looks out over the ocean and frowns.

在漁民的寺廟， 村中的薩滿巫師凱克索

It's a still morning– unusually still,

遠望向海洋的另一端並皺起眉頭。

and the lack of wind is the latest in a series of troubling signs.

此時還是早晨—— 無風到十分不尋常，

The year is 1400 BCE.

已經出現了一系列不祥徵兆， 沒有風是最近的一個徵兆。

Quexo's village sits in the dusty, treeless desert

這一年是西元前 1400 年。

between the towering Andes and Pacific Ocean.

凱克索的村落座落在 滿是塵土又沒有樹木的沙漠裡，

The villagers live off the sea, harvesting reeds,

夾在高聳的安地斯山脈 和太平洋之間。

drying them in the sun, and using them to build fishing boats.

村民住在海邊，收割蘆葦，

Every day in the summer,

在太陽底下曬乾，用來建造漁船。

the men set out on these boats to hunt shark and other fish

夏天的每一天，

while the women harvest shellfish and sea urchins.

男性都要乘這些船隻出海， 去獵捕鯊魚和其他魚類，

In winter, storms bring powerful waves, which cross the vast ocean unobstructed

女性則要採集貝殼和海膽。

to detonate on these shores.

冬天，暴風雨會帶來威猛的海浪，

Most years, Quexo's village catches more than enough fish.

通行無阻橫越浩瀚的海洋，

But this year, the winds have died and the fish have dwindled.

炸在這些海岸上。

Quexo has seen this pattern before:

幾乎每一年，凱克索的村落 都能捕捉到足量的魚類。

the fish disappear, then the violent rains arrive,

但今年，沒有風，魚類也減少了。

causing flash floods that dissolve mud bricks and wash away settlements.

凱克索以前見過這種模式：

He needs to stop the bad weather before the storms come—

魚類消失，接著暴雨襲來，

his only hope is a special ritual he's been planning.

造成突來的水災，導致泥磚溶解，

Quexo spends much less time in the ocean than the other villagers.

居住地被沖刷走。

He became a shaman after seeing a sign in the sea one morning—

他必須要在暴風雨來臨之前 阻止惡劣的天氣——

like his father and grandfather before him.

唯一的希望

This morning,

是他一直在盤算的一種特殊儀式。

he walks to the nearby sacred mountain as the sun rises.

相對於其他村民， 凱克索在海上的時間並不多。

There, he gathers ceremonial cactus and herbs like “horse tail,”

有天早晨他看見海洋上的徵兆之後 便成了薩滿巫師——

“stonebreaker," and valerian, along with the mineral hematite.

與他的父親和祖父先前的狀況一樣。

Back in the village, everyone is preparing to leave

這天早晨的日出時， 他走到附近的聖山。

for a religious festival at a large temple inland.

在那裡，他收集了儀式用的 仙人掌和藥草，比如「馬尾草」、

The festival marks the beginning of what is usually the season of abundance,

「珠子草」 、纈草，及赤鐵礦。

but with the signs pointing to storms, Quexo isn't feeling too celebratory.

回到村落時，大家都在準備離開，

Whole families travel to the festival, where they camp for a few days.

前往內陸的一間大型寺廟 參與宗教節慶。

They've packed seaweed, carved bones, gourd bowls, reed mats,

這個節慶通常代表豐收季的開始，

and other goods to trade in the market around the temple.

但因為那些暴風雨將至的徵兆，

Quexo inspects the goods to make sure everything is of the finest quality.

凱克索不是很有心情慶祝。

He brings the herbs he gathered to trade for cinnabar,

全家人會一起到節慶所在， 在那裡紮營住幾天。

a mineral that comes from the highlands in the Andes.

他們打包了海草、 骨頭雕刻、葫蘆碗、

He needs cinnabar for his ritual to ward off the storms.

蘆葦墊以及其他商品，

Around lunchtime, the sprawling temple rises out of the desert ahead.

去寺廟旁的市場交易。

People have come from all along the coast and the foothills.

凱克索檢查確保商品的最佳品質。

The women handle trade transactions— they're looking for cotton and ceramics.

他帶著他收集到的藥草， 要去交換辰砂，

Men aren't usually allowed to do the trading,

辰砂是來自安地斯山脈 高地的一種礦物。

but shamans are an exception.

他需要辰砂，才能進行 阻擋暴風雨的儀式。

Though Quexo is a man, during rituals he becomes half man, half woman,

午餐時分，已經可以看見 寺廟就在前方的沙漠中。

and this ambiguity makes his role more flexible outside ceremonies too.

住在海岸和山角下 各地的人都來到這裡。

Quexo can't find any cinnabar in the market,

女性負責處理交易——

so he heads to the main temple,

她們尋找棉花和陶器。

dodging children playing in the plaza.

通常不允許男性進交易，

He puts on his ceremonial garb: red face paint, earrings,

但薩滿巫師例外。

and a necklace of shark's teeth and vertebrae.

雖然凱克索是男性，

Inside, the ceremonies are already underway,

在儀式時他會變成半男半女，

and the shamans have drunk the sacred cactus drink.

這種模糊性讓他的角色 在儀式外也較有彈性。

Many of them are Quexo's friends from festivals over the years,

凱克索在市場裡找不到任何辰砂，

but he doesn't see the mountain shamans who would have cinnabar.

所以他前往主要的寺廟，

He begins to panic.

躲開在廣場上玩的孩子。

If the highland shamans don't show up,

他換上儀式的裝扮： 臉上塗上紅色顏料，戴上耳環，

his only option will be to make the long walk into the mountains.

以及鯊魚牙齒與脊椎串成的項鍊。

It's a dangerous journey that takes five days,

在寺廟中，儀式已經展開，

precious time he doesn't have to waste.

薩滿巫師們已經喝下了 神聖的仙人掌飲料。

But perhaps he has no choice.

當中有許多是凱克索這些年來 在節慶認識的朋友，

He refuses the sacred cactus and sets off toward the mountains.

但他並沒有看到擁有 辰砂的山薩滿巫師。

As he leaves the settlement behind, he sees a group approaching.

他開始慌了。

He recognizes them as highlanders by their llamas.

如果高地薩滿巫師沒有出現，

He dashes toward their shaman.

他只剩下長途跋涉 進入山中一個選項。

Barely pausing to say hello, he offers him hematite, dried seaweed,

這是個需要五天的危險旅程，

and empty shells to grind up for lime and chew with coca leaves.

他沒有時間可以浪費了。

In return, the other shaman gives him the precious cinnabar.

但也許他沒有選擇。

With the key to his ritual in hand,

他謝絕了神聖的仙人掌， 啟程前往山中。

Quexo heads home to the temple of the fisherman

在他離開聚居地之後， 看見有一群人接近。

in hopes of turning the tide.

從他們的駱駝可以看出 他們是高地人。