Ronald, a young 19 year old car service employee in Bardejov, suffered a head injury in 2003 when he fell into a service pit. Even through his athletic body and strong will he couldn't avert the consequences of this fall. He was hospitalized in the bardejov hospital. He fell into a coma for two and a half months. When he woke up from the coma everything suggested that his rehabilitation will be going well. And it went. However it wasn't the same Ronald everyone knew. Ronald didn't remember who he was. He claimed that he wasn't the person everyone thought he was, but that he is an indian hunter from Yukon in Canada. Supposedly he owns a white horse named Haliko. From the first day he woke up he couldn't recognize his surroundings and his family members. He couldn't even recognize Bardejov and he couldn't understand how he got to an unknown country. At the request of Ronald's family, his case was accepted by an experienced psychologist. At each visit to the hospital psychologist Daren, an elderly man, brought a notebook and recorded every conversation on a dictaphone. The first time Ronald was able to communicate Daren came to visit him in the afternoon. He sat down on a stool near his bed, took out his notebook and asked Ronald if he could record the whole conversation. Ronald agreed, he was even very willing to tell his story, so Daren turned on his dictaphone, looked at Ronald and asked:
"Ronald, what is the last thing you remember? Do you remember the fall to the service pit?"
"No, I don't remember it! The last thing I remember is being near river Yukon. Sometimes, when i want to relax from the big hunt I fish salmons in a nearby river with my spear." The psychologist didn't hide his astonishment and was stunned by what he just heard. "Well, Ronald, have you ever read some literature about indians in Yukon?"
"No, I have never read something like that, I am an indian and we do not read books."
"Hmm… then, where were you born? And what is your name?"
" I was born in Yukon under the big mountain in the Tawanga tribe. My name is Orico. Our tribe is mainly formed by hunters. We take care of food in our tribe… we also supply the other tribes in Yukone."
"How old are you? Are you married?"
" I'm 21 years old and my wife's name is Aimara. She is 20. We don't marry like you do. We unify our lives when the moon is rounded to the full, and the river is filled with fish. It is a sign of the union of man and woman from our tribe."
Psychologist wrote notes after every question. Names, connections and other oddities, which the young car mechanic had no way of knowing. The hospital's head doctor estimated Ronalds rehabilitation for two weeks. The psychologist knew that he still had enough time to undertake a few sessions with Ronald, but also to study the available materials to create a psychological profile. After a week of sessions with Ronald the psychologist had an idea. He decided to verify his client's statements, so he and the hospital's staff decided to do an experiment. He brought two 1 meter long ropes to Ronald's room. Two sisters and a head doctor came out of curiosity too. And Ronald, even though he didn't understand what was going on,stayed calm even though he saw the ropes the psychologist held in his hands.
"Ronald, I decided to do a little test," the psychologist began to explain.
"You claim that you are not Ronald, but an indian called Orico from Yukon. You claim that you are a hunter. The hunters of the Tawanga tribe master various rope knotting techniques they use to hunt. I read it in a book. Please, if you are a hunter of the Tawanga tribe, show us at least one hunting knot."
Silence filled the room and everyone was staring at Ronald. He sat down, grabbed two ropes ,looked at the psychologist and said: "watch closely. First knot to tie a horse to a tree. Second knot to secure the load to horse. Third knot for hanging fish over the fire. Fourth knot on spear for salmon fishing. Sixth knot to attach bait for attracting animals. Seventh knot to attach the cargo on kanoe - it's a narrow boat for fishing…"
Everyone was astonished by ronalds fast and swift fingers as they tied one knot after another. He was so skilled that it was clear that he had to do it daily and for a long time. Everyone now saw his agility, swiftness and proficiency. He showed everyone that he can with no problem tie exactly 45 hunting knots. After he finished everyone astonished by what they just saw stood silently around Ronald for a moment. Even the head doctor who thought that he made everything up or even that he was crazy, didn't know what to think. The psychologist finished up his notes, turned to the hospital staff and began to clarify: "As a leading psychologist with long experience I can tell you with certainty that no car mechanic who works in this city, has a chance of having such skills and knowledge like Ronald. It is outstanding! I decided to keep looking into this till the very end. In the history of psychology and psychiatry we had cases where patients who overcame head injuries and subsequently lost consciousness or even fell into a coma, after waking up were able to play the piano or had skills they had never known before. However this is the first time a case of exchanged personalities appeared, maybe it's a personality from a past life. I still have to determine exactly what the phenomenon is in this case. In the meanwhile Ronald muttered something in an unknown language. The psychologist noticed and asked him what he said. Ronald explained that he was already very tired, but sometimes he did talk to his loved ones from Yukon in his mind. He fluently spoke the language of the Tawanga tribe. The psychologist was amazed.
