[This story is an improved version from mini cassette
recordings of Mekkar’s actual voice in 1990 while hiking and walking as a
University student; Then, it was converted to a Windows Media Audio File and
transcribed in 2011. Mekkar’s spoken English skills are nowhere near as
polished as Saavo’s are. Continued from PART 2 (A) in May, 2014.]
The hunters are familiar with their quarry and realize that
females are attentive to their young and usually have a smaller set of antlers
than the male counterparts. Caribou and reindeer are the only deer species that
produce a rack, though normally less impressive than the males. A full grown
mama can take out a raider just as quickly as any masculine member of the herd.
With similar weaponry and quickness too!
These aspects reflect a key part of the native society
Mekkar grew up in. The language of the area expresses this as well. The
terminology typically lacks a gender distinction in Mekkar’s native tongue.
Similar words that refer to animals have been modified over time and have been made
applicable to humans. Similar to many places, people have continually updated
and modernized the vocabulary up to the current day. This is the case in many
areas of speech and reveals an always evolving process of adaptation.
Some natives through typology still have the belief that
reindeer and a few other animals can survive better in this Arctic environment
than humans. Others have the opinion that wild creatures do not need people at
all to adapt to these surroundings since they have been doing it for a much
longer time. Still, dissenters believe that many individuals are unable to
endure the harsh conditions and bitter climate by themselves. In those cases,
creatures take precedence over people even in spoken communication. The battle
rages and those sentiments are always open to debate among the locals. Still,
going back to the source, the cycle of life and existence, the intertwined
puzzle – everything stems from that. The view is that all examples emerge from
that point or beginning in some respect.
Mekkar was in a state of wonder and also was anxious at the
same time because of the helicopters. He knew that those flying vehicles were
another thing that could destroy them and the herd also. The youngster
overheard conversation about how the field wasn’t now limited to only dealing
with natural predators in this setting. As a boy, he was still learning about aspects
regarding the cycle of life. It was hard to fit those concepts to anything
related to the flying enemy overhead. The confusion and lack of understanding
greatly increased his stress levels. All the trekkers realized the natural
balance between various wild creatures. On the other hand, this way of thinking
does create some paradoxes. For example, the number of various enemies against
their own herd animals actually creates a sense of evenness to prevent over
population of any one species. It would be a bad idea to screw with the natural
process by wiping out all of the wolves or bears, for instance. Fortunately,
this concept was not the main concern in anyone’s mind among the trekking party
at that moment. The end result would be some other great enemy would take
wolf’s place.
Modern society has not learned this lesson. They still have
the misguided concept that humans can control the earth and nature to a fairly
high degree. History should have taught people that the opposite is in fact the
case. When there is too much or too few of a species other issues can arise. Varieties
must adapt, become resistant, modify themselves, take on another form, or
disappear altogether. Setting artificial limits and restrictions or enhancing
over-the-top growth will eventually result in the whole chain of life getting
messed up and thrown out of whack to the detriment of all.
Anyway, now these added elements can affect the environment
in multiple ways all at the same time. All anyone can do is estimate the damage
and effects within the concept of the whole cycle of life. That is truly what
Mekkar was bothered by, even if he didn’t comprehend all the aspects of its
meaning, yet.
Like native children, the animals can get somewhat used to
the sound of the helicopter. However, they can also be greatly distracted by
the flying machines and panic. The tendency is to flock or huddle together when
the flying machine hovers so close to the ground. Ideally, this tactic is done
in more wide open areas without vegetation and cover. Hopefully, the herd will
be seen from the air, as no threat, and be left alone. The distracted animals feel
safer in numbers as to not be fair game for their enemies and invite a ground
attack. Stragglers, drifters, and those who stray are the most vulnerable. The
point is that one split second can make all the difference between life and
death during a raid.
