Raising Little Bear

An old woman lived alone in a village on the icy tundra. People took pity on her and offered their food. They would hunt, she would take a portion, and return home. The hunting parties would venture far and wide to go hunting, oftentimes running into the members from the northern village.

One day, a hunter came to the old woman's home and asked if she wanted a bear cub. The old woman gladly accepted. She loved this Little Bear and raised him as her own: fed him, offered her bed, and made him a collar to mark him as hers. She always wanted him to safe and the collar did just that. Eventually, their bond became so strong that the old woman could speak to the bear and he could communicate back to his mom. He could grunt, sniff, nod his head, or even raise a paw to respond. The children in the village loved Little Bear. Little Bear would be very cautious when he played with the village children. He never wanted to hurt anyone. His mom told him to never attack a human unless he was attacked first. Little Bear became a very loved member of the village.

Attack of Little Bear

Little Bear outgrew the children quickly. The hunters soon realized that Little Bear could be an asset to them. He began to play with the adults and help them with their hunting. He was enormous in size compared to the other bears in the area. Little Bear was a strong and excellent hunter. A northerner heard of Little Bear and wanted to harm him. It is not clear why this northerner wanted to harm him: jealousy, greed, boredom?

One day, when Little Bear was out hunting alone, the northerner attacked him. Little Bear hated to attack but he knew he would die if he didn't. He couldn't imagine leaving his mom alone in the village. Little Bear killed his attacker and carried him back home.

When Little Bear returned home late, he woke his mom up when he crawled into bed with her. The old woman was curious where he came from and ventured outside. There she saw the dead northerner. This scared his mom and the next day the old woman said, "Little Bear, you will need to leave soon. It is too dangerous for you to stay in the village." Saying this broke her heart.

Without Little Bear

The old woman procrastinated sending Little Bear away. Each morning she would stand outside, examine the sky, measure the clouds, and decide it wasn't a good day. If there was even a cloud bigger than her hand, it wasn't a good day. But finally, a day with no clouds arrived and she said, "Okay, Little Bear, it is time for you to go." The old woman couldn't imagine sleeping in her bed without Little Bear and began to weep. Little Bear, just as upset, hung his head low and moved to give his mom a hug. The two embraced each other for a long while. The entire village showed up to say goodbye to him. As Little Bear walked off the old woman rubbed oil and soot down one side, once again marking him as hers.

Now, in the North, there is a legend of a bear the size of an iceberg, an excellent hunter, with a large black mark on his side.