Tales of Bear and Deer
Native American Teaching Stories for Children of All Ages
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Bear crept forward until she could see into a small clearing where she spied a small Tipi and a fire over which was roasting a rabbit. Next to the fire squatted a figure that Bear recognized immediately. She then backed slowly away and returned to Little Owl. "That creature is one whom you must never trust," she told Little Owl. "Why, Mother" he asked. "Wait until we get home" she answered "and I’ll tell you all about it." When they reached the safety of their Tipi, Little Owl asked again about the Creature. Bear called the other children, and when they were gathered around, she said: "It is called Man, and it is one of the best, and worst, of the Great Spirit’s creations." "When Wakan Tanka first created the creatures of this world, each was given special gifts. The winged creatures were given the power to fly. Deer were taught to dance. Bears were given strength, and long life. Each other creature was given some special attribute. And all creatures were able to speak to each other and were aware of each others gifts and needs" Bear began. "But then Wakan Tanka came to the final creature, Man, and had no other gift to give. So Wakan Tanka took a small part of itself and placed it in this creature. With this gift Wakan Tanka thought to give nobility, independence and wisdom." Bear sighed. "But even the Great Spirit can make mistakes, or at the very least do things we will never understand. Man proved to be vain as well as noble; headstrong as much as independent; self-satisfied more often than wise." Bear paused so long that all the children began to think she was finished. But, being well-behaved, they sat silently until she looked up at them, and continued. "Man began to think of himself as better than the other animals that is his vanity. All other animals recognize that we each are different, but none is greater or lesser. Man began to think that his way is the only way; that is being headstrong. The other animals know to think for themselves, but that they should always be open-minded to new and different ideas that may be as good as or better than theirs. And Man began to think that he could know the Truth, the Way of things, as well as Wakan Tanka. In this way Man traded the search for Wisdom for the chance to think he is Right."
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Native American teaching tales are similar to those of any other culture around the world in many ways. One can see many of the more familiar characters of Western folk tales walking in and out of these tales in bit parts or supporting roles. In fact, just outside the forest where Bear and Deer live is the Briar Patch frequented by Briar Rabbit and the Big, Bad Wolf! The reasons for this are many and varied. One is that all these tales have a similar purpose, whether they originated in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Outback of Australia or North and South America. They are meant to teach our culture and values to our young, and to give them tips on how to handle problems they might face throughout life. Thus many tales reflect what may befall a child when he or she strays from what her society deems appropriate conduct. There is less emphasis on this in Native American teaching tales than in most European cultures, although "Bear Falls For Deer" has this theme at its heart. Native American teaching tales more often show the rewards of good behavior as compared to punishment for bad behavior. In "Daughter of Wolf" Deer gives birth to a foal not out of sexual activity but because of her faith and belief in the power of Wakan Tanka. In many ways this story seems biblical. These tales often deal with death and loss- loss of a loved one or a way of life. "Bear and Deer’s Final Journey" and "Shines-Like-Sun" are such stories. Most readers will easily note the differences between the way death is viewed in these stories than in European culture. While Bear, Deer and Shines-Like-Sun all go to the Spirit World- all "walk with Wakan Tanka"- they are never truly away and come up in later stories in the same frequency and doing many of the same things they did while "alive". Another issue common in these tales is the role of Man in the universe. Native American societies saw more of a unity in nature than Europeans did, a knowledge that all living things were Brother and Sister. However they still could not help but notice there was some fundamental difference between Mankind and the other animals created by the Great Spirit- without deciding whether that was necessarily good or evil. "Little Owl Sees A Man" touches upon this theme. Native American Creation stories are varied and colorful, and well-documented, and any interested reader is encouraged to read more in this area. Most all Native American societies, both North and South of the equator, place great emphasis on the cyclic nature of the world. This is the central theme of these tales, the cycle of seasons, birth and death, of changes in society and Nature. "Comes-the-Spring" brings this cycle once again to its beginning, Little Owl shows all the same hope and love Bear expressed when she met "The Most Beautiful Creature". This is in direct contrast to many tales today- notably those strongly influenced by certain Christian sects- which see life as linear. There is a steady progression from creation to destruction. Native American societies- most notably South American ones including the Maya and Aztec- see this cycle as just one of many. What we can be sure of is that times are changing, and like Deer teaches in "Deer’s Last Lesson", while we cannot hold back the seasons for even a single day, we cannot stop doing what we believe is right. Lastly, it is almost certain that some readers will note that both Deer and Bear are female. Sexual identity among many tribes was not considered as predetermined as it is today in Western culture. Sexual identities were often set by the role one played in society, rather than one’s role being determined by one’s gender, as is the case today. A Shaman was often one such person, although that varied from area to area. "The First Shaman" vaguely touches on this theme. Bear and Deer are creatures of Nature, and their gender is inconsequential to the meaning of the stories. However in most respects they quantify the nurturing and teaching aspects most closely associated with women. As can be seen in "Coyote Pays a Visit", gender can also change as needed for the story, so if you feel you must, these stories can be retold in many ways. One must only be sure not to lose the meaning of the story in an attempt to maintain a current societal standard. Bear and Deer lived long ago, and will live on long into the future, regardless of what we might do to alter them. It should be noted that while these tales are meant for children (of all ages) they are meant to be told or read aloud. This is not a book to hand a child so the parent can have some time away- instead read the stories and retell them, get to know Bear, Deer and Little Owl, act out the sounds and sights of the Hidden Glade. You just might find that everyone in the family gains something, even if it’s just the joy of being together as a family.
About the Author
Jessie N. Olson-WolfBear has not yet become an adult despite being almost 45 years old. She has Doctorates in Law and the Philosophy of Religion, a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, and other less interesting degrees. Jessie is partly Native American and partly Swedish and is a practicing Buddhist, although she is deeply involved in Native American culture and beliefs. Jessie lives with her lifetime companion Tabitha Framak, 5 dogs, 3 cats, 2 ferrets and many birds of various species. She has two living children and a grandchild, all of whom are following in the ways of their ancestors- at least when they visit home.