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In a tribal village there lived a mighty bear-hunter. For more than
three years, he had been constantly successful in killing so many that
his friend tried to persuade him to stop hunting.
"If you insist upon hunting one more bear, you will come across a huge
bear who might kill you," he said. The hunter ignored his friend's
advice and replied, "I will attack every bear I come across."
A few days later the hunter started out and saw a bear with two cubs. He
decided this was not the huge bear he had been worried about, so he
attacked the mother bear, and after some difficulty killed her.
The cubs ran away.
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After the hunter dragged the bear home for his tribe, his friend
continued to urge him to give up the bear hunt, but without success.
On another hunt, after a few days on the trail, the hunter met a
stranger who informed him that near his village were a great many bears.
"Every year many are killed by our hunters, but always there is an
invincible one that has destroyed many of our hunters. Each time he
kills a man, the bear tears him apart, examines him carefully as if
searching for a special body mark. He is different because his feet and
head are white."
They parted, and the hunter started out to look for that hunting ground.
On his way, he stopped near a fish creek looking for game, but after a
long night none appeared. Next morning he moved onward and came to a
high bluff; below it he saw many bears on the tundra. He waited until
some separated and looked over the remainder.
Among those, he saw the white-faced bear with white feet and concluded
that this must be the ferocious, huge bear he sought. First he would
keep an eye on it and wait for a favorable opportunity to kill it.
Now it seems that at one time, the white-faced bear was a human being
and a very successful bear-hunter, too successful for his own good. His
friends were envious and plotted to kill him. So they went to a
medicine-man deep in the woods, and begged him to transform the
successful hunter into a beast.
"Shoot a bear, skin it and place the skin under the pillow of your
successful hunter," advised the shaman.
After the bear-skin had been prepared, the shaman and his friends
quietly went to the man's hut and placed the skin under the man's
pillow. They hid themselves to see what would happen when the man went
to bed. Upon waking, the man found that he had become a huge bear with a
white face and white feet.
"The white marks will show you which bear he is," said the shaman, who
disappeared into the woods.
Now our bear-hunter still sat at the edge of the bluff. Toward evening
he saw the bears begin to leave, all except the white- faced bear. He
was the last to get up, and he shook himself three times and acted as if
he was deeply enraged. He moved toward the bluff where the hunter sat
perfectly still. But the bear approached, and when he was almost face to
face, asked, "What are you doing here_"
"I came out to hunt," he replied.
"Is it not enough that you have killed all my family, and recently
killed my wife, and now you want to take my life_ If you had injured my
children the other day, I would now tear you to pieces. I will, however,
spare your life this time on your promise that you will never hunt bears
again. All the bears you saw today are my children and of my brother.
Should I ever see you hunting bear, I will tear you apart."
Relieved to get away so easily, the hunter headed homeward. His friend
met him and inquired about the white-faced bear, and when told what had
happened, he urged the hunter to give up hunting. A whole week passed
before the hunter set forth again, taking along six hunting friends.
For two days they hunted without luck, then came to the fish creek where
they camped overnight. Next morning their leader took the six to the
edge of the bluff where they could look down at the tundra and see many
bears. But they could not see the white- faced bear and, encouraged,
followed their leader toward the animals.
"Look at that strange-looking beast with white paws and a white face!"
exclaimed one man.
The hunter-leader caught sight of that special bear and ordered his
followers to retreat at once. So they went around another mountain where
they saw many bears. They killed seven, one for each man.
Loaded with their spoil they took the homeward trail, but a short
distance behind them they heard a commotion. They saw the white faced
bear rapidly approaching them. The hunter aimed, but his bowstring
broke. The others shot and missed. The white-faced bear spoke up and
said, "Why do you shoot at me_ I never harm you. Your leader killed my
wife and nearly all my family. I warned him that if I found him hunting
again, I would tear him apart. And this I shall do now, piece by piece.
The rest of you can go. I'll not harm you because you have not harmed
me."
Hurriedly, as fast as possible, the six men fled. The white- faced bear
turned to the bear-hunter.
"I had you in my power once and I let you go on your promise not to hunt
bear again. Now you are back at it and brought more bear- hunters along.
This time I will do to you as you have done to mine."
The hunter pleaded to be allowed to live one more night so he could go
home. At first the bear refused outright. The white- faced bear then
relented, and would even spare his life entirely, if the hunter would
tell him who had transformed him from a man into a beast. The hunter
agreed to meet him the next night and go to the home of the shaman.
When the bear-hunter reached home and found his six companions talking
excitedly about the day's experience, they were surprised to see the
hunter-leader alive.
The hunter told them his plan to meet the white-faced bear at the home
of the shaman next evening and asked the six to go with him. They
refused and tried to dissuade their leader. But the bear- hunter kept
his word and met the white-faced bear at the appointed place. A light
shone from every hut except that of the shaman.
"This is the place," said the man.
"I will remain here," ordered the bear. "You go inside and tell him
there is a man outside wishing to speak with him."
The man advanced and found the skin-door tied, so he reported to the
bear that the shaman must be out. The bear ordered him back to cut the
door, then walk in. Upon entering, the man heard someone call, "Who
dares come into my lodge_"
"It is I," said the bear-hunter.
"What do you wish_"
"There is a man outside who wishes to speak to you."
Had the shaman not been so sleepy, he might have been suspicious. Under
the circumstances, his mind was not clear and he fell into the trap.
When the shaman came near the white-faced bear, the old man became
frightened and was ready to run away. But the bear blocked his way and
said, "For years you have tortured me and made my life a burden in this
condition. I demand you give me back my human form immediately,
otherwise I shall tear you to pieces."
The shaman promised to do so if the bear would follow him into his hut.
Before going in, the bear said to the hunter, "Meet me here when I come
out."
All night the shaman worked hard with the bear, and by next morning
succeeded in pulling off the bear-skin, and a human form appeared. The
shaman asked to keep the white-faced bear's skin, but the man kept the
white-face and the white claws, which he cut off at once, giving the
rest of the skin to the shaman.
"If you ever again try to transform a man into a beast, I will be back
and kill you dead, dead, dead," said the man.
The next day when the bear-man met the bear-hunter he said, "I caution
you against ever going out to hunt bear. You may even hear people say
I've become a bear again, and they will hunt me. Don't you join them. If
I find you in their company, I will kill you dead, dead, dead."
For about four weeks the hunter remained at home with every intention of
keeping his promise to the transformed man. But one day two young men
from the neighboring tribal village came to beg his assistance. They
asked his help to kill a ferocious bear with a white face and four white
feet.
Of course the hunter knew the bear they feared, but decided to disguise
himself and go help them. They gathered all of the village warriors and
set out to find the white-faced bear. The bear saw them coming. He rose
and shook himself three times, giving the impression of great anger,
which frightened the warriors. Their chief said, "We are in great
danger, so we must stand and fight."
Madly, the white-faced bear jumped, landed in front of the hunter and
tore him to pieces. Then it pawed a hole in the ground and covered up the
parts. The terrified warriors tried to escape, but the white-faced bear
chased them back to their village, tearing them apart, killing all of
them, including the old shaman.
Finished, the white-faced bear turned back into the woods to rest undisturbed forever.
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