1840Indian rebirth

Like all Indian ceremonies, religious activities such as dancing to the Goddess are indispensable during the celebration ceremony.

Led by several great chiefs and shamans, the people happily cursed their enemies and prayed for the next victory.

In addition, the most important process is to reward military exploits. Every time a warrior kills an Arapaho, he can receive an eagle feather and a bag of spirits as a reward.

The horse whistle naturally received nine eagle feathers and nine bags of spirits.

"This is your glory." Chief Pingyuan took the nine eagle feathers from the high priest and tied them to the hair of the horse whistle with his own hands.

The nine feathers were not suitable for braiding into a war crown, and the war crown was very time-consuming to make. It took a while to braid it, so like most people, it was tied directly to the hair.

"Thank you, respected chief, and high priest..." Ma Shao said politely. He thought this feather headdress was quite beautiful.

"And this." The chief smiled and waved, and a soldier next to him carried nine large leather bags with some difficulty.

“The hottest spirit – no one doesn’t like it!”

Spirits are one of the most important commodities obtained when Indians and white people trade, and more and more Indians are obsessed with the strong narcotic feeling brought by high-concentration alcohol.

Mashao had heard in his previous life that the alcoholism problem among the Indians was very serious, but because the Mianxiong clan did not have strong liquor, he did not know until recently that the alcoholism problem among the Indians actually existed at this time.

It has to be said that spending a lot of money to buy liquor from white people is definitely the most profitable business for Indians, and it may not even be one of them. It is comparable to the Qing people who bought large quantities of opium from the British.

The Indians who are addicted to alcohol are deteriorating day by day, and their hope for advancement is even slimmer. This problem has not been solved until the 21st century, and no one can help them. Drinking is voluntary, so what reason do noble liberals have to interfere?

What about other people’s voluntary choices?

In addition to eagle feathers and spirits, as the person with the most outstanding military exploits, Mashao also received rewards from three other tribes.

"Warrior of the plains tribe, I would like to express my respect to you on behalf of the Mescalero tribe." The chief of the Mescalero tribe said, and then took out a leather wooden shield painted with complex patterns.

The great chief handed over the shield and said seriously: "This is a gift from us. The shield has been blessed by the Great Spirit and can help you withstand all harm."

"..." The horse whistle broke into sweat and didn't know what to say. He could only take the shield politely and said thank you at the same time, "Thank you brother tribe."

"Warrior, this is a gift from the Jikalila tribe." The chief of the Jikalila tribe pulled out a brown horse.

Although this horse is not as good as Heifeng, it still looks quite majestic, and the horse whistle is of course even more grateful.

What impressed Ma Shao most was the gift from the Chiricahua tribe. When this thing appeared in front of his eyes, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Take it, the sword is given to heroes." The chief of the Chiricahua tribe, a middle-aged man with prominent cheekbones, smiled and handed over a shining short knife.

A pure gold knife!

Ma Shao took it and weighed it in his hand. He estimated it weighed about one kilogram.

This much gold, even if the purity is not high, is definitely a generous gift. According to the price in later generations, it is almost equivalent to 200,000 soft sister coins, or more than 30,000 US dollars.

The horse whistle instantly remembered the name of the Chiricahua chief, Oak, and his prominent cheekbones.

I simply think this person is suitable for being a friend, well, that's it.

The part of rewarding military exploits was over, but the atmosphere became more and more lively.

"Let us drink to our heart's content!" The chief of Plains held up his wine bag and looked at the Apaches around him.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

Following a burst of shouting, almost everyone raised their wine bags, then tilted their heads and downed the liquor. They drank heavily, and in the blink of an eye, the air was filled with the smell of alcohol.

"For the tribe!"

"This victory is just the beginning. The Arapaho people will soon be completely defeated by us. They will no longer have the right to appear on our grasslands!" People were talking boldly in the atmosphere of alcohol, and the drums and flutes were playing to cheer up.

Also included in it.

"Hahaha, you're right, hiccup..."

The atmosphere was so intense that Ma Shao initially wanted to follow the others and take a sip, but ultimately refused.

His expression flashed, but he hesitated to persuade other clan members not to drink...at least not to drink too much like this.

A small drink is pleasant, but a big drink is harmful to the body. The Indian way of drinking is neither a small drink nor a big drink, but a competition to see who can drink better.

The Indians are already in a bad situation, and if this trend is allowed to spread, it will simply make things worse.

However, at the moment, everyone was in high spirits and the atmosphere of celebration was hot, so persuasion seemed inappropriate. Therefore, the horse whistle sat there for a long time and did not speak.

But his hesitation soon ended.

"Why are you drunk too?" Ma Shao suddenly ran to a tall and thin young man and grabbed the wine bag with his hands.

This tall and thin young man was a long stick. He was stunned for a moment: "Everyone is drinking, and I will drink a little too..."

"But you are still injured!" Ma Shao pointed to his shoulder angrily.

"Didn't you say that strong alcohol can heal wounds?" Chang Guan asked.

"..." Ma Shao took a deep breath, "That was sprinkled on the wound, not by drinking. Drinking will only make your wound worse. Bandages can also treat wounds. Can bandages be eaten?"

He then saw several wounded men drinking, and he immediately said rudely: "Stop drinking!"

Ma Shao had proven his majesty on the battlefield, and he had treated all the wounded. He did not dare to say anything at the moment and stopped drinking.

But not necessarily for others.

Especially the chief of Pingyuan, who was sitting in the center of the camp and guarding the tent, frowned: "Mashao, what are you doing? Today is a good day for drinking!"

Then he waved his hand: "Let's all continue playing music and drinking! Soon, the white wine merchants will come again, and there will be plenty of strong liquor!"

The chief gave the order, and the wounded began to drink again.

Seeing this, the horse whistle couldn't help but get angry: "No drinking!"

His voice was so powerful that the noise in the whole place could not be covered up. Hundreds of people from far and near could hear clearly. The originally lively atmosphere suddenly became quiet by seven or eight minutes, as if a basin of cold water had been poured on him.

Hundreds of looks were cast towards him.

"What's not allowed to drink? Wine?"

"The chief is going to get angry..."

"What is the horse whistle doing?"

People were talking a lot, but they didn't drink anymore.

Then, as some people speculated, a look of obvious displeasure appeared on the face of the chief who was guarding the tent.

There were now seven to eight hundred people gathered together, most of whom were from other tribes. As Ma Shao's subordinate, this move made him feel shameless.

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ps:

In fact, many Indian tribes are very loose and have no tribal leaders at all. For example, Oak (also known as Cochise) of the Chiricahua tribe is actually just a highly prestigious local cadre, not a tribal chief. This is written like this

For convenience.

As for the plains tribe where the protagonist lives, it does have the position of tribal chief.