Three hunters and a boy pursued a bear across the ice. As the chase intensified, the sledge and bear were mysteriously lifted skyward. The boy fell off, witnessing the men transform into stars: the bear became Nanuqdjung (Betelgeuse), the hunters Udleqdjun (Orion’s Belt), and the sledge Kamutiqdjung (Orion’s Sword). The boy returned to recount their fate, while the celestial chase continues eternally.
Source:
The Central Eskimo
by Franz Boas
[Bureau of American Ethnology]
Sixth Annual Report
Washington, 1888
► Themes of the story
Transformation: The metamorphosis of the hunters, the bear, and the sledge into celestial bodies highlights a profound change from earthly beings to stars.
Supernatural Beings: The narrative involves interactions with supernatural elements, as the characters ascend to the sky and become part of the constellation.
Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for the appearance of certain stars in the night sky, attributing their origins to the hunters’ eternal pursuit of the bear.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Inuit peoples
Three men went bear hunting with a sledge and took a young boy with them. When they approached the edge of the floe they saw a bear and went in pursuit. Though the dogs ran fast they could not get nearer and all of a sudden they observed that the bear was lifted up and their sledge followed. At this moment the boy lost one of his mittens and in the attempt to pick it up fell from the sledge. There he saw the men ascending higher and higher, finally being transformed into stars. The bear became the star Nanuqdjung (Betelgeuse); the pursuers, Udleqdjun (Orion’s belt); and the sledge, Kamutiqdjung (Orion’s sword). The men continue the pursuit up to this day; the boy, however, returned to the village and told how the men were lost.
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Dreamtime Whispers 