After this the psychologist stopped going to the hospital, because Ronald was soon to be released anyway. He assumed that they would later agree on checkups at his office.Prognosis of Ronald's treatment has so far been clear only in that he will stay in home treatment and will not be able to return to work so soon.
When Ronald was released it was no happy time for him. He didn't recognise anything at home, not even his own parents. In the evening he stayed in his room and during the night he walked through the garden. He felt uneasy. He missed his home. His true home. Not this one in Bardejov. He missed Aimara and the times they wandered through Yukon on horses.
He missed evenings by fire roasting hares and salmon with other members of the tribe. He wasn't very excited about the idea of living in Bardejov, he felt strange there… He felt that his home was on the other side of the world, where the Yukon River flows through a beautiful prairie, full of animals ntended for hunting. He missed his wigwam, in which he spent nights with Aimara.
He felt a growing desire for his homeland. It started suffocating him and his Bardejov's family was also unhappy with the whole situation.During the coma a mother lost her son and when he awoke instead of her son, she got back some kind of Yukon Indian in Ronald's body. Ronald's mother took it very hard and often went to church to pray for her son to come back. The father took this situation with some distance because he did not want to make it unnecessary commotion.
Since Ronald awakened from his coma, the media became interested in his case. "Radio Expres" and others. People were interested in Ronald's strange case more and more as the time went by. He gained admirers. One day, when he was on the radio for a live broadcast, the moderator asked him if he ever planned to return to his original life in Canada. Ronald nodded and really soon started to make a plan to travel to his native Yukon in Canada. In one article in the newspaper, Ronald explained how the Tawangs live in Yukon. The details he described there really were breathing to travel writers, ethnologists and specialists who were interested in Indians in general. After they published the article there was a real stir in the expert circles,for it has enriched their theories with knowledge from Native American lives.
Ronald hated his Bardejov house and often slept in front of the house in the garden. He set up a tent similar to wigwam as the Indians had. It was only a matter of time before the rod of truth was broken. In the fall of 2004 Ronald decided to leave Bardejov, which he still did not consider his home. He applied for entry visas to Canada and as a reason to leave he put in "return to family." After a month, he received an answer from the Canadian Embassy to come in person in a week and confirm what he had stated in the application. On the designated day he arrived at the embassy at the agreed hour. He waited in the hallway for about ten minutes, then the secretary invited him in. The ambassador sitting at the table, gestured for Ronald to sit down on. The whole conversation was conducted in English.
"Welcome to the embassy. So you want to return home as you stated in the application. We all know what happened to you. We were basically just waiting for you to contact us. But I wonder if it won't be dangerous for you. What if the Tawangs won't take you in? What if they call you a liar and also punish you? You know very well that the laws of Canada and the modern world do not apply in the reservations. The Indians in the reservation run their own lives and have their own laws. That could end bad for you. "
Ronald thought hard, even doubted for a moment.
"Well, it's a risk for me, but the call home is so strong that I can't control myself anymore. I want to go back home to my tribe and especially to my Aimara. I can't wait to see her again."
In the meanwhile the ambassador was calling someone in Canada. He was arguing with someone. When he hung up, he stood up, then sat down at the table in front of Ronald.
