Damasha John Cooper’s Peer Relationships with the Indians

98 lessons quickly. As their sharing ideas lasts, John Cooper is astonished by the meaning of “Human Sacrifice”. John Cooper, despite the fact that Narkinawa has explained him the means of worshiping the Morning Star, cannot rationally accept this term afterwards. John Cooper shook his head but remained silent. “The enormity of this religious act struck at his nature, yet he knew that it would be both tactless and dangerous to denounce it” p. 234. John Cooper appreciates it as the nature of his friend’s belief, even though both of theirs are different. He also realizes that it will cause dispute and irritation if he rebukes what his peer expresses about his beliefs. As a responsive act of what Narkinawa has done to him, John Cooper shares his hunting with and teach him how to use and reload ‘Long Girl’, his rifle. This generates their mutual relationship into the higher step of appreciating other’s feeling and nature.

4.3.1.4 Damasha

Damasha is the daughter of Weshtimago, the tribal chief of Dakota Sioux, whom the Skidi Pawnee have kidnapped her in order to serve her as the human sacrifice to their “Mother Corn”. John Cooper recognizes her when Narkinawa explains him about the human sacrifice ceremony. He searches more information about who will be the sacrifice. Narkinawa tells that it will be the girl from the other tribe. Her name is Damasha. John Cooper intends to save her form being the human sacrifice. From the moment he plans to save Damasha, it is the beginning of their relationship. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 99 After John Cooper takes Damasha out of the village of Skidi Pawnee on the day before the sacrificial ceremony is held, he and Damasha must undergo days of journey northwest. John Cooper builds his relationship with Damasha along the way to the Dakota Sioux village. Although she speaks no words to him, but only signs and gestures. John Cooper learns from Damasha how both of them must double back their horse path in order to harden the pursuers of the Skidi Pawnee. In this phase, John Cooper also learns how to behave with a girl in very polite ways that will prevent him from being impolite. Without any single word that comes from Damasha’s mouth, both of them share their ideas about directions and weathers. John Cooper is finally accustomed to the weird relationship they build along the way to the Dakota Sioux village. He appreciates her way of remaining silent for some indignant means. John Cooper shoots some animals for their foods. Meanwhile, Damasha manages to cook the meat John Cooper catches pp. 252-256. This indicates the mutual relationship between two of them that one manages to substitute other’s provision, so that both of them can get mutual benefits. On the tenth day, they have reached the territory of Dakota Sioux tribe. Suddenly Damasha makes some signs in the air and some braves come nearer them. Unexpectedly John Cooper is tied by the braves and every time he tries to speak to Damasha, one of the braves cups his mouth with a harsh slap over and over. He tells that it is tribal law that forbids any of the braves, even more a wasichu, to speak to the daughter of the chief except her father himself. John Cooper comprehends why she tends to remain silent these far. Sanimito, the brave PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 100 who has severally cups John Cooper’s mouth, takes him to Weshtimago and tells that his missing daughter has returned with him from far southeast. Damasha also tells his father that John Cooper has saved her form being human sacrifice by the Skidi Pawnee and that he has been very good to her along the way their fleeing from their village pp. 256-261. Weshtimago, after Damasha tells him the truth, welcomes John Cooper with great respect and offers him the highest level of friendship in blood-brother ritual. Damasha accrues her feeling more than just an ordinary friend to John Cooper. She feels that John Cooper is the most proper man she can marry to. The fact that John Cooper has bravely saved her life and treated her politely and demands nothing from her father for what he has done impresses her considerably. Ikinitse, the envious son of Dakota Sioux’s shaman, is engaged to Damasha by the tribal law. However; she gives him no love since she realizes that he wants to marry her for the sake of the chieftainship of her father. Damasha tends to choose John Cooper as she feels that he is more gentle and mightier than Ikinitse himself. Despite the fact that Damasha herself realizes the tribal law that forbids her to speak to any brave, including a wasichu, she always manages to speaks to him secretly and confides her feeling to him. John Cooper realizes the danger of speaking to the daughter of Weshtimago and he has warns her of that, besides he tells that he has no love to her and what he has done to her is merely because of the humanly action. Unfortunately, the relationship between Damasha and John Cooper corners him into the mortal fight between him and Ikinitse. Ikinitse is too envious to know PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 101 that Damasha is falling in love with John Cooper and coincidentally he often finds the forbidden conversation between John Cooper and Damasha. Ikinitse forces John Cooper to fight him to death. The winner will win Damasha and the chieftainship. John Cooper must kill him since he tries to protect himself from Ikinitse’s attack pp. 270-280. John Cooper leaves the Dakota Sioux village all at once, afterwards. He must flee himself and Lije in order to save their life. The mutual relationship that John Cooper has built with Damasha has once again made him accepted in one of the Indian tribe. From the experiences he gets along the journey with Damasha, John Cooper learns the nature of Dakota Sioux tribe and appreciates their way of life as he appreciates his own. The only devastating factor that ruins a good relationship is envy. This is displayed through Ikinitse who is envious of John Cooper that he wants to be the next tribal chief by marrying Damasha.

4.3.1.5 Weshtimago