Ishi: Last of His Tribe Chapter Summary & Analysis | The Moon Seasons Section 1

The Moon Seasons Section 1 Summary

The village of Tuliyani sleeps beneath a morning mist in Yuna Canyon. Ishi, a young Yahi boy, awakens before everyone else and leaves the men's house ("watgurwa") to hike to his secret prayer place on Black Rock. He is quiet so as not to wake his Mother, Grandmother and cousin, who are asleep in the next house. Ishi's secret place, at the top of Black Rock in a shallow, water-worn depression, allows him to see everywhere in the canyon without being seen. Ishi likes to climb Black Rock and watch the morning mists melt off, as the god Jupka once did in the old days. This is Ishi's world, the world of the Yahi people. However, Ishi is waiting for one thing.

Ishi awaits the appearance of the Monster. Each day, Ishi sees the Monster walk through the valley below. The smoke that pours from its head and hangs in...
(read more)