This is an Oneida village where they used to tell this story about the giant bear and the big dipper. They told about how this giant bear used to raid their village.
The Great Bear Story
He used to go into their corn fields and steal the corn.
After awhile, three brothers had a dream where they tracked the bear.
In this dream, they caught up the the giant bear and fought with him.
Upon awakening from this dream the three brothers found the bear’s tracks and followed them.
They tracked the giant bear to the end of the world.
When they came to the end of the world, they all flew up and continued to chase across the sky. This constellation is known as the BIG DIPPER.
In the autumn as the leaves are turning colours, they say that the bear is bleeding from his wounds and that the three brothers are close enough to shoot at him again.
In the winter, the Big Dipper is over the Oneida village and it is time to have the Mid Winter Ceremony