Title: The Tale of the Bear and the Woman

Language: Wancho

Description:

“The Bear and the Woman” tells the tragic tale of a woman whose pride and dismissive actions lead to her downfall. The story begins when she encounters a young boy in the woods and refuses to help him carry his basket, belittling his presence. Her disregard for the boy sets off a chain of events that results in her disrespecting a bear, with whom she later marries under strange circumstances.

After refusing to help the boy, they reach a river. The boy swims across without offering any assistance to the woman, leaving her stranded. Desperate for help, the woman hears the sound of someone knocking on a tree to extract honeycomb. To her surprise, instead of a person, she encounters a massive bear. The bear offers to help her cross the river but on one condition—she must agree to marry him. Feeling pressured by her situation, the woman reluctantly agrees and becomes the bear’s wife.

However, she soon devises a plan to escape. On the day of her attempted flight, the bear follows her. Coincidentally, her brother, who is out hunting in the woods, spots the bear and shoots it dead, unaware that the bear was his sister’s husband. He brings home the bear’s meat, and when the woman unknowingly eats a small portion of it, she tragically dies, for the bear had been her husband.

Moral: This tale highlights the symbolic importance of the Wancho tribal community’s ancestral and cultural values, emphasizing the need to show respect and honor to all individuals, regardless of age.

Format & Duration: Audio: 1mins, 49 secs
Date of Recording: 8/14/2024
Date of Upload: 11-September-2024
Performer: Mikna Ralong
Creator: Lihmai Wangsu
Publisher: Tetso College, Dimapur
Note: NA

Cite this work

Lihmai Wangsu. 2024.  The Tale of the Bear and the Woman.(https://neiipa.in/audio/the-tale-of-the-bear-and-the-woman/) NEIIPA,Tetso College. Accessed: (21-Nov-2024)