A copper-coloured skin has been assumed by most writers as a characteristic distinction of the Americas, who have hence been called the copper-coloured race. Source: Crania America or a Comparative View, Skulls of Various Aboriginal Nations of North and South America. Written by Samuel George Morton.

 Western Yamaye - Natural Time 5897

Resting gently near the intersection of two tributaries was a village. Tied wooden logs, thatched roofs of palm and brown dirt comprised the huts.

A girl named Inina with short, jet black hair and swarthy skin was playing with her friends in the forest. She had friends of the noble and serf classes. This was problematic. Children of their prestige could not mingle with such lowly folk, but yet they did through Inina who brought her secret serf friend, Caltig, to play with them. She would only bring him to the forest, where the judging eyes of everyone, mostly adults, were non-existent. 

They certainly had fun. The first was a big place with lots to do. But despite all the fun they were having, some of her noble friends were curious about Caltig. Their village was one of the most populated and developed ones in the area, so for them, it wasn't a shock that they didn't know some nobles. 

"Hey, Caltig. Who do you descend from?" Frumal asked him. She was big-boned with bands of cloth with stripes. They went around her wrists and ankles. Her eyes were dark and her hair was light brown. 

He prepared for this eventuality. Caltig was far from an idiot. When Inina told him yesterday that she would introduce him to her noble friends, he had to come with an alibi. He had several friends of his class but to be hanging out with nobles was certainly something uncommon. 

"I'm from the Malcomax family." He had his made-up name ready to dish out. Generally, the upper classes seldom remembered them. They were seen as inferior. Why would they care to know when all they wanted was their bodies for laborious tasks? But just to be safe, he had one. 

"I see. What do they do?" 

"Well...they make weapons."

"So they're weapon makers. I wonder what kind?"

"They specialize in blowdarts. Dipped in harvested frog poison."

"That's so cool!" She was ecstatic to hear this. She began asking him questions about them.

Caltig chuckled. This was certainly a fine time. People like him usually had one day a week to have free time to themselves while the chiefly and noble classes could take entire vacations in needed. That was how society is, with the Cacique at the helm. Maintaining social norms was vital. They were the foundation of any tribe or community.

He wiped the sweat from his face, going from his narrow forehead to his detailed chin. He determined it was from all the fun he was having, but it was most likely from the nerves of having to lie to a noble if he knew better. 

They were swinging on vines. The group tugged at them to make sure they were sturdy and examined their length to make sure that they weren't too short. Inina recalled when she and some noble children were swinging through the forest and one of them fell, breaking their hand. They didn't want that to happen again. 

From there, they spent the remainder of the day with each other. Once they had their fill of adrenaline, they separated, taking their paths to their homes. 

Inina and Caltig went to the border to the border between the forest and the village. They were at a blind spot where adults wouldn't see them. 

"Did you enjoy today?" Inina anticipated positivity from him.

"Yep. It was the best day I had in a long time. It's a shame we can't spend more time with each other."

She felt good and a bit sad hearing that statement. They could never truly kindle a true friendship. Time and society wouldn't allow it. 

"Next time will be more exciting than the last."

"Sure will." He had a gruelling workday tomorrow. He and his father were some of the hunters that operated on the dangerous side of the forest. All sorts of vicious beasts roamed there. They were the key supply of meat that would be smoked to be preserved. If they succeeded, their bounty would be taken and given mere scraps. If they failed, death or injury awaited them. They had to give a frequent tribute or else they would be evicted. The Cacique was the real owner of their huts, not them.

He went to his hut where his father was lingering outside the entrance.  "Son...were you mingling with the nobles?" The square outline of his face moved as he spoke. He was sharpening his spear as he prepared for another round of work.

"No daddy. I know we're not like them. I would never bring such shame to the family." Saying that hurt him, but he wanted to keep their friendship secret. Also, he didn't want to get punished. He was a well-behaved kid, in his opinion.

"You're starting to lie, aren't you?"

"No, daddy. I wouldn't do anything like that."

"I know you were with that noble girl."

"What noble girl? I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Stop being dumb. I know her name. It starts with a C, right?" He watched him carefully. "Or probably an F, or a J, or an I, or an S, or a B?"

Caltig realized that he was guessing. He truly didn't know. 

"But you do know that rumours are a disgrace, right? Bringing my name in village gossip deserves something special." He tensed after those words. 

He was kidding. He didn't have anything special. But he had his fist, and with that, he brought it down to strike him - the first of many. People passed by without a care as he was beaten mercilessly. Even his mother didn't bother. She was preoccupied with cooking. At the end of the day, he'll be fine. The concern was his legacy. His father didn't want his name to be badly spoken of in womanly circles.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ*:.*:..*:...｡o○　　○o｡..:*..:*..:*Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The lung filled shout of someone bathing in the river caught the children off-guard. "It's Otex!" 

