Peace Threaded Together by Simplicity

Another night of heavy snow had softened the features of the landscape into a blanket of white, and the valley was unusually quiet; even the birds were silent this morn.  Yet, two gathering crews were already assembled at the main lodge.  The younger group was to go with Hantar and the cutters to gather wood for the open kiln to be fired the days next, as the wind which comes after the snow is best for carrying the smoke away from the nearest dwelling of the tall ones.  The other group would head out for the pounds*, and here upon the cliff face they would carefully gather the clay needed for the summer pots, which were to be molded and then fired in the kiln.

Atnas led a marsh patrol, for the extreme cold now held fast the slough holes with ice, and the birds like the blue herons (known as Ardans to the Nubbins) might be in need of assistance, now that there were so few places available for feeding.   The herons had wintered there in recent years, where the winters had been mild.  In fact, the little men recognized that the population of the bird, which nests nearby in the summer, had grown in the winter beyond that of olden times.  But this latest settling of arctic cold air had caught them off guard.  The birds stand about four feet tall and have a wingspan that exceeds six feet. They feed mostly on small fish and can be aggressive in nature if disturbed when nesting, but they are accustomed to the Nubbins, and welcome their presence.

As Atnas feared, they found one male heron, barely able to stand.  The bird was warmed using their heated blankets and given a paste mixture of ground up fish; then the members of the patrol went about with their axes breaking the ice in numerous slough holes and opening the small channel so the next tide would free up the upper reaches of the marsh.

These patrols and work details are part of the communal nature of the little people, who each possess clothing and daily life materials, yet do not understand or know of the concept of ownership.  Their life among the living things of the forest brings with it an understanding of a shared nature.  There is no need to attain, for their spirit of purpose is unlike that experienced by the tall ones.  They are content with each day’s events, and hold the knowledge that everything has a reason and all is connected in the end.  And so the Nubbins live without the strife that so often engages and consumes the giants.  There is an understanding among them that the eldest is the leader, yet he rarely has to lead as such. He gathers around him the other elders for their consultation, and at times there is the call for a vote.  There is little dissention or attrition, nor is there self-ambition.  The gathering of what nature provides is all that is needed, and contentment abounds in the life that surrounds them.

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*See brief description from Thoreau's Cape Cod.