MUKUNDA Chapter 11–The Day I Knew That Our Inheritance Must Be Passed from Hand to Hand

The wind was quiet over the mountains of Magodo, the way that the wind is quiet when it is resting, when it has carried the things that needed to be carried and is waiting for the next thing, when it is listening to the land that has been saved, that has been protected, that has become the thing that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after. But in the middle of that quiet, in the place where the peace was settling, I felt a deep thinking about everything that had happened, about the fire that had been given to me, about the water that had joined, about the stone that had been placed under my skin, about the wind that had released the love that I had been carrying, about the darkness that had been shown that it was not the enemy, about the light that had been joined and had become the thing that shone brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. The success of Magodo had begun, had been built, had been saved, had been the thing that the prophecy had been waiting for since before I was born, since the fire was lit, since the water rose, since the stone was placed, since the wind was waiting to receive the love that would make it complete. But I knew, in the way that a person knows things when they have been joined with the spirits, when they have carried the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, when they have met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, that our inheritance alone, the thing that had been given to us, the thing that had been passed down from the ancestors, the thing that had been protected and saved and built, does not just live with the rising of the sun, does not just live because the light comes in the morning and the darkness goes away, does not just live because the fire is burning and the water is rising and the stone is holding and the wind is moving. It lives because it is taught, because it is passed, because it is the thing that is given from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, because it is the thing that the children learn, that the young people carry, that the ones who come after us know, that the ones who will be there when we are gone will be the ones who hold it, who protect it, who make it the thing that shines when the darkness comes and they are not sure which way to go.

I thought about teaching the children of the village and the young people, about making them understand the strength, the love, and the joining of the Spirit of Darkness, about showing them that the darkness is not the enemy, that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, that it is the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. I thought about teaching them that the fire that is in them is not the fire that burns, is not the fire that destroys, but the fire that is the light that shows them where to go, the fire that is the thing that will be the warmth when the night is cold, the fire that is the thing that will be the cooking when the food is being prepared, the fire that is the thing that will be the light when the darkness is coming and they are not sure which way to go. I thought about teaching them that the water that is in them is not the water that drowns, is not the water that rises and takes the things that should not be taken, but the water that is the life, that is the thing that makes the crops grow, that makes the rivers flow, that is the thing that is the drink when they are thirsty, that is the thing that is the cleansing when they are dirty, that is the thing that is the spirit that is in all of them, that is in the land, that is in the animals, that is in the people, that is the thing that makes them alive. I thought about teaching them that the stone that is in them is not the stone that crushes, is not the stone that falls and destroys the things that have been built, but the stone that is the foundation, that is the thing that holds the mountains, that is the thing that is the ground beneath their feet, that is the thing that they walk on, that they build on, that they plant in, that is the thing that is the strength that holds them, that is the thing that will hold the ones who come after. And I thought about teaching them that the wind that is in them is not the wind that destroys, is not the wind that tears the trees from the ground and throws the houses to the ground, but the wind that is the breath, that is the thing that moves through the land, that is the thing that carries the scent of the wild sage and the rain that is coming and the earth that is waiting to be turned, that is the thing that is the spirit that is in all of them, that is in the people, that is in the animals, that is in the land, that is the thing that makes them alive, that makes them the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.

That morning, I came to the great village, the place where the people had gathered, the place where the work of building the new life was being done, the place where the children were waiting, where the young people were waiting, where the ones who would carry the inheritance when we were gone were standing, were watching, were hoping that the thing that had been given to us would be given to them, that the thing that had been taught to us would be taught to them, that the thing that had been saved would be the thing that they would protect, that they would build, that they would be the ones who would make it shine when the darkness came and they were not sure which way to go. Taru was following me, the way that she had been following me since we were children, the way that she had been standing beside me since the fire spoke and the prophecy was told and she knelt in the court and told my father that she would be my keeper, that she would stand beside me, that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that she was the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. She was there, as she had always been, as she would always be, the one who stood beside me when the teaching was being given, when the inheritance was being passed, when the children were learning, when the young people were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.

The children were waiting in front of me, their eyes filled with the desire to learn, the desire that I had seen in my own eyes when I was young, when I sat by the river and let the wind carry away the things that were too heavy to hold, when I listened to the stories that my mother told me, when I learned the names of the ancestors, when I learned the things that would make me the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed. They wanted to know what the fire was, what the water was, what the stone was, what the wind was, what the darkness was, what the light was, what the strength was, what the love was, what the joining was, what the inheritance was that they would carry when we were gone, that they would protect when the darkness came again, that they would be the ones who would make it shine when they were not sure which way to go.

