Peesunt was the Chief's daughter. She was vain and proud, always combing her long black hair and waiting for compliments. She believed her status exempted her from common rules.
One day, she went berry-picking with other girls in the forest. The others sang softly to warn animals of their presence, especially bears. Peesunt scoffed, "Bears are ugly and smelly. I don't care if I disturb them! I'm the Chief's daughter!"
As dusk fell, the others left, but Peesunt stayed to pick more berries. Rushing to catch up, her basket strap broke, spilling the berries. A handsome young man in a bearskin cloak appeared and helped her. He knew her name and flattered her beauty. As it grew dark, he invited her to stay overnight in his village.
There, everyone wore bearskin cloaks. The women avoided her gaze. After a meal, the old chief declared she must stay forever and marry the young man who brought her. Despite her protests, she was taken to his lodge.
Alone and scared, she was approached by the tiny Mouse Woman. Peesunt's pride faded. She worked hard, married the bear-man, and bore two half-bear, half-human sons. Her husband was kind, and Mouse Woman taught her much, but she missed her family.
One day, her husband told her that her brothers were nearby, seeking her and killing his bear-people. He had dreamed they would kill him. He asked Peesunt to ensure they treated his body with respect after taking his skin: not to drag it, to place feathers behind his ears, and rub red ochre on his back.
He said goodbye, put on his bear cloak, and walked out. Peesunt watched him turn into a bear. He met her brothers and let them kill him without a struggle.
Overjoyed to see Peesunt, her brothers took her and her sons back to her village. Her tribe was amazed to see soft brown hair growing on her skin; she was no longer fully human.
Peesunt asked to live in a small house at the village's edge with her "cubs." One winter, her brother brought bearskins for warmth. When they wrapped themselves in the skins, they turned into bears forever. Peesunt led her cubs into the mountains, never to be seen again.
Her tribe remembered her story and learned to respect every bear they killed, becoming successful hunters.