This is a story about a curious Spirit Bear who wanted to know more about his heritage. 

His name was Cove.

Image by Fredrick Judd Waugh- Northwest Desolation Sound, BC

Cove was a very special black bear... in fact, he wasn't even black! 

Cove's Mom and Dad both had a black coat, and somehow Cove ended up being white! Even his two sisters Flora and Fauna had black fur; Cove felt left out and confused. He had only ever met a handful of bears like him, and they didn't know why they were white either. 

Cove decided to find answers.

Image by Gail Powell

First, he went to the Kitasoo Xai'xais people who have been protecting and preserving the land for many years. 

Cove asked them why he was white, and this is what they said, 

"In the beginning of time, the world was white with ice and snow. The Creator, the raven, came from heaven and made the world green the way it is today. He wanted to make something to remind the people of the beginning when the land was covered with glaciers, and how they should be thankful for the lust and bountiful land of today."

Image by Ashley Oshiro

Cove was amazed! He wanted to investigate further- and that is exactly what he did. 

He sought out more people from his land, and found more people who knew legends about why he had white fur. 

The people said there was a legend about his kind, and that they were called Spirit Bears. They told him, "Spirit Bears could swim deep underwater and lead people to magical places. Legend also has it that Raven, the Creator, made every tenth black bear on one island white as a reminder of the last ice age, which was 10,000 years ago." 

Cove felt astonished! He finally knew where he came from and how his fur was black. 

But, he was still curious and wanted more answers. He still didn't know how his fur was white.

Image by Marion Rose

Cove didn't know who to ask next... until, he had the idea to seek out scientists.

He had seen some around his  land when they occasionally preformed tests on the bears, to find answers to scientific questions. He always meant to ask them questions, but was too scarred to approach them. 

Finally, he got up the nerve to talk to them, and when he did, he was very glad.