Native American Legends
The woman who fought the Bear
A Winnebago (Hotcâk) Legend
There once was a band of people who were always giving Bear Feasts
and came to be blessed by a great Bear Spirit. One member of the
band fasted very hard, and made himself very pitiable. Finally,
he dreamed and was blessed by a Bear Spirit. The spirit came before
him and said, "Human! I bless you with war powers: on your
first warpath you shall gain the fourth war honor; on your second,
you shall have the third war honor; on your third warpath, you shall
achieve the second war honor; and on the fourth warpath you shall
achieve the first war honor, and your sisters shall parade through
the village with the prize!" He was overjoyed to hear this,
but there were yet more blessings. The spirit continued: "Human!
I bless you with life: for as long as the Creator gave you to live,
that long shall you live; I bless you with the full extent of life
given to you. Human! I also bless you with my body: if you pour
me a pipe full of tobacco, then you shall not fail to kill a bear
on your hunt. Do not abuse the bears, and you shall never want for
food. Human! I really bless you. Never before have I blessed anyone
in all the eons that I have lain here. As long as your posterity
lasts on this earth, that long have you dreamt for them. If they
keep up the feasts well, I shall extend to them the same blessings
of war and life; and if they offer me tobacco, I shall not fail
to accept it. If they offer me a kettle at the feast, I shall accept
it with thanks. This single thing I warn you against: if you offer
me food or tobacco you must at all costs keep it away from unclean
women. It is I, the Chief of Bears, who have blessed you."
Ever since then when the First Bear Moon becomes visible, they
would always give a Bear Feast. They would use no meat, but only
the produce of the earth. They would always try to obtain the Bear
Chief's favorite foods, which he said were maple sugar and blueberries.
They would boil in the kettle dried corn and ground green corn,
which they would mix with fruit and ground sugar. The feast was
held in the dark of night. When all this was accomplished, the host
sent his attendant around to invite the guests. When the lodge was
filled to capacity, the host arose and said, "Relatives, take
a seat here! Greetings to you all! It is not of our own devising
that we offer tobacco to the spirits -- this knowledge came to my
grandfather from Black Fur (Hîsepga), Chief of the Bears,
when he blessed him. Thus we offer a kettle to him. And we make
this request: should war come to us may we come away with honors.
We also ask for life, as this is what our grandfather dreamt for
us, it is said. Thus we give him a pipe full of tobacco, two kettles
of food, and some tree sap. Then we shall eat." After the attendant
filled everyone's plate, the host arose again and spoke: "Relatives!
When the plates are filled, it is time to eat; but do not eat with
your right hands." Then the fires were put out, and everyone
ate with their left hand in pitch darkness. Another feast just like
this one was given in the spring as well.
The following year, the host set aside some choice dried corn so
that it could be offered to Black Fur when the Bear Moon first appeared
in the sky. This corn was special to him, and he took care that
no one would touch it, for he knew that the Bear Spirit was anxious
to have it. It chanced that his two unmarried girls had their menstrual
periods, and went to the seclusion hut to fast. After the first
day of their fast, they were anxious to eat, but as no other food
could be found, their mother boiled some of the sacred corn for
them, even though they were not clean.
One day their mother was out with her stick tanning a hide near
a spring that emerged from blue earth. There her two girls were
also. Then, unexpectedly, out of the spring came a powerful bear,
and it fell upon the girls and tried to kill them. The mother took
her stick and kept stabbing the bear with it, but he paid no attention
to her. He just kept attacking the two girls who had defiled the
feast. Finally, he killed both the girls, but their mother also
stabbed him to death. The bear was covered with blue clay (mâ
tco), and they say that it was not an earthly bear, but a Spirit
Bear, that came to punish the two girls for eating the feast corn
unclean.
Ever since that day, this band has never given another Bear Feast.
Native American Legends
Back to Top
Other Native American Legends
|
Native American Legends A-B