Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1750 - 1252: Hokkaido, the Chief Divine’s First Gaze
"In the beginning, the world was an endless sea, with vast marshlands in the ocean. There was no firm ground to stand on, only a swamp that swallowed everything... In the chaos of the swamp and the sea, there was the same chaos in the thunderous, lightning-filled thunderclouds... And the first Heavenly Divine of creation, Kotan Kar Kamuy, the 'Creator of the World, Heavenly Divine,' was born amidst the endless thunderclouds!…"
Snowflakes fluttered down not from the sky but were swept up by the roaring north wind from the undulating mountains and hills. The snow on the Kamchatka Peninsula remained year-round, draping the mountain forests in silver. The sky was a pure blue and white, so dazzling in the reflection of the snow that it was almost blinding. The sea was an even more brilliant icy expanse, devoid of any dust or grayish-yellow, let alone gray-brown marshland.
Exploration Captain Zuwaro held the Ainu maiden Thousand Island Shell in his arms, gazing at this cold, white, bright world of ice and snow, while imagining the warmer and more abundant southern mountain islands. He pursed his lips, listening attentively to the maiden's telling of the Ainu Tribe's mythology, his eyes reflecting a thoughtful light.
"Shell, is this Creator Great Divine Spirit, Kotan Kar, the Chief Divine you usually worship during sacrificial rites?…"
"Ah? Zuwaro, what is a 'Chief Divine'?…"
"It's the supreme Great Divine Spirit that rules over everything!"
"Ah! Well... the Creator Kamuy Heavenly Divine, Kotan Kar, is the highest Heavenly Divine. But besides creating the world, he doesn't care about anything else. He has no emotions, never speaks, just watches us from the sky... Few tribes hold sacrificial rites for him. The ones we truly worship are the Guardian Spirits sent by the three Heavenly Divine…"
"Hmm? Three Guardian Spirits? Subordinate Gods sent by the Heavenly Divine to manage worldly matters?…"
"Ah? What is a 'Subordinate God'?…"
"It's a Divine that is subordinate to the Chief Divine, governed by him, and serves him as the lord…"
"Ah! Zuwaro, you're explaining it so complicatedly, I don't understand…The Heavenly Divine has no emotions and no human form. But Guardian Spirits do, and they incarnate into various animals, accompanying the tribes and protecting the villages… And these Guardian Spirits were also companions in the original Heavenly Divine's creation of the world!…"
"Hmm? Formless Chief Divine, and animal-incarnated companions?"
Hearing such a straightforward and vivid myth, Zuwaro pondered. The faith of the Ainu Island tribes seemed to remain at a very primitive stage, far more so than that of the Wa People, Koreans, or even more than the Mountain Part and Rokube tribes. Such tribes, if their mythology and faith were slightly reformed, if the 'Chief Divine' could become the Ainu People's 'Kotan Kar Heavenly Divine'... perhaps these unenlightened island tribes would become the first devout followers of the Chief Divine on the Western Sea Continent…
"Hiss!… Shell, why are you biting me?"
"Ah, Zuwaro! I'm recounting the tribe's mythology, it's the most important thing for a tribe. If you don't listen seriously, I… I'll bite you!…"
"Uh… then you continue, I'll listen attentively!…"
The two changed their posture, sitting on a large stone by the seashore. Thousand Island Shell looked up, seriously meeting Zuwaro's eyes, gesturing earnestly. With her clear voice, she sang the songs of the tribe that had been passed down for hundreds of years, tinkling like the clashing of shells.
"The Heavenly Divine was born from the thunderclouds, observing the vast swamps and seas! He sent down the first bird spirit, the Fish Owl that flies and swims… The Fish Owl flew over the waters, striking the marsh with its tail and stamping down hard. After its repeated pressing, the water in the marsh finally dissipated, transforming into dry land, floating on the sea! And this is 'Moshiri,' the great island we inhabit, the Ainu Land!…"
"Oh? A flying diving bird creates the land? This is quite similar to the creation myths of those fishing and hunting tribes on the Far North Coast to the east! Could it be there are ancient blood ties between these tribes and the Ainu Island tribes? Yes, the shared Jiao People ancestors indicate indeed there are ancient connections…"
"Zuwaro!…"
"Ah! Hiss!… Shell, continue…"
Zuwaro rubbed his bitten neck and smiled a little helplessly. He affectionately pinched the puffed cheeks of Thousand Island Shell, continuing to listen to the girl's earnest imitation of an ancient yet irresistibly tender melodious song, like witnessing the first melting stream of a snow-covered mountain.
"The Fish Owl descended from the sky, pressing land out of the swamp and sea! However, such land wobbled, and sea waters threatened to surge back, turning the island back into a swamp. Thus, the Heavenly Divine sent down the second fish spirit, the water-spouting, sturdy Orca… The Orca rose from the seabed, bearing the land on its back, separating the island completely from the sea. Then, the Orca deeply inhaled the seawater, singing a resounding whale song, spewing it out between the alternation of sun and moon - this is the tide by the sea!…"
"Hmm? And a whale carrying islands and spewing tides? This seems very much like the myth of the Makash Whale Tribe... Shell, you mentioned there are three guardian spirits, what about the other one?..."
