The stone was found by the young Nizhi-K-Uhbih who was learning how to honor the ways of the Creator and all created. He was barely old enough to understand or know his personal gifts and how he could best help the people and he was busy berating himself for wanting a position of prestige and respect more than he was willing to accept the role he was made for when his hand rested on the stone. It was a circular ring with markings. The markings were never made clear to him, but the circular ring had the power to keep his life focused on the total continum and to see himself as a part of it all. From that point he made sure the part he played was for the people.

Bizhig felt the respect his father earned was passed on to him and he worried and prayed that he would be worthy of the people's trust. His fathers stone gave him strength. He was able to put himself aside and see the needs of the people. As Bizhig struggled toward maturity and wisdom the people relied on his judgement as they did on his father's. He learned the ways of people and this gave him patience when others were in crisis. He was also a good listener and a good story teller. Using these gifts he made sure his children knew of their father's and grandfather's adventures and deeds.

Bizhig was tired most of the time when he called for his eldest son to sit with him by his home fire. In that fire he heated another stone, one that glowed and could be pounded into different shapes. Bizhig heated and pounded until the stone was a circular ring which he joined to his fathers stone. As Bizhig did this he told his son the final story of how Nizhi-K- Uhbih gave him the most precious gift of the circular stone and how that stone was a link between the father who joined the spirit world and the son left behind on the physical world.

Bizhig waited until his own son looked at his dying body with desperate hope then handed him the two linked stones-he tried to convey to his son that through these stones, the fathers would always be a part of him, but all he could say was "remember us in this". Bizhig's son did remember and he knew it was a wondorous gift to receive and to pass on. Each son in turn added his own link, his own life lessons and adventures, the memories of his being, and passed the rings on to his son who told and retold each story of each link to his own children.

Charlie held the rings readying himself to add his own link. The chain would then have 21 rings. Twenty one generations of memories.

When the invaders came, they stole the chains from the people mistaking the value placed on them as monetary. It was true that some of the links were made from metals that had high cash value in the invaders eyes, but most did not. Even so, the chains were not returned. Instead they were left and forgotten or destroyed in anger. For six generations the chains had to be hidden and protected from the invaders. The people learned not to discuss the rings, for doing so would place them in danger. At first, the children were not told of the rings to protect them. When they grew they had no ancient stories to pass on to their children. Eventually most of the people never even heard of the chains. Charlie's family was one of the few that by circumstance was able to honor the passing of the rings. This was done in secret until Charlie's time. Charlie could have stood in the middle of a busy intersection waving his rings and no one would stop him. Charlie also had five sons and not one of the sons was interested in the rings. His sons had adopted the disdain of the intruders. Outsiders were interested but the blood of his father and his father's fathers did not flow in their veins. How could they benefit, or feel part of a history that was not theirs? 

Charlie held the rings readying himself to add his own link, putting it off - maybe one of his sons or his grandchildren would stop in to say good-bye, then Charlie would attach his ring and tell the stories...
 

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