The Next Skywatcher: Prequel to The Last Skywatcher Triple Trilogy Series (The Last Skywatcher, Anasazi Historical Thrillers with a Hint of Romance Book 1) (41 page)

Natwani:
From the Hopi word spelled the same that means “practices related to the continued renewal or rejuvenation of life, such as planting, ritual obligations, hunting and gathering.”

Nuva:
Snow.

Peelay:
Derived from his namesake, the famous Anasazi flute player, Kokopelli.

The Pochtéca:
As explained in Wikipedia, “A pochtecatl (plural pochteca) was a professional long-distance traveling merchant in the Aztec Empire.” I’ve abused the word a bit by making it into a singular pronoun. While there’s no conclusive evidence that such a traveling merchant class existed in the world of the Anasazi, there’s plenty of evidence that long-distance trade took place. (See
In Search of the Old Ones
, by David Roberts, for easy-to-read illumination on the pochtecan-style trading class.) The evidence for long-distance trade is overwhelming, from Pacific Ocean coastal seashells to colorful jungle-bird feathers (macaws in particular; live birds were even kept in places) and wonderful tiny copper bells smelted and formed in Central America—where the people of the jungles, Toltec and Mayan, built massive pyramids to their gods. The Anasazi, in return, provided finely worked turquoise in trade.

Pokunyesva (Pók):
Pokunyesva
means “man before altar” according to the
Book of the Hopi
, by Frank Waters; in my usage it is often shortened or changed by those who hate him to something similar to
pokkwita
, which is dog excrement.

Pointed Teeth:
A few skulls with teeth in place have been recovered in Anasazi ruins that show, as the archaeologist put it, “dental transfiguration.” That means they’ve been filed to a point. It’s a practice much more common to the south among the Maya and Toltec cultures. (See especially
Man Corn
, by Christy G. and Jacqueline A. Turner—note that this book is not for the faint of heart.)

Ráana:
From
raana
, which means “bullfrog.”

The Six Directions:
It’s a subtle thing, but on rare occasion, in the oldest of oral stories that could plausibly contain tendrils of those from the Anasazi a thousand years ago, six primary directions are mentioned. We have north and south, around which the Earth spins (although they would not have interpreted it that way, they would still have been able to precisely determine it—though not by the North Star, because due to the wobbling of the planet, what we now call the North Star was several moon widths away from its current apparent position). Then we have the directions of sunrise and sunset in the winter and in summer, which gives four more directions. That’s six total. But there’s also the possibility that the directions could include up and down.

Ungwaputi:
From Hopi
ungwa
, meaning blood, and
ungwnga
, a plant used to stop bleeding (much as yarrow was used in the American Civil War). Also
ungwvöplàngputi
, to form blood clots.

String Records:
While there is no evidence to my knowledge that the Anasazi used such strings, ancient cultures in Central and South America certainly did so, particularly the Inca. It’s worth noting that early Spanish-Catholic missionaries burned enormous piles of these strings, making it as if a long line of these ancient people had never lived, which breaks my heart.

Sowi:
From
Sowi’yngwa
, which means “deer.”

Sweet Corn Cakes:
Enzymes in saliva truly do render the starches in cornmeal into sugars that many Native American cultures use to render a sweet corn cake. If enough saliva is gathered in pots and cornmeal is added and allowed time to work, a sweet batter is produced. It may have been the most frequent experience the Anasazi had with sweetness.

Tokpelamongwi (Grandfather):
Tokpelamongwi
is sky chief (
tokpela
for sky;
mongwi
for chief).

Tootsa:
From
tòotsa
, which means “hummingbird.”

Tuwa:
Many meanings in Hopi, including “find, locate, discover,” “perceive,” and “recover, get back what was lost.”

Village of the Twins:
The ancient village below the twin cliffs or spires at Chimney Rock National Monument, twenty miles west of Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Wooti:
From
wuyòoti
, which means “get old.”

To everyone
who helped with this book:

Danielle Posey, my story consultant and alpha reader.

Jason Myers, my story-arc consultant and construction inspector, which makes him my primary beta reader.

Sue Posey, my mother. She is not Anasazi.

Ken Posey, my father. Neither is he.

Connor Posey, my son. He may be.

The DFW Writers’ Workshop, especially those in my read-critique groups who listened attentively and gave helpful advice.

The #FridayFlash gang of flash-fiction bloggers, who read and commented on my foundational flash pieces that greatly influenced this story.

Special thanks to Dave Truesdale, professional editor, for his critique and outstanding detailed editing.

Novels

Historical Novels and Collections

The Next Skywatcher: Prequel to The Last Skywatcher Triple Trilogy Series

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Thirteen Spiral Stars: Book 2 of The Last Skywatcher Series

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Anasazi Readers Group Starter Library: The Witchery of Flutes, The Next Skywatcher, and Thirteen Spiral Stars

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Price on Their Heads: A Novel of Income Inequality and Mayhem

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The G.O.D. Journal: a search for gold

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Anasazi Runner: a novel of identity and speed

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Short Story Collections

The Witchery of Flutes: Forty-seven short dramas of Anasazi daily life

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Unwoven: six short stories

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Short Stories

Tied to the Earth but Sailing

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Carl’s Hat Wins Marathon

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An Invisible Man

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Arturo’s Brains

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The One-Hundredth Goliath

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The Pump Jack Potion

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Girl on a Rock

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Walk, Not Stay

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Making Spares

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Miss Papa B.

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