The Dipper, An Assiniboine Tribal Tale

A woman was…fornicating with a serpent, which angered her wife, and during her gathering of berries and such, he killed all the snakes in the area. As soon as the wife returned, and found them dead, she grew furious. The father immediately told his children to run from their mother, then immediately called for his wife. When she came to the window that the father was calling from, he chopped her head off. Instead of dying as most people would, her head came back to life and ran after the children. The children throw hurdle after hurdle against their mother’s disembodied and vengeful head, but the head still keeps on ticking, and searches for them forever more. After crossing a river, which the head could not cross, they played a game of ball. As they played, the children rose to the heavens and became the big dipper, where their mother’s head could not catch them. This story is an important tale against the act of fornication with animals. Similarly, the tale of the Bear Woman also warns against bestiality, but with different results. The tale also tells of the formation of the big dipper, which is a useful tool for navigating, as you can find the north star by finding the Little Dipper, which is right next to the Big Dipper.