The bear and his indian wife

This story comes from the haida people of British Columbia. Only 5000 people's still exist and only a dozen people can speak the language, mostly age 70 years or older. People were decimated between disease and religious schools. The schools all but erasing their people and culture. This story is old, very old. Heard from a elder in 1873. If you go back that elder learned from another all the way back to the 16 hundreds. Called the bear and his Indian wife.

Quiss-an-kweedass and Kind-a-wuss were a youth and maiden in my
native village, she the daughter of one of our chiefs, he the son of one of
the common people. Since both were about the same age and had been
playmates from youth, their fondness in later years ripened into a love
so strong that they seemed to live for each other. But while they loved
each other, they knew that they could never live as husband and wife,
because both were of one crest, the Raven. By the social laws of the
Haidas a mother gives her name and crest to her children, whether
Raven, Eagle, Frog, Beaver, Or Bear. A man is at liberty to take a wife
other crest except the one to which he himself belongs.While the youth and maiden continued to love each other. time Passed unnoticed. Life to them seemed a pleasing dream- from which
they were awakened when both sets of parents reminded them that the
time had come for each to marry someone else. Seeing that these ad-
monitions passed unheeded, their parents resolved to separate them, The
lovers were confined in their homes, but they contrived to slip away and
meet outside the village. They escaped to the woods, resolved to live on
he meanest fare in the mountain forests ather than return to be separated.
In a lonely glen under a shady spruce by a mountain stream, they
built a hut, to which they always returned at night. While wandering
in search of food they were careful lest they should meet any Of their
relations.
Thus they lived until the lengthening nights and stormy days reminded them of winter. Quiss-an-kweedass resolved to revisit his home,
and to make the journey alone. Kind-a-wuss preferred to remain in the
solitude of the forest rather than face her angry relations, He promised
howerer, to retuin before nightfall of the fourth day.
When he reached home, his parents welcomed him and asked about
Kind-a-wuss and her whereabouts since hey had departed. He told them all. and when they heard how they lived, and how she had become his wife, their wrath was great. They told him hat he would never go back, and they decided o keep him prisoner until she also
When Quiss-an-kweedass could not get away, he urged his people to return. He
could let him go and get Kind-a-wuss, for she would never return alone. They
were unmoved by his appeal. After a considerable time, he managed to
escape. He hastened to his mountain home, hoping to meet Kind-a-wuss,
yet fearing that something might be wrong.When he arived at the place where they had parted, he found by
the footprints on the soft earth that she had started to return to their
hut. Drawing near it, he listened but heard no sound and saw no trace
of her. When he went inside, he was horror-stricken to find that she
had not been there since he left. Where was she? Had she lost her-way?
Hoping to find some clue, he searched the hut, looked up and down
the stream, went through the timber up to the mountains, calling her
by name as he went along: "Kind-a-wuss, Kind-a-wuss, where are vou?
Kind-a-wus, come to me; I am your own Quiss-an-kweedass. Do you
hear me, Kind-a-wuss?" To these appeals the mountain echoes answered,
Kind-a-wuss. After searching for days, feeling sorry and angry, he turned
homeward, grieving for the dear one whom he had lost, and angry with
his parents, whom he blamed for his misfortune. Once there, he told the
villagers of his trouble and claimed their assistance. Many among them the two fathers, one anxious for his daughter's safety, the other disturbed because he had detained his son.
Farly on the morning of the third day after Quiss-an-kweedass arrived.
he led a party out for a final search to try and find her, dead or alive.
But after ten days, during which- they discovered nothing except a place
where traces of a strugle were visible, they abandoned the effort,
As weeks gave place to months and months to years, Kind-a-wuss
seemed to have been forgotten. She was seldom mentioned  was
referred to only as the girl who was lost and never found. Yet her lover-
never forgot; he believed her still alive and did all in his Power to help
her. Having failed so often, he thought he would visit a medicine man,
or skaga, who was clairvoyant. AIE