The confusion is somewhat similar, but not completely, to smaller
pests like the fly. Mekkar says that when he approaches and surrounds it with
both hands, it cannot decide which direction to go. There is a bewilderment and
distrust of both directions to flee toward. A reaction is to stop or to run comparable
to a fight or flight response that humans exert. [Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage by Walter Bradford
Cannon, 1915]
This is all part of
the fragile setting, the inter-relatedness of trust and expectation of
predicted outcomes. The animals trust the herders only up to a point and
usually if there exists some type of familiarity. Mekkar asks this question,
“Do you trust anything that you are not familiar with? Probably not.” The
trouble is, in more modern times, the modified environment have put a wrench
into the entire system. It is more so in regard to war machines and
combat. Who on the ground can predict what those outside the domain are going
to do? This is the kind of stuff Mekkar began to ponder as he grew up and
looked back on those situations he was involved in. His youthful captured
thoughts were in a very undeveloped, superficial stage and would disappear
almost as quickly as they arrived. Yet, these facets of thinking pave the way
and frequently evolve into greater depths of research within the mind. Plus,
listening to the wise leaders of his tribe didn’t hurt either. The young
reindeer herder’s thought processes would later far expand the present capabilities
of his brain. Mekkar required much more learning by him to improve his skills
to someday possibly lead a trek of his own.
Following the path
the seemingly intrepid party continued on to the east for many miles. Well, it was probably less of a distance than
a boy could predict. Mekkar has heard the joke told around the campfire about a
relative walked fifty miles through the snow, uphill, and with no shoes. It
seems that all cultures have parallel stories used to embarrass and implore a
person to carry out an action they want to avoid. Yet, in this habitat and
under these conditions, the escapade could be plausible indeed, especially on a
trek.
In this case,
Mekkar had already travelled many kilometers in deep powder. Some of which had
hard crust on top and was soft underneath. Not to forget the blizzards, up and
down countless hills, but the Arctic boy had solid footwear. Mekkar had on a
pair of fur boots created for the harsh winter environment. Socks were not
always needed either just some treated grass inside to absorb the shock and
moisture. On their way east to areas Mekkar was not familiar with or didn’t
remember travelling in. He sensed that he had been on this path before, possibly
with his parents. He had been told, by Aslak, about a few of his previous trips
in the region with relatives, however he was unable to recall any of those
journeys. Either way, Mekkar was looking forward to going there in a more
independent capacity.
Mekkar was thinking
the settings might be more recognizable to him after the weather had slightly
diverted the group from the normal route. He couldn’t be certain, though. He
anticipated that he might meet a few people that he had a closer common ground
with, even in speech. People around the world know everything is all relative
to the region one is from. Other places that one cannot readily identify have a
whole new set of surroundings and challenges to get acclimated with. Too bad,
Mekkar found out that was wrong. As they pushed on, the youngster noticed the people
seemed more different than he would have expected. Disappointedly, the boy instead
found fewer locals there like himself.
After all, he knew
there were other tribes in the vast territory from one perspective, but to run
into them gave a different view in person. The people appeared to him as
similar to his tribesmen, but not exactly the same. Ansetti explained to Mekkar
that the inhabitants here face the very same issues and struggles like him and
his kin. It appeared to Mekkar, along the coastal areas in both directions on
this journey that more families were dedicated to fishing instead of reindeer
herding. These folks work on the boats which he thought was kind of odd. It was
a different type of community than his own back home. Then, at that point it
struck him that he could relate as he had just completed employment on a boat to
begin the working portion of his life. Mekkar next summarized, after conversing
with Ansetti, that some exchange of goods might take place. Thus, the reason
for stopping here and stocking up with a different variety of goods, some to
take with them back home.
However, Mekkar was
misguided in his assumption that by this age he would have already explored
this whole region in some manner. Of course, if that were to take place Mekkar
would have developed a negative trait of cockiness and attitude. He would have
also used it as an advantage over his peers at home. Aslak warned him about any
potential haughtiness and to use his experiences to enlighten his friends
instead. The advice from the spiritual leader was for Mekkar to feel humbled
and privileged to be able to share his good fortune with others. Not to lord it
over anyone and brag about what he had done because there is always someone who
has done and seen much more. Unexpectedly, what was to come was more dynamic
than what he had already exposed to, seen, or would have guessed.
