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Three Tsuu T'ina overlooked the camp
and made plans. They snuck in at night and got the prized horse in the
middle of the camp and other horses. Some body saw them. Warriors were
yelling out that the horses had been stolen. Started shooting at the
Tsuu T'ina. Hit one of them in the leg. The Tsuu T'ina kept going
north. They stopped and checked the guy out and took the arrow out. He
said: I don't want to slow you guys down. Why don't I just stay back
and let you guys continue?
So they made plans. They said 'We
will take all the horses. Build a little hut. We will come back in a
day or two and take you back.'
So they made all the arrangements,
left him with a little bit of food and he hid inside this little lodge.
He stayed there, ...few days went by, he started getting worried. His
leg was still bleeding. He was getting weaker too. He ran out of food.
At night he heard something coming. Here it was a bear. The bear came
right to his lodge. He was a little bit scared and that bear opened up
the lodge and started talking to him. The bear said: ' I came. I pity
you. I will help you. ' So the bear started licking his wound and
cleaning it up and then the bear said 'What I want you to do is build a
sweat lodge.'

The man crawled around got willows to make a little
sweat lodge. After he lit the fire and got the rocks going. He covered
the sweat with whatever he could. He went in the sweat lodge and the
bear went in with him and gave him songs and a ceremony. 'These are
what you use to help other people' he said. The bear then said 'Lets
makes plans then when you are well enough, we will make plans and I
will take you home. Sure enough he was well enough and he got on the
bears back and they started heading north again. in a day or two the
Bear got to where the camp was. He was a few hundred yards away
overlooking the camp. 'This is where your camp is. These are your
people' The bear told him 'Remember these songs I gave you, its for you
to doctor people, to help people. You are well enough to hobble down to
the camp.'
So the man walked down. The People
recognized him and he confronted the men who were supposed to have gone
back for him. They told him that they did go back but couldn’t find
him. Bear Power according to this Tsuu Tina Spiritual Leader is still
really powerful today. The Bear has spiritual healing powers for
certain kinds of things.
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