A man is pursued by a large bear and seeks refuge in a tree. When the bear climbs after him, the man transforms into a squirrel, leaps to another tree, and descends safely. He then gathers wood, ignites a fire at the base of the bear’s tree, causing the bear to burn and fall. The man reverts to his human form and escapes unharmed.
Source:
The Beaver Indians
by Pliny Earle Goddard
The American Museum of Natural History – Anthropological Papers
Volume X, Part 4
New York, 1912
► Themes of the story
Transformation: The protagonist undergoes a physical change by turning into a squirrel to escape the bear.
Conflict with Nature: The man faces a life-threatening encounter with a bear, representing a struggle against natural forces.
Cunning and Deception: The man uses cleverness to outwit the bear, first by transforming and then by setting a trap.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Dane-zaa people
A man lay down for the night by a river where there was a trail with the prints of animals’ feet. He heard a big noise made by a large bear. He ran to it and then he ran away from it. There was nothing he could do and he could not get away from the bear. He climbed a tree and the bear jumped up and climbed until he was not far below him. The bear was so big and fat he could not climb higher and he would not go away. The man was worn out for sleep and he could not go down for he was afraid of the bear which was watching him. “What can I do?” he said to himself. He turned himself into a squirrel and jumped far over to another tree which was standing there.
► Continue reading…
He ran to the trunk of that tree and went down without the bear which was sitting high up in the tree knowing it. The man gathered many knots and brought them on his back to the foot of the tree and set them on fire. The fire shot high up the tree and set it on fire. The bear was big and could not do anything. He began to burn and fell down. He became a man again and ran off. That is the way he avoided being killed.
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Dreamtime Whispers 