I think I missed a few things last year.

It seems that the shaman has more of a part in the recognition of a new baby by the group than I realized. The shaman of the group the mother is from presents the baby, and plays a part in the ceremonial naming. All very reasonable—the shaman is the one who would know who the mother is.

The problem is that Songbird was not in a group with a shaman when little WildDog was born.

And they want me to stand as shaman at his recognition.

They’re very deferential about it, but it seems that neither Meerkat nor Giraffe is acceptable.  I’d be willing, but I can’t help worrying what effect this is going to have on WildDog’s status with the group. Hard as I’ve tried to dissuade them, they still look on me as a god.

I had a private talk with Rain Cloud to find out just what is expected of a shaman sponsoring a child. “Just hold the child up so everyone can see him, give his name and say that he is the child of Songbird,” he assured me. “A child is given a token, strung on a cord around his neck – you must have seen Songbird’s – to show he is one of us. Shall I find something?” But he felt a little doubtful.

Suddenly I remembered seeing a green outcrop of rock far west of my first landing site. I’d been interested enough to smooth a face, and remembered how the markings reminded me of storm clouds. I could smooth a bit into a disk with a hole to hang around the baby’s neck. “I’ll find something appropriate,” I assured Rain Cloud.