Bear desires perpetual night to aid his hunting, but Squirrel challenges this, highlighting the difficulties of living without light. Conceding, Bear agrees to daylight. They then compete in various contests, with Bear winning unfairly. Frustrated, Squirrel cries, his tears forming stripes below his eyes, and decides to amuse children, becoming small and climbing a spruce. Bear declares he will serve as a food source when other meat is scarce and becomes large.
Source:
Chipewyan Texts
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 1
New York, 1912
► Themes of the story
Cosmic Order and Chaos: The discussion about having perpetual night versus daylight reflects a struggle to determine the natural order.
Cunning and Deception: Bear’s victories in the contests are achieved unfairly, indicating deceitful behavior.
Family Dynamics: The interaction between Bear and Squirrel highlights sibling relationships and the dynamics of elder and younger brothers.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Chipewyan people
This controversy between the squirrel and the bear concerning the prevalence of light or darkness is mentioned in a myth concerning the end of the world recorded by Petitot at Great Slave Lake in 1862. In this myth of Petitot the bears have all the elements suspended in bags from an enormous tree and the other animals succeed in securing the one which contains heat and unintentionally let it loose upon the earth resulting in a flood.
Bear once said, “There will only be night. In the summer, when the nights are not long, I cannot find anything good to eat. For that reason there shall only be night.” Then Squirrel, who was his younger brother, replied, “If there is only night how would you manage to live without being able to see?” “I could find food by smelling it,” Bear replied. “But,” asked Squirrel, “what would you do if something should stick in your nostrils?” “Oh, I could feel for food with my paw,” Bear suggested. “Well, but if you should stick something in your paw, what then?” Squirrel asked. “Why, then I would roll around until I found something,” Bear said. “But if something should stick through your body, you would kill yourself,” Squirrel warned him. “Well, then, let there be daylight,” conceded Bear.
“Come let us have some contests,” said Bear. “The one who jumps the farthest will be Bear.” Bear won. “Let us see who can jump the highest over a tree,” Bear again proposed. Bear won again. “Let us see who can run around this small lake first,” Bear said. Because Bear was the larger (being the elder brother) and Squirrel the smaller. Bear was first to run around the lake. Bear had beaten him each time, but not fairly.
► Continue reading…
Squirrel, still saying, “I will be Bear,” began to cry. His eyes became red and the tears made stripes below his eyes. Finally he said, “I shall not be good for anything. I shall just amuse the children.” Then he climbed a spruce and became small.
Bear again spoke, “When there is no other meat, I will be a supply for them.” He ran along the side of the world and went inland where he became large.
Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page
Dreamtime Whispers 