Keyeung's First Hunt
I meet with mentor Shain where I have been preparing myself at the Tree of Souls, where I have been praying to Eywa to give blessing on this day for my first hunt in my clan. I ask Eywa for a true aim, and ask of Eywa permission to take the life of one of her creatures, that may become closer to her.
I ask of Eywa her help with this day, for hearing me this day, I thank of Eywa for my life, and her protection of my peoples, Eywa, Grand Mother Eywa thank-you for hearing of my prayer.
I stand before my mentor, and tell him I feel I am ready
We move silently from the Tree of Souls, through the cave crossing the fallen tree, looking down at the ground I follow cautiously with my mentor the trails that I have become familiar now with, I see in the distance two Yerik down by the lake, drinking at the waters edge. As we move closer I see further away up the embankment concealed partly by trees a Pallalukan looking down at the Yerik. We pause, after a while watching the creature stalk its prey, I say to my mentor that I don't want to take the Big cats hunt away, and that Eywa provides for us all
After a while of watching the the Pallalukan, we move on away from the cat and it's game further up the embankment, circling at a safe distance away not wishing to disturb the cat or it's prey. I say to my mentor lets head towards the mountains, following the Yeriks trail I take my mentor closer to the waterfall and fallen crossing, I have seen before Yerik here and am confident I can again pick up their trail. Finding droppings in the moss and tracks we crouch down as I approach a Yerik, watching for a while we see other Yerik approach, they are a family. Looking at mother and child, much though I desire to complete my task, it would be wrong to take the life of the kids mother, we watch them play for some time.
Looking at my mentor, we move away from the playful creatures, passing Home Tree, skirting past the hooman compound, I say to my mentor lets look down by the great lake having spotted a trail of a big Yerik, looking down at the Yerik, I ask my mentor do you agree with me taking this one for my hunt ? (mentor to choose agree or not)
I draw my bow from its sheath, still crouching I take my aim, silently praying to Eywa for a quick clean kill for the creature, holding my breath I pull back the arrow, releasing the arrow it fly's true striking the Yerik behind the left front leg, looking onwards in aww, it seemed to the apprentice like an eternity, but was in fact over very quickly, the Yerik did not run, it fell where it had stood.
Says hunt prayer
"Oel ngati kameie, ma Tsmukan, ulte ngaru seiyi irayo. Ngari hu Eywa saleu Tírea, tokx 'ì'awn slu Na'Viyä hapxì."
( "Forgive me, my brother. I see you and Thank You. Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body stays behind to become part of the People." )
I rush up-to the fallen Yerik, pause briefly before unsheathing my knife, forcing my knife into the chest breath holes, quickly bringing the Yeriks life to a painless end.
Heaving the Yeriks large body across my shoulders we head towards the waterfall where I seat myself down with my mentor watching as I carefully remove the Heart, Kidney's, liver and other organs, The heart I wrap in the waxy Unidelta tree leaf, and save to be cooked and eaten at the fire during dinner time. Honoring the life given by Eywa's creature I wrap the Kidney's, liver and other organs in Helicordian plant and burry with the Atokirina seed along with the body of Yerik and honour with a pray " Thank you brother for your sacrifice your body leaves to Eywa now your body left here whit us i bury it for honour you and take your heart to become a part of the people "
We head back to Home as I Talk to my mentor about how the hunt went, once at home tree I roast the heart over the fire, and singing a hunt song and prayer, and eat the heart with the clan watching, singing:
"Ngari hu Eywa saleu Tírea, tokx 'ì'awn slu Na'Viyä hapxì."
("Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body becomes part of the People")
Hunting ritual song
The day arrived My day was it
The wind was sining a song what i had in my head .
