Indians of North America -- Medicine; Pomo Indians; Shamans
He repeated this ceremonial dressing and the race into the
mountains for four days, returning each evening to the village and
bringing the game he had killed. Finally, on the fifth day, he
again put on his ceremonial dress and went over to a creek, called
_taaiaka_, situated a considerable distance northeast of his hiding
place. Here he found a bear standing erect and eating manzanita
berries. The bear attempted to escape, but _būrakal-ba-kīdjon_ gave
chase and by virtue of his supernatural power was able to tire and
outdistance the bear, overtaking him at length and killing him with
an elk-horn dagger, which was part of his outfit.
He returned and brought his brother, who tied the bear’s legs
together, as had _būrakal-ba-kīdjon_ when he won his name, and
carried the carcass to the village, _būrakal-ba-kīdjon_ meantime
returning to the secret cavern.
The brother skinned the bear and told the captain to call all
the people into the dance-house to receive their portions of the
meat. On the following day a great feast was celebrated, every one
joining and providing a share of acorn mush, pinole, bread, and
other foods.
The two brothers then announced that they were again going out to
hunt. Instead, they really went to this secluded spot and made
a second bear doctor’s suit. This one was for the brother, who
underwent the same training as his brother.
Finally the two brothers started out one day toward the north,
going up to a creek called _gūhūl bidame_. Here they found a deer
hunter coming down a chamise ridge. They hid until the hunter
came within about fifteen paces of them. They then sprang out and
attacked him, the elder of the two bear doctors taking the lead.
This hunter was followed at a distance of perhaps a quarter of a
mile by four others, and when he saw the bears he made a great
outcry to his comrades. After a short chase the bear doctors caught
and killed him. They tore his body to pieces, just as bears would
do, took his bow and arrows, and started off.
Meantime the other hunters, who were Wolves (_tsīhmeū_), hid and
escaped the fate of their companion. After the bear doctors had
departed, they gathered up the bones and whatever else they could
find of the remains of the dead hunter and took them back to the
village. The usual funeral and burning rites were held, and the
whole village was in special mourning on account of the fact that
the hunter had been killed by bears.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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