White-Bear (Tale 81 son)

Also known as: White-Bear · Family: Arikara · Role: son · First appears: Tale 81 · How White-Bear Came to Belong to the Bear Society

When White-Bear was born, his mouth showed froth and he made a noise like a young bear. His father called him his son, and his mother nursed him. One time at the medicine-lodge, White-Bear fell on a butcher knife, which cut deeply into his belly. His father put his intestines back into place and treated the wound; “In a few days the child was much better.” Later, White-Bear had visions of a bear in the medicine-lodge and told his father, who encouraged him to remain there.

Some years later, the narrator of Tale 82 recalls leaving a spoiled stuffed bear skin in a ravine with his father. In Part 1, he went hunting with a friend; they killed an adult bear and took its hide, leaving the young bear. In Part 2, the narrator killed and skinned the young bear. His father had its hide tanned and decorated with paint for him, but while the narrator was away visiting the Sioux, a white man bought the bear robe from his family.

Relationship record

Life events

• White-Bear was born showing froth at his mouth and making a noise like a young bear.(Tale 81 · How White-Bear Came to Belong to the Bear Society)
  • “So when he was born, in nursing, the boy’s mouth showed froth, and he made a noise like a young bear.”
• White-Bear fell on a butcher knife, which cut deeply into his belly.(Tale 81 · How White-Bear Came to Belong to the Bear Society · 📍 medicine-lodge)
  • “The boy fell upon the knife. The knife handle struck the ground, the point upward, striking the boy on the belly. The knife cut deep.”
• White-Bear’s father put White-Bear’s intestines back into place and treated his wound.(Tale 81 · How White-Bear Came to Belong to the Bear Society · 📍 tipi)
  • With: White-Bear’s father (Tale 81)
  • “I now laid the boy across my lap, and with ease put the intestines back into their place.”
• White-Bear became much better after his wound was treated.(Tale 81 · How White-Bear Came to Belong to the Bear Society)
  • “In a few days the child was much better.”
• White-Bear had visions of a bear and told his father.(Tale 81 · How White-Bear Came to Belong to the Bear Society · 📍 medicine-lodge)
  • “One time the boy, while in the medicine-lodge, had visions of a bear. He told me, and I was glad of this and encouraged the boy to remain in the lodge.”
• The narrator and his father left the spoiled stuffed bear skin in a ravine.(Tale 82 · The Tale of a Member of the Bear Society · Part 1)
  • With: White-Bear’s father (Tale 81)
  • “My father thought it was best to dispose of it, so one day we took the little bear yonder among those hills, and we placed it in a ravine, where there was a bush of choke-cherries, and there we left it.”
• The narrator and his friend killed the adult bear and took its hide, leaving the young bear.(Tale 82 · The Tale of a Member of the Bear Society · Part 1)
  • With: the adult bear (Tale 82) the young bear (Tale 82)
  • “The bear was dead. We skinned it, taking only the hide.”
• The narrator killed the young bear and skinned it.(Tale 82 · The Tale of a Member of the Bear Society · Part 2)
  • With: the young bear (Tale 82, Part 2)
  • “I took my knife and stabbed the young bear and killed it. I skinned it.”
• The narrator gave the large bear hide to the narrator’s friend.(Tale 82 · The Tale of a Member of the Bear Society · Part 2)
  • With: the narrator's friend (Tale 82)
  • “I finally gave the hide to my friend.”
• The narrator’s father had the little bear hide tanned and decorated with paint for the narrator.(Tale 82 · The Tale of a Member of the Bear Society · Part 2)
  • With: White-Bear’s father (Tale 81)
  • “My father had it tanned for me, and the hide was also decorated with paint.”
• While the narrator was away, a white man bought the bear robe from the narrator’s folks.(Tale 82 · The Tale of a Member of the Bear Society · Part 2 · 📍 our village)
  • With: the white man (Tale 82, Part 2)
  • “Only a few years ago I was visiting the Sioux, and while I was gone some white man came to our village. He saw the bear robe in our lodge. He asked how much they wanted for the hide, and my bear was sold to some white man.”

Tale 81 · How White-Bear Came to Belong to the Bear Society

• parent: White-Bear’s father (Tale 81) “White-Bear is my son.”
• parent: White-Bear’s mother (Tale 81) “The mother was called and nursed the child.”

Tale 82 · The Tale of a Member of the Bear Society · Part 1

• parent: White-Bear’s father (Tale 81) “You heard what my father said about my belonging to the Bear Society.”
• friends with the narrator's friend (Tale 82) “Some years ago one of my friends, a young man who was a great hunter, asked me to go hunting with him, and I agreed to go.”

Tale 82 · The Tale of a Member of the Bear Society · Part 2

• parent: White-Bear’s father (Tale 81) “My father scolded me for giving the bear hide away.”
• friends with the narrator's friend (Tale 82) “I finally gave the hide to my friend.”

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Extracted from the original text of Traditions of the Arikara. Made with Rho MD.