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The Mu Yans The
Mukulian civilization, and this is also true of all subsequent civilizations,
started with the Tribe of Mu, then called the Mu Yans; Yan meaning tribe.
This tribe had four distinct divisions: the Plains Dwellers, the Forest
Dwellers, the Cave Dwellers, and least in number but greatest in importance,
the Elders. Plains
Dwellers Generally
peaceful, comparatively speaking, the Plains Dwellers were a pastoral people,
their principal occupation being the raising of sheep and deer-like cattle.
These they had domesticated and improved from the wild breed found in the
mountains surrounding the plains on which they lived and from which they
derived their designation as Plains Dwellers. In
size, the Mu Valley was comparable to our Mississippi River Valley from the
Alleghenies to the Rocky Mountains and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of
Mexico. Its plains were rather ruggedly rolling with very nutritive natural
grasses, which afforded good grazing for their herds. They were broken by the
occasional groves of coniferous trees, redwood predominating, with oaks and
other nut-bearing trees. The people were divided into families or septs, each
having a certain rather well-defined section usually covering thousands of
acres over which they moved their herds from time to time as the grass supply
necessitated. Since they were compelled to accompany their flocks in order to
protect them from predatory animals and the even worse danger of raids by the
Forest Dwellers, the septs had no permanent or fixed abodes. While
each sept maintained a more or less friendly relationship with its neighbors,
they were naturally inclined to live very much to themselves except when the
Forest Dwellers made their raids, at which time they would almost unanimously unite
with those in their vicinity to repel the attack. It was a sort of mutual,
cooperative action against a common enemy, practiced for mutual protection.
These Plains Dwellers were, generally speaking, a peaceable lot, but like
most such folk, they could be, and were, decidedly dangerous adversaries:
cunning and relentless when once aroused. Otherwise,
they were what we would term as rugged individualists and isolationists, each
family or sept living as a unit and presided over by the oldest, able man of
the group in whose rambling tent, or more commonly “wattle and dub” hut, all
the unmarried lived. These huts were constructed of pliable vines, willow, or
other slender sticks roughly woven together and covered with clay or sod. The
married couples each had its own hut in which its children were housed. The
patriarch, or head of the family had supreme authority, even to life and
death. In eases of insubordination, he might have the guilty one put to death
or exiled. If unmarried, the exile would usually seek admission in some other
sept and change his name accordingly. If married, he generally went to the sept from which he had his favorite wife. When the patriarch died, or became
too old, the oldest married man of the sept usually replaced him unless
another had been designated by the patriarch as better qualified. Force being
the one principle best understood by all, he ruled with an iron hand.
Therefore, the new head was generally selected for his superior strength,
although occasionally because of his superior shrewdness. Women
were regarded much as chattel or slaves, and belonged to her husband who
generally had several wives. They were usually traded for live stock; the
average value of a strong and healthy marriageable girl being three sheep,
two bulls, or one cow. The woman herself had nothing to say about it and
rarely refused to accept her fate as a matter of course. She cared for the
family fire, did the cooking, tanned the hides, did all the other menial
work, fetching and carrying for her man much as the [North American] Indian
women of recent
years was accustomed to doing. Unfaithful wives were usually killed and their
paramour exiled or killed. There
were, however, many cases of real affection between man and wife.
Occasionally, some venturesome lad or man would slip into a distant sept and
steal the girl of his choice. If caught by her people without being killed,
he was forced to take her family name and join her sept where, for a time at
least, his life was apt to be far from pleasant. Also, if she did not prove
to be as he had hoped, he could not divorce her by the simple expedient of a
club or stone knife as was true if he bought her or reached his own sept
safely with her. The women seemed rather to glory in the fact that they were
sufficiently attractive to be stolen and seldom made any objections. Although
many members of most septs were third and fourth cousins, it was rare for a
man to take a woman in his own family. The marriage ceremony was simple. The
man took her to his hut, and that was that. Forest
Dwellers Unlike
the Plains Dwellers, whose average height was about six feet, the Forest
Dwellers were great hulking giants, averaging well over seven feet tall, much
more hairy than the Plains Dwellers, as savage as the beasts with whom they
contended for a living, equally as predatory, and subscribing to the belief
that might makes right. Like
the Plains Dwellers, they lived in family groups but were too ignorant or
indolent to construct even the rudest of shelters. Following the seasonal
migrations of the game upon which they lived, they usually took shelter under
some of the mammoth trees of the lush forests which extended from the Plains
well up the sides of the mountains and covering millions of acres, With a
fine disregard for the rights of others, they sought to take by force or
stealth whatever they wanted, regardless of whether it belonged to Plains
Dweller, Cave Dweller, or another Forest Dweller. Like
all the people of this period, their clothing consisted of skins. Since the
art of tanning was unknown to them, they usually wore the skins of more or
less recently killed animals until they dried too stiff to serve, or rotted
and fell apart. It is noteworthy that when a keen-nosed Plains Dweller
smelled carrion, he immediately warned his companions of the suspected approach
of a Forest Dweller. Naturally,
the Forest Dwellers were as brutish in appearance as in their mode of living
and because of their unbelievable strength, were exceedingly dangerous
adversaries. As was to be expected, their septs were seldom large, thirty or
forty being exceptional, and but very few reaching fifty or more. The
head of each sept was almost invariably the best and most powerful fighter in
it, seizing his rule by brute force and maintaining it until overthrown.
