Turtle’s race with Bear – An Iroquois Legend.

It is early winter, and the ponds are frozen solid. Bear, who has not yet learned the wisdom of sleeping through the White Season, trudges through the woods in a grumpy mood. Perhaps he’s recalling a trick played on him by another animal, or maybe he just finds himself out of sorts. He reaches the edge of a large pond and spots Turtle with his head protruding from the ice. “Hah,” exclaims Bear, without offering his old friend even a simple greeting. “What are you looking at, Slow One?” Turtle regards Bear calmly. “Why do you call me slow?” Bear snorts, “You are the slowest of all animals. If I were to race you, you’d be left far behind.” Bear seems unaware of Turtle’s famous race with Beaver and forgets that Turtle, like Coyote, is an animal whose speed lies in his wits. “My friend,” Turtle proposes, “let us race to see who is the swiftest.”

“All right,” says Bear. “Where will we race?” “Here at this pond,” Turtle replies, “and the race will be tomorrow morning when the sun is the width of one hand above the horizon. You will run along the banks of the pond, and I will swim in the water.” “How can that be?” Bear questions. “There is ice all over the pond.” “We will do it this way,” Turtle explains. “I will make holes in the ice along the side of the pond. I will swim underwater to each hole and stick my head out when I reach it.” “I agree,” Bear responds. “Tomorrow we will race.” The next day, many animals gather to watch. They line the banks of the great pond, watching as Bear rolls in the snow and jumps up and down to prepare himself. Just as the sun reaches a hand’s width in the sky, Turtle’s head pops out of the hole in the ice at the starting line. “Bear,” he calls, “I am ready.”

Bear quickly approaches the starting place, and as soon as the signal is given, he charges forward, snow flying from his feet and his breath forming great white clouds above his head. Turtle’s head disappears into the first hole and, in almost no time, re-emerges from the next hole, far ahead of Bear. “Here I am, Bear,” Turtle calls. “Catch up to me!” Then he vanishes again. Bear is astonished and runs even faster, but before he reaches the next hole, Turtle’s green head pops out of it. “Here I am, Bear,” Turtle calls again. “Catch up to me!” Now Bear begins to run in earnest. His sides heave as he runs, and his eyes are bloodshot, but it’s no use. Each time, long before he reaches each hole, Turtle’s head is there ahead of him, calling out to catch up!

When Bear finally reaches the finish line, he’s barely able to crawl. Turtle waits there for him, surrounded by the other animals. Bear has lost the race. He drags himself home in disgrace, so exhausted that he falls asleep as soon as he arrives. He sleeps until the warm breath of Spring returns to the woods. After Bear and the other animals leave the pond, Turtle taps on the ice with one long claw. At his signal, a dozen heads like his pop up from the holes all along the pond’s edge. They are Turtle’s cousins and brothers, all of whom look just like him! “My relatives,” Turtle says, “I wish to thank you. Today we have shown Bear that it does not pay to call others names. We have taught him a good lesson.” Turtle smiles, and a dozen other turtles, all just like him, smile back. “And we have shown the other animals,” Turtle adds, “that Turtles are not the slowest of the animals.”

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