The Acorn-Planter: A California Forest Play

Act II

(A hundred years have passed, when the hillside and the Nishinam in their temporary camp are revealed. The spring is flowing, and Women are filling gourds with water. Red Cloud and Dew- Woman stand apart from their people.)

[Shaman] (Pointing.)

Red Cloud is sick. He lives in dreams. Ever he dreams of the wonders of the Sun Man.

[Red Cloud] The Sun Man was strong. The Sun Man was a life-maker. The Sun Man planted acorns, and cut quickly with a knife not of bone nor stone, and of grasses and hides made cunning cloth that is better than all grasses and hides. --Old Man, where is the cunning cloth that is better than all grasses and hides?

[Old Man]

(Old Man hands piece of cloth to Red Cloud.)

[Red Cloud] (Admiring cloth.) The Sun Man was an acorn-planter, and we killed the Sun Man. We were not kind. We made a blood-debt. Blood-debts are not good.

[Shaman] The Sun Man lied. His brothers did not come after. There is no blood-debt when there is no one to make us pay.

[Red Cloud] He who plants acorns reaps food, and food is life. He who sows war reaps war, and war is death.

[People] (Encouraged by Shaman and War Chief to drown out Red Cloud's voice.)

[Red Cloud] (Shaking his head.) His brothers of the Sun are coming after. I have reports.

(Red Cloud beckons one after another of the young hunters to speak)

[First Hunter] To the south, not far, I wandered and lived with the Petaluma. With my eyes I did not see, but it was told me by those whose eyes had seen, that still to the south, not far, were many Sun Men--war chiefs who carry the thunder in their hands; cloth-makers and weavers of cloth like to that in Red Cloud's hand; acorn-planters who plant all manner of strange seeds that ripen to rich harvests of food that is good. And there had been trouble. The Petaluma had killed Sun Men, and many Petaluma had the Sun Men killed.

[Second Hunter] To the east, not far, I wandered and lived with the Solano. With my own eyes I did not see, but it was told me by those whose eyes had seen, that still to the east, not far, and just beyond the lands of the Tule tribes, were many Sun Men-- war chiefs and cloth-makers and acorn-planters. And there had been trouble. The Solano had killed Sun Men, and many Solano had the Sun Men killed.

[Third Hunter] To the north, and far, I wandered and lived with the Klamath. With my own eyes I did not see, but it was told me by those whose eyes had seen, that still to the north, and far, were many Sun Men--war chiefs and cloth-makers and acorn-planters. And there had been trouble. The Klamath had killed Sun Men, and many Klamath had the Sun Men killed.

[Fourth Hunter] To the west, not far, three days gone I wandered, where, from the mountain, I looked down upon the great sea. With my own eyes I saw. It was like a great bird that swam upon the water. It had great wings like to our great trees here. And on its back I saw men, many men, and they were Sun Men. With my own eyes I saw.

[Red Cloud] We shall be kind to the Sun Men when they come among us.

[War Chief] (Dancing stiff-legged.)

(The dance grows wilder, the Shaman and War Chief encouraging it, while Red Cloud and Dew-Woman stand sadly at a distance.)

(Rifle shots ring out from every side. Up the hillside appear Sun Men firing rifles. The Nishinam reel to death from their dancing.)

(Red Cloud shields Dew-Woman with one arm about her, and with the other arm makes the peace-sign)

(The m******e is complete, Dew-Woman and Red Cloud being the last to fall. Red Cloud, wounded, the sole survivor, rests on his elbow and watches the Sun Men assemble about their leader)

(The Sun Men are the type of pioneer Americans who, even before the discovery of gold, were already drifting across the Sierras and down into Oregon and California with their oxen and great wagons. With here and there a Rocky Mountain trapper or a buckskin-clad scout of the Kit Carson type, in the main they are backwoods farmers. All carry the long rifle of the period.)

(The Sun Man is buckskin-clad, with long blond hair sweeping his shoulders.)

[Sun Men] (Led by Sun Man.)

[Sun Man] (Glancing about at the slain and at the giant forest.) Good the day, good the deed, and good this California land.

[Red Cloud] Not with these eyes, but with other eyes in my lives before, have I beheld you. You are the Sun Man.

(The attention of all is drawn to Red Cloud, and they group about him and the Sun Man.)

[Sun Man] Call me White Man. Though in truth we follow the sun. All our lives have we followed the sunset sun, as our fathers followed it before us.

[Red Cloud] And you slay us with the thunder in your hand.

You slay us because we slew your brothers.

[Sun Man] (Nodding to Red Cloud and addressing his own followers) You see, it was no mistake. He confesses it. Other white men have they slain.

[Red Cloud] There will come a day when men will not slay men and when all men will be brothers. And in that day all men will plant acorns.

[Sun Man] You speak well, brother.

[Red Cloud] Ever was I for peace, but in war I did not command. Ever I sought the secrets of the growing things, the times and seasons for planting. Ever I planted acorns, making two black oak trees grow where one grew before. And now all is ended. Oh my black oak acorns! My black oak acorns! Who will plant them now?

[Sun Man] Be of good cheer. We, too, are planters. Rich is your land here. Not from poor soil can such trees sprout heavenward. We will plant many seeds and grow mighty harvests.

[Red Cloud] I planted the short acorns in the valley. I planted the long acorns in the valley. I made food for life.

[Sun Man] You planted well, brother, but not well enough. It is for that reason that you pass. Your fat valley grows food but for a handful of men. We shall plant your fat valley and grow food for ten thousand men.

[Red Cloud] Ever I counseled peace and planting.

[Sun Man] Some day all men will counsel peace. No man will slay his fellow. All men will plant.

[Red Cloud] But before that day you will slay, as you have this day slain us?

[Sun Man] You killed our brothers first. Blood-debts must be paid. It is man's way upon the earth. But more, O brother! We follow the sunset sun, and the way before us is red with war. The way behind us is white with peace. Ever, before us, we make room for life. Ever we slay the squalling crawling things of the wild. Ever we clear the land and destroy the weeds that block the way of life for the seeds we plant. We are many, and many are our brothers that come after along the way of peace we blaze. Where you make two black oaks grow in the place of one, we make an hundred. And where we make one grow, our brothers who come after make an hundred hundred.

[Red Cloud] Truly are you the Sun Man. We knew about you of old time. Our old men knew and sang of you:

SONG OF THE PIONEERS

[Sun Men]

(The hillside begins to darken.)

[Red Cloud] (Faintly.)

The darkness is upon me. You are acorn- planters. You are my brothers. The darkness is upon me and I pass.

[Sun Men] (As total darkness descends.)