Weakling children were killed, as were those seriously crippled. Having
nothing with which to barter among themselves, they stole such women as they
could get, many of them being Plains Dwellers and Cave Dwellers, although the
latter were rare for reasons we shall set forth. Affection among them was
unusual, and most of the women were unwilling slaves who, all too often, would
slay their own babies rather than allow them to grow up hated Forest
Dwellers. It
was a common occurrence for a Forest Dweller to seize a full-grown bull by the
horns, snap its neck with his bare hands, throw it over his shoulder, and run
back into the forest with it. It
was but natural that these denizens of the forests should be universally
hated by both the Plains and the Cave Dwellers. Cave
Dwellers Notwithstanding that they
were of the same Mu Yan stock, the Cave Dwellers were quite unlike either the
Plains or Forest Dwellers both in appearance and in manner of living,
Although they averaged about six feet in height, living in high altitudes, and
having to lead a most active existence in order to survive, they had
developed barrel-like chests averaging sixty inches in girth which gave them a rather
squat appearance. This was accentuated by the fact that their heads were set
well forward, seemingly resting directly upon their great shoulders without
any neck as a result of living in caves for thousands of years and being
forced to stoop constantly to prevent hitting their shaggy pates upon the
low ceilings. This posture made their naturally
long and powerful arms seem even longer, at the same time causing their hairy
hands to hang well below the knees. This, and the beetling eyebrows shading
deep-set eyes, low, sloping brows, and exceptionally heavy jaws with fanglike
and often somewhat protruding teeth, gave them a generally gorilla-like
appearance. Their strength was so
prodigious that it was as nothing for one of them to come running up the
steep, tortuous trails with an eight-hundred-pound bear across his shoulders,
and even the average Forest Dweller thought twice before attacking one.
Furthermore, they had acquired a marvelous skill in fashioning knives and
axes from the flint and obsidian with which the mountains abounded and were
therefore, more formidable in a fight then even the great hoogwar (the
progenitor of our jaguar) or the giant bears found throughout the Valley and
mountains. Their women, though much
less hairy and of slighter build, had the same characteristic short necks and
stooped appearance. Due probably to their limited number and the fact that
they considered the Forest Dweller women most unattractive, Cave Dwellers
seldom had more than one wife, and while they commonly traded for them,
there was much more affection among them than was true of the other two
divisions of the Mu Yang. They were stern and severe in their treatment of
those among them who violated their simple rules or molested their women.
Lack of chastity among the women was practically unknown. Notwithstanding their
unprepossessing appearance and great strength, the Cave Dwellers were a
highly intelligent folk for their time. Innately, they were a kindly lot,
perhaps even more so than the average Plains Dweller, but long and bitter
experience with the Forest Dwellers had made them suspicious of all
strangers and exceedingly cunning in devising ways and means for protecting
their caves from all outside danger. No doubt, this form of necessity had
much to do with their development of such high skill in working with stone.
They were kind to their children and cared for their crippled, aged, and
afflicted in a manner surprisingly gentle for that time. While, in common with both
the Plains and Forest Dwellers, they lived in family groups made possible by
enlarging natural caves, theirs was a much more communal form of life than
was true of either of the other two groups. This was due, principally, to the
fact that caves were usually found only in certain sections, particularly
where limestone was more common. It was not at all unusual to find as many as
fifteen or twenty family groups occupying as many caves in close proximity.