"Today we will learn that strength is not to frighten, is not to make people afraid, is not to be the thing that holds them down, that tells them what to do, that makes them into something that they are not. It is to build, to be the thing that makes the land strong, that makes the people strong, that makes the love that is in all of us the thing that is the foundation of everything that we build, everything that we protect, everything that we pass to the ones who come after. When you join your spirit with love, when you let the fire that is in you be the light that shows you where to go, when you let the water that is in you be the life that makes the land grow, when you let the stone that is in you be the foundation that holds you, when you let the wind that is in you be the breath that moves through you, you will protect Magodo and you will fulfill the good life, the life that the ancestors promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after."

The children asked many questions, the way that children ask when they want to know, when they are learning, when they are becoming the thing that they will be, when they are taking the inheritance that is being given to them and making it their own. They wanted to know the ways of joining the strength with the spirit, the ways that the fire and the water and the stone and the wind could be used to protect, to build, to be the thing that the land needed them to be, to be the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I showed them the ways of using the spirit and the water, the wind, the fire, and the earth, the ways that the things that had been given to me, the things that had joined, the things that had been shown that they were not the enemy, could be the things that they would carry, that they would use, that they would be the ones who would make them the light that showed the people where to go when the darkness was coming and they were not sure which way to go. I joined with their actions, with the things that they were doing, with the ways that they were learning, so that they would not just learn, would not just hear the words that I was saying, would not just see the things that I was showing them, but would understand the meaning of the love and the peace, would know that the fire that was in them was not the fire that burned, was not the fire that destroyed, but the fire that was the light that showed them where to go, that the water that was in them was not the water that drowned, was not the water that rose and took the things that should not be taken, but the water that was the life, that was the thing that made the crops grow, that made the rivers flow, that the stone that was in them was not the stone that crushed, was not the stone that fell and destroyed the things that had been built, but the stone that was the foundation, that was the thing that held the mountains, that was the thing that was the ground beneath their feet, that the wind that was in them was not the wind that destroyed, was not the wind that tore the trees from the ground and threw the houses to the ground, but the wind that was the breath, that was the thing that moved through the land, that was the thing that carried the scent of the wild sage and the rain that was coming and the earth that was waiting to be turned.

Taru came to stand beside me, the way that she had been standing beside me since we were children, the way that she had been standing beside me when the fire spoke and the prophecy was told and she knelt in the court and told my father that she would be my keeper, that she would stand beside me, that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that she was the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. She helped to give the example, to show the children the ways that the fire and the water and the stone and the wind could be used, to support the things that I was saying, to be the one who stood beside me when the teaching was being given, when the inheritance was being passed, when the children were learning, when the young people were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.

But it did not take long before the old leaders of the houses, the ones who had been sitting in the court since before I was born, the ones who had been carrying the weight of advising the ones who sat on the throne, the ones who had been watching the kings come and go, the ones who had been waiting for the moment when the light would be weak, when the peace would be settled, when the people would be resting, began to try to use the old strength to promote the things that they wanted, to add to their wealth and their power, to be the thing that the darkness had been waiting to use, the thing that would be the test that the light had to pass, the thing that would show whether the peace that had come was the peace that would last or the peace that would be broken when the thing that had been hidden rose again. I knew that our inheritance needed to be protected from the ones who did not care, from the ones who would use the light that had been given to them to add to their own power, from the ones who would take the love that had been given to the people and turn it into the thing that would hold them down, that would make them afraid, that would be the thing that would be the darkness that rose again, that would be the thing that would have to be shown again that it was not the enemy. I began to plan the ways of protecting the peace, the ways that the fire and the water and the stone and the wind could be used to hold the thing that had been built, to keep it from falling, to be the thing that would be the foundation of the new life that was beginning, the life that was not the life of fear, not the life of waiting, not the life of wondering whether the prophecy would be fulfilled or broken, but the life of peace, the life of building, the life of being the people that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after.

