Cheroke And The Bear Analysis

The Cherokee speak the story of a young man: One day, while out hunting in the forest, the man came across a bear. He fired off arrow after arrow at the beast, but could not bring it down. Eventually the bear stopped running, and stood up, pulling the arrows out of his body and holding them towards the man. The hunter realized he had stumbled across a medicine bear, “protected by magic”. The bear, after promising he would do the man no harmed, led him back to his home. It was a cold winter, but the bear provided plentiful food(even conjuring acorns and other nuts from nothing), took the man with him to the spirit councils, and taught him the ways of the bear. As spring came, the bear told the hunter that men from his tribe would come kill him. “No no no, they will not harm you”, he assured him, “They will take you home with them. You must cover my blood with leaves, and when they take you away look back; you will see something.” Soon the day came. Men and their hounds came to their home, and the bear was killed. The hunter was heartbroken, but followed his instructions. As he was led away, he looked back. ”The bear rose up on his hind legs and shook his great shoulders. Then he dropped to the ground and disappeared into the great forest.” First, a bit about the Cherokee. The Cherokee Nation originally hails from the Great …show more content…
This is made clear from the beginning of the story. Even after the hunter had shot the bear with multiple arrows, he was not angry. Instead, he took the man in for the winter and guided him, fed him, and eventually gave him instructions on how to get home. When Spring arrives and the hunters come to kill the bear, skin him even, the bear gracefully accepts his role in the circle of life. The hunter, in turn, respects the bears instructions on how to treat his burial. The Bear’s spirit passes back into the Great Forest, and the great cycle begins