According to Genesis, Ham saw Noah uncovered in his tent.
Genesis 9:20–24 describes Noah planting a vineyard after the flood and becoming drunk from its wine. Ham, identified as Noah’s son and the father of Canaan, saw Noah’s nakedness and told his two brothers. Shem and Japheth then covered Noah while walking backward, avoiding looking at him.
When Noah awoke, he learned what had happened and pronounced a statement involving Canaan. This passage is often called the “curse of Ham,” but that label is imprecise: the text’s curse is directed at Canaan, not explicitly at Ham himself. Later interpreters connected the passage to racial or ethnic theories, but those interpretations are not justified as a modern basis for racial hierarchy.
The episode occurs after the flood and is distinct from the ark-building and animal episodes. Genesis names all three brothers in the scene.