Eagle Drums: Chapters 7–13

by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
While walking toward the mountains to gather obsidian, young Piŋa is chosen by the eagles to learn their ways of telling stories through music and dance so that he could unite the Iñupiaq people of the Arctic tundra.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–20, Chapters 21–25
40 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. resigned
    accepting that something unpleasant cannot be changed
    Resigned to this meal, he gingerly cut a small portion of meat and placed it on his tongue, closing his eyes as he forced a swallow.
  2. insulate
    surround with material to protect from heat, cold, or noise
    He scraped the ice off of one of the fish and was surprised to see the fish was round and well-fed, insulated in a layer of fat.
  3. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    He noticed that the shape of the stick, with its curves and bends, was not natural like he had assumed.
  4. multitude
    a large indefinite number
    He could make out what looked to be sinew of different thicknesses and delicate thin strips of leather in a multitude of colors embedded into the wood.
  5. brood
    the young of an animal cared for at one time
    Eagle Mother chuckled low in her throat and turned down the hall to her waiting brood.
  6. pelt
    the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
    He took care to keep what he could of their fur pelts and eventually fashioned himself a tunic to wear when he went foraging for plants in the increasing cold.
  7. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    He took care to keep what he could of their fur pelts and eventually fashioned himself a tunic to wear when he went foraging for plants in the increasing cold.
  8. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    His body became as lean as a hare from the sparse diet.
  9. array
    an impressive display or assortment
    They walked the few minutes to the center of the hall in silence and arrived to find stacks of dried skins, wood, and a haphazard array of tools.
  10. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    Savik cracked his knuckles one by one, glaring at the boy. The silence stretched between them like an uncrossable valley.
  11. intricacy
    the quality of having elaborately complex detail
    The boy was already somewhat familiar with the intricacies of woodworking, and found the process to be similar to making snowshoes, though much more complex, as he spent the next few days making the drum.
  12. revel
    take delight in
    Savik seemed to revel in the boy’s frustration.
  13. supple
    capable of moving or bending freely
    While Piŋa worked, Savik sat to the side and tended to the finished drums, often rubbing oil or water in the skins, keeping them moist and supple so that the sound was true and the skin would not split.
  14. scour
    examine minutely
    Piŋa pulled on as many layers as he could and ventured out to scour the ground under the snow for any plants or berries he could find.
  15. dense
    hard to pass through because of heavy growth
    Atau led the way, using his towering height to aim their small party like an arrow through the dense, leafless brush.
  16. girth
    the distance around something, especially a person's body
    Malġu walked closely behind Atau, using his girth and weight to break through the snow so that Piŋa could follow in his wide footsteps.
  17. snare
    a trap for birds or small mammals; often has a slip noose
    And when the silly birds walk through the gaps, they don’t know that we put our snare there, so they get caught!
  18. elapse
    pass by
    Two moons elapsed before the boy was deemed a passable maker of drums.
  19. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    Two moons elapsed before the boy was deemed a passable maker of drums.
  20. barren
    completely wanting or lacking
    This space of time between winter and spring was the most barren part of the year. The snow reluctantly gave way to reveal the pale, colorless ground beneath.
  21. hardy
    able to survive under unfavorable weather conditions
    What was once protected and insulated by deep layers of snow was scorched by the new sun, and even the hardiest of plants withered away to prepare for the growing season to come.
  22. prosperous
    in fortunate circumstances financially
    This was the part of the year that food stores were likely to run out, even in prosperous times. And Piŋa was far from prosperous.
  23. residual
    relating to or indicating a remainder
    He slow-boiled what bones he could find in a shallow stone bowl over the seal-oil lamp he had in his room, trying his best to remove as many nutrients and as much residual fat as he could from the marrow and knuckles.
  24. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    All the songs he composed were songs of home. Sad and forlorn songs filled the eagles’ hall with the helplessness of the boy’s predicament.
  25. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    All the songs he composed were songs of home. Sad and forlorn songs filled the eagles’ hall with the helplessness of the boy’s predicament.
  26. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    He could see the Eagle Mother and her brood watching him as he became more and more sullen, as he began sleeping in later and later into the day.
  27. ailment
    an often persistent bodily disorder or disease
    He could hear the eagles whisper about him from the darkness; they whispered to each other their guesses of what human ailment this could be, but after a while Piŋa figured that they left him to either recover on his own or die of whatever malady he might have.
  28. malady
    impairment of normal physiological function
    He could hear the eagles whisper about him from the darkness; they whispered to each other their guesses of what human ailment this could be, but after a while Piŋa figured that they left him to either recover on his own or die of whatever malady he might have.
  29. desolate
    crushed by grief
    Now that the eagles left him mostly alone, he became even more desolate. At least before, his interactions with them gave him something to focus his energy on.
  30. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
    He had had another tedious day of nothing except music practice while the eagles avoided him.
  31. spectacle
    something or someone seen, especially a notable sight
    His sadness was not a spectacle to be watched, especially by such a lowly creature.
  32. temperament
    your usual mood
    He wasn’t sure about Isiġnaq’s temperament, as she chose mostly to avoid him completely, and she’d never shown him any type of warmth.
  33. demure
    suggestive of modesty or reserve
    Nautchiaq bowed her head demurely, feet close together and knees slightly bent, arms held out loosely to her sides.
  34. draft
    a current of air
    Nautchiaq’s arms rose, and she held them up as if she were a great eagle in flight, her movements graceful and soft. Her knees bent in time with the drum, as though the drumbeats became a draft that she balanced on.
  35. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    Nautchiaq gracefully beckoned with a pointed hand, tufts of white fur floating in the air.
  36. defiance
    an act boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    Nautchiaq grabbed Savik’s elbow and circled him. Savik screamed in defiance.
  37. taut
    subjected to great tension; stretched tight
    Their motions were tense and precise, faces beaded with sweat and taut with concentration.
  38. blubber
    an insulating layer of fat under the skin of some animals
    The air smelled of fresh seal blubber and melting frost.
  39. confrontational
    aggressive and prone to starting arguments or fights
    The boy kept his eyes averted from the man’s face, hoping it would help him seem less confrontational.
  40. humility
    a lack of arrogance or false pride
    “I don’t think I am that special, either,” the boy admitted while nodding, hoping a little humility would defuse the situation.
Created on Wed Apr 17 14:45:21 EDT 2024 (updated Thu Apr 18 14:57:33 EDT 2024)

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