The hunt was long but i was worth of that
The Yerik was brave and mighty
My Destiny was hunt him down
My heart was cry for he mus die
My body was want to kill
My shot was lethal
His body did fall down
His sacrifice i wont forget I will take it in my heart for life
His body i gone His soul whit Eywa
Neytiri's First Hunt
Its the night before my first hunt and I am so excited I can barely contain myself. I am so excited and at the same time I am worried too, that there will be yerik for me to hunt. Since the humans came and began with thier destruction I have been seeing less yerik. I must get to sleep tomorrow is a day of many tasks and I want to make sure I do them correctly.Morning is finally here and I wake to the sounds of fan lizards whirring outside my cave and I smile thinking how glad I am they are still glowing regardless of all the recent noise they have had to endure. I jump to my feet and race to my bow..checking it to make sure its in perfect working order. It is..smiles...now my arrows ...making sure the tips are sharp and the feathers are fresh so they fly really well. My bow and arrows look great so I will head down the mountain and wait by the falls where my yerik will be cleaned once I have killed it.
Waiting for my mentor Olo' Eyktan Ney O I say a prayer to Eywa to give me wisdom and strength to carry out all the tasks that lie ahead of me. I see Olo' Eyktan Ney O heading up the path to meet me and my heart literally jumps out of my chest!! Its time to begin the hunt!! I thought this day would never come. After greeting Olo' Eyktan Ney O, I repeat my prayer in my mind and tell her I will guide the way.
Looking at the nearby bushes for signs of yerik ..broken branches or fur on the limbs ...I see none. I then head down to the creek where I have seen them before...looking for tracks. I see some and feel them to tell how fresh they are. Moist means they were just here. Dry and crumbly means its been awhile. The tracks are dry so I realize none here close by. I tell Olo' Eyktan Ney O I have seen some on the mountain so we begin the steep climb in search of my first kill.
When we reach the top, I see in the corner of my eye the long awaited yerik. I smile a smile of relief and again pray to Eywa to make this a clean and painless kill. I reach for my bow and unsheath it. I place the arrow and draw back and let the arrow fly straight behind the left front leg to place the arrow through the ribs. The yerik lets out a muted moan as it falls to the ground.
I say the hunters prayer. "Oel ngati kameie, ma Tsmukan, ulte ngaru seiyi irayo. Ngari hu Eywa saleu Tírea, tokx 'ì'awn slu Na'Viyä hapxì."
( I see you and I thank you for your sacrifice. Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body stays behind to become part of the People." )
I then realize I need to get this yerik down the mountain so I try with all of my might to place it over my tiny shoulders. My knees buckle so I straighten them with all of my might and stand firm with yerik over my shoulders. The yerik is hot around my neck and need to get it to the waterfall soon to cleanse the meat and skin it.
Making my way down the mountain I then skin and gut it at the falls. After this I place all the organs except the heart in Helicordian leaves and bury them with with an atokirina (sacred tree seed) that I see floating beside me. I then wash the heart again really well and place it in waxy Unidelta tree leaf saving it for my celebration dinner for later.
After all meat and organs are handled properly I then cleanse myself and dress for my celebration. I take the meat to Home Tree and share it with all my brothers and sisters.
Here I will roast the heart over an open fire and sing praise to Eywa...
The hunt was glorious, Yerik
Thanks to you.
You, Yerik gave your life to feed us.
You are with Eywa now,
But your body will feed me and my clan.
I can now feed my people now, Yerik
Because of you I am a hunter now
I want to thank you for that..
When the heart is finally cooked I smile I did a good job and helped to feed the people. I say this prayer before my first bite.
I remember the prayer I said after I killed the yerik.
"Ngari hu Eywa saleu Tírea, tokx 'ì'awn slu Na'Viyä hapxì."
("Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body becomes part of the People")
I tell Olo' Eyktan Ney O how I felt about the hunt and how she has helped me so much in becoming a hunter. I thank Eywa for her too.
Now is time to dance and celebrate!! I have done it I am so proud that I can now be called hunter!!
Neytiri Aurotharius
Atan lxe'lan's Hunting Ritual
Slowly Moves toward the Young yerik who is grazing in a small patch of grass alone.