With their common interest in securing food and protecting themselves from
the wild beasts and the even more dangerous Forest Dwellers, they learned to
live together in reasonable peace and harmony. The
Elders As
has been true of all times and ages, there were among the Mu Yans those who,
by nature and inclination, were far deeper thinkers than the average. Almost
without exception, these were, and are, reincarnated Egos who, in previous
incarnations, had an inherent and characteristic desire to know whence we
came, why we are here, and whither we are bound. In other words, they seek to
solve or unravel what is commonly termed, “the mystery of life.” These
thinkers are inevitably drawn together, for each, consciously or
unconsciously, is seeking to create practically an identical environment. It
could not be otherwise because by the Law of Vibrational Attraction, man
always seeks the company and companionship of those who think as he thinks,
and this came occured before the first civilization was begun, when a group
of such thinkers came together in the Mu Valley. Regardless
of the number of years already passed in his current incarnation, one who
really thinks always expresses a maturity of thought that sets him apart from
others and gives him an air of wisdom such as is invariably associated with
mature years and wide experience. Therefore, it was perfectly natural that
this small group which formed at that long ago period should be called, “the
Elders,” by the populace. It was a title of respect, yet of sufficiently
impersonal nature as to be most pleasing to these unassuming but highly
intelligent men, who, for all their learning, were outstanding for their
benevolence and humility. Always
searching for more and even deeper information and knowledge, and aided as
they were by the Lords of Venus and Mercury of whom originally they had no
knowledge, they evolved and developed clairvoyant abilities to a high degree.
This power enabled them to advance by leaps and bounds, figuratively
speaking, until there came a time when they were so venerated as almost to be
worshipped. It
was the custom for various of the Elders to leave their secluded and
carefully hidden retreat to circulate among the tribe in search of youths who
displayed ability and characteristics which set them apart from and above the
others of their people. As is the usual case, these were very few in number,
and even of these few, most could not meet the exacting requirements
essential to the purposes of the Elders. To
determine those really acceptable, it was their custom to impart to each
certain simple information he could use. They would then observe closely how
it was utilized. If the youth displayed a sincere desire to accomplish good
by its use and to seek more, they would give him additional instruction.
When, with the passing of time, he proved his fitness for their benign
purpose, after due precautions, they finally took him to their retreat where
the entire group would work with him until he eventually became one of them. The
simple mode of living in strict conformance with all the natural laws they
understood enabled the Elders to prolong their lives far beyond the average.
None of them, however, had attained physical immortality. Therefore, they
felt it incumbent upon them to prepare some promising young man to take the
place of any who passed on. At the time with which we are concerned, some
76,000 B.C., this group of Elders had advanced so far that they were nearing
physical immortality, at least seven of them being more than two hundred
years old. Being the oldest and possessing correspondingly riper wisdom,
these were unanimously selected to be leaders of the group. It was to their
attention that two outstanding youths were brought—one Hut Mai Dan of the Dan
family, and one Rhu Sol Ku of the Ku family. These were commonly known as Hut
and Rhu, and were of the Plains Dwellers. These
lads came from rather unusual families for, of all the Plains Dwellers, only
these two families had ever operated as a unit. According to their family
totem poles, this unified effort had continued some eight-hundred years.
Because of this association and cooperative endeavor, these families had
grown into the largest and most powerful of all the Mu Yan septs. But, so
resistant to change were the other families that it had never occurred to any
of the others to emulate them. This fact was the subject of much thoughtful
discussion between Rhu and Hut, a circumstance of which the Elders were well
aware. To
the north and east of the Mu Valley, extended what seemed to Rhu and Hut a
limitless expanse of rolling plains upon which grew grasses of such superior
quality and extent as to make the Mu Valley seem almost barren by contrast.
Although it was here that the two planned to introduce this daring
innovation, certain seemingly insurmountable difficulties presented
themselves. The
first of these was finding a way to get their people out upon the Great Plain,
as they were accustomed to call it. At one time a pass led to it, but many
years back, a great earthquake had caused a three thousand foot cliff to
split and spill into it, at the same time causing a thirty to fifty foot rift
in the floor of the canyon. At the bottom of this chasm, the mighty
Hatamukulian River roared through at an almost unbelievable speed and with a
force that made the very earth tremble near it. As
if this were not enough to dampen their ardor, it was known that every effort
to settle on the Great Plain before the great cataclysm, and while the pass
was open, had met with the most dismal failure. Each venturesome family who
attempted to do so was annihilated by other tribes also having access to the
plain through that pass, which subsequent events proved to be the only one.
