"Enter," she said, "and rest. I shall meet the bear, and when I need you, I shall call you."
Saying this, she took down a medicine-sack, which was hanging on the wall near the door. They entered, and she walked out to meet the bear. The animal came up with angry growls and swinging strides. The maiden quickly opened the medicine-sack and took out some war feathers, paint, and tufts of hair.
As the bear came up, the girl tossed them up in the air, saying, "Behold, these are the magic arrows of my dead brother. These are the magic war paints of my dead brother. This is the eagle's feather of my dead brother, and these are the tufts of hair of wild animals he has killed."
As she said these words and the things fell on the ground near the animal, he tottered and fell. She called the brothers, and they rushed out.
"Cut him into pieces quickly," she said, "or he will come to life again."
They all set to work and cut the huge animal into small pieces, which they tossed away. When they had finished, they saw, to their surprise, that these pieces had turned into small, black bears, which had jumped up and were running away in every direction. And it is from these bears that the bears called the Makwas had their beginning.
[1] A manitou is the spirit of an Indian who has been killed. Manitous often take the forms of animals when they come back to life.
[2] Wampum; long, narrow beads, sometimes made of shells. They were usually blue and white and were often woven into a belt. They were greatly treasured by the Indians.