He had returned from a four-day-long diplomatic trip to Baracoia. It was part of his duty as the village envoy. As he parked his canoe and put down his oar, his daughter, Inina, slipped through the crowd on the river bank and went into his warm embrace.

"Look at you, my little girl. You're growing too fast. I can't keep up." Otex chuckled. His palms hurt from hours of rowing but he was willing to ignore it for her.

"I'm not little anymore. I'm fifteen, not five."

"I know. I know."

Someone wanted to interrupt their touching moment. "Sure my love," Otex replied to his wife and mother of his child, Yuika. Her skin was smooth and supple with full lips, nose and eyes. They came together to form a splendid family reunion. Afterwards, they began to trek to their hut.

"Inina, have you been practising while I was gone? You'll be going to your course soon." His thick, woolly beard and puff of wild hair made what he said sound menacing to her.

She stumbled with her words before giving an adequate response. "Of course, dad. I've been training the whole time." 

Dang it. I almost forgot to report to the Cacique.  "Guys, I have to do something quick." 

"is it Cacique Huimanan? You know he wants the most complete report possible. You'll be in there for a long time. You might sleep while talking." The sounds of laughter rushed through her frame, hitting Otex's ears.

"Whatever." He said with some disappointment. Otex knew he was going to be there for a while, but at least the envoy position provided good benefits. He left to give his account of the trip while Inina and her mother went to the hut. The course was jammed into Inina's brain - and that made her sick. 

She exited the hut as soon as she entered to go to the community garden.

"Where are you going, Inina?"

"Not far, mommy. I'll be right back."

A short walk took her to the conucos where the crops were being grown. Most people were indoors by now. She stared hard at a tomato plant under the dying evening light. Inina had fleeting thoughts, and from that, a fleeting negative energy to eat the leaves or the underdeveloped tomatoes hanging from branches. But she realized this was insane. She didn't want to be a part of the course but there had to be a better way. 

Multiple ideas came to her but all were either too risky or ineffective. Jumping off a tree to break her legs or getting lost in the forest were beyond her. She consigned defeat. Education seemed to be her fate. The ladies in the garden asked if she was fine. She just walked away. They went back to plucking weeds, forgetting about Inina.

Returning to her home, she saw her mother with a whip made from flexible tree roots.

"I heard that you're with a serf boy. I'm disappointed with you." 

"But momm..."

"Don't try to sweet-talk me." Yuika clutched her arm, closing the space faster than she could react.

Inina began crying. Yuika couldn't believe that her daughter would contaminate herself with someone like him. She had so many noble friends. Why a serf? She needed discipline. The whip streaked her back, arms and legs. Yuika didn't hesitate to correct her as she bawled to each lash. Her tear ducts probably dried up from the amount of crying she did. 

The whip didn't have the capability to leave marks, but each hit felt comparable to one. This was a minor offence. However, they had zero tolerance for moving out of line. If they did anything seriously harmful or disrespectful, they would be forced to give a large offering, such as their home and belongings, and be relegated to a smaller one. 

She didn't want her to destroy her father's inheritance. He worked hard to get it.

Good thing this doesn't affect the opportunity of her going to the course. Hopefully, she'll mature on Alliouagana.

If you're reading this, I hope you liked the first chapter. The island our main character, her family and village are on is named Yamaye, translated into Land of Wood and Water or Land of Springs. And the island where the course takes place, Alliouagana, translates to Land of the Prickly Bush. If you have any suggestions as to how I can improve, I'll be grateful. Hope you appreciate this new story. 

I just wanted to break down the social structure of an average Taino village. Very interesting and informative. The 4 main levels are:

The Cacique: This could be either male or female. The role had control over many responsibilities over a village and organized daily activities. The cacique was responsible for the storage of surplus commodities, organizing public feasts and dances, directing singing, hosting other villages, and was responsible for public forms of transportation. This position had the power of life and death over others in the village. In addition, the cacique owned the most powerful Zemí and supervised their worship amongst the group.

Nitanos: These were nobles and warriors who participated and voted in the village councils concerning village matters. They were responsible for determining local boundaries and fishing and hunting rights.

Behique: They guided the village's religious activities, and performed sacred rituals. This person was also responsible for taking spiritual quests to learn the will of the deities and Zemí, and to foretell the future.

Naboria: These were the common people who were lifelong serfs. These people did not have personal property rights and ownership, but laboured in the fields, fished, and hunted.

Oh yeah, I just wanted to ask. What is the WORST punishment you've gotten? Type it in the comments. Make it as detailed as you want. lol.