The Hunters and the Bear

A woodland Indian Myth 

One Spring a bear awoke from its Winter nap and wondered about in search of food. Three hunters saw the bear. The first hunter held a bow and arrow the second one held a big pot and the third brought firewood. The three hunters chased the bear through the sky all Summer and eventually the bear was shot in Autumn. The hunters ate the bear in the pot over the fire leaving all the bones alive. While the skeleton of the bear remained visible in the sky, the spirit of the bear crept into the body of another sleeping bear and so the cycle goes every year.