The tale of “Chipmunk and Bear” is an Iroquois fable that uses anthropomorphized animals to provide the reader with a moral lesson, much like fables of Europe and ancient Greece. Historically, the Iroquois Confederacy was made up of five, and later of six tribes that shared a common language and culture. Known in their own tongue as the Haudenosaunee, the Iroquois Confederacy comprised the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora Nations. Over the course of their history, the Iroquois absorbed many less powerful tribes such as the Erie and Wyandot into their confederacy. Because of their political strength, the Iroquois were able to preserve much of their cultural heritage, and today they continue to govern themselves as a relatively autonomous nation within the United States.
The “Chipmunk and Bear” legend takes place in the distant past, before the coming of human beings, when all animals could talk. In the tale the character of Bear is quite conceited, thinking that there is nothing he cannot accomplish. Chipmunk, who overhears Bear’s boasting, challenges him to keep the Sun from rising the next morning. Bear agrees to the challenge, but of course, he fails to prevent the Sun from rising the next day. Chipmunk takes great amusement in Bear’s humiliation and dances around Bear, mocking his failure. Short-tempered Bear is angered by Chipmunk’s mockery, and he pins the tiny animal to the ground with one great paw, intending to kill him. Chipmunk convinces Bear to delay killing him until he can say a prayer, and so Bear lifts his paw off Chipmunk just enough for him to draw enough breath to say his prayer. This is enough for Chipmunk to wriggle free, and he escapes down his hole, but not unscathed. Bear swipes at him with his claws before he can reach safety, leaving three scars on Chipmunk’s back, which all chipmunks wear to this day.
This story is meant to be instructive, warning about the dangers of pride and the foolishness of delighting in another’s failure. As such, it played and continues to play a role in shaping the moral values of listeners, mainly young people in the process of learning how to make their way in the world. In this respect it fits into the broader category of moralizing animal tales, of which Aesop’s Fables is perhaps the most well known. It also contains elements that are common to other Native American folklore traditions, which make extensive use of animals and their conflicts to teach lessons about human nature and to promote social cohesion among members of the community.
Christopher T. Watson
See also Animal Tales; Badger and the Bear; Coyote Tales; Toad and the Boy
Further Reading
Fenton, William. 1991. The False Faces of the Iroquois. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
“Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Legends, Myths, and Stories.” 2015. Native Languages of the Americas website. http://www.native-languages.org/iroquois-legends.htm. Accessed October 28, 2016.
Hewitt, John N. B. 1928. Iroquoian Cosmology. Washington, DC: Smithsonian.
Parker, Arthur C. 1989. Seneca Myths and Folk Tales. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Tooker, Elizabeth, ed. 1979. Native North American Spirituality of the Eastern Woodlands: Sacred Myths, Dreams, Visions, Speeches, Healing Formulas, Rituals and Ceremonials. New York: Paulist Press.