Brown bears have been important in Native American Indian culture for centuries and hold the bear in high regard. This magnificent animal has always deserved great respect from the people who have shared its land.
What do grizzlies mean to Native Americans?
Native American tribes, many of whom believe that the bear is a representation of a deity, revere these powerful animals and have long held them in high regard, acknowledging their size, strength, speed, and dexterity. They understand that the behavior of the bear is extremely complex and they believe that they are different from the other animals with which they come in contact. Due to this long-standing admiration, the animal has appeared in many traditional legends.
What did the brown bear mean to Native Americans?
Often seen as the subject of jewelry paintings and engravings, grizzly bears became a symbol of strength for the Indians. Animals had many different meanings and were part of various rituals in Native American culture. The Indian bear dance was a dance performed to bring back the ghosts of the ancestors, but it was also believed that the spirits of the ancestors joined in the dance to help the bears relax and fall asleep during his long hibernation. This particular dance preceded the Circle of Life Dance, which was performed around a fire, and the dancing, singing, and singing of the lyrics were thought to bring warmth and light while the Grizzly Bears hibernated.
Native American Indians have always had a healthy respect for bears; they feared them despite hunting them for food, skin, and claws, which they turned into jewels like necklaces. Because Native American Indians believed the animal to be so spiritually powerful, jewelry was thought to provide protection and good health to the wearer.
Even today, members of these ancient tribes can be seen wearing necklaces made from bear claws, however, with modern hunting laws and conservation efforts, most are in fact very ancient. These objects were very valuable to the Indians, so there are very few available to see outside of the Indian tribes. Some dating from the 19th century are now kept in museums and you can see one at Harvard’s Peabody Museum.
The relationship between grizzly bears and Native American Indians is a special one, steeped in tradition, history, and beliefs. It is fascinating and comforting to know that it continues today as it has for so many centuries.