became clear that elk sightings were down. Still the hunters kept on hunting. The last deer was found and slaughtered, five different arrows in one hide. Although no one ever thought they would, the Wapiti vanished, and most of the people left also. Those who stayed searched and called, but no Deer Spirit answered.
Eventually, the Deer Spirit did return. At night as he slept, Mikito's father, Wa'lik, was visited by the Deer Spirit who filled his head with visions of the great herd. Every night the Spirit would call Wa'lik by name and sing songs of the giant deer. Every day he awoke and searched the forest in vain. To bring back the Wapiti, to find the lost herd and restore the prosperity that vanished with the last deer was more than just vanity for Wa'lik. His dreams were his tribe's only link with this omnivigant specter that once bound his people to this land.
Walik and the Last Deer is an exploration of the unintended and unexpected consequences of our ambitions and our best intentions. It is a colorful journey with family life, change of seasons, and Wa'lik's pursuit of the Wapiti as the main action. Illustrated with over 15 original works, the book is a rich journey for young and old alike who are interested in the lives of our first inhabitants.
I'd like to publish the story in bits at a time here because it's just sitting in a folder doing nothing. Good idea?
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