The story:
The Never-Ending Bear Hunt
Many years ago people looked into the night sky and imagined wonderful stories in the stars. One story lasts for a whole year, and tells about the adventures of the Great Bear and the Bird Hunters.
When the winter ended, the Great Bear left her cave. She was very hungry after her long sleep, and she was anxious to find food. But as she hunted for food, other hunters were following her!
Seven brave Bird Hunters followed the Great Bear across the sky. Robin led the hunt, followed closely by Chickadee and his cooking pot and Moose-bird. Farther behind were their friends: Pigeon, Blue Jay, Horned Owl, and Saw-whet. The bear looked big and clumsy, but she moved across the sky rapidly. The hunters followed behind all summer, but as autumn approached they had still not caught up to the Great Bear.
Some of the hunters became tired and discouraged. Saw-whet, the last hunter in line, left the hunt. Soon Horned Owl also gave up and went in search of Saw-whet. Blue Jay and Pigeon tried to keep up with the leaders, but soon they also left the hunt and flew home.
Only Robin, Chickadee, and Moose-bird followed the Great Bear into the autumn. The bear grew angry and rose up on her hind legs. She growled loudly and clawed the air to scare the hunters. But Robin was a breave hunter. He shot an arrow and hit the Great Bear. Drops of her blood fell on Robin's feathers, turning his breast bright red. Other drops fell on the autumn leaves, coloring them a bright red.
When winter came, the dead bear lay on her back up in the sky. But her spirit returned to the cave and entered another bear. In the spring, the bear will leave the cave again to travel across the spring and summer sky, always pursued by Bird Hunters.
Background: The circumpolar constellations are the basis for this story from Canada. It is important to emphasize to the students that the people who told this story were describing the apparent motion of the Big Dipper and other constellations around the pole star (Polaris). We now know that it is the motion of the Earth that allows us to see the stars in different positions (a) from hour-to-hour throughout a night and (b) from month-to-month during a year. Remember that there is a season for storytelling in Native American traditions (approximately late Fall to early Spring)! Storytelling is not done at other times of the year.
Objectives: The students will learn about a Canadian Indian tale and will compare the action in the story to the scientific facts about the motion of the Earth and apparent motion of the stars.
Materials:
1 large sheet construction paper per student
1 paper plate per student
glue or rubber cement
ruler
stapler
markers, crayons, paper scraps for decorating
Never-Ending Bear Hunt story
patterns
template
Procedure:
1. Attached is a summary of the story. The full text can be found in North American Indian Stories: More Star Tales by G. W. Mayo, 1990; an alternate version appears in The Dance in the Sky Native American Star Myths by J. Monroe and R. Williamson, 1987. A pattern for the constellations and a template for folding the large construction paper are linked with the write-up.
2. Share the story of the Never-Ending Bear Hunt with the students. You may want to discuss seasons, constellation patterns, the Big Dipper asterism (asterism = a recognizeable pattern of stars that is not one of the 88 official constellations), Polaris (the North Star, Pole Star), navigation, etc. as part of the lesson.
3. You will need one paper plate (sturdy ones with raised edges do not work well), one pattern sheet, one brass fastener, and one large piece of construction paper for each student. Crayons or markers for decorating the constellations and/or the construction paper foreground, glue, and a stapler are also needed.
4. Decorate the constellation pictures on the circular pattern. Cut it out and glue it to the center of a paper plate.
5. Using the large template (or the measurements from the template), locate and mark the position of Polaris on a large sheet of construction paper. Caution: Our template is for 11x14 inch copier paper, which is not an exact match for 12x18 inch construction paper. Follow the written instructions on the template. Option: Prefold the paper and mark the positions for Polaris and the side staples for younger students.
6. Push the brass fastener through the Polaris on the paper plate pattern and again through the mark on the construction paper. Secure the fastener.
7. Fold the construction paper up from the bottom edge as indicated. Staple slong the side edges, close to the edge. Be sure the staples are not too close to the top (horizontal) folded edge; the paper plate needs clearance in order to rotate, as Polaris is not in the center.
8. Slowly rotate the paper plate counterclockwise, allowing the bear to exit her den and the hunters to fall below the horizon, as described in the story. If the horizon is too low, the students can add trees, rocks, or other decorations to help rise the horizon. Continue to decorate the construction paper foreground with crayons, markers, construction paper scraps, etc.
9. Share the story again. The teacher or student(s) can rotate the paper plate to illustrate the changing positions of the constellations throughout the seasons.
10. Be sure to emphasize again that it is not the stars that move, but the motion of the Earth that makes them move. Early cultures used star positions and stories to mark seasons, especially planting and harvesting times, even though the science might not be as accurate as our current knowledge!