The Land of Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel [53]
The First jumped in to quell the incipient disruption. “Acolyte of the Zelandoni of the Twenty-ninth Cave, it is true that some people have brown eyes. You are young and obviously inexperienced. That is one reason that before you become a full Zelandoni, you need to make a Donier Tour. When you travel south, you will meet some people with brown eyes. But perhaps you should answer her question. Have you ever seen the ‘animal’ you call a Flathead?” she said.
“Well … no, but everyone says they look like bears,” the young man said.
“When she was a child, Ayla lived among the ones that the Zelandonii know as Flatheads, but that she calls the Clan. They saved her life after she lost her parents; they took care of her, raised her. I think she has more experience with them than you. You also might ask Willamar, the Trade Master, who has had more contact with them than most. He says they may look a little different, but they behave like people and he believes they are. Until you have had some direct contact yourself, I think you should defer to those who have had personal experience with them,” the First said, in a stern, lecturing tone.
The young man felt a flare of anger. He didn’t like being lectured, and he didn’t like that the ideas of a foreigner should be given more credence than those he had heard all his life. But after his Zelandoni signaled with a shake of his head, he decided not to dispute the One Who Was First Among Those Who Served The Great Earth Mother.
“Now, we were speaking of the Five Sacred Colors. Zelandoni of the Fourteenth Cave, why don’t you tell us about the next one,” the First said.
“The second primary color is Green,” the Zelandoni of the Fourteenth began. “Green is the color of leaves and grass. It is also a color of life, of course, plant life. In winter you will see that many trees and plants are brown, showing that their true color is old red, the color of life. In winter the plants are only resting, gathering strength for their new green growth in spring. With their flowers and fruits, plants also show most of the other colors,”
Ayla thought her delivery was flat, and if the information itself had not been so interesting, she could make it seem dull. No wonder the rest of the zelandonia didn’t select her to be First. Then Ayla wondered if she just thought that because she knew how much the woman annoyed her Zelandoni.
“Perhaps the Zelandoni whose Cave is hosting this Summer Meeting would tell us about the next Sacred Color?” the First interjected just as the Fourteenth was taking a breath to continue. The Fourteenth couldn’t really object, under the circumstances.
“Yes, of course,” he said. “The third primary color is Yellow, the color of the sun, Bali, and the color of fire, although there is also much red in both, which shows that they have a life of their own. You can see the red in the sun mostly in the morning and in the evening. The sun gives us light and warmth, but it can be dangerous. Too much sun can make skin burn, and dry out plants and watering holes. We have no control over the sun. Not even Doni, the Mother, could control her son, Bali. We can only try to protect ourselves from him, get out of his way. Fire can be even more dangerous than the sun. We do have some control of it, and it is very useful, but we should never get careless with fire, nor take it for granted.
“Not all things that are yellow are hot. Some soil is yellow, there is yellow ocher as well as red ocher. Some people have yellow hair,” he said, looking directly at Ayla, “and of course, many flowers show its true color. They always age to brown, which is an aspect of Red. It is for that reason that some argue that Yellow should be considered an aspect of Red and not a Sacred Color in its own right, but most agree that it is a primary color that attracts Red, the color of life.”
Ayla found herself fascinated by the Zelandoni of the Twenty-sixth Cave, and observed him more closely. He was tall, muscular, with dark blond, almost brown hair with streaks of lighter color, and dark