The Man in the Stump

A man tending to his field of corn decided to climb a tall stump to gain a better view of his ripening crops. Unaware that the stump was hollow, he did not know a bear had made a nest inside for her cubs. As the man climbed, he lost his footing and fell into the stump, landing directly on the cubs. Startled, the cubs began to squeal loudly, and their cries soon reached the ears of their mother. Hearing the commotion, the she-bear quickly descended into the stump, entering tail first, as bears do, to investigate the source of the noise.

In his panic, the man instinctively grabbed onto the bear’s hind legs. The bear, alarmed by this unexpected encounter, quickly climbed back out of the stump, inadvertently pulling the man up with her. Once they were both out in the open, the bear, still frightened, dashed into the forest, leaving the man behind.

This retelling respects the tradition from which it originates and acknowledges that it belongs to its people.