A woman raised a bear as her child. The bear, initially small, grew large and hunted seals to provide for her. Tragically, the bear was hunted and killed by men. Overcome with grief, the woman wept until she turned to stone. Her stone form remains visible at Ita, serving as a timeless reminder of her sorrow.
Source:
Tales of the Smith Sound Eskimo
by Alfred L. Kroeber
[The American Folklore Society]
Journal of American Folklore
Vol.12, No.46, pp.166-182
July-September, 1899
► Themes of the story
Transformation: The woman’s profound grief leads to her physical transformation into stone, symbolizing the permanence of her sorrow.
Supernatural Beings: The bear, acting beyond typical animal behavior by hunting seals and providing for the woman, takes on a near-human role, blurring the lines between human and animal realms.
Loss and Renewal: The narrative centers on the woman’s loss of her bear-child and her subsequent transformation, reflecting themes of mourning and the enduring impact of loss.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Inuit peoples
A woman had a bear for a child.
At first it was small, but soon it grew very large. It used to go out and hunt seals and bring them home, thus providing for her.
One day, however, he was hunted. First the dogs caught him, and then the men came up and speared him and thus killed him.
When his mother heard this she began to cry, and cried until she was turned to stone. She can be seen even now at Ita.
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Dreamtime Whispers 