The behavior of the Kotari people and the coercive persuasion techniques used by The Guardian were inspired by the research of Dr. Margaret Thaler Singer as described in her book, Cults in our Midst. I’ve always been fascinated with the nature of belief and therefore cults, in particular, for their seemingly extreme ideas of the divine.
The darts of the headhunters were coated with curare, a substance made from an Amazon plant, which causes paralysis in the respiratory muscles of the victim. Curare is used in modern medicine as an anesthetic. A full recovery is possible if artificial respiration is administered. First explorers to the Amazon region believed salt to be an antidote, but that was a myth.
The idea for the song, “The Ancestor’s Footprints,” came from the Dreaming-tracks of the aborigines of Australia. Sometimes called Songlines, these were invisible pathways that stretched across the Outback. Aboriginal myths tell of Creation Beings who sang the world into existence. If you sang the songs, the lyrics described the landscape and you could find your way.
In some ways, The Path to the Sun is about survival. Anyone can be taught survival skills, but in any given circumstance, as Lawrence Gonzales says in his book, Deep Survival, “…it’s not what’s in your pack that separates the quick from the dead. It’s not even what’s in your mind. … it’s what’s in your heart.” Gonzales goes on to describe the attributes of a survivor. Interestingly, as I set out to give my protagonist those attributes, I found Kiran, as I had conceived of him, already had them.
Most of all, in this story, I share my love of nature and respect for animals. I’ve always wondered: if we are the so-called “moral animal,” why do we treat other animals with such disrespect? We rarely recognize their intelligence and the vast amount of knowledge we could gain, if only we would pay attention to them. When I was a child, I first learned that Dr. Jane Goodall had discovered that chimpanzees make and use tools, an activity long thought to be exclusive to humans. Then, she witnessed something much more profound: chimpanzee behavior she recognized as awe, the beginning of religion.
As for the monkey-men of my story, (as Kiran describes them with his limited experience), may we someday share our lives with those other than human, in peace and harmony, and treat them, not just with the compassion they deserve, but with mutual respect. I will leave it to you, my reader, to decide if that is possible. I encourage you, as Aldwyn did Kiran, to listen to your heart.
Acknowledgments
Thank you:
To my mom and dad, for nurturing my creative spirit and my love of nature. To Rachel and Bruce for their dedication to my story and always challenging me to strive for excellence. To my teen authors group for cheering me on. To Linda Smith, for many things, but most of all for being my friend. To Laurie Scheer for all the encouragement and expert advice. To Christopher Mohar for his editorial magic. To Barbara Schue for her kind words and copy edits.
To all my first readers, whose insight and feedback was invaluable: Aubrie, Nicole, John, Kathleen, Matt, Scott, Steve, Anthony, Onlee, Mella, Linda, Mary, Ellen, Harriet, Laura, Meghan, Devin, Heather, Molly, Suzette, Crystal, and Gary.
A special thank you to Marie for always knowing when I need a hug or kick in the butt, and for always, always being on my side.
Finally, to Ken, for believing in my dream. There is no greater gift.
About the Author
Kimberli A. Bindschatel lives in northern Michigan with her husband, Ken, and their two dogs. She is an accomplished wildlife photographer as well as the former editor of Whisper in the Woods Nature Journal.
For more information and to connect with Kimberli, go to:
http://www.thePathtotheSun.com
A Study and Discussion document is available for download at:
http://www.thePathtotheSun.com
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Post a Review
Coming Soon
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Study and Discussion questions