Two rival magicians transform into a bear and a buffalo, respectively, to confront each other. Realizing they are equally matched and unable to gain an advantage, they exchange remarks about each other’s perceived weaknesses. Recognizing their equality in power, they decide to make peace and become friends.
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
Cunning and Deception: Each individual uses transformation as a tactic, possibly to gain an advantage over the other.
Moral Lessons: The story imparts a lesson about the futility of jealousy and the value of recognizing equality, leading to reconciliation.
Community and Isolation: The narrative begins with one man isolating himself due to jealousy, which ultimately leads to a confrontation and subsequent reconciliation, reflecting themes of estrangement and reunion within a community.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Dane-zaa people
The people were jealous of each other and because of that one man had camped alone. A party of Indians started to go to this man’s camp, but when they came within sight of it the man who was jealous of him said he would go to the camp alone. He started toward it changing himself into a bear when he came near. The people saw him as he was running along and warned the man for whom he was coming that his enemy was approaching. When the man heard what was said he turned himself into a buffalo and jumped out. They met each other; the one a buffalo and the other a bear. Neither could get the advantage over the other because they were afraid of each other.
► Continue reading…
Then the man who was a buffalo spoke to the man who was a bear saying, “Your food is so short you are saying to yourself, ‘What can I do?’ and that way you run toward me.” The bear too, said to the buffalo, “You, too, because your teeth are short you are saying to yourself, ‘What can I do?’ That is the matter with you.” They were both alike in power and immediately made friends.
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Dreamtime Whispers 