Description
Title: Bear Medicine
Size: 75″h x 33″w x 21″w
Edition size: 20
Bear Medicine Story
The Arikara were a tribe residing in the Northern Plains of the United States. They had formed relationships with various tribes in their area and were known for their role in trading with those tribes and The American Fur Company. At a certain point the American Fur Company had enough of their own language interpreters they had decided to get rid of their middleman, so to speak, and so they supplied the Arikara with blankets that had been tainted with smallpox. The disease decimated the tribe leaving only the few left to integrate with other tribes like the Mandan and the Hidatsa who also had suffered similar fates. The American Fur Company accomplished their goal in removing their once trading partners and began trading directly with remaining tribes.
But what of those remnants left behind to deal with the loss of loved ones, lands and culture. The surviving Arikara would have turned to any source of healing they knew of. As part of the bear society believed in the healing and strengthening medicine of the bear. The bear was known for its ability to fight, to heal quickly from large deep wounds, and to source roots and herbs that had medicinal quality. By observing bears, it was discovered that many of those roots and herbs were suitable for human healing also. And when the skins and claws of the bear were worn, one could spiritually take on the strengthening qualities of the bear.
“Bear Medicine” is a representation of one of those Arikara elders turning to his known source of healing from deep emotional wounds and how to gain strength to move on. The bear skin represents protection while healing. The claws represent the will to fight through difficulty. The bone breast plate represents fortitude of the heart, and the spear adorned with eagle feathers represent upward movement and a larger perspective of eternity.
