The Good Pazyryk

 
 

Vocabulary

access	multifold	wounded
gold	dispute	waterway
route	tradition	trade route
glance	custom	dominate
trust	territory	suspicious
vulgar	civilized	look down on
path	donkey	merchant
jar	beat up	mushroom
sack	pass (2)	leap/leapt/leapt
goods	boulder	merchandise
care	assault	lie/lay/lain
able	ground	get along
hurt	tension	shine/shone/shone
hunt	struggle	bow and arrow
bush	dress (2)	steal/stole/stolen
wipe	recover	bid farewell
inn	cry out	innkeeper

 
 
 

Conflicts and Tensions

For as long as anyone could remember, the Pazyryks and Tashenels had wars with each other. The reasons for this were multifold: land disputes, access to waterways, gold and silver, control of trade routes, and who would dominate whom.

Even when they were not fighting, the two groups did not get along with each other due to differences in their language, religion, customs and traditions.

In general, the Pazyryks did not trust the Tashenel, and the Tashenels were suspicious of the Pazyryks. And both groups looked down upon the other as vulgar and uncivilized.

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The Merchant

One day, a Tashenel merchant was leading his donkeys on a path toward town. They carried jars of honey and sacks of mushrooms, nuts and dried fruit.

Suddenly, three men leapt from behind some boulders onto the path. “Give us all your merchandise!” they said to the merchant in perfect Tashenel.

“No, these are mine,” replied the merchant. “I’m taking them to market. If you would like them, you can buy them there.”

The three men then began assaulting the merchant. They beat him up and took his donkeys with their goods.

The merchant lay on the ground, badly wounded, and unable to move.

Help Me

Sometime later, another Tashenel merchant came down the road. The first merchant cried out for help. The second merchant continued walking and passed the first merchant without looking at him.

Next, a Tashenel priest came by.

“Oh, please help me!” cried the merchant as he lay on the ground. “I’m hurt and need help. Please help me — or I will die!”

The priest also walked past the merchant without glancing at him.

The Bright Sun

The day wore on. The sky was clear and the sun shone intensely.

Then a Pazyryk hunter carrying a bow and arrow, and a large knife came down the road.

As the hunter came neared, the merchant struggled to move into the bushes, but he could not manage, and so laid still.

The hunter ran up to the merchant.

“NO!” cried the merchant.
“What happened to you?” said the hunter in the Pazyryk language.

They could not understand each other, but the hunter gave the merchant some water from his flask. He wiped and dressed his wounds. Then the hunter helped the merchant on his feet.

Together they slowly walked into town.

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

The Inn

When they got there, the hunter brought the merchant to an inn.

“But I have no money; it was all stolen,” said the merchant.

Nevertheless, the hunter brought him inside. The hunter explained what had happened to the innkeeper and gave her some money.

And with that the hunter bid the merchant farewell and left the inn.

With the care of the innkeeper, a Pazyryk, the Tashenel merchant soon made a full recovery.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 

Questions

1. The Pazyryks and Tashenels have been traditional enemies with each other. True or false? Why were they enemies with each other?

2. What was the merchant doing? What did he have?

3. Did the merchant sell his goods in the town market? Why couldn’t he sell his merchandise in the market?

4. Everyone helped the injured merchant. Is this correct or incorrect?

5. Did they go back to the merchant’s house?

6. There an irony or paradox in this story. Is this right or wrong?

7. Is there a moral or lesson in this story?

 
 

A. Does this sound familiar? Have you heard it before?

B. Are there any ethnic tensions in your neighborhood, city, country?

C. All my friends are the same ethnicity as me. Yes or no?

D. Is there a lot of cooperation, collaboration and partnerships among different ethnicities and nationalities?

E. What will happen in the future?