Thinks to herself: "This is odd. Why is it alone? Where is its herd?"
Moves slowly and quietly towards the young yerik. Stops suddanly when she hears a soft padding noise to her left.
Moves head slowley to see what is by her. Sees a surprisingly big Nantang.
Backs away slowly. Not takeing her eyes off the Nantang. Memory from her last incounter creep back into her brain.
Flashback: " ?Tsengpe lu nga?" Looks around for her parents. moves toward the hut of which her parents live. opens the door. Sees a single nantang Eating the fruit from the fruit basket. yells. "Pe nga si ne? pe?"
((What the navi words mean. "Mom Dad? where are you?"
" What did you do to my family? Where are they?"))
The nantang looks up and bolts through the door. Follows the nantang but is too slow. she is only 10 years old. Tears fall from her face.
Flashback ends.
The lone Nantang moves slowly toward the yerik, crouches to a pounce. The Nantang put its head to ground to get better look.
Draws bow . points bow at the young yerik. Shoots directly behind the left front leg.
The Yerik falls to the ground. The lone nantang looks from the yerik to me.
the nantang slowly mooves away. "Pey." (("wait.")) The nantang pauses.
Runs toward the young yerik. Pulls out knife. Whisphers " Oel ngati kameie, ma Tsmukan, ulte ngaru seiyi irayo. Ngari hu Eywa saleu Tirea, tokx 'l'awn slu Na'Viya hapxi."
(("Forgive me, my brother. I see you and thank you. your spirit goes with eywa, your body stays behind to become Part of the people."
Breathing quickens as she thrusts her long knife into the Cheast breathing holes of the yerik. killing it without hurting it.
Cuts a peice of the Yeriks leg off. Throughs it to the Lone Nantang. " Eywa ngahu. Yom tsmuke"
(( May eywa be with you. Eat peacfully sister.))
The nantang smells it and takes it in her mouth. She moves quickly away.
She hear's The quiet yipping of young Nantangs. "Munge ngeya tsmuke" She heard a responding howel in the distance.
(( "Take care of your young ones sister."))
Puts the young yerik Across her back. Runs to the Great water fall.
Quickly cleans the young yerik. Puts the yerik in the grass where she quickly cuts it open.
Slowly removes the heart and all the other organs from the body.
Wraps the Organs into a helicordian leaf. Takes a atokirina from her pack, Buries the organs and the Sacred leaf near the water fall under a rock. "Eywa ngahu" (May eywa be with you)
She wraps the heart in a Unidelta tree leaf, puts it in the pack and saves it for dinner time.
" Nga ngeya tokx hu ohe. Irayo. Oel lu nga."
( You have shared your body with me. I thank you young yerik. I am gratfull for your sacrifice.")
Looks toward her mentor. Smiles a sad/happy smile.
Eyk' tsamsiyu Cumfort's First Hunt
I met Tsahik Keyeung in the forest it was early morning and the mist covered the land. We set out in search of a Yerik, this was no ordinary hunt it was my first kill.To say the least I was nervous and a little apprehensive, to kill was against the teachings of Eywa but the clan needed sustenance as well so a balance must be achieved. First we went to the tree of souls to ask Eywa for guidance and permission.
Soon we were on the trails in search of a Yerik, also watching for the Thanators and viper Wolves, as they had been attacking the people of late. I soon spotted a Yerik drinking from the pond, slowly silently I got into a good position for my shot staying down wind and out of sight we crept to the spot of my choosing. I took aim saying a soft prayer I released my arrow. It flew straight and true finding its mark the yerik dropped to the forest floor, I ran to it drawing my Dagger, and said the prayer Brother Tsahik had thought me "Oel ngati kameie, ma Tsmukan, ulte ngaru seiyi irayo. Ngari hu Eywa saleu Tírea, tokx 'ì'awn slu Na'Viyä hapxì." ( "Forgive me, my brother. I see you and Thank You. Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body stays behind to become part of the People." I quickly into the chest breath holes of the yerik ending its suffering. I then picked the Yerik up and carried it to the waterfall.
