The wolverine, starving and desperate, deceives a bear into believing they are siblings destined to gather berries. Feigning a special berry-infused eye treatment, the wolverene lures her unsuspecting “sister” into a sweat house, then blinds and kills her with a concealed sharp stone. Through this cruel stratagem, the tale highlights the perils of misplaced trust and the cunning power of deception.
Source:
Ethnology of the Ungava District,
Hudson Bay Territory
by Lucien M. Turner
Smithsonian Institution
Bureau of American Ethnology
Annual Report 11, 1889-1890
Washington, 1894
► Themes of the story
Trickster: The wolverene embodies the classic trickster, using guile and false kinship to outwit the bear.
Illusion vs. Reality: The wolverene’s feigned sibling relationship and bogus sweat house treatment blur truth and appearances.
Moral Lessons: This narrative functions as a cautionary tale warning against naive trust and the dangers of deception.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about the Naskapi people
A wolverene having wandered far, for several days without food, suddenly came upon a bear. The former, feeling very hungry, conceived the plan of destroying his larger prey by stratagem. The wolverene cautiously approached the bear and exclaimed: “Is that you, sister!” The bear turned around and saw the wolverene, but in a low tone, winch the wolverene did not hear, said to herself: “I did not know that J had a brother,” so ran quickly away. The wolverene continued to scream: “Come here, sister, our father has sent me to look for you. You were lost when you were a little girl out picking berries.” Thus spoken to, the bear approached the supposed brother, who informed her that he knew of a place, on the hill there, where a lot of nice berries were ready for eating, saying: “Do you not see the berries growing on that hill, sister?”
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The bear answered: “I cannot see so great a distance.” So the two went up the hillside where the berries grew. “When they arrived at the place, and it was some distance off, the bear asked: “How is it that your eyes are so good?” The wolverene replied: My father mashed a lot of cranberries into my eyes and put me into a sweat house.” The bear said: “I wish my eyes were as good as yours.” The wolverene answered: “I will make your eyes as good as mine if you will gather a lot of cranberries while I prepare a sweat house.” The bear went to gather berries while the other prepared the house during her absence. The wolverene selected a stone having a sharp edge, which she concealed under the moss in the sweat house, while she procured a larger stone for the pillow.
After the sweat house was completed the wolverene cried out: “Sister, the sweat house is finished!” The bear returned, bringing a quantity of berries. They both went into the sudatory, whereupon the wolverene instructed the bear to lie with her head upon the stone pillow, while he prepared the crushed berries to put in her eyes. He then said to her: “Now, sister, do not move; you may find the berries will hurt the eyes and make them very sore, but they will be better soon.” The wolverene filled the bear’s eyes full of the sour berries, which made her exclaim: “Brother, they arc making my eyes very sore.” The wolverene answered: “You will find them the better for that. After I get your eyes full of the berries I will blow my breath on them.” After the eyes of the bear were full of berries the wolverene said: “You are too good to be a sister,” so he struck her on the head with the sharp-edged stone and cleft her skull between the eyes and killed her.
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Dreamtime Whispers 