"We have reached an agreement with a Canadian organization that works closely with the Indians in Yukon. We will allow you entry into Canada. When you arrive in the Yukon, check in at this office. You will be assigned an official to enter the Tawang territory with you. You will be accompanied by the media, television and various radios ... It will be better that way. This way, your entire trip will be paid from media sources and at the same time, people around the world will know about your case. The official will go with you to the border with the Indians and will be present on your first visit to the reservation. If the Tawangs accept you among themselves, the official will return. Your unbelievable story will break the media audience records. If you are not accepted, the official will take you back to the office, and you will have to return to Europe. This is our agreement, because we are also responsible for your safety and the success of the whole situation. "
Ronald no longer objected, thanking for the help and visa to Canada. When he returned home, journalists and various photographers were already waiting in front of the house. He was a media star. After that, many other people from all over the world had to follow his steps on the way to Canada. He spent the last days locked in his house with his parents, although, as he claimed, he was never their son. But all the relatives have already accepted his decision and come to terms with the whole situation. If that's the case, let it happen. When everyone got together in the house and had dinner for the last time, his mom was still trying to restore Ronald's memory with photos from his childhood. But it was a waste of effort. Ronald did not recognize himself in the photos or the environment in which he was in the photos. Finally, his mother gave up. It was in vain.
On the morning of October 1, 2004, Ronald got on a bus to Krakow Airport. His long journey to the Canadian Yukon began. The journey, which lasts about 20 hours and waiting at the airport terminals, did not cause Ronald any wrinkles and did not cause him any fatigue. He was happy and could not wait to enter his beloved home - the Yukon. After a long flight over the Atlantic Ocean, the plane landed in Montreal, Canada. Ronald boarded another plane - and that was his expected flight to the Yukon. The flight lasted several hourse and he could see massive mountains, dense forests, rivers … Ronald was incredibly happy that he will soon see his homeland. After landing at Yukon Airport, Ronald began to feel tired, but he was persistent in deciding to rest when he returns home to Aimara. You sat down in a seat at the terminal, and waited for the official, as agreed through the embassy. After half an hour of waiting, an older man showed up at the terminal holding a sign with the name Orico in his hand. Ronald jumped off the bench and headed to him. He introduced himself as Ronald and at the same time as Orico from the Tawang tribe. The official introduced himself as Jack and pointed to the east of the terminal.
"Well, Orico, everyone here knows you by this name and await your arrival. There are journalists outside, various media ... you have to handle it. We'll get in our jeep and go to the Indian territory. Be polite to journalists and everything will be fine. Leave everything to me, I'll tell you what you have to do."
When they left the airport terminal, they were immediately approached by a crowd of journalists. What Ronald could answer, he answered. They immediately got into the jeep and set off for the three-hour journey to the reservation. During the trip they were followed by journalists and even a helicopter from a certain TV appeared above them. All cameras and the cameras were aimed at the jeep in which they drove. After a two-hour journey, the surroundings around the road changed into trees, forests, mountains ... no more buildings could be seen. They were in the Yukonian Rocky hills. The driver slowed down as they passed through a forest path between trees. Journalists followed them and sometimes had trouble going through some sections of the forest road as their cars were not adapted to such terrain. In front of the jeep, a large wooden fence began to appear in the distance. The whole column of cars slowed and soon stopped completely. Ronald and Jack were the first ones to get out of the car. Many journalists and moderators took their equipment and followed Ronald to the wooden fence. It was exactly half past three in the afternoon. They all stopped at a long wooden fence. So far no one was seen anywhere, so the journalists had still time to interview Ronald. They were mainly interested in what he feels like, traveling to the unknown and whether he is not worried about the forthcoming meeting with the Indians. Suddenly horse riders appeared in the distance. They stopped about twenty meters away from the fence and on foot came to the entrance. One of them opened the door. They were all young hunters of the Tawang tribe. They stood around the dam, looking towards the woods. It was clear that they were waiting for someone. The young Indians did not communicate with anyone, they just stood and waited. After a while, other inhabitants of the reservation emerged from the trees. Older Indians walked ahead, followed by women and children. When they came to the fence, among the older Indians chiefs emerged and walked close to Ronald. All the cameras focused on this scene to record it for the media. There was absolute silence. Ronald knelt on the ground in front of the oldest. Tawang chief. The chief responded immediately and turned to his men. He was explaining something to them. Everyone agreed. Ronald's guide Jack, an expert on Native American life, wanted to say something to the chief because he understood their language, but the chief gestured to him not to say anything. Native American asked Ronald something in his native language, and he answered. The chief did not hide his surprise that this white man from Europe speaks his language. He gestured to the people behind him and they all began to part. They formed one row on the left where the women stood and the other row on the right where the children stood. Everyone around them kept quiet and watched what would happen. The old chief stepped closer to Ronald and his guide. He started talking and Jack was simultaneously translating it to the press.