The route winded in
a southeasterly direction, not far from sea, and continued on for about thirty
miles (48.28 kilometers) or so toward the next small town. Unfortunately, before
they got there, the trekkers faced another pack of aggressive wild canines. The
stalkers were first spotted during Mekkar’s shift as a watchman that night. The
youngest herder audibly called out to alert the others of potential danger.
Juhani was also on
guard with Mekkar tracking the wolves’ movements as they sneakily looked to strike.
The beasts were ready for action and it was a fairly large wolf pack. The wild creatures
suddenly charged the herd seeking to surprise and devour. Wolves are deceptively
quick and strong for their size. Yet, humans have a definite weapons advantage
if they choose to use it. Guns are useful, but not in all situations due to
noise and frightening the herd. One main goal of the herder is to keep their own
animals from being spooked for any reason and stampeding away. Hence, knives
tend to be more useful and stealthy.
Mekkar swiftly took
his blade out from its sheath. Next, he went on the pursuit. Some of the other
herders also got the attention of a number of the animals. Well, at least a few
of them. Other tribesmen joined Mekkar in the immediate area, at the ready. Juhani
later told Mekkar that they didn’t want him to be overwhelmed with too many
attackers to combat by himself. A part of the attacking pack scrambled a bit. The
natives protecting the herd had to be quiet at the same time while counter
stalking the enemy. One reason is too not attract the complete bunch and be
outnumbered in any individual confrontation. Mekkar says that it is comparable
to a military shadow, seek, and, if necessary, destroy mission. The other important
aspect is to not spook the reindeer and cause them to run away as a group. No
one wanted to watch their valued possessions just vanish from sight.
The strategy chosen
was to divide and encounter a few of the adversaries at a time, not all at once.
The hope was to split the raiding party up and maybe the majority might scatter
after the herders made their move. Mekkar attributes the approach to engaging
the leader and defeating that individual first. Then, the rest of the gang tends
to voluntarily remove themselves from the battle. Aslak tried to explain to the
lad that is an aspect of psychology. Specifically, a theory that after the
head is removed as a threat and cannot take an opponent on, the rest of the
gang normally loses hope in their chances of victory in the battle. The wise
man commented to Mekkar the logic had meaning to people alone. Applying the
same to animals without much field examination and evidence was another matter
altogether. Not many want to test it out in live situations to avoid injury or
death.
Akin to most
animals the band of wolves also has a leadership hierarchy. Even observers soon
can identify which one is the alpha male or who the boss is. Mekkar has used
the New York Yankees baseball franchise as an illustration of this leadership
system. Under the operation of George Steinbrenner, there was no dispute or
question of who was large and in charge. Mekkar now had the lead animal in his
sights and sought out a confrontation to make his mark. On the other hand,
Juhani had done these treks for a long time for years and years and first spotted
the same one the young herder in training was pursuing. Problem was Juhani had
a longer distance to cover. Mekkar’s original task description was to help keep
the throng bunched together and not let any in the back stray off. Yet, the
inexperienced Mekkar let his sight and rush adrenaline overtake him as he broke
away from his pre-assigned task. No matter what happened the boy felt that was
ready for a strike just in case.
In the nick of
time, Juhani arrived on the scene and he faced off with the top dog with his knife
already drawn. The wolf rushed as it felt threatened and sprang at the veteran herder.
Mekkar saw this happen and thought to himself that this scenario can’t be
occurring, it was not real. It seemed to the young boy that the animal jumped
ten feet through the air like a long jumper in track. The wolf had its teeth bared
with a snarl. Mekkar’s impression was as if the beast wanted to leap toward
Juhani’s throat or whatever the animal could grab with its powerful fangs. Still,
Juhani was not a small individual and had enormous strength unlike Mekkar. In
an instant, Juhani brought up his large knife to the chin of his aggressor. He
drove it through the protruding jaw and broke a bone in the assailant’s neck as
he had been trained so many years ago. The decimated head wolf of the pack was
now gone.
