 | |||
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Tomorrow will be one of the most exciting days of my life. Father and I have been invited to join the group of men going with the Great Sachem to visit the coat-men. They extended the invitation in gratitude for our help in teaching them to plant and fish in their new home. It would seem Tisquanto was right that helping the coat-men would make them friendly toward us. But many elders still do not trust him. He spent many years away and speaks the English language, as well as his own. I have been invited to go because I am in training to become a pniese. This has brought great honor to my family, as only the strongest boys are chosen to join the pniesog. The training has been difficult — my arms ache from drawing the ahtomp over and over, and my legs are weary from the tests of running and endurance the elders put us through. I am also learning to fletch my own kouhquodtash — it takes days to make a proper arrow, for it must fly true from the ahtomp. I will write more in the coming days after I meet the coat-men. . . . I do not know how these so-called English survive when they must cover themselves with so much clothing even at harvest. And the young boys wear dresses just like the girls! Still, they have proven able to hunt because of their impressive weapons. They demonstrated what they call “fowling pieces” by holding a contest to see who can bring down the most ducks. One of these boys dressed like a girl asks me about my clothing. I tell him I wear what I need for the hunt and no more. I show him the pin-game, where one must toss a small ring onto a wooden pin. To my surprise the boy becomes quite good at it, until his mother calls him to fetch water. It reminds me that I have my own chores to attend to. I very much look forward to tomorrow’s feast. Between the deer we have brought and the ducks killed by the coat-men, there should be plenty of meat. Diary entry of 12-year-old Pometacomet, a fictional member of the Pokanoket tribe of the Wampanoag nation. |
 |
 |
 | ||
 |
Write Pometacomet’s diary entry for the next day, reflecting on the feast with the English and his expectations for what is to come. |  |
 | ||
 | ||
 |
Sachem: chief Pniesog: warrior counselors valued for courage, wisdom, and strength. Only the strongest of boys is selected to become a pniese. Ahtomp: bow Fletching: attaching feathers to the shaft of an arrow with glue and animal sinew. Kouhquodtash: arrows |
 |
| ||
|
Please add escholastic@emailer.scholastic.com to your address book.
|
|
| |