I proceeded to clean and remove the hart and other organs. wrapping them but not the heart in Helicordian leaves I found on the way. This I wrapped in Unidelta tree leaf. Looking up at Brother Tsahik he smiled and nodded that all was as it should be.
We made our way to the mountain camp to the Tanhi clan for the celebration where we danced late in to the night.
Taronyu Kama's First Hunt
I begin my journey for today's hunt at the edge of the fallen log by the big waterfall near home tree. There I meet Tsahik Keyeung who is mentoring me for Ikran Makto. Today is a special day for we will be going on my first hunt together. I tell Keyeung that I first want to go to the Tree of Souls so to pray to Eywa for this day. As we walk into the forest, I see some Helicordian and Unidelta leafs. Knowing that these are part of the first hunt rituals, I gather them and bring with me.
We both sit by the Tree of Souls and I speak these words to Eywa. “Oh Great Mother, please grant me permission to take from the living so to feed the people. Give me the wisdom for tracking my prey and the strength to carry through this task that is set upon me. Eywa, you have guided me all my life and I ask that you continue to guide this young spirit on his path.”
As we make our way out of the Tree of Souls sanctuary, I immediately see yerik tracks in the dirt. I crouch low and can already smell my prey. There he is, standing not to far from our sacred tree. I tell Keyeung that this his a fine beast but I do not want to kill him because he is within Eywa's sanctuary. I do not want to disturb the spirits that are with our great mother. We continue walking by the lake and the river that lays bellow the hills from Pa'li camp. As we continue, we stay low as to not draw attention since we are also near the human cage for we are carrying our bows in hand and would not want to give them the impression we may be planning an attack.
Again I see yerik tracks in the mud on the lake shore. I crouch low and look around for we are also near the den of the Thanator, making sure there are no predators around in the event we may be tracking the same prey. Confident there are no Thanator, we continue walking around the lake into the forest following the tracks.
I see one who his by himself drinking lake water. I stay low in the grass and slowly crawl around him not making any noise and take position behind his left, well hidden from him. I take my best arrow, load it in my bow, quietly and with strength and confidence, I pull and let lose. The arrow flies straight and fast hitting its mark behind my preys left front leg, and watch him fall to the ground. I then walk to him while sheathing my bow, I take my blade and say our hunt prayer that I've memorized by heart. "Oel ngati kameie, ma Tsmukan, ulte ngaru seiyi irayo. Ngari hu Eywa saleu Tírea, tokx 'ì'awn slu Na'Viyä hapxì." ("Forgive me, my brother. I see you and Thank You. Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body stays behind to become part of the People." ) I then lunge my blade into his chest breath holes ending his suffering and sending his spirit to Eywa.
With all my strength, I pick up the yerik and heave it over my shoulders. I look at Tsahik and can see the smile on his face. We then proceed back to the great waterfall. I lay my hunt unto the ground and again take my blade out and begin cutting him open so to clean him. I unravel the Unidelta leaf that I gathered earlier, cut the heart out of my prey and carefully warp it and put it aside. I then unravel the large Helicordian leaf and proceed to remove my hunts other organs and also wrap these. I then bury this Helicordian bundle with an Atokirina seed and the body of my first hunt. Kneeling beside what I've just buried, I say these words, “brother, thank you for your sacrifice, your spirit is now with Eywa and your body is now in the ground and will mix with the roots of our forest continuing to be part of it.”
I take the heart which is carefully wrapped in waxy Unidelta leaf and we begin walking back up the Iknamaya to our home in the mountains. Once there, I immediately roast the heart over the fire. Once cooked, I take it and say these words, “what is left of your body is this heart, it will now be part of the people”. I then proceed to eat it while my Tsahik watches. Between each bite, I continue saying “what is left of your body is this heart, it will now be part of the people”, until there's nothing left. We then celebrate my first hunt and dance around the fire with the sound of beating drum.
