Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon, Part 2

Once again Officer Steinbeck began to supervise his crew members.  “I want all the cameras focused on that crevice that leads to the plateau below. If I’m guessing right, they will ambush that large animal as it passes directly below them.”  The crew watched as the hunters began to assemble large boulders near the edge of the cliff.

  When the animal was directly below them, each tribe member picked up a large jagged rock and lifted it over his head.  The leader of the tribe gave the signal with whistles and loud, high-pitch sounds.  As the command was given, large heavy boulders were thrown by each member of the tribe, striking the animal with thunderous blows that echoed throughout the plateau.  The animal let out screams of pain as each rock hit with a killing force.  When the beast fell to its knees and was dying, the blood saturated the white snow.  Quickly the tribesmen ran down the pathway that led to the plateau below.  With their spears held high, they thrust them into the animal’s body to secure their prey.  When the animal lay still, a high-pitch sound was made by all the hunters as a victory signal.  The men danced around the dead animal using all kinds of body movements with their arms, legs, and heads.

As the tribe members began to skin the fallen animal, a loud whistle was heard in the distance.  The whistle was repeated by the leader of the tribe as if saying, “We’re over here!”  Before long, all of the hunters had settled around the dead beast.  Each member took turns skinning the animal or cutting large chunks of flesh that they placed in some kind of woven basket made out of sticks and vines.  Several trips had to be made by the tribe members to carry the baskets of meat back to the cave.  The animal’s hide was stripped of all meat and carried back in a bundle to the cave.  Inside the cave it was stretched tight.  Stakes were driven into the ground to hold it in place.  The head of the animal was split in two, the brain was removed, and several tribe members took turns rubbing the brain matter all over the stretched hide!  Within a few days, several other tribesmen showed up at the cave.

Officer Steinbeck told his crew members to make sure they got as many camera shots as possible of the surrounding tribe members.”  Most of them looked alike – strongly built, with the same features as the cave tribe people that they had been observing for the last week or so.  What Officer Steinbeck couldn’t understand was how the other tribe members knew about the kill.  Evidently the different tribe members shared their food after the kill of a large animal.

As the crew members gathered their gear and prepared to leave the cave, they made sure that everything was generally the way they found it when they arrived.  In a receptacle they carried their collection of small objects for later observation; in their cameras they had stored recordings for analysis.  The four men eagerly made a quick return trip to the spacecraft.

Officer Steinbeck called his men together for a short meeting.  “Men,” he began, “I want to thank you for a job well done! We have secured enough film footage to make a comparison study of the next tribe we will investigate. But before we leave, there are a few other things we must do. I want to collect DNA samples of these cave people. We will need hair samples of as many individuals as possible, including the young and old tribe members. We also need stool samples to study their diet. You will collect the same amount of blood samples from each of the tribe members. If we could find the skull of one of the dead members, we would get a good DNA sample in case all else fails. The skull will also be a great asset for the lab people to study, concerning the size of the brain and other characteristics that indicate the age. All of this can be done while the cave people are asleep. Are there any questions?”

After all of the experiments were performed, the crew members were back aboard the spacecraft.  The film and the DNA samples were turned over to the proper authorities for further analysis.  Officer Steinbeck called for a meeting in his office.  “Men, in a couple more days, we will do another exploratory observation of another tribe of creatures called Cro-Magnon. We know there are subtle differences between the two tribes. Our mission is to find out the differences … and similarities, if any … and make a comparison study to see if it is possible for the two tribes to intermingle and produce mixed offspring. If by chance some sibling offspring can be found, that would be a whole new study in itself. It would demonstrate a whole new hybrid or possibly a new genetic strain of evolutionary advancement. I want all of you to have a furlough that will be duty-free. You may rest at the R&R (rest and relaxation) station, for seven days and seven nights. Thank you for a job well done!”

At the end of the one-week furlough, the crew was well rested.  They were briefed on their next expedition that would last about two weeks as previous.  The equipment was checked, tested, and adjusted to accommodate more activity outside of the caves.  “Officer Steinbeck began to explain the mission.  “The next tribe members we will observe are called the Cro-Magnon. Prior research has shown that these creatures may be a little more advanced in the evolutionary scale than the Neanderthal tribes were at the same time of our observation. There are several factors I want you to capture on your observation cameras. We will observe their social customs, hunting tactics, and skills at making objects like clothing, jewelry, weapons, or anything different than the Neanderthal skills. I would also like to observe any interaction that may take place between the two tribes. Pay special attention to how the males and females from different tribes react to each other. Once again, I want to thank you for all that you have done and are about to do in the name of research.”

