Background: Nancee and I first met in the Women and Religion class this last semester.  It was from this class that this story was written for.  The assignment that Professor Zussman assigned was to create a story that incorporated the myriad of topics that had been covered in the class.  In my opinion, Nancee completed the project with flying colors and even though she claims to not be a writer, once you read this story I think you will all agree that Nancee is indeed a writer with talent. Disclaimer: Nancee?s story requires no disclaimer because it is her own creation.  It?s concept of the Anastazie are her own theorys of what may have happened to the Native American?s who once lived in Chaco Canyon. Comments are greatly appreciated and will be forwarded to the author:   Nancee Little                                                                                                                   L. Crystal Michallet
	The Last Ceremony Closing the Great Kiva by Nancee Little Copyright © May 2001  Nancee Little All Rights Reserved
It is two days until the rise of the full moon, and there is only one young girl from our city who has become a woman during the waning.  Women have been arriving for several days to participate in the ceremony.  All of them are worried about the continued existence of the tribe and want to express the concerns from their cities.  Each month there are fewer young women who come for the ritual, and the men grow restless.  The men talk among themselves of forcing us to move to a more hospitable land, yet the women wait for Earth Mother to provide us guidance.  Our people are dying, and fewer children are being born.  This month when the women go to the kiva, we must decide whether to allow the men to lead us from our home.  The priestesses from the nearby cities will participate in the quest for enlightenment.  They will take the message back to their homes. Our home, Great Earth Mother gave this land to the People.  She knew it would be hard for us, but She has always provided with the help of Sky Father.  The People are part of nature, and it is necessary for us to live in harmony with not only the land and the animals, but also the elements that Sky Father sends us.  Our village rituals and ceremonies remind us of the uncertainty of our daily lives and how intricately related we are to our four-footed sisters and brothers.  The ceremonies also remind us of the love for Earth Mother and our place in the universe. Our family, our home, and the fields are considered one. Because the woman is the heart of these, she is the caretaker.  We trace our family through our mother, so all of the family possessions belong to her.  Just as my ancestors have done, when I took a husband, Smiling Eyes, he built a house for me that I have repaired and preserved for our family.  Smiling Eyes is an expert farmer and an agile hunter.  He brings his harvest and kills to me for their proper use.  My responsibility is preparing the food for our family and bartering with other women to gain meat and vegetables that we do not have.  Smiling Eyes is taller than most of the men and is a natural leader.  We do not pursue positions of leadership.  That is offensive to Earth Mother and Sky Father.   My role as the high priestess was passed to me by my mother who led the women for fifteen years before her death. Caught between the shifting changes of Earth Mother and Sky Father, we learned to be resourceful and adapted to the harsh environment.  Our men are patient and often move the fields because the sandy soil Earth Mother gave us was blown away from the hard clay that lies beneath by the angry gales sent by Sky Father.  In the past, Sky Father demonstrated his remorse by sending rain and snow to assist our men with the cultivation of the corn and squash.  Many moons have passed since we have seen rain. Smiling Eyes often shares the frustration that the men feel with me.  They know he can impart their concerns to me without losing face.  Smiling Eyes is a bold, brave, and courageous leader of our men.  They believe Sky Father is guiding Smiling Eyes with His spirit.  The men love and respect their mothers, wives, and daughters, but are losing the battle to meet the needs of the family.  The men continue to ask Sky Father for rain, but to no avail.  Winter was especially hard for us this year; many of the elders and our babies rejoined Earth Mother. Smiling Eyes trusts that I will lead the women in finding the answer for the tribe and that Earth Mother will once again take care of us.  Our people made major migrations in the past.  The stories of the hardships of the trail are told by the elders for the edification and training of the young.  Many of the tribal rituals, some lasting for as much as nine days, include references to specific hunts, healings, or plants discovered on the journeys that continue to aid the people today.  I pray that this will be our home for many more seasons but some of the women feel, as do the men, that Earth Mother has abandoned us.  Several clans vacated many of our sister cities. We rely on the favor and blessings of Earth Mother to maintain harmony with the spirit world to bring rain and cures. We value modesty, sobriety, and the avoidance of conflict.  The drought not only made food scarce, but skirmishes break out between the People over the use of what food is available.  Competitiveness and aggression are sins, and, in the past, those who exhibited these traits were accused of witchcraft, which is the worst offense.  These sins did not happen often, but when they did, the offender was hung by his hands until he confessed.  Now there is much dissension. As the women grind the last of the corn and prepare for the ritual, I remember when I first heard the wonderful story of the origin of the People.  Times were happier then, food was more plentiful, and the women sang joyfully as they worked.  As the young women come of age with the full moon, they hear the story as I did.  Only now I am the storyteller, and I fear this will be the last time it will be told in the Great Kiva. It was less than twenty years ago when I came to womanhood, and there were many others joining the ranks with me.  My best friend, White Feather, and I were initiated together.  We had always talked of sharing this special day together, but we both knew that the possibility existed that we might not.  Fourteen days prior to the ceremony, White Feather was grinding meal when she felt the cramps in her stomach and went to her mother for confirmation of her menses.  I rejoiced with her, but felt sad that we would not get to share the ceremony together.  However, two days later I thanked Earth Mother for taking pity on me, I too felt the first cramps of womanhood and rejoiced.  White Feather and I giggled in excitement and ran to tell the other girls who would be joining us in the kiva.