The Panther Tribe

On the banks of the river in a tropical country, there is a small village. This village is home to the Panther tribe.  For ages, the people of the Panther tribe kept themselves isolated from the world.  They lived from the resources the forest and river provided. Most of them lived a simple life.  Among them, there is a curious girl. Armelita is the daughter of the village chief. Unlike other members of the Panther tribe, she wasn't a hunter.  Her curious heart led her to a path beyond the hunting grounds. The people in her village found her strange and eccentric.  This often made her feel isolated.

Isolation, made her people feel safe and stick to familiar grounds. But in her case, it only drove her to explore more of the world. When she wandered deep into the jungle, she lost her way home. This didn’t make her panic; she felt like she wasn’t looking for her village. She sought the wonders of the world in the darkness. The forest had many scary and unknown beasts dwelling in it. As the moon and the stars decorated the sky, the animals of the night began to wander. Snakes and tarantulas began to appear. She took a deep breath but didn’t feel the rush of fear. It seemed like she was the only human exploring this dangerous part of the jungle. But she didn’t know that a pair of human eyes followed her every move. Imboko, the head hunter of the Taranaki people, hid behind the trees. When he first noticed the young woman, he noticed that her tattoos weren’t the same as the people from his tribe. Curious about the intentions of this intruder, he followed her. For over an hour, she had been wandering without purpose. Not once did she stop to rest. He was still suspicious because she was walking towards his village. Armelita on the other hand had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she had no desire to return to the world she knew. Lost in thoughts she tripped over a tree root. When she looked up, she was facing the fierce eyes of a hungry jaguar. My friend, I hope I do not become your dinner. Jaguars were considered an omen of luck among her people.  The beast growled fiercely at her. I do not come to disturb your peace. I must have accidentally stumbled upon your home. Please, let this end in peace between us. It was as if the Jaguar understood her pleas for compassion. He stopped growling and took a more peaceful stance. Armelita slowly stood up and once she stood on her feet, the beast turned into mist. Was I visited by a spirit of the forest, she asked herself. Confused by the mystical encounter she turned around and faced the eyes of another.

It was Imboko, he had seen everything and decided to confront her. If the spirit of the forest appeared before her, she must not be an ordinary woman. He hoped she was sent by the spirits to free his people from their burdens. “ Who are you?” Armelita asked the handsome stranger.

" My name is Imboko." 

The head hunter of the Taranaki people. Who are you and why are you heading towards my village?”. “ My name is Armelita, I had no idea there was a village nearby. I’ve just been wandering through the night.”. “ Where are you headed?”. “Somewhere that’s different.”. “ Where is that place that’s different?”. “ I am hoping it’s not too far or else I’ll have to sleep under the open sky.”. “ Maybe for tonight, you can come to my village. I will introduce you to the chief”. The young woman seemed lost to Imboko. He knew taking outsiders back home wasn’t allowed. But once the chief hears about the appearance of the jaguar spirit, he will understand. “ We aren’t far anymore, follow me and I’ll find you a warm place to stay for the night. You can sleep with the rest of the village ladies.”. Armelita didn’t know if she could trust this man. But he seemed kind and spoke polite to her. Her father had often warned her about neighbor tribes who kidnapped women from their village. These tribes didn’t have enough women of their own and resorted to violent measures. Could this man be from this tribe? Although it was dangerous, she knew she had to find out. If there were any women held hostage in his village, she could surely figure out a way to free them. She agreed to go with Imboko. They took a difficult path to get to their destination. She began to think that Imboko took this route on purpose. Maybe he didn’t want her to find her way back. Luckily, her people were known to be excellent scouters. It’s a skill everyone back home had to learn from a young age. She closely observed her surroundings while keeping up with Imboko’s pace. He stopped in front of a big tree. This tree seemed to be the tallest in the forest. She looked up but couldn’t see the top of the tree.

Imboko made the sound of a bird and a ladder made from bamboo sticks fell from the top. Imboko rushed to climb the ladder and she was right behind him.

His tribe lived in houses built high in the trees. When they reached the top, she noticed an entire village of bamboo houses. Each of them was carefully crafted to fit in the threes. She admired how sturdy the houses were and how these trees could handle all this weight. Imboko was welcomed by an elderly woman. She had a nose piercing and tattoos all over her face. In her hands, she was holding a wooden pot. Inside the pot, there were burning herbs. The female shaman used the smoke from the herbs to cleanse their spirits before entering the village. Once she was finished a group of men showed up. They all looked mad because Imboko had brought back an outsider.  They pointed their spears at Armelita. She kept calm to prevent the situation from escalating. “You two, let’s go to the chief now!”. Armelita obeyed their commands. She didn’t want to risk getting pierced to pieces and those spears could be laced with a deadly poison. The shaman woman also followed them to the chief.  Her heart was beating fast, but bravery fueled her to move on. People began to peek from their village houses. In between the trees, there were bridges built from rope and wood. These bridges connected all the tree houses. They crossed the bridges as their path became bright due to the burning torches.

To be continued

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