HOORTS, THE BEAR
References;

Plate 5, Figure 3. Black Bear Crest. Tsimsyan.
Plates eed « Milpur ed, Grizzly Bear Crest on

Mortuary Pole. Haida.
Plate 6, Figure 3. Bear Mask. Haida.
Plates 8), Figure. 3. Hoorts, the Bear. Haida.
Plate 9, figure 3. Feast Dish. Kwakiutl.
Plate ll, Figure 8. Silver Bracelet. Tsimsyan.

Many are the legends dealing with the Grizzly Bear and the
Black Bear. The former was a fierce, much-feared creature. AS
a crest it was the most distinctive of all those of the Wolf
Clans of the Tsimsyans and was counted the noblest because it was
considered to be directly derived from the Spirit World. The
Black Bear was usually shown as a kindly, merry creature, often
depicted with its mouth wide open in a grin, sometimes, also,
with the tongue hanging out of the mouth. (Plate 8, Figure 3)

The large Housefront painting (Plate 3, Figure 3) shows the
Black Bear as if cut open up his back giving a double profile
representation. Only the front part of the head coheres; the
great width of the mouth being due to the junction of the two
profiles. The back is emphasized by the black outline, on which
hair is indicated by fine lines. The black circle indicates the
entrance to the house.

The Tsimsyans call this design "Bears Meeting,” as if two
bears had been represented.

The story of how this Crest was acquired runs as follows:
Once upon a time a man went out hunting mountain goats. He met
a black bear who carried him off to his den and taught him how
to catch salmon and to build canoes. Two years passed before
the man found his way home, when all the people were afraid of
him because he looked like a bear. One friend however caught
him and took him to his house, but the poor Bear-Man could not
speak and could not eat boiled meat. Then the people rubbed
him with "medicine" until finally he recovered his human form.
After this whenever he was in difficulty he went up the moun-
tain to his friend the Bear. In winter when nobody was able to
catch salmon the Black Bear would catch fresh salmon for him;
so the man built a house and painted the front with a large
picture of his friend the Bear. His sister also wove and wore
a Dance apron with a representation of this kindly bear. There-
fore, his sister's descendants use the Bear as their Crest to
this day.

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