Did you know that bears sleep all winter, and only get up to get a drink of water? A long time ago b ears lived in the woods anc close to our home, and so did rabbits. Bears do not live near out homes any more, but rabbits still do. Have you ever seen a rabbit?

Ou people, the Choctaws, teach us that the bear, so big and strong, and the rabbit, so small, were friends. This is the way the bear and the rabbit became friends.

It was winter time and it was very cold. Rabbit, who does not sleep through the winter, was in the woods looking for something to eat. Because it was winter time, all the green vegetables Rabbit liked were not growing and the ground was cold anf frozen. Being frozen means that the ground was as hard as an ice cube. Rabbit could not dig in the ground to get something to eat so he was very hungry. While Rabbit was standing by a little stream and thinking about eating, Bear went to the stream to get a drink of water. Bear said to Rabbit, "Rabbit, you look lost and hungry. Are you lost?" "Oh no," said Rabbit, "but I am very hungry." Bear felt sorry for Rabbit so he said, "Come to my cave and we will eat some beans together." Bear was not hungry and he wanted to go back to sleep, but he wanted to help Rabbit, more.

Inside Bear's home, Bear started a fire and began to cook the beans. While the beans were cooking, Bear sharpened his butcher knife. When the butcher knife was sharpened, he lifted one arm and cut some fat meat from his side. Then Bear put the meat from his side into the bean pot. Rabbit was watching Bear cut the meat from his own side and put the meat into the beans. Rabbit thought to himself, "I didn't know anyone could do that; I think I will try to do that sometime."

When the beans and fat meat were cooked, Bear and Rabbit sat down and ate together. Rabbit was so happy that he was able to find a friend and something to eat. Rabbit invited Bear to come to his house to eat. Bear said he would come when he woke up in the springtime.

When spring came and the flowers began to bloom, Bear awoke and was hungry. He remembered his friend Rabbit and he remembered that Rabbit had invited him to his home. Bear followed the stream and found the field where Rabbit lived. Bear walked into the field and almost stepped into the hole that was Rabbit's home. Rabbit heard the noise and looked out and saw his friend Bear. Bear could not crawl into Rabbit's home because the door was too small, so Rabbit brought his beans to cook them in the front yard. When the beans had cooked for a few minutes, Rabbit took his butcher knife to cut off some fat from his side as he had seen Bear do, but he had no fat on his side and Rabbit hurt himself. Bear ran and got some bandages and wrapped Rabbit's side. Bear said, "It was nice of you to try to take the fat meat from your side and feed me, but you have no fat there."

Bear took the knife and took some fat from his own side and put it into Rabbit's beans. When the beans and the fat meat were done, they sat down and ate together, even better friends than before.

All Choctaw stories are included in the "Choctaw Language Program," book, which is copyrighted by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Permission was granted for reprint, 31 July 2003, by Gergory E. Pyle, Chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.