Nonetheless, there
was a hint that others of the group didn’t see their fallen leader as they were
occupied in their own pitched skirmishes. After a few more of the attackers had
been put down, a couple of gunshots rang out with a pop, pop. Arrows made the
ppfft sound as they whizzed past. Bows were repeatedly firing their projectiles
off one by one. The scene was unfolding rapidly in front of Mekkar as he
observed one of the aggressors nearby tagged right in the head. Finally, the
opposition unit started to scatter.
Some of leaders thought
it was stupid to bring out the guns and risk the stampede of whole herd. One of
them commented toward the boy the necessary additional firepower was needed for
that drastic action. Mekkar needed to get back to his responsibilities and contribute
his efforts to keep the now frightened herd animals from straying. The mood of
the reindeer was on edge right at that time. He along with the other tribesmen
knew that if any of their hooved animals had departed during the clash they
would have been gone. Most likely killed by the still remaining wolves in the
vicinity. The enemies had retreated but were still in the neighborhood simply lying
in wait, desperate to fill their bellies.
Little did the adolescent know that two reindeer turned up
missing from the herd. As soon as they left not even about one hundred and
sixty four yards (150 meters) away Mekkar heard a loud sound. He detected the
high pitch and knew one of the stray animals had been attacked. A few of the
herders including the boy followed the noise they listened to. Those saw the
wolf pack in action. Mekkar said in a low voice as to not be detected, “This is
it.” The host onslaught was relentless by grabbing the hind legs while the
hooved creature was distracted by the adversary in front. Once the aggressors
got complete control another jumped for the neck and secured it. Oh, Mekkar
secretly wished that he could leap upon prey like that.
The small unit of herders realized it was no use trying to
rescue one of the flock now, they all recognized it was a goner. That reindeer
was stupid for running away from the bunch and became wolf food because it was
too late to be saved, thought Mekkar. Then, Mekkar felt helpless and blamed
himself for leaving his post. The young boy did warn the others. At the same time,
he was of the opinion that he didn’t do anything to save one his tribesmen’s
animals. The boy’s mind told him that he didn’t fully carry out his duty. Mekkar
technically did not remove not one enemy combatant nor directly save any
reindeer himself. The rest of the belligerents had run off. They must have had
their fill deemed Mekkar. However, the assailants got theirs. One of them was
picked off and later seen with the others of his clan ripping apart that one
animal before it soon perished. Not taking it out with the first shot was not a
good thing for that one adversary.
After the drama had died down somewhat, it was discovered
that seven of the raiders had been dispatched along with two reindeer from the
herd. Mekkar considered they had done a pretty good job by only losing two
animals to that large of a blitz. Unfortunately, that assumption just showed
his inexperience. Seven to two was not considered a good ratio. It was made
clear that there should be a twenty to one minimum kill proportion of pack
beasts to hooved creatures. The trek leader would not be happy with the
outcome. Ansetti was very angry. Possibly it was at the lack of
expectation of an assault, defense execution planning, or overall preparation
of the crew. Mekkar never received an answer regarding this. Ansetti appraised
the situation and was aware that if a party loses two reindeer for every seven
wolves you will lose way too many animals. First off, the enemy will gain
confidence and this herding group will most likely encounter more packs of
potential foes in this area.
They set up the sauna and only a small part of the camp when
the activity had died down. All of them appeared ready to relax and took a
needed break, except for a few watchmen. Ansetti told them there that the meat
eaters would be back on the pursuit. The leaders used the time to conduct more
planning to prevent another outcome such as the one they had just endured. “This
was only the first meeting,” said Ansetti to Mekkar while they were in the hot
tent. What was odd to the boy was that all of the tents were speedily dismantled
right after the impromptu gathering. The trek leader told Mekkar once again,
“The wolves will be back because they see their own. The blood will attract
them. They remember their catch from before and that will draw them once again.
So, us and the herd should be on the move. Our goal is to finish this journey
and get back to our homes safe and sound with our bodies and herds intact.”
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