174 TRADITIONS OF THE ARIKARA. 
81. HOW WHITE-BEAR CAME TO BELONG TO THE BEAR SOCIETY.* 
White-Bear is my son. He has the spirit of the Bear. I will tell 
you how it happened: I was in the medicine-lodge when my wife was 
pregnant. I used to put on the bear robe that was wonderful and I 
used to try to catch people; that I might cut them open, so I could get 
a piece of liver from them. My doing this made my son have the 
spirit of the Bear. So when he was born, in nursing, the boy’s mouth 
showed froth, and he made a noise like a young bear. I went hunting 
and killed a young bear. I skinned the bear, took the hide home, and 
had it tanned. In the Bear dances the boy, White-Bear, wore the robe. 
White-Bear stayed in the medicine-lodge. 
One time the Arikara were about to have their yearly medicine 
dance. As they had brought willows and cottonwood branches to 
build their lodges White-Bear, who was then but three years old, picked 
up a butcher knife and went out to play. 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 got up and ran to 
the tipi, crying. I saw the boy coming, holding his intestines in his 
hands. I picked up the boy and took him into the tipi. I now laid the 
boy across my lap, and with ease put the intestines back into their 
place. The relatives and mother were mourning. I took some medi- 
cine and put upon the cut place, and bandaged it with buffalo hide. 
I still held the boy upon my lap. The boy cried. The mother was 
called. and nursed the child. The child nursed like a bear. Froth 
came out from his mouth, and I unbandaged the child. I took the 
froth from the child’s mouth and put it upon the cut. The child became 
better. In a few days the child was much better. I then took the bear 
robe and put it upon the child’s back. The child could not straighten 
out. The bear robe was left upon him for several days. As the child 
got better he got to making noises like a cat. Now, the child began to 
try to walk, and went out. Children were sent for, so that the boy 
might see them. They came and played with the boy, for the boy had 
on the bear robe. The child grew up and acted like a bear. In their 
Bear ceremonies the boy stayed with me and much sleight-of-hand 
was performed upon him. As he grew up he had ways like a bear. 
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 boy is that young man sitting there. He is 
now a man and has a big scar upon his belly. He is a Bear by birth, 
but as we now have no more Bear dances he does not show the ways 
of a bear. 
*Told by Strike-Enemy. 