The Cro-Magnon tribes were located a little south of the Neanderthal caves.  The village was more on the planes and in the valleys of the mountains.  The Cro-Magnon tribes made their dwellings out of large mammal tusk, bones, and other remains.  The villages consisted of several huts grouped together.  Even though they were permanent structures, they could be moved if necessary.  Each hut’s frame was covered with animal hides and furs that were all stitched together over the structure.  A long root-like fiber was interwoven around the frame to hold the coverings and structure together.  Inside the hut were many objects made by the Cro-Magnon females and the males.  The females were making jewelry out of shells and bones.  On large teeth and pieces of ivory, the males were carving intricate details about their hunting skills and other skills that they were proud of.  Each carving depicted a story or history about the tribe members.  There were several musical instruments like flutes made of bone and wood; there were also primitive drums and several objects that could be rattled when shaken with the hands.  There were several atlatl spear throwers near a group of bows and arrows, along with two long spears, perhaps 10 feet long.  When we observed a tribe of Cro-Magnon members attacking a large hairy animal with large tusks, many of the tribe members were using the atlatl. It was a modified device used to throw spears with a greater velocity and longer distance.  It was thrown from a notch in a spear which gave it more leverage and a much greater killing distance.  The long spear was also used, but the hunter had to get much closer to the wild beast to kill it.  On closer observation, the Cro-Magnon tribe seemed to be a little more advanced in some ways than the Neanderthal tribe.  The women were doing their stitching with some kind of bone needle that seemed to make the work go quicker, and it looked a lot easier to work with.  Outside of the hut near a little stream was a log that was somewhat hollowed out.  It was either pushed or paddled by a long pole.  Inside the burned-out part of the log was a seat used by a tribe member for riding the makeshift canoe.  A series of different size bone fishhooks were visible on the side of the log.  The Cro-Magnon tribe seemed to be able to communicate by voice.  Whenever the elder spoke, the other tribe members seemed to know or understand what he wanted them to do.  When an elder spoke a large, peculiar horn was brought to him.  The horn had a hole carved out at the tip end of the hollow instrument.  When the elder held the horn up to his lips, he blew several times through the horn.  The sound of the horn was similar to what they heard from large beasts being killed.  The sounds were made at different intervals so they could be heard one by one.  Each sound reverberated in the mountains from one mountain to the other until one sound could be heard three or four times as the echoes bounced off the walls of the canyon.  When the old tribesman was satisfied with the sounds he had produced, he gave the horn back to one of the younger tribesmen.  Before he could put the horn away, a sound of another horn was answering back!  Within a short period of time, other tribesmen began to climb down from the mountains and enter the village of the Cro-Magnon tribe.  “Get ready,” ordered Officer Steinbeck to his camera men.  “We are about to see how the different tribes communicate and interact between each other. Make sure you get some sound and pictures of as many tribesmen as possible. I want close-up shots of expressions, like laughter, surprise, and anything else you find interesting.”  As the tribe members assembled around the village elders, there were large chunks of meat slowly being turned on several fires throughout the village.  A few gifts were exchanged in the forms of necklaces, tools, and musical instruments.  It soon became obvious that a joint feast was about to take place among the neighboring tribes.  Officer Steinbeck noticed several obvious differences between the tribes.  He directed his camera crew to get close-up shots of some of the tribes he called hybrids.  The hybrids were part of the Neanderthal tribes that lived high in the mountains.

(Part Two of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

For the rest of the story, order your copy of Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.)

Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon, Part 1

Lester always excelled in public school education, from elementary school through college.  So it was only natural that he would be considered for one of the Sky People’s exploratory projects.  He was selected at an early age to be transported in time to become part of a futuristic trip to travel back into time. Captain Benedict Arnold was briefed on this Overseer’s project by the committee on the Stargazer Fleet.  “Lester is a good candidate for this mission due to his higher cognitive skills he possesses on Earth,” said a secret committee member.  “We will program him in the dream state, and when he wakes up he will remember nothing but the dream. He will witness all of the same events that all the crew members will witness, and when he becomes an adult, he will write about his experience as though he were doing a research paper.”

This paper was written by Dr. Lester D., who has a Ph.D. degree in languages.  Dr. D. is fluent in French, German, Russian, and English.  His minor was in Mathematics where he excelled in all the forms of higher mathematics involving quantum physics.  This paper was a combination of actual events and perhaps some research skills done by Dr. D. on the theory of Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon species to help advance the earthlings’ skills on the Evolutionary Theories of Mankind!

“Warp speed through nebulous galaxy number four,” was the command given by Stargazer Fleet explorer Capt. Benedict Arnold.  “We will commence deceleration into Mach 7 speed and come into lunar orbit of the Earth’s gravitational pull at approximately 3-G’s. Cut all power and re-enter into the stealth glide mode. We will glide into Earth’s gravitational pull on the third rotation. We will land in a place called Europe in the year 150,000 BC, during a glacial period of Earth time.”  “I’ve been waiting all my life for this moment,” said Officer Steinbeck, “at least since I graduated from Galaxy Andromeda College.”  “What was the year of your stellar class graduation?”  “We were future Galaxy Cadets from the Academy class of light-year three!” he exclaimed.  “When we land, I want you to gather a crew of four members including yourself, to do an exploratory evaluation of the terrain and the conditions in which a species of earthlings called Neanderthals live. We will observe their habits, customs and mating rituals to see if they cohabitate with another species of earthlings called Cro-Magnon.”  “Yes Sir, replied Emerald Grade Kent. What would be the duration of our exploratory mission, so I can order the necessary supplies?”  “We will observe from the invisibility mode and make camp nearby or maybe even inside one of their caves. Take whatever supplies you deem necessary for at least two weeks of observation.

