Gáukos, the moon, is afraid of the big-mouthed people, the grizzly
bears (clouds). He takes Weketas to protect him. He says: “If only a
bit of me is left in Lok’s mouth Weketas can bring me to life.” In the
old time nearly every tribe of Indians on the western continent
believed that an eclipse was caused by an animal’s attempt to swallow
the sun, or the moon. Some tribes believe it yet and think that the
animal is a grizzly bear. In Guatemala, when there is an eclipse, the
Indians assemble in their villages, beat on drums, scream and make as
much noise as possible, “to scare the bear away.”
In “Tulchuherris,” a Wintu myth, Olelbis, the creator, warns Sas, the
Sun, against the grizzlies; he says: “While coming from the east you
will see thick brush along the road. In that brush are grizzly bears.
Be on your guard against them; they will kill you if they can.”