The skagaasked Quiss-an-kweedass if he had anything that the
maiden had worn. I gave a part of her clothing to the skaga, who took
it in-his hand and caid. "I see a voung woman lying on the ground: she-seems to be asleep. It is Kind-a-wuss. There is something in the bushes, coming toward her. It is a large bear. He takes hold of her,she tries to get away but cannot. He takes her with him, a long way off.I see a lake, Ther reach it and stop at a large cedar tree. She lives in
the tree with the bear. I see two children, boys, that she has had by the
bear. If you go to the lake and
the  tree, you will discover them all
there led by the skaga, who soon found the lake and then the tree. There thev
Quiss-an-kweedass lost no time in getting together a second party
halted to consider what it was best to do.It was agreed that Quiss-an-kweedass should call her by name before
venturing up a sort of stepladder which leaned against the tree. After
he called her several times, she looked out and said, "Where do you
come from? And who are you?"" "I am Ouiss-an-kweedass,' said he. I will
take you home Will you go?" "I cannot go with.I have sought long years for you. Now that I have found you, I mean to return to my husband,the chief of the bears, returns." After a little conversation, she consented to come down among them; and when they had her in their Power they hastily carried her off home.her parents were sad to-have their lost child, and Quiss-an-kweedass Kindly welcomed she was worried for her two sons and wished to see them and was overjoyed to recover her loved one, Although she was at home and returned for them. This her friends would not allow, though- they offered to go and fetch them: She replied that ther father would not let them go. "But," said she. there is a way you might get them."" She explained
that the bear had made up a song for her, and if they would go to the
tree and sing it, the bear chief would-give them whatever they wished.
After learning the song, a party went _to the-tree and. began to sing.
As soon as the bear heard the song he came down, thinking that Kind-a-
wuss had returned. When he saw that she was not there, he was upset
and refused to let the children go. When the party threatened o take
them by force, however, he agreed to send them to -their mother.
Kind-a-wuss told the following story of how she had fallen into the
power of the-bear. After she had parted from Quiss-an-kweedass and
fumned back toward the hut, she had not gone far before she felt tired and sick at heart tor her lover Deciding to rest a little, she lay down in
a dry,shady place and fell-asleep
There the bear found her, took her and carried her to his home near
the lake 's the entrance to his house was high above the ground, he
hed sort ol stepladdler whereby he could get-easly up and down He
sent- some of his tribe to gather soft moss to make her a bed.
She used to wonder why no one came fo look for her.
As the years passed and none of her relations nor her lover came near
her, she began to feel at home in the bear's tree house. By the time the
search- party arived , she had given up all hope of being found. The
bear tried to make her comfortable and please her, He composed a song
which to this day is known among the children of the Haidas, as the
Song of the Bears. I have heard it-sung many times an old acquaintance gave me the words.be kind to her. I will give her berries from the hill and roots fron
hope her relatives won't come and carry her away from me I will
I have taken a fair maid from her Haida friends as my wife . I will do all I can to-please her For her I made this
song, and for her I sing it. Lasting friendship. Many people learned it from Kind-a-wuss, who never
This is the Song of the Bears, and whoever can sing it bas their
as for the hardships that the lovers had suffered, they were allowed to
went again to live with the bear Out of consideration for her, as well
live as man and wife.

As for the two sons, Soo-gaot and Cun-what, they showed different
dispositions as they grew up. Soo-gaot stayed with his mother's people,
bears. Soo-gaot, marrying a girl belonging to his parental tribe, reared
while the other returned to his father and lived and died among the
a family from whom many of his people claim to be descended. The
direct descendant of Soo-gaot is a pretty girl, the offspring of a Haida
mother and Kanaku father, who inherits all the familv belongings, the
savings of many generations. The small brook which flowed by the
mountain home of Quiss-an-kweedass and Kind-a-wuss grew to be a
large stream, up which large quantities of salmon run in season. That
istream is in the family to this day, and out of it they catch their food,