The Bear Boy

By: Joseph Bruchac

Long ago, in a Pueblo village, a boy named Kuo-Haya lived with his father. But his father did not treat him well. In his heart he still mourned the death of his wife, Kuo-Haya's mother, and did not enjoy doing things with his son. He did not teach his boy how to run. He did not show him how to wrestle. He was always too busy. As a result, Kuo-Haya was a timid boy and walked about stooped over all of the time. When the other boys raced or wrestled, Kuo-Haya slipped away. He spent much of his time alone. Time passed, and the boy reached the age when his father should have been helping him get ready for his initiation into manhood. Still KuoHaya's father paid no attention at all to his son. One day Kuo-Haya was out walking far from the village, toward the cliffs where the bears lived. Now the people of the village always knew they must stay away from these cliffs, for the bear was a very powerful animal. It was said that if someone saw a bear's tracks and followed them, he might never come back. But Kuo-Haya had never been told about this. When he came upon the tracks of a bear, Kuo-Haya followed them along an arroyo, a small canyon cut by a winding stream, up in to the mesas. The tracks led into a little box canyon below some caves. There, he came upon some bear cubs. When they saw Kuo-Haya,the little bears ran away. But Kuo-Haya sat down and called to them in a friendly voice ''I will not hurt you,'' he said to the bear cubs. ''Come and play with me.'' The bears walked back out of the bushes. Soon, the boy and the bears were playing together. As they played, however, a shadow came over them. KuoHaya looked up and saw the mother bear standing above him. ''Where is Kuo-Haya?'' the people asked his father. ''I do not know,'' the father said. ''Then you must find him!'' So the father and other people of the pueblo began to search for the missing boy. They went through the canyons calling his name. But they found no sign of the boy there. Finally, when they reached the cliffs, the best trackers found his footsteps and the path of the bears. They

followed the tracks along the arroyo and up into the mesas to the box canyon. In front of a cave, they saw the boy playing with the bear cubs as the mother bear watched them approvingly, nudging Kuo-Haya now and then to encourage him. The trackers crept close, hoping to grab the boy and run. But as soon as the mother bear caught their scent, she growled and pushed her cubs and the boy back into the cave. ''The boy is with the bears,'' the trackers said when they returned to the village. It is the responsibility of the boy's father.'' said the medicine man. Then he called Kuo-Haya's father to him. ''You have not done well,'' said the medicine man. ''You are the one who must guide your boy to manhood, but you have neglected him. Now the mother bear is caring for your boy as you should have done all along. She is teaching him to be strong as young man must be strong. If you love your son, only you can get him back." Every one of the medicine man's words went into the father's heart like an arrow. He began to realize that he had been blind to his son's needs because of his own sorrow. ''You are right," he said. "I will go and bring back my son." Kuo-Haya's father went along the arroyo and climbed the cliffs. When he came to the bears' cave, he found Kuo-Haya wresting with the little bears. As the father watched, he saw that is son seemed more sure of himself than ever before. "Kuo-Haya," he shouted. ''Come to me" The boy looked at him and then just walked into the cave. Although the father tried to follow, the big mother bear stood up on her hind legs and growled. She would not allow the Father to come any closer. So Kuo-Haya's father went back to his home. He was angry now. He began to gather together his weapons, and brought out his bow and his arrows and his lance. But the medicine man came to his lodge and showed him the bear claw that he wore around his neck. ''Those bears are my relatives!'' the medicine man said. "You must not harm them. They are teaching your boy how we should care of each other, so you must not be cruel to them. You must get your son back with love, not violence." Kuo-Hayas father prayed for guidance. He went outside and sat on the ground. As he sat there, a bee flew up to him, right by his face. Then it flew away. The father stood up. Now he knew what to do! "Thank you, Little Brother," he said. He began to make his preparations. The medicine man watched what he was doing and smiled.

Kuo-Haya's father went to the place where the bees had their hives. He made a fire and put green branches on it so that it made smoke. Then he blew the smoke into the tree where the bees were. The bees soon went to sleep. Carefully Kuo-Haya's father took out some honey from their hive. When he was done, he placed pollen and some small pieces of turquoise at the foot of the tree to thank the bees for their gift. The medicine man who was watching all this, smiled again. Truly the father was beginning to learn. Kuo-Hayas father travelled again to the cliffs where the bears lived. He hid behind a tree and saw how the mother bear treated Kuo-Haya and the cubs with love. He saw that Kuo-Haya was able to hold his own as he wrestled with the bears. He came out from his hiding place, put the honey on the ground, and stepped back. "My friends," he said, "I have brought you something sweet." The mother bear and her cubs came over and began to eat the honey. While they ate, KuoHaya's father went to the boy. He saw that his little boy was now a young man. "Kuo-Haya," he said, putting his hands on his son's shoulders, "I have come to take you home. The bears have taught me a lesson. I shall treat you as a father should treat his son." "I will go with you, Father," said the boy. "But I too, have learned things from the bears. They have shown me how we must care for one another. I will come with you only if you promise you will always be friends with the bears." The father promised, and that promise was kept. Not only was he friend with the bears, but he showed his boy the love a son deserves. And he taught him all the things a son should be taught. Everyone in the village soon saw that Kuo-Haya, the bear boy, was no longer the timid little boy he had been. Because of what the bears had taught him, he was the best wrestler among the boys. With his father's help, Kuo-Haya quickly became the greatest runner of all. To this day, his story is told to remind all parents that they must always show as much love for their children as there is in the heart of a bear. Critical Thinking
Do you think Kuo-Haya did the right thing by returning to live with his father? Why or why not? What kind of relationship does Kuo-Haya have with his father at the beginning of the story? Describe the effect this relationship has on Kuo-Haya. Why does Kuo-Haya choose to spend so much time alone? What does Kuo-Haya do when he first sees the bear cubs?

How is Kuo-Hayas life with the bears different from his life in the village? Support your answer with details from the story. What advice does the medicine man offer the father? How does seeing a bee help the father decide how to get his son back? Native American folk tales usually teach a lesson. What lesson does this folk tale teach? Do you think the lesson applies to people of all cultures and all times? Explain.