"I am the oldest chief of the Tawang tribe. My name is the Green River Eagle. A hunter named Orico lived in our tribe. He was killed by hunters from an enemy tribe while hunting, when they crossed our forests. He was the best hunter we had. Now you, you white men come, and you say that this man from Europe is our Orico. However, we will soon see the truth. Do nothing, just look and wait. "
Everyone was tense about what was going to happen. The chief gave instruction to a young hunters. They all dismounted and meanwhile other hunters brought four more horses of different colors. Then they put them all side by side. Together exactly ten horses stood contentedly in front of the fence. Chief approached Ronald again and uttered his verdict.
"If you are a man from Europe, our Orico, show us which one of the horses belongs to you. Then jump on him and prove that he will listen to you. This is the first of three tasks that await you. "
Ronald didn't hesitate and stepped forward. He headed for the white horse, the third from the left. He stroked his long neck and spoke his name. Haliko. Then he swung up into the saddle and gently tapped the horse by the side. The horse turned and trotted around the enclosure with a slight trot and returned. It was clear that the horse recognized it's owner. The chief was amazed and a heated debate broke out among the Indians. The chief again gestured for them to be silent. Ronald jumped off the white Halik and returned to the chief.
He spoke again: "If you are one of us, you should be able to use a hunting bow. We'll give you one and you'll show us how you hit one pillar with three arrows which we'll build for you."
He gestured to an Indian, who took a wooden pillar and walked about a hundred paces away from the whole group of people. He built a wooden pillar in the distance and shouted something. The chief handed Ronald a hunting bow and arrows. Ronald took the bow in his hand without hesitation, drew an arrow from its holster,and knelt on the ground. He drew his bow like a child's toy and fired an arrow. The Indian in the distance shouted something and Ronald fired a second time. The Indian shouted again and Ronald fired a third time. This time the Indian did not shout anything, just took the wooden pillar with him and brought it in front of the chief. The chief was amazed again, but so were the others as they looked at the pillar from which were sticking out. three arrows. Again, a heated debate broke out among the Indians. But after a while they fell silent and the chief spoke again: "All right, man from Europe. Now look ahead. You see young and old women of our tribe. Our hunter Orico was connected under the full moon with one of them. If you are our Orico hunter, come to that woman and bring her to me."
The journalists lost their breath, there was an absolute silence. Ronald smiled at the chief and walked over to the women who stood up in one row. At the end of the line stood the tenth woman. A young woman who might have been in her twenties. Her long black hair was fastened at the sides, and her brown long dress had Tawang patterns. Ronald grabbed her left hand and took her to the chief. As they stood before the chief, Ronald told him in Indian, "This is my Aimara, the midnight heron."
The chief shouted something in his native language, raising his hands above him. All the Indians greeted their hunter Orica. Jack walked over to the chief and they were talking about something. Then he nodded at Ronald and explained:
"The Chief has accepted you as his hunter Orica. So welcome in the Tawanga tribe, in the tribe of the best hunters. It's a successfully completed case for us. After closing this wooden fence, you become an Orico Indian and the laws of our world will no longer apply to you. You will belong to Native American territory, which has its own customs and laws. Do you agree with it?"
Ronald agreed and signed the form, where it was black on white. They shook hands and the photo traveled around the world with Orico and Aimara. This story has been around for a long time as a topic to writing many books. Journalists and officials went back to the modern world and a young Indian named Orico closed a wooden fence. He got up on his white horse with Aimara by his side. All the Indians, led by the oldest chief, took a slow pace and in silence set out on a journey to the Yukon River.
THE END
Name of Original: Orico Tawanga
Author: ©Brandon McYntire
Publishing House: Branko Mateja – self-publisher
Edition: First edition
Stylistic Revision: www.jaspravim.sk
Translate to english: www.jaspravim.sk
Creation of Book Cover: ©Branko Mateja
Photo on Book Cover: www.pixabay.com/mohamed_hassan
Michalovce City 2020, Slovakia EU
ISBN: 978-80-973661-6-2