🧚 The Grizzly Bear’s Medicine

A long time ago there lived in a camp of Pawnees a certain poor boy.1 His father had only one pony.2 Once he had been a leading man in the tribe, but now he seemed to be unlucky.3 When he went on the war-path he brought back nothing, and when he fought he did nothing, and the people did not now look up to him.4

There was a chief’s son who loved the poor boy, and these two went together all the time.5 They were like brothers; they used to hunt together and go courting together, and when they were travelling, the poor boy often rode one of the ponies of the chief’s son, and the latter used to go to the poor boy’s lodge and sleep there with him.6

Once the camp went off to hunt buffalo, and the poor boy and the chief’s son rode together all the time.7 After the people had made camp at a certain place, the chiefs decided to stop here for four days, because the buffalo were close by, and they could kill plenty and dry the meat here.8 North of the camp was a hill on which grew many cedar-trees, and during the day the poor boy had overheard people saying that many Indians had been killed on that hill, among those trees.9 They said that no one ought to go there, for it was a dangerous place.10

That night the chief’s son went over to his friend’s lodge to sleep there, but before they went to bed he left the lodge for a time, and while he was gone the poor boy, as he sat there waiting, began to think about himself and how unhappy he was.11 He remembered how poor he and his father were, and how everybody looked down on them and despised them, and it did not seem to him that things would ever be any better for them than they were now.12 For a long time he sat there thinking about all these things, and the more he thought of them the worse they seemed, and at last he felt that he was no longer glad to live, and he made up his mind to go up into those cedars.13

He went out of the lodge and started to go up towards the trees.14 It was bright moonlight, so that he could see well.15 Just before he reached the edge of the timber he crossed a ravine, and saw there many skeletons of people who had been killed.16 The ground was white with these bones.17 He went on into the cedars, and came to a ravine leading up the hill and followed it.18 As he went on he saw before him a trail and followed it, and when he came to the head of the ravine there was a big hole in the bank, and the trail led to it.19 He stopped for a moment when he came to this hole, but then he went in, and when he had entered he saw there, sitting by the fire, a big she-bear and some little cubs.20

As the boy stood there looking at her, the she-bear said to him: “I am sorry that you have come here.21 My husband is the one who kills persons and brings them here for the children and me to eat.22 You had better go back to your people quickly, or he will eat you up.23 He has gone hunting, but he will soon be back again.24 If he finds you here he will kill you.”25

The poor boy said: “Well, I came here on purpose to be killed, and I give myself up to you.26 I shall be glad to be eaten by you.27 I am here ready to be killed.28 I am yours.29 Take me.”30

The she-bear said: “Oh, I wish I could do something to save you, but I cannot.31 He is one of those bad bears—a grizzly—medicine.32 I can do nothing for you, but I will try.33 As soon as you hear any noise outside—any one coming—pick up that cub, the littlest one, and hold it in your arms.34 When he comes in he will tell you to put it down, but do not do so.35 Hold it tight; he loves that one best of all.”36

All at once the boy heard outside the cave the noise of a bear snorting and grunting.37 The she-bear said, “Pick up the cub, quick; he is coming.”38 The boy caught up the little bear, and held it tight to his breast.39 All at once the noise came to the mouth of the den and stopped.40 It was the Bear.41 The boy could hear him talking.42 He said: “Here! somebody has been about my house.43 I smell human beings.44 Yes, he even came in.45 Where is he?46 Let me see him, so that I may jump upon him and kill him.”47 When he came in he saw the boy, and seemed very angry.48 He stood up on his hind feet and threw up his hands, and then came down again and struck his paws on the ground, and then rose up and snorted “whoof,” and blew out red dust from his nostrils, and then came down and jumped about, and sometimes sprang towards the boy, as though he were going to seize him.49 He was very terrible, and the boy was very much afraid.50

The Bear called out to the boy in a loud voice: “How dare you take up my child and hold it?51 Let it go, or I will tear you to pieces and eat you.”52 But the boy still held the cub.53 No matter what the Bear said or what he did, the boy held fast to the cub.54