"Strength is not the work of the old leaders alone, is not the work of the ones who sit in the court, is not the work of the ones who carry the titles, is not the work of the ones who think that the land was given to them to do what they want with it. Love and the spirit must be shared with all the people, must be in the fire that is in each of you, in the water that is in each of you, in the stone that is in each of you, in the wind that is in each of you, in the love that has been given to you, that has been waiting for you, that will be there for you when the darkness comes and you are not sure which way to go. If the old leaders try to take the strength that has been given to the people, if they try to use the light that has been joined to add to their own power, we will show them that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, that the strength that is given to the people is not the strength that can be taken, that the love that has been released is not the love that can be held, that the inheritance that has been saved is not the inheritance that can be used by the ones who did not fight for it, who did not carry it, who did not give their blood to protect it when the darkness was rising and the enemy was at the border and the land that had been given to us to protect was waiting to be saved or to be destroyed."

In the middle of these things, in the place where the work was being done, in the place where the teaching was being given, in the place where the children were learning, in the place where the young people were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born, the Spirit of Darkness came out again, the spirit that had been shown that it was not the enemy, the spirit that had been the thing that was the other half of the light, the spirit that had made the light know that it was light, that had made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. It showed that the darkness is not the enemy when the people use the spirit and the love in the right way, when they do not try to push it back, do not try to destroy it, do not try to be the thing that is the light that burns the things that should not be burned, but the thing that is the light that shows the darkness that it is not the enemy, that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, that it is the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. I came close to the Spirit of Darkness, the way that I had come close to it before, the way that I had stood in the land of Mainini Mucha and met the darkness that had risen, the way that I had let the darkness fall on me and had shown it that it was not the enemy, the way that I had let the light come out of me and had shown it that the light that had been joined was not the light that would be destroyed, was not the light that would be taken, was not the light that would be swallowed by the darkness that had been waiting, but the light that would show the darkness that it was not the enemy. I took its hand, the way that you take the hand of something that has been shown that it is not the enemy, the way that you take the hand of something that has been the thing that is the other half of the light, the way that you take the hand of something that has made you know that you are light, that has made you shine brightest when you passed through it and came out the other side. And I felt the strength that was joined with the spirits of all the people who were at the village, the people who had been saved, the people who had been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, the people who had learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the people who were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.

"You are here to teach," the Spirit of Darkness said, its voice carrying the peace that comes when the thing that was the enemy has been shown that it is not the enemy, when the thing that was the darkness has been shown that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, when the thing that was the thing that made the light know that it was light has been shown that it is not the thing that has to be destroyed, that it is not the thing that has to be pushed back forever, that it is the thing that is the part of the prophecy that had not been understood, the part that said that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, that has been tested, that has been tried, that has been pushed to the edge and has not fallen, that has been the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. "But today, you have a great work to strengthen the teaching of the children, and to build the important inheritance of Magodo, the inheritance that will be there when you are gone, that will be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, that will be the thing that the children learn, that the young people carry, that the ones who come after you will hold, that will be the thing that shines when the darkness comes and they are not sure which way to go."

I knew that my work was not ending, that the thing that had been given to me, the thing that I had carried, the thing that I had protected, the thing that I had saved, was not something that would be finished when the prophecy was fulfilled, when the land was saved, when the darkness was shown that it was not the enemy. It was something that would continue, that would be the thing that was taught, that was passed, that was the inheritance that the children would carry, that the young people would protect, that the ones who came after us would be the ones who would make it shine when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go. I began to form a team of the teachers of the spirit, the warriors who had learned to control their strength without threatening, and the leaders of the royal house who had been shown that the strength that is used to protect is not the strength that is used to dominate, that the strength that is given by the spirits is not the strength that is used to make the people afraid, but the strength that is used to make them safe, to make them know that they are protected, to make them know that the land that has been given to them is the land that will be there for their children and their children's children. We taught the children the ways of protecting the strength, the ways that the fire and the water and the stone and the wind could be used to protect, to build, to be the thing that the land needed them to be, to be the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. We taught them the ways of controlling the darkness, of showing it that it is not the enemy, of letting it be the thing that is the other half of the light, the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. And we taught them the ways of joining the love with their spirits, of letting the love that had been given to them, that had been waiting for them, that would be there for them when the darkness came and they were not sure which way to go, be the thing that was the fire that was in them, the water that was in them, the stone that was in them, the wind that was in them, the thing that made them the light that showed the people where to go, the thing that made them the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, the one who saved the land that had been given to them to protect.

The people began to learn, and in the middle of the week, the whole place was filled with the new knowledge and the strength that was joined with the spirit, the strength that was the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the strength that was the light that showed the people where to go, the strength that was the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who had joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who had met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, the one who had saved the land that had been given to them to protect. The children who had been taught were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. The young people who had learned were becoming the ones who would carry the inheritance when we were gone, who would protect it when the darkness came again, who would be the ones who would make it shine when they were not sure which way to go.

