The Story Behind
The shaman passed away suddenly. It seems his daughter is now taking her father’s place!
Who Will Become the Shaman
In the Kikimoto Indian tribe lived a shaman named Big Skull, called so because he was very wise. After many years, the spirits called him to join the ancestors. Before he died, Big Skull wanted to choose a successor, but he didn’t know who to appoint as the next shaman.
He had three sons and a daughter — the beautiful daughter was immediately ruled out because such a thing had never happened in the Kikimoto tribe! A shaman had to be a man…
The Fool and the Womanizer
Big Skull’s first son was named Buffalo. He was incredibly strong, but as dumb as a mule — stubborn and clumsy. Buffalo handled simple hard work well but was completely unfit to be the next shaman.
The second son was named Fast Rabbit. He earned his name due to his uncontrollable passion for women. In fact, Fast Rabbit wasn’t interested in anything except sneaking off to a wigwam with his next fling. Big Skull considered him too frivolous and couldn’t see a future shaman in him.
The Spirits Didn’t Like Him
The third son, named Eagle Eye, was an excellent archer. He could hit a tiger in the eye from five hundred steps! Moreover, he was quite clever.
Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the spirits refused to speak to Eagle Eye. His father might have made him the shaman, but the higher powers were against it.
A Woman Shaman? That’s Utter Nonsense…
And so Big Skull died without naming a successor. The chief knew his sons well and understood why Big Skull hadn’t chosen one. The only worthy successor could be his daughter, named Clear Star.
She didn’t mind and even asked the chief to make her the shaman. But he couldn’t just agree — otherwise, he’d go down in Kikimoto history as the man who let emancipation into the world of sacred patriarchy. Still, he understood the obvious: Clear Star would be the best choice…
“I Will Face the Trial!”
The chief allowed the girl to become the shaman — if the spirits would bless her. Clear Star had to go to Wolf Valley and perform the ritual under the full moon. If the spirits deemed her worthy, the chief wouldn’t stand in the way.
That very day, Clear Star set off to Wolf Valley, sticking her tongue out at her brothers. Buffalo didn’t understand a thing, Fast Rabbit didn’t care — he was far more interested in sneaking into the chief’s daughter’s wigwam — and Eagle Eye regretted that the spirits didn’t want to deal with him.
The Magic of the Full Moon
Clear Star reached the stone altar built in Wolf Valley and performed the ritual — drawing symbols with charcoal, laying sacred herbs, and smoking a pipe with magical leaves (which was strictly frowned upon for Kikimoto women).
The moon rose, and the spirits granted Clear Star part of their power — by that time, she was already quite dazed. The higher powers had no objection to a woman becoming shaman and agreed to work with her.
The Miracles of Emancipation
Big Skull’s joyful daughter hurried back to her tribe. Along the way, she magically tamed a bear and a tiger by beating her drum and mumbling a spell she somehow knew. It seemed the spirits’ power was working just fine!
When the chief saw the wild beasts behaving like tame house pets, he immediately understood the will of the spirits. The others didn’t need much explanation either. And so, the first woman shaman appeared, marking the beginning of the historical period known in Kikimoto chronicles as the beginning of the end.
