I have a story, well more of a legend
really, that I'd like to share. It's an
excerpt from the book "Daughters of Copper Woman"
by Anne Cameron:
Used to be women weren’t allowed to go up the mountain durin’ their time. Because of the bears. Bears got big sharp noses, and they’d smell the blood of Womantime, and think it was a female bear, and try to mate. Prob’ly didn’t intend any harm, but bein’ hugged by a big male bear is a good way to wind up in bad shape. So the waitin’ house was always protected from the bears, and women stayed out of the mountains.
There was a young woman who obeyed all the laws of cleanliness, and never went to the hills durin’ her period, and did all the things we’re supposed to do, but got loved by a bear anyway. What it was, the bear saw her, and just fell in love. Just as soft, and sappy, and foolish as anybody is when love lightnin’ hits her. The bear figured the young women would be afraid, so it hid in the bushes and never tried to touch her or speak to her, it just watched. Watched with it’s little round eyes, and shook with love. Watched the young women fishin’ and watched her gatherin’ berries. Watched her walkin’, and watched her laughin’ for days. Shakin’ with love and feelin’ there would never be any hope for this love.
Well, one day the young women came back from gatherin’ food and she stopped at the freshwater pool and took a bath. Stripped off all her clothes, walked slowly to the pool, and swam around a bit. Stood in water halfway up her legs and bent over to wash her face. Lay back in the water and washed her hair. Stood up with her hair drippin’ wet down her back and rubbed her body with soft sand, and twisted this way and twisted that way and then turned and looked right at the bush where the bear was hidin’.
“I know you’re in there,” the young woman laughed. “I know you’ve been following me. Watching me. Scaring fish may way so I could catch them. You come out from that bush and let me see you.”
And the bear just about swallowed its tongue, but it stood up, sunlight glitterin’ on its black fur, and it walked toward the freshwater pool, just as scared as anybody is when the one you love takes notice of you for the first time.
“Come into the water,” the young woman invited, and the bear walked into the water, and they swam together, and they splashed each other, and the girl fastened her fingers in the bear’s thick fur and the bear swam, pullin’ the young woman easily. They they lay in the sun to dry, and the bear stared at the young woman and wanted to touch her and love her.
“I love you,” the bear managed, even though its voice was caught in its throat.
“Why did you hide?” the young woman asked.
“How could anybody as beautiful as you love a bear?” and a tear trickled from the poor bear’s eye.
Well, the young woman took the bear’s head in her lap, and stroked its fur and kissed its nose, and said “But you’re beautiful. Strong, and gentle, and beautiful, and I do love you.”
“I’m a female bear,” the bear said.
“The young woman sat for a long long time and then she laughed and said “If I can love a creature that looks as different from me as you do, why should I care if you are a male bear or a female bear? I love you, bear. I wouldn’t not love you if you were skinny, or if you were fat, or if you were shorter, or if you were taller, because it’s the love in you that I love, and the beauty in you that I love. Anyway, the young woman laughed, “meat and bones don’t matter, it’s what’s inside them - the love spirit.” |
