Chapter 1, Ambassador to Haenam Summary and Analysis

Chapter One opens Part One of the book, World of the Sawi.

The reader first meets Yae, a man from the Sawi village of Mauro. He attempts to strike an alliance with Haenam. In this chapter, as he prepares for the visit to Mauro's all night dance, he remembers how the idea for alliance began. Members of Mauro approached Yae about an alliance between their communities to give them both protection from other enemies that share their borders. Yae sees the proposal as a way to gain prestige among his people. He accepts tokens of Kauwan's friendship and begins negotiations with the tribe. During this time of remembrance he paddles his dugout canoe toward Kauwan's village of Haenam. The oar he uses bears ornate ancestral designs and is sharpened at one end to double as...