An Indian Boy That Almost Turned Into A Bear - Passamaquoddy [3] A Passamaquoddy boy was lost in the woods. He was hungry and scared. He goes into a hole; a bear was in there. He is scared and he comes out. The big bear was a female; she had little cubs with her, and when boy come out big bear come close to him, [and] now and then touch him but not want to hurt him, like make [i.e. like she was making] some motion [for] him [to] do something, but young fellow wouldn't move so bear went around him and started on ahead walkin. Then at last young fellow think, "I will go with it," and starts out with bear. Bear take him where she have cubs. Night time come, [and to] keep little fellow from freezin she put him together with cubs, and they don't eat nothing but berries that summer. When little fellow saw got to [i.e. that he'd have to] eat all winter he put stuff he gathered into den so [he] could eat, and so big bear know he want to eat and help him and got enough [for him] to eat all winter. So they went into den and stay all winter. Bear don't eat nothin. Spring time they come out and the bear would leave young fellow; course, young fellow go out, but too cold for him; he go back. Big bear would not leave her friend; he played with cub. In two years time the Indians discovered this big bear and the young feller, the young man, . . . . and he told them not to kill his mother. When they found him his breast had begun grow hair like a bear. Well, on account of this young man, bear got away; this young man tell her he seen them coming. Young man was wild, didn't want come home, tried to get away. When came to settlement they looked after him but he wanted [to] go back into the woods. [It] was about a year before he got civilized, and when he got civilized every bit of hair come out. And old people thinks, `If he stay one year more with bear he turn into a bear.' At last young man got married and his wife wanted some bear meat. They had deer, raccoon; he will kill any kind of meat. He kin tell [from a] den without digging it whether a female or a male bear inside how much smoke (steam) [rises from it; it is] more strong from female. He told them, "If you see that, keep away from it; that will (may) be my mother," and he wouldn't kill any female bear. And this young man he kill so many bear, this woman ask husband, "Why you not kill female? Might taste different." He didn't pay attention. Wife don't know his story; he keep that secret himself. And she coaxed him to kill female bear. At last wife got troubled he not kill female. "If you don't bring she bear, I won't live with you any longer." So he went out and kill female bear and brought her home and said, "Here it is. That will be last bear you eat. No more bear meat." And it was the last one, too. That young man didn't live much longer. He died. It worried him till he died. He couldn't think of nothin else but how he had killed his mother that had saved him in the woods. [3] Adney Mss. Adney's note: "Neptune 1942." This tale appears to be very well known amongst Wabanaki groups and it is also found north of the St. Lawrence, though it seems to be of less importance there. It does not always involve a tabu or its violation, the core of the story obviously being the bear foster-parent and the child's acquiring the bear's characteristics. Among the Penobscot, according to Speck (IX, 218-220), it became an origin legend for the Bear (Mitchell) family. For the Malecite version, see Mechling II, 199-201. Penobscot: Leland and Prince, 239-241; Speck VIII, 85-86. Micmac; Rand, 259-262; Parsons, 96-97; Wallis I, 431. Montagnais-Naskapi: Speck V, 27 (see also Speck VII, 108-109). Compare Michelson, 33-35 (Micmac). Motifs B535 Animals nourish abandoned child; C841.7 Tabu: killing totem animal; C933.1 Luck in hunting lost for breaking tabu; D113.2 Transformation; man to bear; F521.1 Man covered with hair like animal. NORTHEAST FOLKLORE Volume VI: 1964 MALECITE AND PASSAMAQUODDY TALES Permission given to use given by Maine Folklife Center, University of Maine. This does not convey the right to republish them in any other form or for profit. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/