The Order
of the White Moon Goddess Gallery Presents:
By Rin Fairweather
Da.axiigang (Charles Edenshaw, Haida,
1839–1920), Bear Mother carving
ca. 1900 Queen Charlotte Islands,
British Columbia
National Museum of the American Indian,
Smithsonian Institution (19/6253). Photo by NMAI Photo Services.
Introduction-
The story of Bear Mother originates with
the Haida, Tlingit, Tsimsyan, neighboring tribes of
the North Pacific coast, and the northern Rockies of America. Like many
stories, her tale has travelled and certain details are told differently by
different tribes. Bear Mother is represented in free standing carvings, oral
stories, and totem poles. “The Bear Mother tale itself reveals that bears are
kinsmen: true forebears… The Bear Mother may also be the first great
mythopoetic mother of all life (the first external incarnation among animals of
our personal mothers), prior in history and deeper in the psyche than her
humanlike expressions, the goddesses and madonnas of
civilization.” (Shepard & Sanders, 1985)
Her Story-
A group of girls were out gathering
berries. One girl, who liked to talk, aroused the curiosity of the bears by
being loud and obnoxious. When it was time to go home, the girl turned and
slipped in some bear dung, spilling all her berries. She swore and complained.
As it grew dark some men appeared wearing bear robes. They told her to come
with them and they would help her get more berries. She followed them to their
home, where there were more people wearing bearskins. She soon realized that
they were all bears. The son of the chief approached her and said she could
either die or become his wife. She chose to wed and bore twins that were
half-man and half bear. One day her family came looking for her, so she rolled
a snowball down the mountain to get their attention. Her husband knew he was
going to be killed, so he taught his wife and the cubs how to do a proper
ceremony over his dead body. This would give the men luck and power.
“Rites for the
dead bear, similar enough to be linked by numerous details and all based on the
myth of the Bear Mother, occurred until recently in Lapland, Finland, western
and eastern Siberia, Kamchatka, Japan, Alaska, British Columbia, and
Quebec.”(Shepard & Sanders, 1985) Many rituals have been created around
what is considered to be the proper death and ceremony for a bear. Parts of the
bear are sometimes eaten. In certain tribes it is taboo to eat or only certain
parts can be eaten by specific people. Claws and bones were made into
talismans. The story of the hunt was told or reenacted along with feasting and
merriment.
Link to Variations of Her Story:
1. https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/HaidaMotherBearStory-Haida.html
2. https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/aborig/fp/fpz2f27e.html
3.
https://www.sfu.ca/brc/imeshMobileApp/imesh-art-walk-/bear-mother.html
4.
https://www.manataka.org/page1818.html
Carved
in the 1st half of the 20th Century, Restored by Norman Tait
Used
with permission in 2020 https://ciscosgallery.com/collections/antique-native-american-indian-carvings-totems-kachinas/products/bear-mother-totem-a0956
What
Bear Teaches-
It’s no surprise that the Bear is such a
respected animal. It is large, powerful, and unique in its similarities to
humans. It can stand tall on hind legs, it is an omnivorous mammal, has an
intelligent mind, and is very independent. The bones of bear paws closely
resemble human hands. In the wilderness, it is easy to mistake one for the
other.
Many Indigenous tribes across the Americas
and Canada have myths and stories about the bear and what it teaches us. Here
are some common themes and ideas.
● power,
strength, protection, motherhood, teacher of herbal medicine, dreaming and/or
visions, leadership, self-reflection, healing, shapeshifting, turning of the
seasons, death and rebirth, earth energy, wisdom, authority, solitude,
understanding, and courage
Links to Tribal Bear Stories:
1.https://www.indigenouspeople.net/bear.htm
2. http://www.native-languages.org/legends-bear.htm
3. https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-symbols/bear-symbol.htm
Considerations and
Inspiration-
Upon beginning my OWM studies, stay at
home orders were issued across the US due to Covid-19. I was lucky to have
started a practice that would support me spiritually in this time of
uncertainty. When instructed to consider which Goddess or Goddess figure resonated
with me for the project, I began to notice Bear synchronicities and energy in
my life. I kept seeing and hearing the world Bear. Bear Mother’s presence makes
sense during this time. Everyone is, in a sense, hibernating. It is time for
introspection and rest.
I would like to note that I am not Native
Canadian or Native American. I am aware of cultural appropriation and how much
hurt it brings to a still oppressed people. The following art piece, chant,
ritual, and recipe are based on my own intuition, experience, writing,
tinkering, and not borrowed from any Native practices. In essence, they are
neo-pagan and inspired by research into Bear Mother.
Picture by Mika Brant in Nindorf Germany.
Open
Source from https://unsplash.com/ 2020
Bear Call
Deep in the mother
she sleeps
Deep in her den
she is dreaming
Bear Mother won’t
you come?
And be blessed by
the heat of our sun
Bring us your
vision of seasons to come
Spring has
begun! Spring has begun!
Out in the forest
she guides
Teaching her cubs
to hunt and forage
Bear Mother share
your wisdom
Of our Earth’s
magnificent gardens
Help us to regain our connections
We have begun! We
have begun!
-Original Chant by Rin Fairweather 2020-