With the true dog-in-the-manger characteristic of mankind, each tribe had
been determined that if it could not possess the Great Plain, no other
should. To
Rhu and Hut, this was the greatest of all stumbling blocks because they well
knew that if they found or opened a new pass, the other tribes would also
make use of it. For days and weeks they pondered over this until, at last,
the great idea came to Rhu. Why not work out a plan of cooperative
organization whereby, in return, for their food and shelter, the Forest
Dwellers should hold the pass, the Plains Dwellers supplying the food from
their herds, and the Cave Dwellers fashioning and supplying the necessary
stone weapons. Breathless
over the daring idea, the nimble wits of Rhu and Hut passed over the
intervening difficulties to be solved and dwelt upon a bright future quite
unlike their present mode of life. Of most importance was the fact that with
the wealth of grass and forage, it would no longer be necessary to move the
herds from place to place, and permanent homes could be provided. Here,
together with the other conveniences they would supply, the old folks, women,
and children could live in comfort! Close
upon the first glad exultation, Hut found cause to demur. Would it be
possible to persuade any Plains Dwellers to agree? Moreover, how could a Cave
Dweller be enticed to come? And even if it were possible to get any Forest
Dwellers to join them, what assurance could the Plains Dwellers have that
those great brutes would not turn upon them? However,
youth is ever inclined to make light of obstacles in the way of its desires.
As for the Forest and Cave Dwellers, he Rhu, would undertake to get enough of
them with which to start if Hut would work with the Plains Dwellers. Hadn’t
he, Rhu, once visited the Cave Dwellers and returned? And was he not the best
shot with the bow and arrow in the entire valley? He would so dazzle the
Forest Dwellers with his uncanny skill and superior weapons that they would
willingly follow him. Besides, were there not the Elders to help them? And
so it was that, although wholly unconscious of the Elders’ part in what they
were doing, these young men took the first step toward starting what was to
result in the greatest civilization of all time. We shall not enter into the
complex details of the trials and difficulties they encountered in finding
and persuading a few hardy ones to accept their plan despite the obvious
advantages it offered. This is all set forth in the book, The Sun Rises. Some
idea of what was entailed may be obtained from the fact that Rhu traveled
over two thousand miles on foot through mountains and jungles during the time
it took Hut to find some forty or fifty Plains Dwellers with nerve enough to
risk any association in which the Forest Dwellers were involved. Many there
were who agreed readily with all Hut said regarding the advantages to be
gained, but the barest mention of the Forest Dwellers caused their enthusiasm
to drop to zero. As a consequence, Hut finally confined himself to the
advantages of life upon the Great Plain and the elimination of any mention of
the part to be played by the Forest Dwellers. Upon
Hut's return to the Ku and Dan headquarters with his recruits, one can well
imagine the amazed consternation of his followers when they discovered a
group of both Forest Dwellers and Cave Dwellers associating in apparently the
most friendly terms, not only with one another, but with the Ku and Dan
families as well! Only their great respect for the powerful Ku and Dan septs
prevented their flat refusal to proceed further. Their
astonishment knew no bounds as they observed that their friend Rhu, already
famed for his daring travels, was constantly accompanied by one towering
Forest Dweller named Ord, a giant well over seven feet tall, and a scarcely
less formidable appearing Cave Dweller named Dargh. Even to the most
suspicious and alarmed Plains Dwellers, it was obvious that these two who
towered above Rhu were not only upon the friendliest possible terms with him,
but considered themselves as his personal bodyguards. Also, it was equally
clear that each was the leader of his own group which he ruled with an iron
hand, exacting and receiving instant and unquestioning obedience to his
slightest command. With
the establishment of a degree of mutual confidence, Rhu and Hut visited the
Elders for counsel and advice as to their next step, thus permanently
establishing in the minds of their new followers the position the Elders were
to maintain from that time forward. In their slow-working minds was born the
idea that since both Rhu and Hut so valued their help, the Elders were the
beginning and the end of all wisdom. The very tenacity which for thousands of
years had enslaved them to established customs was thus an asset, for having
once accepted the Elders for what they were, nothing short of a cataclysm
would ever change them. |
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