Compare and Contrast of Chanuka and Neosho

Besides their ancestral differences, Neosho and Chanuka have many similar interests. The two are both are young Indian boys who have very little experience with hunting. Sense they didn't have much experience with hunting or killing they couldn't go of to war. The boys didn't like the thought of saying home with the women so they both ran off. Neosho and Chanuka both went to a place called no- mans land. They were gone for a lengthy period of time.
These boys may have a lot in common but their minds work in different ways like their culture. Neosho was hurt when Chanuka came upon him on the banks of the river. Chanuka at the time was in his birch bark canoe. Neosho's tribe, on the other hand uses dug out canoes. The boys didn't talk much while they were together, but a strange bond grew between them. Chanuka didn't want to even talk to Neosho, but Neosho did try to or attempted to talk to Chanuka. They also have different moccasins, as shown when in the story the two had to switch shoes because if the Dakota tribe saw Chanuka's moccasins they would have seen the difference din the two. The Dakota moccasins are puckered, but the Ojibway's are beaded with colorful beads. Also on the way to Neosho's camp Chanukaq had to travel to the plains because the Dakotas are plain dwellers, while Ojibway are forest dwellers. All though the two tribes are enemies, in the end the the boy were friend at heart.

Summary

A few days after Chanuka ran off he was riding in his canoe when on the banks of the bay he saw a strange object. He came closer and closer to object and when he was close enough he could see that it was a young Indian boy about his age. He could see that the boy had been badly hurt. the boys arm appeared to be broken and he had bruises all over his body. Chanuka felt great compassion for the boy and took him into his canoe were they rode off to a near by back with tall grass. There Chanuka set up camp. He mended to the boy all the rest of the day and the all through the night. During the night the boy kept on asking for water but was never fully awake. After awhile Chanuka fell asleep side by side with the boy. For the next days the boys fished with each other. Although the boys spent five days together there was only one time when one of the boys tried to communicate with the other. The boy was the hurt Indian boy and he tried to tell Chanuka that his name was Neosho and he was very grateful that Chanuka had helped him get better. But Chanuka didn’t respond. Also they could not understand each other and didn’t even try to use the Indian symbols. After the five days were over Chanuka got into his canoe, looked at Neosho then left.

On Chanuka’s ride home he was frighted that he would be punished for running off and not telling anyone, and because he was gone for so long. But when he got back to the tribe he was surprised because instead of being punished he was welcomed home. Days passed on and he still wasn’t punished. Until one day he was called into his chiefs tent. He was very nerves. Once inside the tent there was a long silence to show respect for one another. Then the chief told Chanuka that the reason he was not punished for his long misappereance was because the chief understood why he was upset and left. So then there was another long silence, again for respect then the chief told Chanuka that he was to go to the Dakota Tribe, there enemies, and see if they had a great succuss in their hunt this spring. But cause if they didn’t have a good hunt there would be war because the Dakotas would be weak and easy to kill.

So Chanuka set out for the Dakota village. After a few days had passed he became very close to the village. all he had to do now was to cross a river then he would be at the camp. Once he was at the camp he went to see if there had been a great hunt this spring. Once he had seen that there was plenty of food he was going to live, but then he had an idea that he would take a few items from their tents to show that he had been at their camp. He had to wait until it was dark out so that no one would see him. After the sun had set, the sky was becoming dark , and all the people were going to the buffalo dance Chanuka went to all the tents to find some prof that he was there. As he was look through the camp he found this tent that on the door was a pare of moccasins on a stick. He thought that that would be a great thing to show that he was there. But when he was going to get them some Indian men came out of one of the tents and Chanuka had to hide be hind a wood house. The men turned out to be the armadillo and the hunter costume for the buffalo dance. The men had a little to much to drink and were taking along time to leave. So Chanuka was behind the wood house for a long time until he fell some one behind him and when he turned around it was Neosho. Chanuka told Neosho because the men were there he could not get home. So Neosho came with this idea that Chanuka would play the pony in the Buffalo Dance. Neosho switched clothes with Chanuka and they were ready for the dance, but just has they were going to begin Neosho realized that Chanuka's moccasin were different so they quick changed shoes and went to the festival. After the dance was over Chanuka quick went down to the bay with Neosho and told him good- bye and that he was happy there would be no war. Then he slipped into the river and before any one could notice that he was there, there was no sign of him but the pony costume on the side of the river.