When the spacecraft landed on Earth, it was within visual distance of a small tribe of Neanderthals living in a nearby cave.  With the stealth-mode capabilities, the spacecraft was invisible, and there was no sound to disturb the atmosphere.  In reality the spacecraft and its inhabitants were in another dimension of time.  Officer Steinbeck and his crew were ready to exit the craft and begin to observe the Neanderthal tribe.  Each member of the crew was equipped with a form of video helmet that was capable of 360° of panoramic view.  The cameras were on automatic focus for both telescopic and macro adjustments.  A sound system recorded conversations of the space crew and any environmental sounds nearby.  A receptacle was carried to store small objects for later observation on the ships observatory lab.  When the crew had set up inside the cave, each man was assigned a certain location to photograph and record any action or sound possible.  Officer Steinbeck stood at the opening of the cave, giving signals to each crew member like a director in an old Hollywood movie set.  There were twelve creatures inhabiting the cave at this particular time.  Also observed were what appeared to be eight young couples of men and women. There were also three smaller individuals and one older being.

Officer Steinbeck began to dictate to the crew while observing how the crew members focused on subjects they were talking about.  “I want you to scan the cave and focus on the object that I am talking about at the time,” said Officer Steinbeck.  “From my observation point with our laser measuring device, the Neanderthal creatures appear to be less than 6 feet tall. They all seem to have a muscular, stocky build, with a large rib cage. There seems to be hair covering most of their body, including their face. They all have somewhat of a Mongolian look with forward-protruding bone above their eyebrows. They have a well-developed jaw and large, powerful hands. Each hand has a prehensile thumb that is used for holding and grabbing things. Most of the inhabitants are covered with some kind of goat skin or some other kind of animal skin. There is a fire burning in the cave, so they probably have the ability to make fire. One of the younger men of the tribe is field-dressing some kind of animal, possibly a deer. Another member is in the process of making spear points or some other kind of weapon. One of the female species is nursing a baby wrapped in an animal skin. They seem to be able to communicate with each other using some kind of high-pitch sounds made from the throat. There possibly may be some other forms of communication using hand signals.”  As a camera in the cave panned in another direction, it stopped on a pile of rocks.  Officer Steinbeck observed, “This may be a primitive burial site of one or more of their dead. Some of the women are preparing a meal while other women look like they are stitching some kind of animal fur together to make a large blanket or something. There are many strange sounds coming from the outside of the cave. There are many predators that are large enough and capable enough to attack the beings in the cave if they’re hungry enough or if the entrance is left unguarded. There are many pole spears near the entrance of the cave or within easy reach of most of the inhabitants. Some of their weapons consist of a crude form of stone hatchets. Large spear points are secured by sinew wrapped around long poles. These spears seemed to be held in readiness for attacking animals that may enter the cave or for some future hunting of large animals. Skinning knives, battering clubs, and large jagged rocks are piled in the center of the cave. These objects could be used for throwing from high above the entrance to stop the attacking animals. The weapons may be taken on hunting trips.”  Officer Steinbeck instructed, “Tomorrow when it gets light, we will follow the tribe members as they gather food and necessary equipment to survive in the cave.”

It was a bitter cold morning as the four adult tribesmen stepped out of the cave.  Each man was equipped with several animal hides that covered most of his body including his head.  Their feet and legs were wrapped in some kind of boot-like footwear that seemed to be suitable for walking in the snow.  Each tribesman was equipped with a spear pole that was a foot taller than the hunter who carried it.  The spear point was made from an obsidian substance that had a razor-sharp edge chipped into shape by someone with many years of experience.  The 8-inch blade was wedged into a split pole and wound with some form of sinew until it was held tightly in place.  A large battering club was carried by some hunters.  The club appeared to be a bone of some huge animal’s skeleton.  A fresh coat of snow had fallen during the night.  There was a multitude of animal tracks clearly visible in the fresh snow.  Because the cave was located on the edge of a small cliff, it was easy to track the animal footprints that led down the side of the mountain into a small plateau below. The tribe members crawled to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the animals that were foraging for food below.  A series of whistles and high-pitch sounds were directed into some form of plan.  The hunters spread out and seemed to focus their attention on one large, hairy animal which had a pair of long, curved tusks.  

Once again Officer Steinbeck began to supervise his crew members.  “I want all the cameras focused on that crevice that leads to the plateau below. If I’m guessing right, they will ambush that large animal as it passes directly below them.”  The crew watched as the hunters began to assemble large boulders near the edge of the cliff.

(Part One of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

For the rest of the story, order your copy of Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.)