"Our inheritance must be promoted, must be taught, must be the thing that is given from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next," I called out, looking at all the people who had gathered, the people who had been saved, the people who had been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, the people who had learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the people who were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. "Children of the village, keep your strength, keep your love, keep your spirit. The strength that is in you is not the strength that burns, is not the strength that destroys, but the strength that is the light that shows you where to go. The love that is in you is not the love that holds, is not the love that keeps, but the love that is the wind that carries, the wind that moves, the wind that is the thing that makes the land live, the land breathe, the land be the thing that it was meant to be. The spirit that is in you is not the spirit that is given to you alone, is not the spirit that you keep for yourself, but the spirit that is the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the spirit that is the darkness that has been shown that it is not the enemy, the spirit that is the light that shines brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the spirit that is the inheritance that has been saved, that has been protected, that will be the thing that is there for the children and the children's children, that will be the thing that is the land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after. If you do these things, if you keep the strength that has been given to you, if you protect the love that has been released, if you carry the spirit that has been joined, Magodo will always be a land that shines, a land that never ends with peace, a land that is the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born."

Taru took my hand, her eyes filled with the pride that comes when the person you love has become the thing that you knew they could become, the thing that you hoped they would become, the thing that you were afraid they would become, because the thing that they had become was the thing that would take them away from you, would take them to the place where the fire was burning, would take them to the place where the darkness was waiting, would take them to the place where the prophecy would be fulfilled and they would be the one who saved the land or the one who destroyed it, the one who lived or the one who died, the one who carried the fire or the one who was consumed by it. But now, the fire had been carried, the darkness had been shown that it was not the enemy, the land had been saved, and the thing that she was seeing was not the thing that was taking me away, but the thing that was the inheritance that was being passed, the thing that was the teaching that was being given, the thing that was the children who were learning, the thing that was the young people who were becoming the ones who would carry the light when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go.

"You are the true Mukunda, the leader who has strength and love. Your inheritance will always be protected and taught to the ones who come after, to the children who are learning, to the young people who are becoming, to the ones who will be there when we are gone, who will carry the fire that you carried, who will join with the water and the stone and the wind that you joined, who will meet the darkness and show it that it is not the enemy, who will save the land that has been given to them to protect, who will be the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born."

At the end of that day, I sat on the top of the mountains, the wind moving softly, the way that the wind moves when it is carrying the peace that comes after a long battle, after the darkness has been met and the light has been shown, after the prophecy has been fulfilled and the land has been saved. I looked at the land that was filled with the people who had learned, who were happy, who were protecting the spirit, the people who had become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after. I knew that the inheritance of Magodo did not end with me, did not end with the fire that had been given to me, did not end with the water and the stone and the wind that had joined, did not end with the darkness that had been shown that it was not the enemy, did not end with the light that had been joined and had become the thing that shone brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. It was joined with the love, the strength, and the teaching that is taught from generation to generation, that is given from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, that is the thing that the children learn, that the young people carry, that the ones who come after will hold, that will be the thing that shines when the darkness comes and they are not sure which way to go.

The night was filled with rest, the kind of rest that comes when the thing that has been carried has been passed, when the thing that has been protected has been given, when the thing that has been saved has been taught, when the people who will be there when you are gone have learned, have become, have taken the inheritance that was given to them and made it their own. The people learned that strength is not to oppress, that love is not just a thought, and that the joining of the Spirit is the thing that gives the land the strength and the peace that will last, that will be there when the darkness comes again, that will be the thing that shows the darkness that it is not the enemy, that will be the thing that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, that will be the thing that is the land that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I looked at the stars that were shining in the sky, the stars that had been watching this land since before the first people came, the stars that had seen the things that the people of this land had done, the things that they had carried, the things that they had passed down to the ones who came after. I felt my spirit joining with the spirits of all the people, the people who had been saved, the people who had been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, the people who had learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the people who had become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. And I knew that today, the inheritance of Magodo had been strengthened and would pass from generation to generation, would always be a place of true shining, of peace, and of the love that never ends, the thing that would be there when I was gone, the thing that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, the thing that was the land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after. The land was safe. The people were strong. The inheritance was being taught. And I was Mukunda, the child who was freed by the Spirit, the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who became the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, the one who saved the land that had been given to her to protect, the one who taught the children, who built the inheritance, who passed the light from her hand to theirs, who would watch as they became the ones who would carry it when she was gone, who would be the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.