"Oh, the other one is the ancestor of the Ainu people, the most important guardian within a tribe, often trained by many tribes, the 'Black Bear... Listen to me sing!..."
The girl Thousand Island Shell put her hands by her ears playfully mimicking the call of a bear in the mountain forest, before singing seriously. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"The whale rises from the sea, bearing the heavy islands, spewing surging tides! Yet the islands are empty, with only flying birds and walking beasts, but no people. Then, the Heavenly Divine sent the third Bear Spirit, emerging from the mountain forest, giving birth to the tribe's ancestor, the original couple, father Okikurumi and mother Turesh!..."
"What? A bear gave birth to the Ainu people? This... this ancestral legend is similar to the bear-hunting Boremo people of the Western Sea Coast. Ah, Chief Divine bless, I understand! The Ainu Tribes and the tribes of the Western Sea Coast are all the origin of the Jiao People, a family thousands of years ago!"
The sea breeze blows, and the ancient song drifts far on the wind. The hundreds of Ainu tribe members hearing the song pause their tasks, joining in the somber song. They have almost no written words and rarely draw boards. The only way to pass on tribal history is through songs handed down from generation to generation.
"Father Moon Okikurumi, Mother Sun Turesh! They exchange places like husband and wife alternates day and night!... When the first child is born, the Guardian Bear Spirit will come, teaching him how to hunt! The Guardian Fish Spirit will also come, teaching him how to fish!... And until the sun rises and sets, a year passes. Until the child becomes an elder, the elder closes his eyes!… Lastly, the Bird Spirit will come, taking his soul back to the heavens where the Heavenly Divine resides!"
"May the elder's soul be carried into the sky by the Fish Owl, going to the Heavenly Divine's abode in the clouds! May the clan leader's soul drift in the clouds, falling upon the settled village, sipping our newly brewed fruit wine, tasting our freshly caught trout... Awaaka, Amiruru!"
"Ah? Shell, in your myth, the moon is the father, and the sun is the mother? This?..."
Upon hearing such roles, Zuwaro touches his chin with one hand and the girl's face with the other, vaguely realizing the remnants of a matriarchal clan. Suddenly, he pauses, feeling the moisture on his fingers. He lowers his head to see the girl Thousand Island Shell with red-rimmed eyes, silently shedding tears. The drops fall on Zuwaro's hand, causing the devout Exploration Captain's heart to ache, prompting him to speak in newly learned foreign languages.
"Chief Divine!… Shell, why... why are you crying?..."
"Boo hoo! Clan leader… father… last year when he led us northward to migrate… he was killed by the tribe!"
"Ah? Who killed him? Shell, I'll avenge you!..."
"Really? Zuwaro?… Their tribe is very powerful…"
"Haha! Shell, tell me, tell your strong Okikurumi, say the names of those tribes! Plus, I want to know about the situation on the Great Island in the South, the distribution and strength of those tribes, so I can avenge you and the tribe..."
With tearful eyes, Thousand Island Shell looks up at her husband's face, which is neither burly nor bearded. Such a look doesn't fit the Ainu aesthetic, only man as strong as a bear with lots of hair are most welcomed by women in the tribe.
However, she also sees the tribal warriors under her husband's command, each carrying a bow and wearing armor, with fierce face indifferent. They are even more elite and strong than the fierce Wa People Warriors of the South Island… The girl's eyes can't help but brighten, carrying a tinge of hope.
"Zuwaro, I believe you... The tribe that attacked us is the strongest among the southern island three major tribes, the Ishikari Ainu Tribes!"
"Southern Island three major tribes?"
"Yes! On the Great Island of the Southern Ainu Land, there are five Ainu tribes in total, left by ancient ancestors like five fingers… They are the 'Ishikari Tribes', 'Sumunkur Tribes', 'Menasunkur Tribes', 'Yoichi Tribes', and those gradually becoming Wa People's subordinate, 'Uchiura Tribes'! And our tribe originally belonged to a distant branch of the Yoichi Tribes, closer to the North Island Tribes..."
With the clan leader's daughter, Ezo girl Thousand Island Shell, tearfully narrating, a chaotic scene of Ainu tribes finally unfolds before Zuwaro's eyes. And the newly established Wa People foothold on the Great Island of Hokkaido, the hidden coal and iron resources of Ezo land, and the tens of thousands of fishing and hunting Ainu tribes, also come under the watch of the Chief Divine!...
Note: The Easter egg chapter is a distribution map of the Ainu tribes in Hokkaido. This chapter checked a lot of Ainu data, so it was posted a bit late... Orz.
