Four brothers and a small dog went hunting for a monster bear that terrorized their village. They set out to hunt it. If the hunters saw the bear's trail, then the magic of the bear would not work. If they found the trail, then he would have to run from the hunters instead of the giant bear hunting the men.
They found the trail with the help of the little dog. The bear ran, a huge white bear that pushed aside big trees as it ran from the hunters. It ran up a tall mountain. The lazy brother pretended to twist his ankle so the others would carry him. The day had turned into night, and the ground seemed very dark.
The dog was nipping at the bear's heels. That laziest brother asked to be put down, saying he felt better now. Because he was rested, he chased the bear, caught up with it, and killed it with his spear.
The bear fell dead and they cut up the bear and cooked it. After they ate, they discovered that the bear had led them far into the sky among the stars.
The little dog barked and to their surprise, the bear arose from the place where they had piled the bones of their feast. It came to life and began to run again, the little dog at its heels. They again began to chase the bear across the skies.
"So it was, the old people say, and so it still is. Each autumn the hunters chase the great bear across the skies and kill it. Then, as they cut it up for their meal, the blood falls down from the heavens and colors the leaves of the maple tree scarlet. They cook the bear and the fat dripping from their fires turns the grass white.
If you look carefully into the skies as the seasons change, you can read that story. The great bear is the square shape some call the bowl of the Big Dipper. The hunters and the small dog[which you can barely see] are close behind, the dipper's handle. When autumn comes and that constellation turns upside down, the old people say, Ah, the lazy hunter has killed the bear. But as the moons pass and the sky moves once more towards spring, the bear slowly rises back on its feet and the chase begins again."