This process of salting the skins was to ensure that the skins didn’t rot and they then stretched them out and hammered wooden pegs into them to avoid curling up while drying, which would render the skin useless, as it ought to remain as straight as a bow when dry.
Some of the women were clearing the vast open space of grass and weeds and small shrubs and sweeping away any debris to create an opening where people would be sitting during the fete. Some men then rolled up some big rocks to be used as sitting stones and some homemade wooden stools and tables, especially for the visitors.
A couple of younger boys were busy carving wooden cups and plates as well as spoons for the occasion for the past week, and even today they still seemed to be going through the piles like they had just started, to the amazement of Baka and Tyza who were watching them with fascination.
They could only watch as they were too young to be allowed to go near sharp tools. Moreover, they didn’t have any idea of how to carve. The younger girls were helping their mothers with peeling potatoes and other root vegetables, which they had freshly picked from their huge garden on the riverbed a few paces away from the compound.
Baka and Tyza were secretly envious of the girls for being allowed to help and even handle knives, while they were always told to go and sit somewhere or to go and do something else. The girls would look at them gleefully and acted like they were more responsible than them, to the annoyance of Baka and Tyza.
The Goza people had a stream of fresh water, which served them with water to feed the animals, bath and wash their clothes. They had a well near to the stream for cooking and drinking water. This was so to ensure they didn’t get diseases from parasites from the stream water. The parasites bred most especially in high summer when the weather was drier with no regular rains, where mosquitoes and other parasites bred.
The well was very deep and was always full of water and the top was covered to ensure water didn’t get dirty or evaporate too quickly in the heat and to protect young children and animals from falling in.
Chapter 10
The Summer Festival
On the morning of the festival, everybody seemed to have woken up unusually early. They were doing their usual run of the mill routine quietly but swiftly to get over the breakfast period in preparation for today’s big event.
There was a mixture of great anticipation and apprehension as this was the first time ever that King Gama and his subjects had invited foreigners to visit with them. They were not aware of how they behaved or even looked like; they had never seen any of them before, except Tamura and his relations.
For many years, it was Tamura they had first seen from another tribe and village. In the past week, Tamura and two younger boys had journeyed to near and far villages to invite people over to the fete. Some met them with open arms and some with resentment.
Some were suspicious of a territory take over and some embraced the winds of change, of building relationships with strangers and become good neighbours. Better still some found it a perfect excuse to go along and have a free meal and a gutful of local brew to boot, after inquisitively asking the boys what was on offer for the visitors.
The boys promised them that they were for peace and togetherness and that they were bringing good tidings to their neighbours. They then had to go through the painstaking process of giving them directions of how to get to the king’s compound.
They also told them that they would put up arrows along the way to follow to the venue and that the unmistakable tumultuous noise of the goings on would definitely point them in the right direction.
As the morning progressed, the women ensured all the fire stands were fired up and ambers were burning to keep the cooked food warm throughout the day. Tamura went over quickly to the king to ask him if he needed anything before, he proceeded to get Baka and Mara ready as well as himself.
He hadn’t seen much of Leona lately, what with the travelling far and wide to invite the neighbours and not having much time to speak with or cuddle her. He had missed her terribly. Leona felt a bit left out, but her mother reassured her that Tamura was thinking of her, but that he needed to do what he was doing to earn her father’s approval.
She also reminded her that it was going to be all over once the fete would be done, and also that she should expect this occasionally as this was Tamura’s job to serve the king first. Leona had grudgingly nodded in agreement with her mother, but still felt she should come first in all of Tamura’s endeavours.
The elegant Mama Kama had gone as far as decorating the two donkeys to be used by the royal couple for the procession, with fresh flowers and ribbons and cushions tied to the saddles for comfort.
This had taken some stick to complete the task as the stubborn mules would not cooperate to begin with and each time, she put the fresh flower wreath around their necks too close to the mouth, the donkeys would nibble at them.
Mama Kama being pristine and immaculate, somewhat more