When the Bear saw that the boy would not let the cub go, he became quiet, and no longer seemed angry.55 He said: “Boy, you are my son.56 Put down your brother, for now he is your brother.57 He shall go with you, he shall be your companion, and shall be with you always as your guide and helper.58 He has told me your story, and how you are poor, unhappy, and now he has kept you from being eaten up.59 I have taken pity on you, and we will send you back to your people, where you may do some good among them.60 My son, I am at the head of all these animal lodges, down at Pahŭk′ and at Pahūr′ and everywhere else.61 I am at the head; there is no animal living that is stronger than I; none that I cannot kill.62 If a man shoots at me, I make the arrow to fall from my skin without hurting me.63 Look up around my lodge.64 See these arrows, these guns, these leggings, these beads, and the medicine that men have brought, thinking to kill me; but I have killed them, and have taken these things, and keep them here.65

“I knew that your people were coming to this place to hunt.66 I drove the buffalo over, so that the people should stop here and hunt and kill meat, in order that you might come to my lodge.67 I know all your feelings.68 I know that you are sorry for your poor father, my brother, and I wished you to come here, so that I might make you my son and give my power to you, so that you may become a great man among your people.69 I know that they are now killing buffalo, and that they will be camped here for four days.70

“Now, my son, set your brother free.71 All the power that I have I give to you.72 I shall kill my son, your little brother there, and give you his skin to keep and to carry away with you, so that he may be your companion and may be with you always.73 Your brother, your friend at the camp, is looking for you, mourning for you, for he thinks you dead, but to-morrow night you shall see him, and shall tell him to rejoice for you and not to mourn.74 You shall tell him where you have been.”75

The little bear that he was holding said to the boy: “It is all right now, brother; put me down.76 My father means what he says.77 I am glad that I am going to be with you, my brother.”78 The boy put him down.79

Then the Bear said to his wife: “Get up.80 Take that gun.”81 The she-bear took the gun, and they walked around the fireplace in a circle, and sang, and the boy looked on.82 The Bear took the gun and told the boy to look at them, and to watch carefully everything that they did.83 After a little he stopped, and shot his wife, and she fell down dead.84 Then he put down the gun, and went to the she-bear and put his mouth on the wound, and breathed on it and snorted “whoof,” and sucked in his breath and took the bullet out, and went around the lodge, singing and making motions, and then he took hold of the she-bear and lifted her to her feet, and supported her, and pushed her around, and helped her, and at last she walked, and was well.85 Then he called the boy to him and said, “Now I will do the same thing to you.”86 And he did the same thing to the boy, and brought him to life in the same way.87 Then he said, “That is one power I give you to-night.”88

Then he gave the gun to the boy and went to the other side of the lodge, and sat up, and said, “Now I will open my mouth, and you shoot me right in the mouth.”89 He opened his mouth, and the boy shot him, and he fell over.90 After a moment he got up on his feet and slapped his paws on his chest several times, and the bullet came out of his mouth, and he walked around the fireplace two or three times, and made motions and grunted, and then he was well.91 Then he took the boy in his arms, and hugged him and kissed him and breathed on him, and said: “Now I give you my power.92 Go over there and I will shoot you as you shot me.93 Do just as I did.”94 The boy went over there, and the Bear shot him, and the boy did just as the Bear had done, and made himself well.95

The Bear then put an arrow in the gun and shot it at the boy, and when the smoke cleared away the boy found the arrow fast in his throat, the feather end sticking out.96 The Bear took it out and made him well, and gave him also this power.97 Then the Bear told him to load the gun with a ball and to shoot it at him, and he did so, and shot the Bear, but the lead was made flat and dropped to the ground.98 The bullet did not go into the Bear.99

The Bear now told the boy to take the bow and arrow and to shoot at him with all his strength.100 The boy did this, but the arrow did not go through the Bear, but the spike rolled up and the shaft was split.101 The Bear said: “Now you see, my son, that the gun and the bow, the bullet and the arrow, cannot harm me.102 You shall have the same power.103 When you go into battle you shall not carry a gun nor arrows, for they are not mine, but you shall take this paint, and put it all over your body, then put this feather on your head, and take this club, which is part of my jawbone.104 All these things have my power and medicine.105 When you are carrying these things your enemy cannot hurt you, even if you run right on to him; but with one stroke of this club you shall kill your enemy.”106