NovaMundi Stories 3 - Tomagata the unready

Tomagata had sacrificed his childhood and teen years to the divine realms. To study the mysteries of the land, the spirits, the gods, and the language of the long-gone ancestors, he didn’t play, he didn't drink and, while it was not prohibited, he was yet to know the embrace of a woman.

All these sacrifices were not asked from him by the spirits, the gods of even doctrine. He sacrificed all of that willingly so he was able to study at the Cuca near his town; a sacred precinct where priests received their sacred knowledge from elder holy men.

But years had taken their toll. He felt lonely, sad, and longed for the things he missed because of his stay at the Cuca. However, soon he would be a chyquy, a priest in his own right.

Tomagata only had to attend his teacher with the burial rites of their chief’s daughter, who was sadly put to death by a mysterious disease. It was easy, he just needed to carry himself respectfully and attend to whatever the priest requested.

Tomagata had everything ready. With the help of a goldsmith he had made a Tunjo for the dead woman. It was a golden representation of her. Alive in a way, it was both an offering to all spiritual beings and a representation of the woman. He would also bring, at his teacher’s request, some emeralds and yopo seeds.

The emeralds would serve to placate any angry spirits, including the dead woman’s, and to ensure her safe passage to the worlds beyond. The yopo seeds were for his teacher. Consuming them would allow him to see the spirits and guide the girl.

Tomagata smiled. When he got the seeds, the man who sold them felt very comfortable with Tomagata, and confessed consuming some, even without the proper training. He claimed it was the most fun experience he had in his life. Absolute ignorance!

Night fell, and Tomagata and his master walked to the site. His master explained the rite was to take place inside a nearby cave, with an opening to a beautiful lagoon. His master reminded him that all Muiscas came from the water and that caves served as portals; veils to other worlds. A spirit touched by the water, and then guided through a cave, would have an easy time finding its way beyond. Not only that, but with the help of the yopo seeds, he could talk to any spirits, be them of dead people, of the land, or the gods themselves.

For the Muisca there was not much difference between gods and other spirits. The land itself was full of them. The only difference was power and rank.

Before arriving, Tomagata was already feeling as if he were about to doze off. He knew all of this. It was boring, it was repetitive. And so, when they arrived and the priest started to work, Tomagata could only fantasize about finishing his studies and doing the fun things people did, like getting drunk which chicha...

And that’s when he remembered the merchant and what he said about the yopo seeds. What would be the harm in taking a handful and consuming them inside the cave? No one would notice!

And so he did. At the start, nothing happened. But progressively as minutes passed, he noticed how the cave’s walls began to breathe, how the lagoon sang outside, and he felt the earth, the rock, the soil; caressing him. The earth was alive, and the spirits of the land were greeting him!